Presented in collaboration with the Groupe Le Vivier, under the 90th anniversary of Japan-Canada diplomatic relations, the Festival Accès Asie is pleased to present an evening of new music titled Eau douce – Eau trouble. Three exceptional emerging artists, pianist Kimihiro Yasaka (piano), LouisPhilippe Bonin (saxophone) and David Therrien-Brongo (percussion) unite to present the different states and mutations of water through musical pieces to evoke the colors and tones of Asia.
Three themes recur in the Japanese cultural imaginary landscape, highlighted by a strong impressionist connotation associated with their titles: the mythical aspect of nature, temporality and the notion of movement. This concert evokes both musical aesthetics and tones of instruments of traditional Japanese music as well as contemporary works.
Chained continually by fluidly staging between the musician’s movements and the blending of soundtracks, Eau Douce – Eau Trouble is an experience where Japan is put in music in ambiances that go from calm hovering in lingering soft sounds to more violent manifestations of the storm’s torrents.
The evening’s objective is to pay tribute to music inspired by Asian folklore with a program that includes repertoire as well as works specially written for the occasion by the composer Keiko Devaux.
Japan native Kimihiro Yasaka discovered piano at the age of 12 with Reiko Mizutani. Student of Professor Kyoko Hashimoto at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, he completed in 2011 a Master in performance in Piano Solo. Recipient of numerous prizes across Canada, Japan and Italy, Kimihiro performs in various events and festivals across Canada, Japan, the USA and Europe (Toronto Summer Music Festival, ISME World Conference and Festival, MusiMarsFestival, Chosen Vale Festival). One of his missions is to promote Japanese piano repertoire to an uninitiated audience. (www.kimihiroyasaka.com)
Holder of a master’s (M.MUS) in performance at the University of Montreal, he develops his passion for his instrument through extensive courses with Timothy McAllister at the University of Michigan. Frequently invited as a soloist, he has performed with organisations such as the Moldova Philarmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre à vent non identifié and the Société de musique contemporaine (SMCQ). He is regularly invited as a jury member and master classes for various organisations such as the Fédération des harmonies et orchestres symphoniques du Québec (FHOSQ), MusicFest Quebec, etc. Active as a saxophone professor at the CEGEP Saint-Laurent, he is also artistic director of the Ensemble SaxoLogie and clinician artist for YAHAMA Saxophones and Anches LÉGÈRE. (www.lpbonin.com)
Standing out as one of the most active and polyvalent percussionist of his generation, David Therrien-Brongo is notably renowned for his virtuosity and his rigorous accomplished work in chamber music. He is a recipient of the Guy Soucie prize and the prestigious Concours Prix d’Europe in 2017. He plays regularly with various ensembles in Quebec — Orchestre Métropolitain, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Sixtrum — and internationally — Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Terres de Marca. He is also a member of l’Ensemble Paramirabo, the Duo AIRS, the percussions ensemble SCRAP and of the metal ensemble Archɇtype. David holds a master’s at the University of Montreal and a diploma from the Catalonia College of Music in Barcelona.
Kimihiro Yasaka – Pianist
Louis-Philippe Bonin – Saxophonist
David Therrien-Brongo – Percussionist