Season 11 Brochure for 2025-2026 Season

EXTENDING

the RAFTERS

The Isabel’s

Fundraising

Campaign

As a distinct unit within Queen’s whose focus

is on the performing arts, the Isabel is tasked

with generating our own operational funding

so we can continue to offer the calibre of

performances for which we are known.

We rely on the generosity of our friends

to make this possible. This funding will

address the increased costs associated

with public and educational programming,

as well as emergent infrastructural needs.

THE ISABEL’S 2025-2026 SEASON—EXTENDING the RAFTERS

We are pleased to present the Isabel’s upcoming 2025-2026 season

which promises to be an exciting complement to our wonderfully

successful tenth anniversary. The 2025-2026 season is curated around the

theme of “Extending the Rafters,” invoking the Haudenosaunee tradition

of building good relations. “Extending the Rafters” served as a metaphor

in Queen’s Truth and Reconciliation Report (2016). As Elder Marlene Brant

Castellano explains: “When newcomers arrive or when the community

expands, you extend the rafters of the house to make more room because

with an expanded Longhouse, the community will thrive.”

Inspired by this concept and with a good mind, we “extend the rafters” in our programming at

the Isabel. We are thrilled to welcome back the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for a kickoff

spotlight concert for their 2025 season summer tour. This concert will be a bonus event for Early Bird

subscribers. New this season will be two residencies with the New Orford String Quartet, the first of

which will take place in September and include the Season Opener concert on September 12 featuring

the Quartet and award-winning pianist, Jaeden Izik-Dzurko. The second residency will take place in

March 2026 and be focused on the Quartet’s “Sounding Tornadoes” project, which explores musical

intersections and climate change through performances and discussion.

Inspired by ideas of “Listenings” in our programming over the past two seasons, Indigenization

continues to be a priority at the Isabel. We are delighted that Mohawk musician, artist, and activist

Tom Wilson’s exhibit “Fading Memories of Home” will be at the Isabel during the month of September.

In addition to the exhibit, Tom Wilson will present a talk and a concert as part of his work on deepening

understandings of the tragic impacts of the residential school system through conversations, music,

and art.

The Isabel’s Fundraising

Campaign is comprised

of three key initiatives:

• Name a Seat

• Concert Series Fund

• Planned Giving

To find out more visit

queensu.ca/theisabel/giving

Cover photo by Allen Bergeron / Left photo by Suzy Lamont Photography

With these performances, the season comprises seven series of concerts. We are pleased to announce

the return of the Baroque Series, which will include performances by the Venice Baroque Orchestra,

cellist Elinor Frey, violinist Chloe Kim, and a narrated performance with music by J.S. Bach curated by

CBC radio host Tom Allen. The Piano Series will include two duo piano concerts, the first featuring

Philip Chiu and Janelle Fung, and the second featuring Marc-André Hamelin and Charles Richard-

Hamelin, plus a performance by the Fauré Piano Quartet.

Following the success of the inaugural 2024-2025 Friday Nights in the Recital Hall Series, the

series will return this year with four new shows featuring musicians from the Kingston community.

Performances by the wonderful Shoestring Opera, and the popular Bridge and Wolak duo, make

up what promises to be an entertaining Family Series.

Along with Tom Wilson’s concert, the Soloist Subscription Series features concerts with percussionist

Aiyun Huang and violinist Mark Fewer, Quebec Jazz singer Dominique Fils-Aimé, and violinist

James Ehnes. The Ensemble Subscription Series includes performances by the Elmer Iseler Singers,

Roomful of Teeth, Kuné World, and the Amir Amiri Ensemble. Our Spotlight Concerts will include

A Miss Emily Christmas, Israeli Chamber Project, and Jane Bunnett and Maqueque. A highlight of

the 2025-2026 season will be the semi-finals and finals of the 2026 Bader-Overton National Piano

Competition, which will take place in May 2026.

I hope that you will join us in this excitingly diverse and engaging 2025-2026 season. As we “extend the

rafters” in this wonderful place, we are ever mindful of the Indigenous ways of knowing that can help to

guide us. We continue to celebrate and to be thankful for this beautiful gift, as we nurture the capacity

to make alliances, friendships, and build communities through the performing arts at the Isabel.

Gordon E. Smith, Director

queensu.ca/theisabel 1

The Isabel acknowledges the generosity and

support of those who have helped to make

possible the 2025-2026 season.

SEASON BENEFACTOR

The Alexander Murray Jeffery Fund

PERFORMANCE BENEFACTOR

The Jennifer Velva Bernstein Memorial Fund

IMAGINE ARTS

INCUBATOR

SUPPORTERS

THANK YOU TO

The Ballytobin Foundation

for their ongoing generous support.

