2021-23

Robert Uchida
& Rafael Hoekman

Uchida Hoekman

ROBERT Uchida | VIOLIN/violon
RAFAEL Hoekman | Cello/violoncelle

Uchida Hoekman

Photos: Erik Visser

Celebrate the versatility and warmth of classical strings with an intimate concert by two principal string players of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Concertmaster Robert Uchida has been applauded for his “ravishing sound, eloquence and hypnotic intensity” by Strings Magazine, while Rafael Hoekman is lauded as a ”rock star of the cello.” Their crowd-pleasing program journeys from traditional favorites through to brilliant contemporary selections inspired by world and folk music, and concludes with a Maritime medley sure to set toes tapping.

Célébrez la variété et la chaleur des cordes classiques avec un concert intimiste de deux des principaux instrumentistes à cordes de l’Orchestre symphonique d’Edmonton. Le premier violon Robert Uchida a été salué par le Strings Magazine pour son “son enchanteur, son éloquence et son intensité hypnotique”, tandis que Rafael Hoekman est glorifié comme une “rock star du violoncelle”. Leur programme qui satisfera tout le monde va des classiques traditionnels, passant par de brillantes sélections contemporaines inspirées des musiques du monde et de la musique folk et se termine par un pot-pourri des provinces maritimes qui donnera envie de battre la mesure.

CONCERTS

2023

7:30 pm | Wednesday January 11, 2023
Fort McMurray
Keyano College Theatre & Arts Centre

7:30 pm | Sunday January 15, 2023
Spruce Grove |  Horizon Stage

1:30 & 7:00 pm | Sunday January 29 2023
Stettler AB | Stettler Showcase

7:30 pm | Thursday May 25 2023
Canmore AB | artsPlace Canmore

2022

7:30 pm | Saturday March 12 2022
Killarney, MB
Killarney Turtle Mountain Arts Council

2:30 pm | Sunday March 13 2022
Winnipeg, MB | Virtuosi Concerts

2:00 p.m. |  Sunday June 5 2022
North Battleford, SK | Dekker Centre

8:00 p.m. |  Thursday June 23 2022
Yellowknife, NT
Longshadow Festival 

Discovering the Amatis
Sunday September 11, 2022
Saskatoon, SK | University of Saskatchewan

2021

Showcase | October 23 – 23 2021
Alberta Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta (ATAA) 2021

Live Concert | October 30 2021
Camrose AB |  Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre

“… Spirited and fiery performance …”

Review of Rafael Hoekman | The Toronto Star

“An introverted, absorbing, and beautiful performance … a violinist with something special, and with, in his own quiet way, a compelling stage charisma.”

Review of Robert Uchida | Edmonton Journal

BIOGRAPHIES

Robert Uchuda - violin

Robert Uchida | Violin

Robert joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as Concertmaster in 2013. Previously he held the same position with Symphony Nova Scotia, and was invited to perform as Associate Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2005–2006 season. Engagements as a guest leader have included projects with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, Royal Flemish Philharmonic and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

A passionate teacher, Robert serves on the faculty at the University of Alberta and has also taught at Acadia University, the Manhattan School of Music and the National Arts Centre of Canada’s Young Artists Program.

Robert holds a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Ottawa. He performs on a rare 1770 Guadagnini violin with Vision Solo Titanium strings by Thomastik-Infeld Vienna.

> Robert Uchida

Rafael Hoekman, cello

Rafael Hoekman | Cello

Noted for his “spirited and fiery performances,” Rafael Hoekman’s varied career as a soloist, teacher, chamber musician and orchestral cellist has taken him across Canada. Currently Principal Cellist of the Edmonton Symphony and Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton, he has been a featured soloist with orchestras including the Edmonton Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, I Musici de Montréal and the Newfoundland Symphony.

Hoekman is both a passionate soloist and a dedicated chamber musician. He was a founding member of the Tokai String Quartet which was a prize winner at the prestigious Banff International String Quartet Competition. Devoted to mentoring the next generation of cellists, Rafael is on faculty at the University of Alberta. He studied with Yuli Turovsky, Shauna Rolston, and Theo Weber..

> Rafaelhoekman.com

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