Nicholas Wright, violin
Carina Vincenti, violin
Jacob van der Sloot, viola
Janet Steinberg, cello
Noah Reitman, bass
Bogdan Dulu, harpsichord
Michael Jarrett, percussion
Marcus Goddard, trumpet
Jordana Goddard, soprano
Henry Purcell Suites
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was one of the greatest English composers of the 17th century. He was only 36 at the time of his death and had spent much of his life in the service of the Chapel Royal as a composer, organist, and singer, working at Westminster Abbey, and producing music for dramatic works of the Restoration period.
Purcell’s Sonata in D Major was created for William Shore, a pioneering lutenist and trumpeter (and inventor of the tuning fork) who helped usher the brass instrument from strictly a military role into an orchestral setting. The solo trumpet sonata was written in 1694, the year before the composer's death. Purcell wrote incidental music for a 1695 revival of Aphra Behn’s tragic play Abdelazer, or The Moor’s Revenge. You may recognize the Rondeau from the suite as the source of the theme and variations in Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Among Purcell’s other notable works are a series of semi-operas (with spoken dialogue in place of recitative), including The Indian Queen, Timon of Athens and The Fairy-Queen. The latter is based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and includes the aria “See, even Night herself.”
See, even Night her self is here,
To favour your Design;
And all her Peaceful Train is near,
That Men to Sleep incline.
Let Noise and Care,
Doubt and Despair,
Envy and Spight,
(The Fiends delight)
Be ever Banish'd hence,
Let soft Repose,
Her Eye-lids close;
And murmuring Streams,
Bring pleasing Dreams;
Let nothing stay to give offence.
The suites collected here have been assembled by conductor, organist, accompanist arranger and teacher Simon Wright, (father of VSO concertmaster Nicholas Wright). Educated at Chetham’s School, Manchester and at the Royal Manchester College of Music, he has served as Conductor and Artistic Adviser of the Leeds Festival Chorus, Musical Director and Principal Conductor of the York Guildhall Orchestra, and as organist of Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire.
Nicholas Wright, violin
Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Wright is a native of England. His engagements as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician have taken him to most of the major concert halls in Europe, Asia and North America. He has performed concertos with orchestras worldwide including the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Royal Oman Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. His repertoire spans works from Handel to premieres by composers such as Kelly-Marie Murphy and Jocelyn Morlock, whose works he recently recorded for the Naxos label. He made his solo debut with the York Guildhall Orchestra playing the Dvořák Romance, which was recorded for BBC Radio 3. His concerts and recordings have also been featured on CBC Radio (Canada) and Radio 4 (Hong Kong). As an orchestral musician, Nicholas has worked with the world’s most renowned conductors including Bernard Haitink, Sir Simon Rattle, Valery Gergiev and Mstislav Rostropovich. He has performed extensively with the major chamber and symphony orchestras in London including the English Chamber and London Philharmonic Orchestras, and has appeared as guest concertmaster with orchestras such as the Bournemouth Symphony, BBC Concert and Ulster Orchestras. In 2003, he was appointed as the youngest member of the London Symphony Orchestra where he held the first violin sub-principal position, and in addition collaborated with film composers John Williams and Alexandre Desplat.
As a chamber musician Nicholas regularly takes part in series such as the Mainly Mozart Festival, Ribble Valley Festival, LSO and VSO chamber players and Vancouver’s Music on Main. He has performed in venues such as LSO St Luke’s and has collaborated with many renowned artists including Martin Roscoe and Simon Wright. Prior to his appointment as concertmaster of the VSO, he was first violinist of the critically acclaimed Vancouver based Koerner Quartet.
Nicholas received his training as a scholar at the Royal College of Music in London, studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky and Rodney Friend. In addition to winning prizes at the Royal College, Nicholas has been generously supported by grants from the Martin Musical Fund, the Craxton Memorial Fund and the Royal Overseas League. This has enabled him to study with many eminent musicians including Ruggiero Ricci and Gil Shaham. Nicholas enjoys teaching and has given many masterclasses internationally. He is on the faculty of the VSO School of Music. Nicholas plays on a violin by Stefan-Peter Greiner.