Performances and events

across the season inspired by

processes of Indigenization.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOLOIST SUBSCRIPTION SERIES 4–7

Tom Wilson Tehohahàke Trio

Aiyun Huang and Mark Fewer

Dominique Fils-Aimé

James Ehnes

ENSEMBLE SUBSCRIPTION SERIES 8–11

Elmer Iseler Singers

Roomful of Teeth

Amir Amiri Ensemble

Kuné World

SPOTLIGHT CONCERTS 12–15

National Youth Orchestra of Canada

New Orford String Quartet with Jaeden Izik-Dzurko

Jane Bunnett and Maqueque

A Miss Emily Christmas

Israeli Chamber Project

BAROQUE SERIES 16–19

Elinor Frey and Accademia de’ Dissonanti

Tom Allen and Friends

Chloe Kim and Jonathon Adams

Venice Baroque Orchestra

CONCERT SUPPORTERS

The Shelagh and David Williams Music Programming Fund

The Jaffer Family Fund

Caroline Davis

INDIGENOUS ARTS SUPPORTERS

The George H. Stedman Estate Foundation

Neil Jacoby and Karen Brown

THANK YOU TO

The Joseph S. Stauffer Foundation Fund for the Arts

George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund

for their support of special projects at the Isabel.

HOTEL SPONSOR

PIANO SERIES 20–22

Philip Chiu and Janelle Fung

Fauré Piano Quartet

Marc-André Hamelin and Charles Richard-Hamelin

NATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION 23

2026 Bader-Overton National Piano Competition

FRIDAY NIGHTS IN THE RECITAL HALL 24–25

Oakridge Ave.

Luella

Abby Stewart

Foster, Shea & Sudac

FAMILY SERIES 26

Shoestring Opera

Bridge & Wolak

SPECIAL EVENTS 28–29

Tom Wilson, Fading Memories of Home, Exhibit and Artist Talk

Isabel and Alfred Bader Lecture in European Art

SEASON CALENDAR, SUBSCRIPTION, 30–33

AND TICKET INFORMATION

Photo by Double Space Photography

2 queensu.ca/theisabel


Soloist

Subscription

Series

TOM WILSON TEHOHAHÀKE TRIO

Friday, September 19, 2025 at 7:30pm

Tom Wilson is a Canadian music legend, famed Mohawk storyteller

and visual artist. His extensive career has garnered him numerous

awards, from the Hamilton Music Awards to the Polaris Prize to

the JUNO Awards, including certified gold and platinum records.

He has recorded with artists such as Sarah McLachlan, City and

Colour, Jason Isbell, Colin James, Lucinda Williams, Billy Ray

Cyrus, Mavis Staples, The Rankin Family, as well as his own bands

Lee Harvey Osmond, Junkhouse, and Canadian treasure, Blackie

and the Rodeo Kings. Tom was appointed as a Companion of

the Order of Canada in June 2023, with this citation: “For his

multifaceted contributions to the arts in Canada, notably as

an iconic musician, as well as for his advocacy of Indigenous

communities in Canada.”

AIYUN HUANG AND MARK FEWER

Mystery of Clock

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 7:30pm

Conceived for two exceptional musicians—Aiyun Huang, percussionist,

and Mark Fewer, violinist—this project examines how clocks respond

to one another, to the passage of time, to stress, and to emotions.

The two instruments embody distinct yet complementary temporalities,

symbolizing the diversity of human experiences.

Each scene is an exploration of a key theme: memory, stress, love, and the

irreversibility of time. The violin and percussion become mirrors of the

human soul: fragile, complex, deeply connected. Through their musical

dialogue, they offer an artistic meditation on temporality, love, and what

makes us beings in a perpetual quest for synchronization with the world.



Soloist

Subscription

Series

DOMINIQUE FILS-AIMÉ

Friday, February 27, 2026 at 7:30pm

Rising star in vocal jazz and double JUNO

Award winner, Dominique Fils-Aimé is

a Montreal singer-songwriter who puts

the history of African-American musical

culture into the heart of her work. She

will perform a show that invites the

audience to delve into the roots of

her soul with a strong desire to connect

with one's higher self. Whether in Canada,

in a double bill with Allison Russell at

Toronto's Koerner Hall, in Europe,

opening for Melody Gardot, Diana Krall

or Ibrahim Maalouf, or in the United

States, with acclaimed performances in

New York and Los Angeles, Dominique

Fils-Aimé captivates her audience and

leads them on a transcendental journey.

Photo by Ban Ealovega

JAMES EHNES

Friday, May 1, 2026 at 7:30pm

Violinist James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most soughtafter

musicians on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination

of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism, and an unfaltering musicality,

Ehnes is a favourite guest at the world’s most celebrated concert halls.

Recent orchestral highlights include the Royal Concertgebouw

Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, London Philharmonic Orchestra,

NHK Symphony, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and

Cleveland Orchestra. During the 2024-2025 season, Ehnes was an Artist-in-

Residence with the Melbourne Symphony and toured Asia, where he performed

the complete Beethoven sonatas at Kioi Hall, Tokyo, as well as performances

with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Photo by Sabiha Merabet

James Ehnes returns to the Isabel on the occasion of his 50th birthday

tour with a concert featuring music by some of his favourite composers.



ELMER ISELER SINGERS

Friday, November 14, 2025 at 7:30pm

The Elmer Iseler Singers, based in Toronto and led by Artistic Director

Lydia Adams since 1998, mark their 47th Concert Season in 2025-2026.

