Our Noon Hour Concerts are back for another incredible season of music and community building under the artistic direction of our Music Director Ann-Marie MacDairmid. After a long hiatus, we are excited to welcome guests back into our sanctuary to enjoy these concerts in person and we will continue to stream live to our YouTube channel.
Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30am - 12:15pm with the concert beginning at 12:15pm.
We look forward to welcoming the musical community back to our sanctuary this fall.
About Matthew Gartshore
Matthew is a pianist and teacher based in Southern Ontario, Canada, where he currently teaches and performs in Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph. He began playing piano at the age of five. Although it was not the primary focus of his life in his youth, this changed when he discovered the great recordings of the legendary pianists Vladimir Horowitz and Sviatoslav Richter as a teenager, which truly inspired him to pursue a career in music.
Throughout his diverse musical career he has collaborated with many singers and instrumentalists in opera and chamber music. Locally, Matthew has performed at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Noon Hour Recital Series as a soloist and collaborative pianist, at the Kitchener Public Library, and at the Love of Music Marathon. Socially conscious, Matthew has given benefit concerts to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The greatest influence on his musical interpretations and development can be attributed to his lifelong love of literature and the performing and visual arts.
Matthew completed his Masters in Piano Performance at Syracuse University, where he had a full scholarship and TA. Prior to that, he graduated with a Bachelor in Music summa cum laude from McMaster University. Additionally, he holds an Associate Diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Currently, Matthew teaches at the Guelph School of Music in Guelph, Ontario. He has held the position of music director at St Andrews Memorial Anglican Church in Kitchener since 2019.
About Emma Allan
Emma is a cellist and pianist previously from Brisbane, Australia and now living and working in Kitchener-Waterloo. She was co-principal cellist of the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra and a member of the orchestral rock band The Red Paintings. She has toured internationally with both the band and the Queensland Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has collaborated and performed on The Red Paintings studio album and composed and performed parts for the Australian movie soundtrack, Rise. Emma Allan holds a Bachelor of Music in cello performance from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Australia as well as an Associate Diploma of Music on piano. She currently performs with the Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Orchestra and as a freelance cellist in Southern Ontario. Emma also has a full teaching schedule and enjoys sharing the joy of discovery in music learning and appreciation.
View the full concert lineup here:
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Emma Allan - Cello & Matthew Gartshore - piano
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Elizabeth Lepock - Soprano
Scott MacDonald - Clarinet
Anna Ronai - Piano
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
TBD
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
The Renaissance School of the Arts Flute Choir
Directed by Wendy Wagler
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Steele Strings Duo
Cynthia Steele - cello
Tom Steele - guitar
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Cambridge Girls' Choir
Directed by Jessica Strub