malcolm armstrong
Canadian double bassist Malcolm Armstrong joined the Victoria Symphony as principal bass in 2024. Prior to his arrival in Victoria he served for 5 years in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. A native of Ottawa, Malcolm was inspired to pursue a musical career by his father, trombonist and conductor Angus Armstrong, and his uncle, Daniel Armstrong, who has led a 40-year career as a double bassist with the Winnipeg, Milwaukee and Chicago symphony orchestras.
Malcolm studied at the University of Ottawa and at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, where he also participated in the Canadian Opera Company's Orchestra Academy. Malcolm is a recipient of numerous awards and honours including the National Youth Orchestra of Canada’s Award of Excellence. He performed with the NYO in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017, the latter season documented by filmmaker John Bolton in That Higher Level, for the National Film Board of Canada. Malcolm has toured extensively throughout Canada, as well as to South Korea with the Orford Arts Centre Orchestra. In addition to his performing duties, Malcolm is the double bass professor at the university of Victoria.
david boutin-bourque
Originally from Peterborough, Ontario, David Boutin-Bourque currently serves as Principal Clarinet of the Victoria Symphony. He is also a Sessional Instructor of Clarinet at the University of Victoria. Previously, David held positions with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra as Acting Principal Clarinet, and the Erie Philharmonic as 3rd/Bass Clarinet. Additionally, he has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Nova Scotia.
From 2017-2021, he attended the Aspen Music Festival and was the winner of the winds concerto competition in 2018. David is also an active chamber musician in British Columbia. He has been a featured artist at the Eine Kleine Summer Music Festival, the Quadra Island Festival of Chamber Music, the Victoria Summer Music Festival and with the Emily Carr String Quartet. David completed degrees at the University of Toronto, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University. His teachers include Michael Rusinek, David Bourque, Steve Cohen and Lawrie Bloom.
alana despins
Alana Despins joined the Victoria Symphony as principal horn in 2009. She has been featured as a soloist performing Mozart’s Horn Concerti Nos. 2 and 3, as well as Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings. As an educator, Alana enthusiastically shares her passion of music with her horn students and has taught through the Victoria Conservatory of Music, the University of Victoria, and her own studio. She is also active throughout the region playing chamber music.
Before joining the Victoria Symphony, Alana held the position of third horn with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Additionally, she participated in summer festivals across North America, Europe, and Asia. Alana earned her Master of Music from Northwestern University in Chicago studying with Gail Williams, and her Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria with Kurt Kellan.
When she is not with horn in hand, Alana is either working in her editing and proofreading business or is out exploring beautiful Vancouver Island with her husband and three children.
kenji fuse
Kenji Fusé is the principal violist of the Victoria Symphony. He was recently appointed Music Director of the Strathcona Symphony Orchestra, and has just completed his first successful season, with many sold-out performances.
He is also the viola coach of the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, and occasionally acts as rehearsal conductor for the GVYO strings. He will be conducting the orchestra of the Summer Strings Intensive Program at the Victoria Conservatory in July.
Kenji has performed viola concerti by Berlioz, Mozart, Hétu, and Bach with the Victoria Symphony, as well as his own viola concerto conducted by Yannick Nézet-Seguin. He mounted and conducted a full production of Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale for the Victoria Symphony’s Cathedral Fest. Kenji has performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Vancouver Symphony, the Toronto Chamber Players, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, playing under such notable conductors as Pierre Boulez and Paavo Järvi.
galvin cello quartet
Praised as a quartet whose “cellists are brilliant instrumentalists and thoughtful musicians individually, but their renditions as a group are glorious,” (Arnold Steinhardt, Guarneri String Quartet) the Galvin Cello Quartet burst onto the scene after capturing the Silver Medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition. Riding on the momentum of their Fischoff success, Galvin went on to win the 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition and joined the Concert Artists Guild roster. With members from Brazil, South Korea, and the United States, the Quartet takes its name from the Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music, where three of its members – Sydney Lee, Haddon Kay, and Luiz Fernando Venturelli – met as students in the studio of acclaimed pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen. In June of 2024, the Quartet welcomed James Baik, another former student of Jensen, as their newest member.
