2023-24

La Fiammata

one piano four hands | PIANO A QUATRE MAINS

La Fiammata

PHOTO : Lisa Sakulensky

road trip
Love letters to humanity

Charissa Vandikas and Linda Ruan of La Fiammata sitting at a piano keyboard

When Charissa Vandikas and Linda Ruan join forces as the one piano four hands duo La Fiammata, the result is a firecracker of performance. Since they first met as competitors, the initial spark of connection between the two has grown into a steady flame, with the poetry of Vandikas’ playing contrasting Ruan’s explosion of energy. Prairie Debut is pleased to present La Fiammata as our second Road Trip! A Pan Canadian Partnership, in collaboration with Debut Atlantic and Jeunesses Musicales Canada.

Prairie Debut logo, Debut Atlantic logo, Jeuness musicales logo

Lorsque Charissa Vandikas et Linda Ruan ont joint leurs forces pour former le duo de piano à quatre mains La Fiammata, le résultat a été une prestation explosive. Depuis leur première rencontre en tant que concurrentes, l’étincelle de la connexion entre elles deux s’est transformée en un feu continu, la poésie du jeu de Vandikas contrastant avec l’explosion d’énergie de Ruan. Prairie Début est ravi de présenter La Fiammata à titre de notre deuxième Grande virée! Un partenariat pancanadien, en collaboration avec Debut Atlantic et Jeunesses Musicales Canada.

CONCERTS

2023

Concert | 7:30 pm | Saturday October 14, 2023
Vancouver BC | Muzewest

2024

Residency | February 1 – 4, 2024
Fort McMurray AB

Concert | Sunday March 3, 2024
Regina, SK | Regina Musical Club

Concert | Thursday March 7 2024
Red Deer AB | Red Deer Public Library

Concert | 7:30 pm | Thursday March 7, 2024
Canmore AB | artsPlace

Concert | 7:30 pm | Saturday March 9, 2024
Strathmore AB | Arts on 817

It was immediately apparent to me, from the very first time I heard them, that these two had that magic extra something as a duo. Together, they become more than twice as good.”

– James Anagnoson, Dean of the Glenn Gould School

LA FIAMMATA

Although they first met as competitors, the initial spark of connection between Linda Ruan and Charissa Vandikas has grown into a steady flame. Now they are fast friends and performing partners, joining forces as the one piano four hands duo La Fiammata. The result is a firecracker of performance, with the poetry of Vandikas’ playing contrasting Ruan’s explosion of energy. La Fiammata has made an impression on the musical world, taking second place in the 70th ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Prairie Debut is pleased to present La Fiammata as our second Road Trip! A Pan Canadian Partnership winners, in collaboration with Debut Atlantic and Jeunesses Musicales Canada. The program is a musical dialogue about the importance of community, connection and shared experience, in a blend of contemporary and established landmarks for piano four hands. Love Letters to Humanity opens with Beethoven’s light-hearted reflection on friendship, continues with meditations influenced by nature and the spaces we occupy, and concludes with contrasting furious and romantic selections by Franz Schubert.

La Fiammata were Grand Prix winners of the 2017 Canadian Music Competitions Grand Prix, and took first place at the North-West International Piano Ensemble Competition as well as top prizes at the Suzana Szorenyi International Piano Duo Competition in Romania. The duo has been featured on CBC Radio’s In Concert show, and premiered Canadian works including Julia Mermelstein’s “density swells upclose in breath.”

Praised for their “dizzying musicality” by Süddeutsche Zeitung, La Fiammata is a flame which will continue to blaze brighter.

 > teamlafiammata.com

Bien qu’elles se soient rencontrées pour la première fois en tant que concurrentes, l’étincelle initiale de la connexion entre Linda Ruan et Charissa Vandikas s’est transformée en une flamme inextinguible. Elles sont désormais amies et partenaires de scène, unissant leurs forces en tant que duo de piano à quatre mains La Fiammata. Le résultat est une prestation explosive, la poésie du jeu de Vandikas contrastant avec l’explosion d’énergie de Ruan. La fiammata a marqué le monde musical en remportant la seconde place au 70ème Concours international de musique de l’ARD, à Munich.

