Interro Quartet

We have been wanting to have a string quartet in our Hall for a while now (especially after hearing the beautiful sound of violin and cello with James Hill and Anne Janelle).  We threw around the idea of having “Classical Sundays” as we thought the acoustics would complement the sound completely.  But we’ve been too busy during the year with our regular concert series and balancing life.  Now that our concert series is finished, we finally found the time to organize this.

So Desboro Music Hall is very excited to offer a Winter Chamber Music Concert: Interro Quartet featuring Adam Despinic and Steve Koh on violin, Maxime Despax on viola, and Sebastian Ostertag on cello.

Interro Quartet will present an afternoon of music to bring warmth into the holiday season.  Performing beloved works by Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, as well as excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s beloved “Nutcracker Ballet” arranged for string quartet.

Interro Quartet combines passionate performances with a curiosity to explore new sounds and venues in chamber music. The group’s repertoire includes works of classical music giants, as well as new compositions by emerging and established Canadian composers. Featuring award-winning graduates of University of Toronto, the Interro Quartet includes violinists Adam Despinic and Steve Koh, violist Maxime Despax, and cellist Sebastian Ostertag.

The mission of the Interro Quartet is not only to make quartet music accessible to those who seek it but also to broaden the spectrum of audiences through diverse programming. To complement this mission, members of the Interro Quartet are also avid educators and clinicians, dedicated to supporting education programs that encourage new ways for artists and listeners to share, experience, and incorporate chamber music into their daily lives.

Please come out and support (hopefully the first of many) Sunday Afternoon Concerts.

Sunday December 3, 2017 at 2:00pm.

Tickets available:

Advance: $20 (including HST) *
Regular/At Door: $25 (including HST)
*Advance tickets available only until Sat Dec 2, midnight.  Advance tickets cannot be held at the door, only Regular tickets can be held at the door

Get your tickets:

Phone: (519) 377-2358
Box Office: Sat Nov 25: 10am – 12pm, Sun Dec 3: 1:30 – 2:00pm

Meet James & Anne

So how did they start playing together?  Well, there’s a story…

James and Anne were selected to record a track for a compilation album called Classical Ukulele for release in Japan. “If it weren’t for that recording project,” confides Anne, “I don’t think we ever would have started playing together. It just wouldn’t have occurred to us.” Often the most obvious thing is the thing that’s most easily overlooked. “We chose Schubert’s Ave Maria and arranged it for ukulele and cello. We recorded it in a tiny practise cubicle at the university!” The result? “Absolutely brilliant” (The Folk Diary).

Together, the two of them have created an unexpected duo with ukulele and cello, two instruments not normally found playing together.  They have created a very unique sound within the music industry.  They craft touching, intricate music and in the next moment rock out.  Their concerts keep you engaged and left wanting more.

It’s true: opposites attract. James grew up playing folk, jazz and blues on his ukulele while Anne was exclusively a classical cellist. But the pair’s differences quickly became their biggest asset. The uke is high, the cello is low; the uke plays short notes, the cello long bow strokes; the uke is all about strumming while the cello radiates melody. Like shadows and light in an old photograph, these contrasts are complementary. “We’re like a pair of dancers who can’t step on each other’s feet,” jokes James.

The best thing to do is to just listen to their music.  You won’t want to miss this concert after that.

Check out their Events Page for their bios, videos and links.

Friday May 19, 2017
All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm

Buy Tickets Tickets: Advanced: $20 ($17.70 +HST)*, Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)

*Advanced tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show or we run out (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)

Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the Hall.

Meet Anne Janelle

Anne is a classically trained cellist who got her Masters in cello performance at the University of Ottawa.  She has performed with such artists as Kanye West, Bruce Cockburn and Holly Cole.  She is also a songwriter and just like James, defies genre definitions.  But she incorporates her cello beautifully into all her music.

Now some of you may have heard the name Anne Davison and be confused by Anne Janelle.  “Anne Davison” was the name Anne first played under and the name on True Love Don’t Weep.  So why the name change?  Well, I have heard (and we can ask them if it’s true) that when they started collaborating for their next duo album, they had such strong, individual tunes that they decided to make two individual solo albums instead (with each other co-producing, co-writing and co-playing on the others’ CD).  And to distinguish this phase in her career, Anne changed her name.

She has just come out with a new album, which she made while pregnant!  Here is a little video she made to try and raise some money for it.  You can hear some of the songs from her new album, I Didn’t Want to Break It in the video.  And also hear a little bit about the process of making the album.

Next in our little series, we’ll meet James and Anne together and then hear a little more about our opener, Brontae Hunter.

Check out their Events Page for their bios, videos and links.

Friday May 19
All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm

Buy Tickets

Tickets: Advanced: $20 ($17.70 +HST)*, Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)

*Advanced tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)

Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the Hall.

Meet James Hill

Our next musicians, James Hill and Anne Janelle, are not only partners in life and in music they were first solo artists in their own right.  So we thought we would feature them individually before showing you what they can do together.  Their music is hard to put into a box as they both like to push the boundaries of genres.  Prolific in creating their solo albums, an album together, a family and touring; these two seem to have endless energy.  Between the two of them, they have created at least 9 albums including the Canadian Folk Music Award winning True Love Don’t Weep, which was their first collaborated album.  Sit back and enjoy getting to know them both.

James Hill

James Hill and ukulele go together like peanut butter and jam or macaroni and cheese (at least to us North Americans).  Now how did a boy from Langley, BC get into the ukulele?  Through the wonderful institution of school, of course.  (This is one of those stories that people point to when they say, “Don’t cut arts funding in schools!”)  A boy first introduced to the ukulele at eight ends up becoming “possibly the best ukulele player in the world” (Waikato Times) and all because his school had mandatory ukulele instruction.  During his youth, he played with the Langley Ukulele Ensemble before embarking on a solo career.  He has toured internationally and is played on CBC and has even been called “the Wayne Gretzky of ukulele” by Stewart McLean from Vinyl Cafe on CBC.  Over the years, he has put out quite a few solo albums and is not only an amazing ukulele player, but also a song writer.  He shows us what a ukulele is capable of (things we didn’t even know were possible!).  He is always pushing out and so his music is always fresh and full of surprises.

So if you are a ukulele fan, this is the concert to come see.

Next, we’ll meet up with Anne Janelle, James’ wife and musical partner and then see how they became a pair.

Check out their Events Page for their bios, videos and links.

All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm

Buy Tickets

Tickets: Advanced: $20 ($17.70 +HST)*, Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)

*Advanced tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)

Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the Hall.