With their untamable desire to create, change, and ultimately bring joy through music, the Galvin Cello Quartet is incredibly excited to make the undeniable case that the cello quartet belongs at the center of the expressive lexicon for chamber music alongside other traditional forms. The group's vibrant international spirit reflects its artistic mission to bring together new works from diverse cultural backgrounds and dazzle audiences with the cello’s limitless capabilities. Each a true virtuoso with a distinct voice, the members of the Galvin Cello Quartet are able to authentically occupy a wide array of styles, colors and moods, as well as shifting roles within given arrangements. Recent highlights include performances and educational residencies at Rockport Music Festival, Bravo! Vail, Ravinia, Ascent International Cello Festival, Merkin Hall, and a reappearance at Newport Classical.
jennifer gunter
Jennifer Gunter joined the Victoria Symphony as principal bassoon in 2004 and is often a featured soloist with the orchestra. Her symphonic career spans North America and has included positions in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Jennifer began her musical journey at the renowned Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and continued here education with music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Rice University. In addition to a wide range of performance activity, ranging from baroque to new music, Jennifer is the bassoon instructor at the University of Victoria.
sean lee
American violinist Sean Lee is one of few violinists who dare to perform the complete 24 Caprices of Niccolò Paganini in concert. A recipient of Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Career Grant, Lee has captured the attention of audiences worldwide, with performances described by The New York Times as “breathtakingly beautiful. Lee’s ongoing educational YouTube series, “Paganini POV”, utilizes modern technology to share a unique perspective on violin playing. In January 2022, Lee and pianist Peter Dugan released selections from Niccolò Paganini’s 24 Caprices as arranged by Robert Schumann, as an EP and video series titled “Paganini X Schumann: 9 Caprices”, after giving the first performance of the complete 24 Caprices in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s 52-year history.
Lee’s debut album was released by EMI Classics, and reached the iTunes top 20 classical bestsellers list. In 2018, Lee collaborated with pianist Peter Dugan to release a second album, SONGBOOK, featuring songs from all over the world from classical to jazz. As a soloist, Lee has appeared with orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony, Israel Camerata Jerusalem, and Utah Symphony, and recital appearances have taken him to Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Festival di Carro Paganiniano of Italy, and Vienna’s Konzerthaus. A top prizewinner at the “Premio Paganini” International Violin Competition, Lee embraces the legacy of his late mentor, violinist Ruggiero Ricci, who made the first solo recording of the 24 Caprices in 1947.
Lee has collaborated in performances with Itzhak Perlman, Sir James Galway, Deborah Voigt, and members of the Emerson and Guarneri String Quartets. With the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Lee has performed numerous times at Lincoln Center, as well as on tour internationally at venues including the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague, Czech Republic; LG Arts Center in Seoul, Korea; National Theater in Taipei, Taiwan; and the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. Lee also performed for PBS’s first international production of Live from Lincoln Center, “Odyssey: The Chamber Music Society in Greece”.
Born in Los Angeles, Lee studied in Southern California with Robert Lipsett of the Colburn Conservatory, and with violin legend Ruggiero Ricci. Moving to New York City at age 17, Lee studied at the Juilliard School with the internationally acclaimed Itzhak Perlman. At the Juilliard School, Lee earned both Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees, and received the William Schuman Prize upon graduation. Lee performs on violins made by Samuel Zygmuntowicz in 1995 and David Bague in 1999, and a bow made circa 1890 by Joseph Arthur Vigneron.
lorraine min
Steinway Artist and critically acclaimed Canadian pianist Lorraine Min has dazzled audiences with her poetic artistry and brilliant virtuosity. Cited by the New York Times for her “impeccable phrase-shaping (and) crystalline sound,” and by the Washington Post for her “admirable technique,” Min has performed as a soloist extensively on five continents and in some of the world’s most important concert halls such as New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She has performed chamber music at the Ravinia and Tanglewood Summer Festivals in the US, Amberley Festival in Perth, Australia, and across Canada at Orford, Fredericton, Halifax, Victoria Summer Music, Eine Kleine, and Music in the Morning Series in Vancouver.