This esteemed 20-voice professional ensemble, founded by Dr. Elmer Iseler

in 1979, boasts a rich legacy of captivating audiences locally, nationally, and

internationally with their exquisite choral performances. With a focus on

Canadian composers, the JUNO Award-winning group has earned acclaim for

their diverse repertoire and collaborations with renowned musical partners.

Committed to nurturing talent, they actively support emerging singers,

conductors, and composers through workshops and scholarships, embodying

their dedication to artistic excellence and community engagement. Their

Isabel concert will feature a performance of composer and Queen’s Alumna

Eleanor Daley’s beautiful Requiem Mass.

ROOMFUL OF TEETH

Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:30pm

Founded in 2009 by Brad Wells, Roomful of Teeth was

incubated at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary

Art. As the world rapidly changes, the group is cultivating

deeper relationships with technology, continuing to

expand the capabilities of the human voice, aiming to

be unburdened by physical limitations. Roomful of Teeth

is known for new collaborative projects that focus on

the stories of place, home, and community. They were

recognized at the 66th GRAMMY awards in 2024, winning

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for

Rough Magic (New Amsterdam Records, 2023).

Ensemble

Subscription Series

Photo by Anja Schutz



Ensemble

Subscription Series

Photo by Diane Smithers

KUNÉ WORLD

Universal Echoes

Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30pm

Kuné World is an eleven-piece collective made up of ten musicians from all

over the world, and one Métis-Canadian. Their sound captures the experience

of living in Toronto, the world's most diverse city. Through music, they speak

to their roots, even as they envision a pluralistic future.

Universal Echoes explores the four elements of earth and Mother Nature through

music. The compositions were all created through the collaborative efforts of Kuné’s

members and feature music inspired by the musicians’ direct lived and cultural

experiences. Universal Echoes stem from the idea of oneness—the interrelatedness of

all beings, joining together and unifying all that inhabits our world. Through the motion

of an Echo, slightly varied repeated sounds reoccur over different spaces, reverberating,

bouncing, travelling, and reflecting. The musical program of Kuné World does just that,

taking the listener on an audio voyage, hearing both familiar and foreign sounds.

AMIR AMIRI ENSEMBLE

Echoes of Persia

Friday, April 10, 2026 at 7:30pm

Experience the mesmerizing sounds of Persian music as the Amir Amiri

Ensemble takes you on a journey through the rich cultural tapestry of

Iran. Renowned for its innovative fusion of traditional Persian melodies

and contemporary compositions, the ensemble brings to life the soulful

echoes of Persia’s ancient heritage.

Under the artistic direction of santur virtuoso, Amir Amiri, a visionary

in Persian music, Echoes of Persia features a captivating program that

blends original compositions with reimagined classics. Each piece

evokes the beauty of Persian landscapes, the depth of its spiritual

traditions, and the enduring spirit of its people. Through this music

the ensemble invites listeners to explore a redefined Middle East,

one that transcends borders and connects hearts.

Photo by Zahra Saleki



EARLY

BIRD

CONCERT

SEASON

OPENER

Spotlight

Concerts

NATIONAL

YOUTH ORCHESTRA

OF CANADA

Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:30pm

Celebrate 65 years of Canada’s brightest young musical talent

with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada! Led by the dynamic

Music Director Naomi Woo, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada

presents a defiant and visionary program, spanning fiery 20th-century

masterpieces and bold modern creativity.

Experience the raw power of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, a

defiant 20th-century masterpiece. Written under Soviet oppression,

its triumphant finale features Shostakovich’s coded musical signature

(DSCH)—a symbol of artistic resistance. Immerse yourself in the

shimmering waves of Debussy’s La Mer. This revolutionary work

reimagines the sea through "endless variations of rhythm and colour,"

blending impressionist beauty with orchestral daring. Finally, discover

the future of Canadian music with a world première by Nicholas

Protsack. Hailed by the Canadian Music Centre as "a composer to

watch," Protsack's new work merges environmental themes with

experimental improvisation, creating a sonic journey for the modern age.

Photo by Waldy Martens Photo by Dahlia Katz

NEW ORFORD

STRING QUARTET

Jonathan Crow, violin

Andrew Wan, violin

Sharon Wei, viola

Brian Manker, cello

WITH JAEDEN

IZIK-DZURKO, PIANO

Friday, September 12, 2025 at 7:30pm

The New Orford String Quartet returns

to the Isabel with two residencies in the

2025-2026 season. The first residency

includes the Isabel’s Season Opener

concert featuring Ian Cusson’s YUME

(Dreams) for strings and Schumann’s

Piano Quintet with Jaeden Izik-Dzurko,

winner of the 2024 Leeds International

Piano Competition and the 2024 Concours

musical international de Montréal. A rising

national and international star, Canadian

pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko is praised by

audiences, critics, and composers for his

communicative power, refined technical

command, and artistic maturity.