‘ wonderfully judged with seemingly effortless projection of tone…..It was a triumph. ‘ The York Press
Carina Vincenti, violin
Carina Vincenti, born and raised in Seattle, WA, began her violin studies in the Coleman Studio and Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras at age seven. She received a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music studying with Jaime Laredo.
Prior to accepting her position with the VSO, Carina completed one year of her Master of Music degree with Bill Preucil, performed in both Canton and Akron Symphony Orchestras’ violin sections and taught her 19 students in and around Cleveland.
Most recently, Carina traveled to Switzerland to perform with the Verbier Festival Orchestra under the direction of Valery Gergiev, Manfred Honeck, and Fabio Luisi to name a few. Other highly esteemed summer festivals she has attended include Pacific Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, McGill International String Quartet Academie and Mimir Chamber Music Festival. Carina has participated in master classes and lessons for artists James Ehnes, Leonidas Kavakos, Glenn Dicterow, Frank Huang and Rainer Küchl among others.
Jacob van der Sloot, viola
Jacob van der Sloot started playing violin under the instruction of his mother and father, Daphne and Michael van der Sloot, when he was 5. He then switched to viola with his Father when he was 13 and was accepted to the Juilliard school to study with Steven Tenebom, where he would earn his Bachelors degree in 2019. Shortly after his undergraduate studies, Jacob became the youngest member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at age 22.
Growing up in Victoria BC, Jacob had the opportunity to solo with the Sidney Classical, Sooke Philharmonic and the VCM Senior string orchestras, being praised for his “..deep, rich sound with flying colours.” (Times Colonist, Canada) Jacob has gone on to perform in halls around the world such as Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall and Alice Tully hall in New York City, and the Bejing Conservatory Concert Hall, among others. Jacob also made his solo Carnegie debut in 2019 playing the Brahms E-flat Major viola sonata as part of Julie Jordan’s “International Rising Stars” concert series.
An avid chamber musician, Jacob was part of the Noctis Quartet, which won second place at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the WDAV Young Artists Competition. Jacob’s passion for chamber music also carries into music outreach, playing chamber music all over New York City in hospitals, prisons, retirement homes, schools and psychiatric facilities as part of Juilliard’s “Gluck” Fellowship program and through GroupMuse concerts. He also enjoys private teaching, and has served on faculty of the Victoria Summer Strings Academy.
Jacob’s orchestral journey began with the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra. He has since played with the Juilliard Orchestra, the Juilliard Lab Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Principal Violist of both the Sidney Classical Orchestra and the New York Concerti Sinfonietta. Jacob joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 2020 and is incredibly happy to call Vancouver his home.
Janet Steinberg, cello
Originally from San Francisco, Janet Steinberg studied cello with esteemed pedagogue Eleanore Schoenfeld at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance. After graduation, she became the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and performed frequently as a member of the San Francisco Symphony.
In 1987, Janet moved to Canada and joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Cellist. She has, in recent years, served as Acting Principal Cellist and has performed as a soloist with the VSO on several occasions.
Janet has taught cello at the University of British Columbia and is currently a professor of cello at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.
For the past 28 years she has spent her summers performing orchestral and chamber music at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Noah Reitman, bass
Born in Los Angeles, California, Noah Reitman discovered classical music and the double bass in middle school. He was drawn to the warmth and expressive potential of the big string sound. Having diverse interests, Noah attended the University of Michigan where he majored in music as well as history. He then went on to get a Master’s degree from Indiana University, and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of music.
After spending a couple of years freelancing in New York, Noah was offered a fellowship at the New World Symphony, where he was able to work with some of the brightest lights in classical music. As a result, he won his current position as Assistant Principal Bass of the Vancouver Symphony. Noah has also played with the symphonies of Pittsburgh, Detroit, Atlanta, and Nashville, and has spent several summers at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland playing orchestral and chamber music.
