Land's End Chamber Music Society of Calgary

About Land's End

Sometime during the mid 1990's Land's End board member and past Artistic Director Kyle Lamont decided that there wasn't enough contemporary chamber music being played in Calgary, and that emerging composers and performers in Calgary needed an organization which would help them to be heard. To address these needs he and a number of like-minded individuals founded Land's End Chamber Ensemble and its governing body, Land's End Chamber Music Society, in 1997.

The first of many exciting Land's End concerts was held Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998 at the Eckhardt-Grammate Hall of the Rosza Centre, University of Calgary, featuring core ensemble members Beth Root Sandvoss (cello), Chris Sandvoss (viola), John Lowry (violin), and guests. Highlights of the ensemble's first three seasons include world premieres of pieces by William Jordan, Allan Rae, and Brent van Dusen, and Calgary premieres of many works including Alfred Schnittke's Concerto for Three and Concerto Grosso No.1 . Sonya Guha-Thakurta and Matt Pocock have also received premiere performances as winners of the first two annual Land's End Composer's Competitions. For more information on past Land's End concerts see the Past Concerts page.

In June, 2000 George Fenwick assumed the position of Artistic Director of Land's End Chamber Ensemble, as Kyle Lamont will be pursuing studies in composition in Krakow, Poland. Chris Sandvoss will be on sabbatical during the 2000-01 season and will not be performing, although he remains Vice President of the Land's End Board of Directors. For more information about members of the ensemble see the Biographies page.

Raison d'ètre

Land's End Chamber Music Society of Calgary and Land's End Chamber Ensemble were founded to meet several needs in the Calgary music community. These needs include:
· The promotion and development of emerging local and Canadian talents, in both performance and composition.
· An ensemble dedicated to the performance of post-Romantic works (ranging from Impressionist to contemporary pieces) of local, Canadian and international composers.
· Bridging a recognizable gap which has evolved between contemporary classical music and audiences.
Land's End fills these needs by contracting emerging musicians to work with the ensemble, by offering educational workshops and masterclasses, by implementing flexible concert programming philosophies which emphasize diversity, and by providing audiences with an atmosphere that is more informative, social and relaxed.