Prairie Début est ravi de présenter La Fiammata à titre de notre deuxième Grande virée! Un partenariat pancanadien, en collaboration avec Debut Atlantic et Jeunesses Musicales Canada. Le programme est un dialogue musical sur l’importance de la communauté, de la connexion et de l’expérience partagée, dans un amalgame de monuments incontournables et contemporains du piano à quatre mains. Sérénade pour l’humanité s’ouvre sur la réflexion enjouée de Beethoven sur l’amitié, se poursuit avec des méditations influencées par la nature et les lieux que nous occupons et se termine par des sélections à la fois tumultueuses et romantiques de Franz Schubert.

La Fiammata a gagné le Grand Prix du Concours de musique du Canada 2017 et a remporté la première place de la Compétition internationale d’ensembles avec piano North-West, ainsi que les premiers prix de la compétition internationale de duos de pianistes Suzana Szorenyi, en Roumanie. Le duo a participé à l’émission In Concert de Radio-Canada et a présenté en avant-première des oeuvres canadiennes, notamment “density swells upclose in breath” de Julia Mermelstein.

Saluées pour leur “musicalité vertigineuse” par la Süddeutsche Zeitung, La Fiammata est une flamme qui continuera de briller de mille feux.

La Fiammata photo by Daniel Delang

PHOTO : Lisa Sakulensky

Photo : Daniel Delang

Charissa Vandikas | piano

Noted for her  “introspective and lyrical style” (Ludwig van Toronto), pianist Charissa Vandikas is among those featured in CBC’s prestigious “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30” list (2015).

Her honours include winning the 2015 Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Association National Piano Competition, and receiving awards in competitions which include the Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal Concerto Competition, the Canadian Music Competition, the OMFA Provincial Competition, and the Glenn Gould School’s Chamber Competition and Concerto Competition.

Charissa made her orchestral debut with the Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra in 2013 under the baton of David Fallis. She has performed as a soloist and appeared with orchestras in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Charissa is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree from the Universite de Montreal. She was awarded a full scholarship for her Bachelor of Music studies at the Glenn Gould School, Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She completed her ARCT Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music at age 13, and her Licentiate Diploma in 2015, attaining a level of First Class Honours with Distinction in both. She is the 2018 recipient of the Emerging Artist Grant from the Hnatyshyn Foundation, and was previously selected to be a Stockey Young Artist for the Festival of the Sound (2016).

A popular collaborative pianist, Charissa also holds a black belt in Goju Karate.

Linda Ruan | piano

 

Chinese-Canadian pianist Linda Ruan has a passion for overcoming cultural boundaries through the international language of music. As a classically trained musician with an increasingly impressive resume, Linda’s fascination for amplifying diverse voices reveals itself in multi-faceted professional and philanthropic endeavours.

Named to CBC’s list of Top 30 Hot Classical Musicians under 30 in 2016, Linda has performed in venues across the world including a concert tour of China. She received a Bachelor of Music degree with Honours from The Glenn Gould School in Toronto, and completed a Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School. 

Since first being introduced to drums at age four and piano at age seven, music was a stabilizing force in an unconventional childhood which took Linda from Tokyo to Shanghai and Vancouver. A strong supporter of diversity in classical music, Linda seeks projects which amplify marginalized voices of the past and present. 

Linda raises awareness of the works of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) and women composers via her social media channels, introducing her audience to musicians including Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, Tania León, Margaret Bonds, Florence Price, Betty Jackson King and Estelle Ricketts.

Linda took top prizes in a number of international competitions including the 2021 VI Odin International Music Competition, the 2020 Music Without Limits International Competition, PianoArts North American Piano Competition, Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Association National Piano Competition and the Seattle International Piano Competition. She made her orchestral debut with the Xinghai Philharmonic, and has played with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, Royal Conservatory Orchestra, Oakville Chamber Orchestra and Kamloops Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she studies with Dr. Xiaohan Wang at the Tianjin Juilliard School.

 

it was the charismatic Jinzi [Linda] Ruan and the equally talented Charissa Vandikas who stole the show …. The perfect partners-in-crime, they proved to be fascinating to listen to and wonderfully expressive in this work.

Carolyn Rodgers, Reverb.com

MEET OUR 2023-24 SEASON ARTISTS