Photo by Rick McGinnis

JANE BUNNETT

AND MAQUEQUE

Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 7:30pm

Five-time JUNO Award winner, Jane Bunnett has been

nominated for three GRAMMY Awards, and numerous

honours. With Maqueque, Bunnett has created a new

and phenomenal ensemble in the world of jazz. What

started out as a project to record and mentor young

brilliant Cuban female musicians, Maqueque has

become one of the top groups on the North American

jazz scene. Bunnett is known for her creative integrity,

improvisational daring and courageous artistry. Her

exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies expresses the

universality of music, and her ability to embrace and

showcase the rhythms and culture of Cuba has been

ground-breaking. She has toured the world bringing her

own special sound to numerous jazz festivals, displaying

her versatility as a flutist, saxophone player, and pianist.

Spotlight

Concerts

ISRAELI CHAMBER PROJECT

Friday, March 20, 2026 at 7:30pm

A MISS EMILY CHRISTMAS

Friday, December 5, 2025 at 7:30pm

Throughout Emily Fennell’s career as a singer,

songwriter, and performer, the Christmas season

has always been a time that unites her favourite

themes—community, generational love, and family.

A Miss Emily Christmas combines sleigh rides and

candy canes with soul music and glittery pink

accents. It’s a fun and welcoming celebration

that will have you up on your feet singing along

and sharing the best that the season has to offer.

Photo by Céline Klein

Photo by Yael Ilan

The Israeli Chamber Project returns to the Isabel with

the celebrated violinist, Antje Weithaas, in their first

joint North American tour. At the centre of the program

is Yuval Shapiro's chamber arrangement of Beethoven's

Eroica Symphony, commissioned by the ensemble.

Bernard Herrmann, renowned composer of several of

Alfred Hitchcock's most beloved film scores, opens

the program with his evocative travelogue, Souvenir

de Voyage, which will be followed by Erwin Schulhoff's

jazz-tinged Sonata for flute and piano.



ELINOR FREY AND

ACCADEMIA DE’ DISSONANTI

Sensibilité

Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 2:30pm

Elinor Frey is a leading American-Canadian cellist, gambist,

and researcher. She has performed throughout the Americas

and in Europe in recital and with numerous chamber ensembles

and orchestras such as Rosa Barocca, Constantinople, Les

idées heureuses, Il Gardellino, Tafelmusik, and the Pacific

Baroque Orchestra.

Elinor Frey’s albums on the Belgian label Passacaille and

Canadian label Analekta—many of which are world premiere

recordings—include Giuseppe Clemente Dall’Abaco Cello

Sonatas, winner of a Diapason d’Or, and Early Italian Cello

Concertos, winner of the 2023 JUNO Award for Small

Ensemble Classical Album of the Year. This program will

include music by C.P. E. Bach and Vivaldi, and will also feature

a performance by Mélisande McNabney of the C.P.E. Bach

Fantasia and Fugue in C minor on the Moira Hudgin harpsichord.

Baroque

Series

TOM ALLEN AND FRIENDS

J.S. Bach’s

Long Walk in the Snow

Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:30pm

At twenty, in his first job as an organist and

still barely beginning life as a composer, J.S.

Bach got into such trouble that the only thing

he could do was to walk away. J.S. Bach’s Long

Walk in the Snow takes you on that trip: a 400

km odyssey from Lübeck to the northern port

city of Hamburg with street fights, big business,

insight, fulfillment, the father figure he didn’t

know he needed and, quite possibly, love.

With glorious music by J.S. Bach and others,

and a terrific musical cast of soprano Patricia

O'Callaghan, violinist Yolanda Bruno, accordionist

Michael Bridge, cellist/guitarist and singer

Kevin Fox, harpist Lori Gemmell, and writer

and storyteller Tom Allen, J.S. Bach’s Long

Walk in the Snow brings that troubled young

man in from the cold.

Photo by Elizabeth Delage

Photo Yolanda Burno by Curtis Perry



CHLOE KIM AND

JONATHON ADAMS

Out of the Deep

Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 2:30pm

Photo by Luca Valente

Baroque

Series

This performance features violinist Chloe Kim and baritone Jonathon

Adams, who will be joined by a stellar group of musicians in a program

titled Out of the Deep. The program is inspired by the text of Bruhns’s

lament De Profundis (“Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord…”).

Vancouver-based Chloe Kim has performed in North America, the

UK, and Europe, sharing the stage with celebrated figures including

Rachel Podger, Masaaki Suzuki, Pablo Heras-Casado, and Richard Egarr.

Technically skilled, with an astonishing range of expression, Chloe

performs regularly with the English Concert, and has collaborated

with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants in France.

Born in “amiskwaciwâskahikan” (Edmonton), Jonathon Adams is an

Indigenous (Cree-Métis) baritone whose career has taken off in North

America and beyond. Recent and future solo engagements include

performances with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the New York

Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony, under Masaaki Suzuki,

the Ricercar Consort and Collegium Vocale Gent, Studio de Musique

Ancienne de Montréal, Servir Antico, Washington Bach Consort, and

the Portland Baroque Orchestra.