Noah’s teachers include Diana Gannett, Lawrence Hurst, David Grossman, Jeffrey Turner, Leigh Mesh, Peter Lloyd, David Young and countless other musicians who took the time to help him along the way. With a desire to give back, Noah teaches privately, and is also a member of the summer faculty at Idyllwild Arts in Southern California.
Bogdan Dulu, harpsichord
Passionate about imparting his musical excitement and knowledge, Dr. Bogdan Dulu is an active and experienced performer, educator, and adjudicator. Dr. Dulu received a rigorous foundation in the fundamentals of music through specialized education in his native Romania. This led to his orchestral debut at age 12 in a concert broadcast nationally by the Romanian Radio Corporation. It was this institution that significantly contributed to making his name recognized across the country, through multiple live broadcasts of solo and orchestral performances, interviews, and several studio recordings. His recordings represented the Romanian Radio at the Concertino Prague (1997) and EURORADIO New Talent Bratislava (2006) competitions.
He received the Gold Medal at the 2011 Seattle International Piano Competition and won the 2005 Yamaha Prize in Romania, followed by wins at the 2006 Liszt-Bartok Competition (Sofia, Bulgaria) and the 2007 William Garrison International Piano Competition (Baltimore, USA). Other international competitions include Helsinki (Finland), New Orleans (USA, semifinalist), Honens (Canada, quarterfinalist), Sendai (Japan), Enescu (Bucharest), and e-Competition (USA), among others.
An active performer, he could be heard in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. He is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist, coach, or public speaker, with appearances on NHK Tokyo, YLE Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, and KING FM Seattle. His most recent engagements included a concert tour on the Canadian East Coast presented by Debut Atlantic, as well as performances with British actor, Tayo Aluko in “Call Mr. Robeson,” a mono-drama about the life of famous American actor, singer, and civil rights campaigner, Paul Robeson.
As an educator, he was invited to present piano masterclasses and lectures at Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS), University of New Brunswick (Fredericton, NB), and Douglas College (New Westminster, BC). He has also participated in children’s music outreach programs in Eastern Canada, Japan, and Botswana.
Of note is his association with Marc-André Hamelin, with whom Dr. Dulu worked closely during his final stages of his doctorate. Dulu is the first pianist to have written a doctoral dissertation on Hamelin’s infamous Études, researched under the personal guidance of the composer. He also received coachings from Yefim Bronfman, Richard Goode, Stephen Hough, and worked with soprano Dawn Upshaw at the Banff Centre.
After studying privately with Ana Pitiş in Bucharest while pursuing his Bachelor’s degree, Dr. Dulu continued his training with Irina Morozova at Mannes College (Master of Music) in New York City, and with Jane Coop at University of British Columbia (Doctor of Musical Arts) in Vancouver.
Dr. Dulu is a Jeunesses Musicales artist for the 2016/2017 touring season. He makes his home in Vancouver, BC where he becomes a little more Canadian by the day.
Michael Jarrett, percussion
Michael Jarrett is a percussionist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Growing up in Atlanta, Michael began by studying the drum set at age 12.
As a high school student, he found his love for orchestra while playing percussion in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Michael then went on to study with members of the Cleveland Orchestra while attaining his bachelor’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
He furthered his education and experience at the Manhattan School of Music, and received his master’s degree studying under the prestigious MSM percussion faculty. Prior to joining the VSO percussion section, he was a fellow with the New World Symphony for one year.
While maintaining an active performance schedule with the VSO and various ensembles in Vancouver, Michael has also made guest appearances in the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony percussion sections. And during the summers, he has participated in music festivals such as the Tanglewood Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra, and Music Academy of the West.
As an educator, he works with students at the VSO School of Music and has been a faculty member for the VSO Orchestral Institute. Michael is thrilled to be living, performing, and teaching in Vancouver.
Marcus Goddard, trumpet
Marcus Goddard is an award-winning composer and internationally respected trumpet player with a large body of innovative work for orchestra, chamber ensemble, and solo instruments with electronics. Described by New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini as “atmospheric” and by Bill Richardson as possessing a “shimmering, translucent, winning eloquence”, Goddard’s music is influenced by and reflects the elemental forces of nature.
