Gallo Chamber Players:

The baroque music ensemble Gallo Chamber Players is made up of young professional musicians who are passionate about performing works specifically from the Baroque Era (1600-1750ish). Co-founded by violinists Jiten Bearisto, Elana Cooper and Majka Demcak, cellist Emily Burton, and harpsichordist Connor Page, Gallo Chamber Players formed after their Young Artists debut at the Vancouver Bach Festival, 2018. Since then they have performed concerts across Vancouver and in New Westminster, with the aim to bring communities together through the revival of the Baroque style.

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New Member - Rebecca Ruthven Baroque Violin

Rebecca is a violinist and violist based in Vancouver, BC. Originally from Kelowna, she
completed Bachelor’s degrees in Violin and Biochemistry at McGill University. Rebecca
regularly performs with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and
Vancouver Film Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she recently played with Vetta
Chamber Music, the Borealis String Quartet, and toured BC as part of The Young Beethoven.
Her exploration of baroque violin started in Montreal, playing with the McGill Baroque Orchestra
and later attending Tafelmusik’s Summer and Winter Baroque Institutes in Toronto. She
continues to study historical performance through Early Music Vancouver’s Scholarship
Programme, the Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme at UBC, and most recently
attending Berwick Academy in Oregon. She has performed with Pacific Baroque Orchestra,
Victoria Baroque, and the Chilliwack Baroque Orchestra and is excited to join the Gallo
Chamber Players in their upcoming concert!

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Special Guest - Sarah Kwok Baroque Viola

Born and raised in Vancouver, Dr. Sarah Kwok performs frequently with the Vancouver Symphony, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, Turning Point Ensemble, Allegra Chamber Orchestra, and the Erato Ensemble. She is a member of the Elysian Trio and Solidaridad Tango, and was part of Duo 101 Collective, the ensemble-in-residence at Simon Fraser University’s School of Contemporary Arts. She has participated in the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar, the Berwick Academy, and a residency program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Dr. Kwok holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of British Columbia where she studied with David Harding and previously studied with Steven Dann and Scott St. John at the University of Toronto. She currently teaches at the Vancouver Academy of Music

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Special Guest - Shin-Jung Nam Baroque Cello

Shin-Jung is originally from South Korea, and has a Masters of Music degree from UBC.  She is an active member of the Pro Nova String Quartet, and performs with many other ensembles in BC, including The Kamloops Symphony, The Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, The Okanagan Symphony, The Chilliwack Symphony and others. Shin-Jung also plays the baroque cello, and has performed with the Early Music Vancouver Festival Orchestra, and at the Vancouver Bach Festival. Additionally, she performs Mariachi music on the Guitarron with Las Estrellas de Vancouver.

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