Photos: Choloe Kim by Kelsey Goodwin / Jonathon Adams by Ayako Nishibori

VENICE BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

Vivaldi, Tartini, Veracini, Locatelli:

A Bow’s Duel In Venice

Friday, February 13, 2026 at 7:30pm

Founded in 1997 by Baroque scholar and

harpsichordist Andrea Marcon, the Venice

Baroque Orchestra is recognized as one of the

premier ensembles in the world devoted to period

instrument performance. This performance titled

Vivaldi, Tartini, Veracini, Locatelli: A Bow’s Duel in

Venice, features violinist Chouchane Siranossian,

one of the leading virtuosos on the international

Baroque scene today.



Piano

Series

PHILIP CHIU AND

JANELLE FUNG

Rites Reclaimed

Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 7:30pm

Pianists Philip Chiu and Janelle Fung celebrate

fifteen years of artistic collaboration, exploring

the past, present, and future of the revolutionary

The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. The

program of Rites Reclaimed will offer visions of

a future that is based in ancient rites and include

a magnificent new work by Ian Cusson, who

“plays with the hand of Stravinsky.”

FAURÉ PIANO QUARTET

Melody and Song

Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 2:30pm

Photo by Martin Girard and Brent Calis

The Fauré Piano Quartet is composed of

Dirk Mommertz, piano, Erika Geldsetzer,

violin, Sascha Frömbling, viola, and

Konstantin Heidrich, cello. The Quartet

is visionary in its approach and is highly

regarded for its innovation and creative

interpretations. The Melody and Song

program includes pieces by Gabriel Fauré

arranged by Dietrich Zollner, Dvorak’s

Piano Quartet in D Major, and Brahms’s

Piano Quartet in A Major.



Piano

Series

NATIONAL

Photo by Allen Bergeron

The Isabel’s Joan Tobin

Hamburg Steinway Piano

MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN

AND CHARLES

RICHARD-HAMELIN

Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 2:30pm

For this performance, two renowned

Canadian pianists perform a repertoire

for two pianos by Mozart, Chopin,

Medtner, Chaminade, and Gershwin.

“A performer of near-superhuman

technical prowess” (The New York Times),

Marc-André Hamelin is known worldwide

for his musicianship and technique. Silver

medalist and laureate of the Krystian

Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International

Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw,

Charles Richard-Hamelin also stands out

as one of the most important musicians of

his generation. “Charles Richard-Hamelin

is clearly a musician-pianist: fluent,

multi-faceted and tonally seductive.”

(BBC Music Magazine)

Photo by Pauline Marchand

BADER & OVERTON

NATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION

May 6-9, 2026

FIRST PRIZE: The Isabel Overton Bader, Clifford Overton,

and Francoise Landry Prize for $20,000 CAD, a future

engagement to perform a concerto with the Kingston

Symphony, and a future engagement to perform a recital

at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts that

will be recorded by CBC Music for national broadcast.

SECOND PRIZE: The Margaret Foster and Katherine Foster

Prize for $6,000 CAD.

THIRD PRIZE: The Marion Dick Memorial Prize for $4,000 CAD.

THE BADER FAMILY AUDIENCE PRIZE: $1,000 CAD.

The competition will be accepting applications

starting Monday, September 8, 2025 at

app.getacceptd.com/theisabel

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Monday, December 8, 2025

Repertoire information, competition rules, and application

available online: app.getacceptd.com/theisabel

The 2026 Bader-Overton National Piano

Competition is inspired by the Isabel’s

2025-2026 season theme of “Extending

the Rafters.” The competition will focus

on ways Indigenization—Equity, Diversity,

Inclusion, Anti-Black Racism, and

Accessibility can be included within

various aspects of the competition.

WHO CAN ENTER?

We invite pianists who are Canadian citizens

and permanent residents of Canada and

between the ages of eighteen (18) to twentynine

(29) as of January 1, 2026 and who aspire

to a professional concert career.

COMPETITION KEY DATES:

Application Deadline:

Monday, December 8, 2025 at 5:00pm

Semi-Finalist Round in Kingston (6 pianists):

Wednesday, May 6, and Thursday, May 7, 2026

Finalist Round in Kingston (3 pianists):

Saturday, May 9, 2026

All concerts are free and open to the public.

Online applications only.

$100 CAD non-refundable application fee payable online.



Friday Nights in the Recital Hall

Photo by Logan Somers


SHOWCASING OUR KINGSTON COMMUNITY MUSICAL TALENT

LUELLA

Friday, November 21, 2025 at 8:00pm

Luella is the musical project of twenty-yearold

Kingston artist, Liv Whitfield. Her soulful

dream-pop sound is the product of a unique

collaboration with her producer and father,

Zane Whitfield, known for his work with

The Blue Stones, The Glorious Sons, and

Kathleen Edwards.

In June 2024 she released and toured her

album, Summer Bummer, a love letter to

her final years of girlhood, capturing the

bittersweet essence of fleeting summers and

the complexities of first love and inevitable

heartbreak. This album has a newfound

confidence all while staying true to Luella’s

trademark vulnerability.

OAKRIDGE AVE.

Friday, October 3, 2025 at 8:00pm

The Kingston group, Oakridge Ave.

is quickly becoming known as one of

the region’s hottest emerging bands.