Goddard’s award-winning string quartets have received hundreds of performances by quartets across Europe and the Americas in venues such as Carnegie Hall and New World Center. The Archytas Quartet recently recorded an album dedicated to three of Goddard’s works for strings featuring Allaqi, Wind, Sand and Stars, and his newest string quartet, Three Wings.
Goddard has composed a Violin Concerto for soloist Rachel Barton Pine, a Cello Concerto for Ariel Barnes and has collaborated with a wide variety of artists. Goddard and Mohawk-Acadian artist Lindsay Dobbin recently created a multi-media work titled Confluence that focuses on water’s power to connect and transform. A collaboration with Nisga’a artist Mike Dangeli and standing Wave Ensemble produced the multi-movement work Raven Tales. During the 2020-21 season Goddard collaboratively joined with National Geographic photographers Cristina Mittermeier, Paul Nicklen, and Yo Yo Ma to create a multi-media work honouring the wild and awe-inspiring spaces of the Antarctic. Goddard is the Composer in Association and Associate Principal Trumpet with the Grammy and Juno Award-winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Composer in Residence with the Victoria Symphony.
Jordana Goddard, soprano
Canadian American Soprano Jordana Goddard is an award winning artist whose musical passion has led her to critically acclaimed performances across Canada and Europe. Jordana has won awards from the Kiwanis Music Festival, the Barbara Clague Festival of Song competition, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
With generous scholarship support from the BC Arts Council, she is in her second year of studies at the University of Toronto with voice teacher Elizabeth McDonald, and has worked extensively with world-renowned collaborative pianist Rachel Andrist. Highlights of her university experience have included winning the Mississauga E.C.M Scholarship, performing her first world premiere, and being invited to attend Songfest at the Colburn School of Music. Jordana is thrilled to be featured as a soloist inthe VSO Purcell Suites ChamberFest concert.
Nicholas Wright, violin
Carina Vincenti, violin
Jacob van der Sloot, viola
Janet Steinberg, cello
Noah Reitman, bass
Bogdan Dulu, harpsichord
Michael Jarrett, percussion
Marcus Goddard, trumpet
Jordana Goddard, soprano
Henry Purcell Suites
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was one of the greatest English composers of the 17th century. He was only 36 at the time of his death and had spent much of his life in the service of the Chapel Royal as a composer, organist, and singer, working at Westminster Abbey, and producing music for dramatic works of the Restoration period.
Purcell’s Sonata in D Major was created for William Shore, a pioneering lutenist and trumpeter (and inventor of the tuning fork) who helped usher the brass instrument from strictly a military role into an orchestral setting. The solo trumpet sonata was written in 1694, the year before the composer's death. Purcell wrote incidental music for a 1695 revival of Aphra Behn’s tragic play Abdelazer, or The Moor’s Revenge. You may recognize the Rondeau from the suite as the source of the theme and variations in Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Among Purcell’s other notable works are a series of semi-operas (with spoken dialogue in place of recitative), including The Indian Queen, Timon of Athens and The Fairy-Queen. The latter is based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and includes the aria “See, even Night herself.”
See, even Night her self is here,
To favour your Design;
And all her Peaceful Train is near,
That Men to Sleep incline.
Let Noise and Care,
Doubt and Despair,
Envy and Spight,
(The Fiends delight)
Be ever Banish'd hence,
Let soft Repose,
Her Eye-lids close;
And murmuring Streams,
Bring pleasing Dreams;
Let nothing stay to give offence.
The suites collected here have been assembled by conductor, organist, accompanist arranger and teacher Simon Wright, (father of VSO concertmaster Nicholas Wright). Educated at Chetham’s School, Manchester and at the Royal Manchester College of Music, he has served as Conductor and Artistic Adviser of the Leeds Festival Chorus, Musical Director and Principal Conductor of the York Guildhall Orchestra, and as organist of Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire.
