Yoni Kaston (clarinet)

Yoni’s musical education has come from a vastly diverse set of teachers and genres – having studied classical piano and harpsichord at McGill University, he has since refocused on traditional music from around the world, finding his own voice and range of expression within the various styles.  Yoni has recently been emerging as one of the very active musicians in the Montreal Jewish and World music scenes, having been featured at the Montreal Jewish Music Festival, the Festival du Monde Arabe, Le Festival Séfarad, the Nights at the Montreal Jazz Festival series, as well as at events in Ottawa and Winnipeg.    His other primary project is Ihtimanska – a Balkan/Turkish duo, and he plays with many other groups involving, among others, Yiddish, chassidic, West-African, Tango, Yemenite, and Turkish music.  He has also performed with various groups across Montreal, including OktoEcho, as well as in various recording sessions, and is active as a clarinettist, pianist, accordionist and bass player.    cardboardstudios.ca

Joel Kerr (double bass)

Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, Joel’s rather eclectic musical interests as well as his versatility have taken him throughout Canada, the US, Europe, Central America and the Caribbean, performing jazz, classical, rock, folk, avant-garde, funk, bluegrass, klezmer and other styles of music. After having worked as a professional musician in Regina, Toronto, Krakow (Poland) and Vancouver, Joel moved to Montreal in 2008 to pursue a Master of Music degree in Jazz Performance at McGill University, which he completed in 2010.  In addition to the Joel Kerr Quintet, which was a finalist in the 2011 TD Montreal Jazz Festival Jazz Award as well as nominated for the Galaxie Rising Star Award, Joel is the leader, composer and arranger for the jazz ensembles The M-Theory Collective and The Joel Kerr Trio; a member of experimental jazz trio Bean; a member of soul/R&B band The Key Lites; a co/leader of the McLeod/Kerr Trio; the leader and arranger for the classical string ensemble Trio Da Capo; and a freelance musician performing, recording, composing and arranging for a wide variety of artists and ensembles. Joel also has 12 years of private teaching experience.    joelkerr.com

Daniel Fuchs (violin)

Daniel was born in Montreal, Quebec. After playing the piano as a child, he decided he wanted to learn another instrument. He began taking violin lessons when he was eight with Jean-Ai Patrascu and soon joined a local youth orchestra. Daniel has been concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the McGill Sinfonietta and the Montreal Youth Symphony Orchestra. During the National Youth Orchestra’s 50^th anniversary Canadian tour, he was selected to perform the solos from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. He has been principal second violin in the McGill Symphony Orchestra on several occasions. Daniel has also performed with the Orchestre de la Francophonie and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, the latter in which he participated in a tour of Mexico. Furthermore, as a winner of a concerto competition in 2010, Daniel appeared as a soloist with the Montreal Youth Symphony Orchestra.  Daniel recently completed his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance at the Schulich School of Music under the direction Denise Lupien. In 2012, he was awarded a Lloyd Carr-Harris String Scholarship from McGill University. In 2011, he earned his CEGEP diploma from Marianopolis College under the direction of Thomas Williams. In 2009, he was a finalist in the Canadian Music Competition, mentored by his first violin teacher, Jean Ai Patrascu. Outside of classical music, Daniel is involved in various styles of traditional music, particularly klezmer and Jewish music, having studied with Merima Kljuco, Deborah Strauss, Cookie Segelstein and Jake Shulman-Ment at KlezKanada for four years.   danielfuchs.ca

 Gaël Huard (cello)

Gaël Huard has been interested in music since the age of 7, when she began to play violin.  She since took up the cello at 9 years old, and one year later was admitted to the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal, in the class of Guy Fouquet.  Gaël continued her studies which led to a Bachelor of Music in performance, under the tutelage of Louise Trudel.  In addition to her studies and performances of classical music, she is delving into various musical styles, which has led her to develop a eclectic and colourful personal style.  Among others, she has been exploring flamenco, tango, Turkish, Arabic and Jewish music.  From world music to experimental music, via pop, jazz, and current music, Gaël is called upon for various reputable stages, particularly the Place des Arts, for the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Festival Juste Pour Rire, and the Festival du Monde Arabe, at the side of musicians such as Jean Derome, Pierre Tanguay, Loco Locass, Stéphane Rousseau and Claude Dubois.

Jason Rosenblatt    

Composer, producer, pianist and harmonica player Jason Rosenblatt is one of the world’s foremost innovators in diatonic harmonica technique. His performance on the unassuming instrument has helped to open new musical ground for the instrument long associated with “the blues,” into art forms as diverse as jazz, bluegrass, Klezmer and Turkish music. Since 2002 he and his group Shtreiml, for which he serves as musical director, have performed internationally at notable festivals and venues in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. His music has been heard on radio and in films including the 2010 Bravo production, “Last of the Wild Jews.” In 2010 Jason spearheaded the first Montreal Jewish Music Festival and as artistic director continues to promote Jewish music concerts and workshops to a multi-generational, multi-cultural and multi-lingual audience. Jason is especially concerned with educating the next generation of musicians and has given workshops and lectures on harmonica, and klezmer music to students of all-ages. Jason’s skills as a composer and musician have been recognized through awards granted by the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des Arts du Montreal, the Lasko Foundation and PennPAT.    jasonrosenblatt.com

Ismail Fencioglu

Ismail Hakki Fencioglu was born in Turkey, in 1968, into a family with a rich musical tradition. He started playing oud professionally at the Municipal Conservatory of Bursa, in 1986. A year later he enrolled in the department of chant of State Conservatory of Istanbul Technical University. He worked with Alaeddin Yavasca, Bekir Sitki Sezgin and Tulin Yakarcelik, and he specialized in classical Turkish music singing techniques. While still a student, he gave many performances on television together with his teachers and solo. He was a member of the State Classical Turkish Music Chorus conducted by Nevzat Atlig. After earning his Bachelor’s degree from the Conservatory, he started working as an arranger and composer in various audio recording studios.  He is also a master builder of musical instruments. Since his arrival in Canada in 2001 he has been conducting Turkish music choruses in Ottawa and in Montréal, that presented 17 successful joint concerts so far. Ismail Hakki Fencioglu regularly performs with his own bands Fenci’s Ensemble founded 2003, and Duo Turco, as well as with Jason Rosenblatt (Shtreiml), Okto Echo. He performed with the renowned Turkish musician Erkan Ogur at the “Festival du Monde Arabe” and with Karen Young at the “Festival de Musique Multi-Montréal”. Since 2006 he has been performing  with the Peruvian artist Lucho Quequzana. He participated with cirque du soleil  and has various recordings on Cirque du Soleil’s Cds.    canadian oud shop