Featuring a lineup of four dynamic

musicians—Harrison Stewart-Juby,

Thomas Draper, Joe Kenny, and Sean

Patterson—the group often draws

inspiration from their hometown.

With Patterson's melodic vocal

hooks and stacked choruses, the

band's lyrics are familiar but distinct,

establishing themes that tap into

deeper questions of humanity and

what binds people together despite

their differences. Through the band’s

strong musical craftsmanship with

Draper’s masterful guitar riffs,

Kenny’s driving bass, and Stewart-

Juby’s heavy percussion, Oakridge

Ave. creates a vivid and fresh sound

with maximum colour saturation.

Background photo by Suzy Lamont Photography

FOSTER, SHEA & SUDAC

Friday, March 13, 2026 at 8:00pm

Christina Foster, Savannah Shea and

Anna Sudac grew up in very different

families, each filled with music and

laughter, and each producing a sensitive,

perceptive, expressive daughter with

excellent pitch and impeccable taste.

These performers’ respective careers span

decades, cities, bands, ensembles, solo

projects, private trials, and public triumphs.

As a trio they have found a home for some

of their most personal original work, and a

place to party with beloved songs by artists

from all over the musical map.

Photo by Virginia Maria Photography

ABBY STEWART

Friday, January 23, 2026 at 8:00pm

Abby Stewart is a Kingston native, country

singer, and songwriter. Abby’s career is

soaring as she recently opened for Hunter

Hayes on his Tattoo Your Name Canadian

Tour, joining Dan and Shay. Her love of music

has taken her all over Canada, south to

Nashville, and to Broadway. Singing duets

with Dean Brody, Dallas Smith, and Aaron

Pritchett, and opening for Canadian country

talents such as Cold Creek Country, Brett

Kissel, Jade Eagleson, Michelle Wright,

Tebey, and Tom Hicks are just a few of

Abby’s career highlights to date.


SHOESTRING OPERA

The Schoolyard Carmen

Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 2:30pm

Our Carmen is a newcomer to Canada,

a feisty little girl, facing her first day in

a Canadian school. She loves to dance,

and sing, and she is not to be tamed.

When Tory Adair, the “coolest kid in

school” tries to bully her, she stands up

to him. And gets in a whole lot of trouble.

Through her story we look at the outsider

in Canadian society, the child who is

different, schoolyard bullying, the value of

independence, and the saving properties

of art. With Bizet’s bewitching, infectious

music, Carmen’s flamenco dancing, and

the action-packed story, The Schoolyard

Carmen has proved to be Shoestring’s

most popular adaptation yet!

BRIDGE & WOLAK

Scandalous Romantics

Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 2:30pm

Genius! Stardom! Betrayal! Scandalous Romantics

is a hilarious tabloid take on stories behind the

most celebrated music stars across genres—and

their spectacular lapses in judgement! Co-written

with CBC’s Tom Allen, this family-friendly show

tells stories around some of the greatest music

ever written. Michael Bridge, digital accordion,

and Kornel Wolak, clarinet and piano, dazzle

with virtuosity, down-to-earth humour, and their

original arrangements in a fun program steeped

in contemporary culture.

Family

Series

Dominique

Fils-Aimé

Elinor Frey

Flex it!

Create your own

experience with

Isabel Flex Packages!*

Create your own fully customized

season by choosing 5 or more concerts.

Philip Chiu and Janelle Fung

Flex 5: Choose 5 or more concerts, get 5% off



*Concerts must be bought at the same time in order to receive

the promotional discount. The National Youth Orchestra of Canada,

Family Series, and Friday Nights in the Recital Hall Series are not

included. Please note that Flex Packages are not subscriptions

and the same seats cannot be renewed each year.


James Ehnes

Jane Bunnett

and Maqueque queensu.ca/theisabel 27

Photos by Jose Crespo

Special

Events

TOM WILSON

Fading Memories of Home

Thursday, September 11 – Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Art and Media Lab

Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 4:00pm

Artist Talk: Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 2:00pm, Recital Hall

This installation and accompanying video explores the

systemic erasure of Indigenous culture resulting from the

residential school system. Portraying a colonial classroom,

the exhibit includes nine rebuilt residential school desks with

photographs of children’s families inside. As you move further

in the rows, the images disappear, representing the loss of

identities, family, culture, and language.

Tom Wilson is a musician, visual artist, and writer of novels and

non-fiction. At the age of fifty-three, it was revealed to him that

he was adopted, and his parents were Kahnawake Mohawk.

Since then Wilson has explored what his white upbringing

means against the juxtaposition of his family and culture.

ISABEL AND ALFRED BADER

LECTURE IN EUROPEAN ART

with Dr. Marieke de Winkel

Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 2:30pm

Reception to follow

Free Public Lecture In-Person and Online

This program is supported by the Bader Legacy Fund

and presented in partnership with the Agnes Etherington

Art Centre, in recognition of Bader Day at Queen’s University.

A painter now only known by the initials “I.S.” produced a

small but significant body of work in seventeenth-century

Northern Europe. For the first time, an international

research and exhibition project has now shed more light

on this mysterious artist, who has long been linked to the

Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669). Renowned

specialist in the history of dress, Dr. Marieke de Winkel

discusses what clues can be found about the artist’s

possible identity when carefully observing the clothing

depicted in I.S.’s work.