Nicholas Wright, violin
Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Wright is a native of England. His engagements as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician have taken him to most of the major concert halls in Europe, Asia and North America. He has performed concertos with orchestras worldwide including the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Royal Oman Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. His repertoire spans works from Handel to premieres by composers such as Kelly-Marie Murphy and Jocelyn Morlock, whose works he recently recorded for the Naxos label. He made his solo debut with the York Guildhall Orchestra playing the Dvořák Romance, which was recorded for BBC Radio 3. His concerts and recordings have also been featured on CBC Radio (Canada) and Radio 4 (Hong Kong). As an orchestral musician, Nicholas has worked with the world’s most renowned conductors including Bernard Haitink, Sir Simon Rattle, Valery Gergiev and Mstislav Rostropovich. He has performed extensively with the major chamber and symphony orchestras in London including the English Chamber and London Philharmonic Orchestras, and has appeared as guest concertmaster with orchestras such as the Bournemouth Symphony, BBC Concert and Ulster Orchestras. In 2003, he was appointed as the youngest member of the London Symphony Orchestra where he held the first violin sub-principal position, and in addition collaborated with film composers John Williams and Alexandre Desplat.
As a chamber musician Nicholas regularly takes part in series such as the Mainly Mozart Festival, Ribble Valley Festival, LSO and VSO chamber players and Vancouver’s Music on Main. He has performed in venues such as LSO St Luke’s and has collaborated with many renowned artists including Martin Roscoe and Simon Wright. Prior to his appointment as concertmaster of the VSO, he was first violinist of the critically acclaimed Vancouver based Koerner Quartet.
Nicholas received his training as a scholar at the Royal College of Music in London, studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky and Rodney Friend. In addition to winning prizes at the Royal College, Nicholas has been generously supported by grants from the Martin Musical Fund, the Craxton Memorial Fund and the Royal Overseas League. This has enabled him to study with many eminent musicians including Ruggiero Ricci and Gil Shaham. Nicholas enjoys teaching and has given many masterclasses internationally. He is on the faculty of the VSO School of Music. Nicholas plays on a violin by Stefan-Peter Greiner.
‘ wonderfully judged with seemingly effortless projection of tone…..It was a triumph. ‘ The York Press
Carina Vincenti, violin
Carina Vincenti, born and raised in Seattle, WA, began her violin studies in the Coleman Studio and Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras at age seven. She received a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music studying with Jaime Laredo.
Prior to accepting her position with the VSO, Carina completed one year of her Master of Music degree with Bill Preucil, performed in both Canton and Akron Symphony Orchestras’ violin sections and taught her 19 students in and around Cleveland.
Most recently, Carina traveled to Switzerland to perform with the Verbier Festival Orchestra under the direction of Valery Gergiev, Manfred Honeck, and Fabio Luisi to name a few. Other highly esteemed summer festivals she has attended include Pacific Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, McGill International String Quartet Academie and Mimir Chamber Music Festival. Carina has participated in master classes and lessons for artists James Ehnes, Leonidas Kavakos, Glenn Dicterow, Frank Huang and Rainer Küchl among others.
Jacob van der Sloot, viola
Jacob van der Sloot started playing violin under the instruction of his mother and father, Daphne and Michael van der Sloot, when he was 5. He then switched to viola with his Father when he was 13 and was accepted to the Juilliard school to study with Steven Tenebom, where he would earn his Bachelors degree in 2019. Shortly after his undergraduate studies, Jacob became the youngest member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at age 22.
Growing up in Victoria BC, Jacob had the opportunity to solo with the Sidney Classical, Sooke Philharmonic and the VCM Senior string orchestras, being praised for his “..deep, rich sound with flying colours.” (Times Colonist, Canada) Jacob has gone on to perform in halls around the world such as Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall and Alice Tully hall in New York City, and the Bejing Conservatory Concert Hall, among others. Jacob also made his solo Carnegie debut in 2019 playing the Brahms E-flat Major viola sonata as part of Julie Jordan’s “International Rising Stars” concert series.