Min is a prize winner in numerous international piano competitions, and regularly performs as a concerto soloist in Canada and throughout the US. She received her Bachelor degree from the Peabody Conservatory and Masters and Doctoral degrees from the Juilliard School. She has been co-Artistic Director of Eine Kleine Summer Music in Victoria, Canada since 2015.
terence tam
Consistently praised for his intense musicality and impressive technique, Canadian violinist Terence Tam has performed in Canada, the U.S.A, Australia, Europe and Japan as a recitalist and chamber musician. He has also appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Europe, Australia and across Canada including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony and Symphony Nova Scotia. Tam made his New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1994 and his Paris concerto debut in 2000 playing the Ligeti violin concerto with the Academy of 20th Century Music Orchestra.
Currently concertmaster of the Victoria Symphony, he also previously held this prestigious position with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in Australia and Symphony Nova Scotia in Canada. An active chamber musician, Tam's performances have taken him to the Sarasota, Ravinia, Meadowmount, Banff, Aspen, Encore, Hamptons, Scotiafest and La Conner music festivals. He has collaborated with musicians from the Juilliard, St. Lawrence, Ying and Pacifica string quartets. He has been featured as guest violinist at Music in the Morning in Vancouver, the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, the St. Cecilia Concert Series in Halifax, the 35th International Viola Congress in Australia and at the Eine Kleine Summer Music Festival in Victoria.
Tam is a recipient of numerous grants from the Canada Council for the Arts as well as the Chalmer's Foundation of the Ontario Arts Council. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music.
ray ushikubo
Ray Ushikubo, praised for his “disciplined focus and clarity… and marvelous dynamic nuance” (Arts Knoxville), is a Japanese-American pianist and violinist who has performed as soloist with major orchestras across the United States. Recent highlights include performing selections from Piazzolla’s Four Seasons with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and I Got Rhythm Variations with the orchestras of Kansas City, Oregon, and Rochester; and Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with the Colburn Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen.
A Davidson Fellow Laureate and Young Steinway Artist, Ushikubo won first prize at the 2017 Hilton Head International Piano Competition and the 2016 Aspen Piano Concerto Competition, and was a prizewinner at the 2023 Klein International String Competition. He made his orchestral debut at age ten with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 alongside Teddy Abrams and the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Since then, he has performed with orchestras including those of Aspen, Buffalo, Florida, Fort Collins, Hilton Head, Modesto, New West, Pasadena, Pensacola, Portland, Reno, San Diego, Westchester, and Winston-Salem—often appearing on both piano and violin in the same concert.
An avid chamber and collaborative musician, Ushikubo has performed with pianist Lang Lang at Segerstrom Concert Hall and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He has appeared with Jean-Yves Thibaudet on Radio France, and at Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot alongside cellist Gautier Capuçon. Ushikubo also explores music beyond the classical realm. He has performed with singer-songwriter Jackson Browne at a peace ceremony honoring Hiroshima victims, hosted by the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Los Angeles.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Ushikubo double-majored and received his bachelor’s degrees at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied piano with Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald, and violin with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Pamela Frank, and Aaron Rosand. Currently, Ushikubo double-majors at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he studies piano with Fabio Bidini and violin with Robert Lipsett. Ushikubo’s hobbies include golfing and watching movies. Ushikubo performs on the 1741 “Playfair” Guarneri del Gesù, generously on loan from Colin Maki Inc.
brian yoon
Brian Yoon enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, adjudicator, and teacher, and serves as Principal Cello of the Victoria Symphony. He was also recently appointed as Co-Head of Strings at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. A First Prize winner of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, he has performed extensively across Canada in repertoire ranging from Bach and Beethoven to George Crumb and Metallica, and has received support from the BC Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation. Brian currently plays a 1905 cello by Gaetano Sgarabotto of Milan, purchased with the generous support of Dr. Fritz Boehm and the Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund at the Victoria Foundation.