Professor Dr. Marieke de Winkel is the Ottema-Kingma

Foundation Professor for the History of Textiles and

Dress at Radboud University, Nijmegen. Her influential

first book, Fashion and Fancy. Dress and Meaning in

Rembrandt’s Paintings, was published by Amsterdam

University Press in 2006. She also co-authored A Corpus

of Rembrandt Paintings, vol. V (2010) and Rembrandt:

the Complete Paintings (2019).

Image credit: Monogrammist I. S. (Active 1633–1658), Two Scholars in a High Room, 1640,

oil on panel 40.6 x 33.0 cm. Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Gift of Isabel Bader, 2021 (64-004.08)



25/26 CALENDAR JULY 2025–MAY 2026

Chronological Isabel Performance and Event Listings

FRIDAY NIGHTS IN

THE RECITAL HALL

ABBY STEWART

Fri, Jan 23, 2026, 8:00pm

FRIDAY NIGHTS IN

THE RECITAL HALL

FOSTER, SHEA & SUDAC

Fri, Mar 13, 2026, 8:00pm

JULY 2025

SPOTLIGHT / EARLY BIRD

NATIONAL YOUTH

ORCHESTRA OF CANADA

Sat, July 19, 2025, 7:30pm

NOVEMBER 2025

SPOTLIGHT

JANE BUNNETT

AND MAQUEQUE

Sat, Nov 8, 2025, 7:30pm

BAROQUE / LISTENINGS

CHLOE KIM AND

JONATHON ADAMS

Out of the Deep

Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 2:30pm

SPOTLIGHT

ISRAELI CHAMBER

PROJECT

Fri, Mar 20, 2026, 7:30pm

SEPTEMBER 2025

SPOTLIGHT / LISTENINGS

SEASON OPENER

NEW ORFORD STRING QUARTET

WITH JAEDEN IZIK-DZURKO

Fri, Sept 12, 2025, 7:30pm

SOLOIST

AIYUN HUANG AND

MARK FEWER

Mystery of Clock

Wed, Nov 12, 2025, 7:30pm

PIANO / LISTENINGS

PHILIP CHIU AND

JANELLE FUNG

Rites Reclaimed

Sat, Jan 31, 2026, 7:30pm

PIANO

MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN

AND CHARLES

RICHARD-HAMELIN

Sun, Mar 22, 2026, 2:30pm

SPECIAL EVENT / LISTENINGS

TOM WILSON

Fading Memories of Home

ART EXHIBIT: Sept 11-30, 2025

Art and Media Lab, M-F, 10am-4pm

ARTIST TALK:

Thurs, Sept 18, 2025 at 2:00pm

ENSEMBLE


Fri, Nov 14, 2025, 7:30pm

FEBRUARY 2026

ENSEMBLE

ROOMFUL

OF TEETH

Thurs, Feb 5, 2026, 7:30pm

APRIL 2026

ENSEMBLE

AMIR AMIRI ENSEMBLE

Echoes of Persia

Fri, Apr 10, 2026, 7:30pm

SOLOIST / LISTENINGS

TOM WILSON

TEHOHAHÀKE TRIO

Fri, Sept 19, 2025, 7:30pm

SPECIAL EVENT

ISABEL AND ALFRED

BADER LECTURE IN

EUROPEAN ART

WITH DR. MARIEKE DE WINKEL

Sat, Nov 15, 2025, 2:30pm

BAROQUE


Vivaldi, Tartini, Veracini,

Locatelli: A Bow’s Duel

in Venice

Fri, Feb 13, 2026, 7:30pm

ENSEMBLE / LISTENINGS

KUNÉ WORLD

Universal Echoes

Sat, Apr 18, 2026, 7:30pm

OCTOBER 2025

FRIDAY NIGHTS IN

THE RECITAL HALL

OAKRIDGE AVE.

Fri, Oct 3, 2025, 8:00pm

FRIDAY NIGHTS IN

THE RECITAL HALL

LUELLA

Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 8:00pm

FAMILY

BRIDGE & WOLAK

Scandalous Romantics

Sun, Feb 15, 2026, 2:30pm

MAY 2026

SOLOIST

JAMES EHNES

Fri, May 1, 2026, 7:30pm

BAROQUE

ELINOR FREY AND

ACCADEMIA DE’ DISSONANTI

Sensibilité

Sun, Oct 5, 2025, 2:30pm

FAMILY

SHOESTRING OPERA

The Schoolyard Carmen

Sun Oct 19, 2025, 2:30pm

DECEMBER 2025

SPOTLIGHT


Fri, Dec 5, 2025, 7:30pm

JANUARY 2026

BAROQUE


J.S. Bach’s Long Walk In The Snow

Sun, Jan, 18, 2026, 2:30pm

SOLOIST


Fri, Feb 27, 2026, 7:30pm

MARCH 2026

PIANO


Melody and Song

Sun, Mar 1, 2026, 2:30pm

See full 2025-2026 calendar at:

queensu.ca/theisabel

PIANO COMPETITION / LISTENINGS

2026 BADER-OVERTON

NATIONAL PIANO

COMPETITION

Semi-finalists:

Wed, May 6, 2026

Thurs, May 7, 2026

Finalists:

Sat, May 9, 2026



CHORAL

LOFT

SUBSCRIPTIONS, SINGLE TICKETS, AND FLEX PACKAGES ON SALE NOW!