An avid chamber musician, Jacob was part of the Noctis Quartet, which won second place at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the WDAV Young Artists Competition. Jacob’s passion for chamber music also carries into music outreach, playing chamber music all over New York City in hospitals, prisons, retirement homes, schools and psychiatric facilities as part of Juilliard’s “Gluck” Fellowship program and through GroupMuse concerts. He also enjoys private teaching, and has served on faculty of the Victoria Summer Strings Academy.
Jacob’s orchestral journey began with the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra. He has since played with the Juilliard Orchestra, the Juilliard Lab Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Principal Violist of both the Sidney Classical Orchestra and the New York Concerti Sinfonietta. Jacob joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 2020 and is incredibly happy to call Vancouver his home.
Janet Steinberg, cello
Originally from San Francisco, Janet Steinberg studied cello with esteemed pedagogue Eleanore Schoenfeld at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance. After graduation, she became the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and performed frequently as a member of the San Francisco Symphony.
In 1987, Janet moved to Canada and joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Cellist. She has, in recent years, served as Acting Principal Cellist and has performed as a soloist with the VSO on several occasions.
Janet has taught cello at the University of British Columbia and is currently a professor of cello at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.
For the past 28 years she has spent her summers performing orchestral and chamber music at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Noah Reitman, bass
Born in Los Angeles, California, Noah Reitman discovered classical music and the double bass in middle school. He was drawn to the warmth and expressive potential of the big string sound. Having diverse interests, Noah attended the University of Michigan where he majored in music as well as history. He then went on to get a Master’s degree from Indiana University, and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of music.
After spending a couple of years freelancing in New York, Noah was offered a fellowship at the New World Symphony, where he was able to work with some of the brightest lights in classical music. As a result, he won his current position as Assistant Principal Bass of the Vancouver Symphony. Noah has also played with the symphonies of Pittsburgh, Detroit, Atlanta, and Nashville, and has spent several summers at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland playing orchestral and chamber music.
Noah’s teachers include Diana Gannett, Lawrence Hurst, David Grossman, Jeffrey Turner, Leigh Mesh, Peter Lloyd, David Young and countless other musicians who took the time to help him along the way. With a desire to give back, Noah teaches privately, and is also a member of the summer faculty at Idyllwild Arts in Southern California.
Bogdan Dulu, harpsichord
Passionate about imparting his musical excitement and knowledge, Dr. Bogdan Dulu is an active and experienced performer, educator, and adjudicator. Dr. Dulu received a rigorous foundation in the fundamentals of music through specialized education in his native Romania. This led to his orchestral debut at age 12 in a concert broadcast nationally by the Romanian Radio Corporation. It was this institution that significantly contributed to making his name recognized across the country, through multiple live broadcasts of solo and orchestral performances, interviews, and several studio recordings. His recordings represented the Romanian Radio at the Concertino Prague (1997) and EURORADIO New Talent Bratislava (2006) competitions.
He received the Gold Medal at the 2011 Seattle International Piano Competition and won the 2005 Yamaha Prize in Romania, followed by wins at the 2006 Liszt-Bartok Competition (Sofia, Bulgaria) and the 2007 William Garrison International Piano Competition (Baltimore, USA). Other international competitions include Helsinki (Finland), New Orleans (USA, semifinalist), Honens (Canada, quarterfinalist), Sendai (Japan), Enescu (Bucharest), and e-Competition (USA), among others.
An active performer, he could be heard in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. He is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist, coach, or public speaker, with appearances on NHK Tokyo, YLE Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, and KING FM Seattle. His most recent engagements included a concert tour on the Canadian East Coast presented by Debut Atlantic, as well as performances with British actor, Tayo Aluko in “Call Mr. Robeson,” a mono-drama about the life of famous American actor, singer, and civil rights campaigner, Paul Robeson.
As an educator, he was invited to present piano masterclasses and lectures at Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS), University of New Brunswick (Fredericton, NB), and Douglas College (New Westminster, BC). He has also participated in children’s music outreach programs in Eastern Canada, Japan, and Botswana.
