BIOGRAPHY

The powerhouse combination of violinist Jonathan Crow and pianist Philip Chiu create a style of ensemble playing that immediately captures listeners. What began as a casual musical pairing has now developed into one of Canada’s newest duos. Together, these two artists offer an enticing and passionate concert not to be missed.

One of Canada's brightest talents, violinist Jonathan Crow exudes "masterful coolness" (The Montreal Gazette) as the concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Jonathan earned his Bachelor of Music in Honours Performance from McGill University, at which time he joined the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal as associate principal second violin. Between 2002 and 2006, Jonathan was engaged as co-concertmaster of that symphony, and notably during his tenure, was the youngest concertmaster of a major North American orchestra. In 2010, he was appointed Concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Crow has performed as a soloist with many Canadian orchestras including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Kingston Symphony and Orchestra London, under the baton of such conductors as Charles Dutoit, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Kent Nagano, Mario Bernardi, and João Carlos Martins among others.

An avid chamber musician, he has performed at chamber music festivals throughout North America, South America and Europe. He is a founding member of the New Orford String Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to the promotion of standard and Canadian string quartet repertoire. In 2005, Jonathan joined the Schulich School of Music at McGill University as an Assistant Professor of Violin and was appointed Associate Professor of Violin in 2010. His current and former students have received numerous prizes at competitions across North America.

Inaugural winner of the 2015 Prix Goyer, Philip is more than a summation of technical and musical abilities, he has become one of Canada’s leading musicians through his infectious love of music and his passion for communication and collaboration. Lauded for the brilliance, colour and sensitivity of his playing, he is particularly noted for his ability to connect with audiences on and off-stage. As Montréal’s La Presse states, he is “a pianist-painter who turns every musical idea into a beautiful array of colors.”

An exceedingly sociable pianist, Philip Chiu concertizes extensively as one of Canada's most sought-after chamber musicians. He has appeared in recitals with leading musicians of the world stage, including Raphael Wallfisch, Patrice Fontanarosa, Regis Pasquier, Matt Haimovitz, Radovan Vlatkovic, Stefan Dohr, Philippe Bernold, Alex Klein, Andrew Wan and Eugene Isotov.

Dedicated to elevating the standard and art of collaborative piano, Mr. Chiu is the creator and director of the new Collaborative Piano Program at the Domaine Forget International Festival and Academy. He is an acclaimed accompanist/coach based at McGill University, has been an invited professor and accompanist for the Conservatoire de musique de Montreal, and regularly accompanies at l'Universite de Montreal. He can be heard/seen on Classical 96.3 FM, Australia's ABC Radio, CBC Radio, and Radio­Canada.

January 2023