Photo by Suzy Lamont Photograpjy

SUBSCRIBERS GET

THE BEST SEATS

IN THE HOUSE.

YOUR ISABEL

SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS:

• Best seats—enjoy your preferred seats

for every concert date in your

subscription series

• Best pricing—save with a subscription

over single ticket prices

• Enhanced seating access to single tickets

• Keep your seats year after year

• Discounted ticket offers

• Access to ticket exchanges

• Free ticket to the Season Opener concert

and subscriber reception

BECOME A

SUBSCRIBER

—IT'S EASY!

1. Choose all your series

and your seating section.

2. Make a donation to the Isabel

Did you know that your tickets cover only a portion of the

cost of bringing these great artists to you? Help us bring the

very best programming to the Isabel by donating today.

Queen’s University will send a tax receipt for the full donation

amount. Thank you for your generosity!

3. Choose your booking method:

• Fill in our order form and mail it back to us:

Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts

390 King Street West, Room 123, Kingston ON K7L 3N6

Please make all cheques out to Queen’s University. Thank you!

• Call or drop by the Isabel Box Office,

open Monday-Friday, 12:30pm–4:30pm

613-533-2424

390 King Street West, Kingston

• Purchase online at queensu.ca/theisabel

LEFT BALCONY

LEFT ORCHESTRA

STAGE

FRONT

ORCHESTRA

REAR

ORCHESTRA

BALCONY

RIGHT ORCHESTRA

RIGHT BALCONY

SUBSCRIPTION PRICES

(price per subscription series / includes HST)

SOLOIST SUBSCRIPTION SERIES—SAVE UP TO 8%

(4 CONCERTS) FR ORCH R ORCH BALCONY

General Public $248 $213 $213

Faculty/Staff $245 $211 $211

ENSEMBLE SUBSCRIPTION SERIES—SAVE UP TO 8%




COMBINATION SOLOIST AND

ENSEMBLE SUBSCRIPTION—SAVE UP TO 10%



& Faculty/Staff

COMPOSE YOUR OWN FLEX PACKAGES

(CHOOSE 5, 10 or 15)*

Flex 5: Choose 5 to 9 concerts, save 5% on single ticket prices

Flex 10: Choose 10 to 14 concerts, save 10% on single ticket prices

Flex 15: Choose 15 or more concerts, save 15% on single ticket prices

*Flex packages are not subscriptions and seats cannot be renewed each year.

Concerts must be bought at the same time in order to receive the promotional

discount. National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Family Series, and Friday Nights

in the Recital Hall Series are not included for these packages.

SINGLE TICKET PRICES — NON-SUBSCRIPTION

(price per ticket, per concert / includes HST)

Below are non-subscriber individual ticket prices:

AIYUN HUANG AND MARK FEWER

AMIR AMIRI ENSEMBLE




ISRAELI CHAMBER PROJECT

JAMES EHNES

JANE BUNNETT AND MAQUEQUE

MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN AND

CHARLES RICHARD-HAMELIN


NEW ORFORD STRING QUARTET

WITH JAEDEN IZIK-DZURKO

PHILIP CHIU AND JANELLE FUNG

ROOMFUL OF TEETH


FR ORCH R ORCH BALCONY



Student $35 $15 $15

TOM WILSON

KUNÉ WORLD

ELINOR FREY AND ACCADEMIA DE’ DISSONANTI

CHLOE KIM AND JONATHON ADAMS

FR ORCH R ORCH BALCONY



Student $35 $15 $15

Photo by silentSama Architectural Photography

STUDENT

TICKETS

STARTING

AT $15

Give the gift of live entertainment

with an Isabel Gift Certificate!

You choose the amount,

they choose the show!

Isabel Gift Certificates are only valid for events

sold through the Isabel Box Office.

Purchase an Isabel Gift Certificate

Online: queensu.ca/theisabel

In person: 390 King St West,

Monday – Friday, 12:30pm – 4:30pm

By phone: 613-533-2424

Photo by Doublespace Photography

NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF CANADA

All Tickets $40


General Public $30

Faculty/Staff $28

Student $15

FRIDAY NIGHTS IN THE RECITAL HALL

BRIDGE & WOLAK

All Tickets $25

SHOESTRING OPERA

All Tickets $15

All ticket pricing includes HST.

Artists and programming are subject to change.

Charitable Registration Number (BN) 10766 8705 RR0001

Back Cover Photo by Aaron Holmberg

Jennifer Velva Bernstein Performance Hall, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts



2025-2026 SEASON

SUBSCRIBE:

Call 613-533-2424

queensu.ca/theisabel

Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts

Queen’s University, 390 King Street West

Room 123, Kingston ON K7L 3N6

Season 11 Brochure for 2025-2026 Season

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