Of note is his association with Marc-André Hamelin, with whom Dr. Dulu worked closely during his final stages of his doctorate. Dulu is the first pianist to have written a doctoral dissertation on Hamelin’s infamous Études, researched under the personal guidance of the composer. He also received coachings from Yefim Bronfman, Richard Goode, Stephen Hough, and worked with soprano Dawn Upshaw at the Banff Centre.
After studying privately with Ana Pitiş in Bucharest while pursuing his Bachelor’s degree, Dr. Dulu continued his training with Irina Morozova at Mannes College (Master of Music) in New York City, and with Jane Coop at University of British Columbia (Doctor of Musical Arts) in Vancouver.
Dr. Dulu is a Jeunesses Musicales artist for the 2016/2017 touring season. He makes his home in Vancouver, BC where he becomes a little more Canadian by the day.
Michael Jarrett, percussion
Michael Jarrett is a percussionist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Growing up in Atlanta, Michael began by studying the drum set at age 12.
As a high school student, he found his love for orchestra while playing percussion in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Michael then went on to study with members of the Cleveland Orchestra while attaining his bachelor’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
He furthered his education and experience at the Manhattan School of Music, and received his master’s degree studying under the prestigious MSM percussion faculty. Prior to joining the VSO percussion section, he was a fellow with the New World Symphony for one year.
While maintaining an active performance schedule with the VSO and various ensembles in Vancouver, Michael has also made guest appearances in the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony percussion sections. And during the summers, he has participated in music festivals such as the Tanglewood Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra, and Music Academy of the West.
As an educator, he works with students at the VSO School of Music and has been a faculty member for the VSO Orchestral Institute. Michael is thrilled to be living, performing, and teaching in Vancouver.
Marcus Goddard, trumpet
Marcus Goddard is an award-winning composer and internationally respected trumpet player with a large body of innovative work for orchestra, chamber ensemble, and solo instruments with electronics. Described by New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini as “atmospheric” and by Bill Richardson as possessing a “shimmering, translucent, winning eloquence”, Goddard’s music is influenced by and reflects the elemental forces of nature.
Goddard’s award-winning string quartets have received hundreds of performances by quartets across Europe and the Americas in venues such as Carnegie Hall and New World Center. The Archytas Quartet recently recorded an album dedicated to three of Goddard’s works for strings featuring Allaqi, Wind, Sand and Stars, and his newest string quartet, Three Wings.
Goddard has composed a Violin Concerto for soloist Rachel Barton Pine, a Cello Concerto for Ariel Barnes and has collaborated with a wide variety of artists. Goddard and Mohawk-Acadian artist Lindsay Dobbin recently created a multi-media work titled Confluence that focuses on water’s power to connect and transform. A collaboration with Nisga’a artist Mike Dangeli and standing Wave Ensemble produced the multi-movement work Raven Tales. During the 2020-21 season Goddard collaboratively joined with National Geographic photographers Cristina Mittermeier, Paul Nicklen, and Yo Yo Ma to create a multi-media work honouring the wild and awe-inspiring spaces of the Antarctic. Goddard is the Composer in Association and Associate Principal Trumpet with the Grammy and Juno Award-winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Composer in Residence with the Victoria Symphony.
Jordana Goddard, soprano
Canadian American Soprano Jordana Goddard is an award winning artist whose musical passion has led her to critically acclaimed performances across Canada and Europe. Jordana has won awards from the Kiwanis Music Festival, the Barbara Clague Festival of Song competition, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
With generous scholarship support from the BC Arts Council, she is in her second year of studies at the University of Toronto with voice teacher Elizabeth McDonald, and has worked extensively with world-renowned collaborative pianist Rachel Andrist. Highlights of her university experience have included winning the Mississauga E.C.M Scholarship, performing her first world premiere, and being invited to attend Songfest at the Colburn School of Music. Jordana is thrilled to be featured as a soloist inthe VSO Purcell Suites ChamberFest concert.
