Ariel Carrabré is a Montréal-based cellist originally from Manitoba. He grew up in Brandon in a musical family, with a concert pianist mother and a composer father. As a teenager, he travelled weekly to Winnipeg to perform as principal cellist of the Winnipeg Youth Orchestra and to study with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra principal cellist Yuri Hooker. From an early age, Ariel found success in competitions and was the recipient of numerous music scholarships.

Ariel has performed as a soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra on multiple occasions, most notably in 2007 as the winner of its Young Artist Concerto Competition. This distinction led to eight performances on the orchestra’s Up Close and Orchestral series. In 2008, he represented Manitoba at the national finals of both the Canadian Music Competition and the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals National Festival, competing in solo and chamber categories and winning top prizes at the CMC finals. In the summer of 2009, Ariel was selected for the prestigious Morningside Music Bridge program for a second time, which exceptionally took place in Gdańsk, Poland. He later attended the Toronto Summer Music Chamber Institute in 2011 and 2012, and is a two-time scholarship recipient of the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg.

Ariel earned his Bachelor’s degree in cello performance, with a minor in music theory, at McGill University, studying with Yegor Dyachkov. In 2015, he completed a Master’s degree in music theory at the University of Ottawa, supported by a coveted SSHRC grant. He subsequently returned to performance, earning a second Master’s degree in cello performance under the tutelage of Paul Marleyn at the University of Ottawa.

In 2018, Ariel was a finalist prize winner at the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, and in 2021 he returned to the competition, earning third place. He completed his doctoral studies in cello performance at the Université de Montréal, once again studying with Yegor Dyachkov. During this time, he was a student member of several research laboratories, including CIRMMT and the LRGM. His doctoral research focused on injury prevention and recovery for string players, integrating biomechanics, body awareness methods, neurological patterning, motor learning, and the explication and management of muscular tension.

Ariel continues to deepen his engagement with this research and is passionate about sharing his findings and exchanging ideas with string players and academics alike.

Over the course of his career, Ariel has participated in lessons and masterclasses with distinguished musicians and pedagogues including Ron Leonard, Philippe Muller, Clive Greensmith, Anthony Elliott, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Pieter Wispelwey, Jaap ter Linden, Menahem Pressler, the Scharoun Ensemble, Larry Lesser, Antonio Lysy, Uri Vardi, Desmond Hoebig, John Kadz, Na Mu La, and Tomasz Strahl. He has also performed in ensemble with artists such as Paul Watkins, Stefan Mendl, Ernst Kovacic, and Stephan Picard.

Ariel is a member of the Chernozem Duo with pianist Daniel Tselyakov. Formed in 2025, the duo grew out of a long-standing friendship, years of chamber collaborations, and a shared passion for Canadian and Russian music. Its artistic vision is rooted in the idea that music carries history much like land does. Chernozem—fertile black earth found in parts of the Canadian Prairies and Eastern Europe—serves as a metaphor for the duo’s shared cultural roots and the accumulated musical experience of their collaboration. Ariel is also a member of Ultradition, a Montréal-based cross-cultural ensemble dedicated to contemporary music that embraces composers and musical traditions from around the world.

Deeply committed to accessibility in classical music, Ariel was a founding member of the Horizon String Quartet, which spent seven summers touring Saskatchewan and Manitoba, performing for more than 100,000 schoolchildren, educators, and community members. These tours placed a particular emphasis on reaching rural communities with limited access to live chamber music, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Saskatchewan Arts Board, and the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC). From March 2021 to June 2025, Ariel also served as the core cellist for Candlelight Montréal, performing in over 500 concerts across more than 30 programs spanning classical, film, and popular music, introducing a broader audience to classical instruments through historic venues and innovative marketing.

Ariel is currently active in Montréal’s classical music scene, performing regularly with chamber series and local orchestras.

Kyung Kim, piano

Critically acclaimed for her refined musicianship, tonal sensitivity, and stylistic versatility, pianist Kyung Kim has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across North America, Europe, and Asia. Her performances have taken her to many of the world’s leading venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Seoul Arts Center, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the Großer Saal of the Salzburg Mozarteum, and the Grand Hall of the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest.

A highly sought-after collaborative artist, Dr. Kim has worked with distinguished musicians from major ensembles including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and London Symphony Orchestra. Her festival appearances include the Mozarteum International Summer Festival, International Bartók Festival, Euro Music Festival, Niagara International Summer Music Festival, and the Heifetz International Music Institute. She has also been presented by leading concert series such as the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota, Emory University Chamber Music Society, and university-based presenting series across North America.

Praised for performances described as “hypnotic” and “captivating,” Dr. Kim has appeared as concerto soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and others. Her performances have been broadcast on CBC Radio, WFMT (Chicago), Minnesota Public Radio, Korean Broadcasting System, and Wisconsin Public Television and Radio.

Born into a musical family in South Korea, Dr. Kim studied at Seoul National University with Jinwoo Jung and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she studied with the late Howard Karp.

Deeply committed to artistic mentorship, Dr. Kim is a dedicated teacher whose students have earned top prizes and appeared at major international venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. She has given masterclasses throughout North America and Asia and has served as adjudicator for numerous competitions, including the Bader-Overton National Piano Competition, Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Enkor International Music Competition, and the International E-Piano Competition.

An active presence in summer festivals, she is on faculty at the Euro Music Festival in Poland and the Ocean Music Summer Academy at the Manhattan School of Music – and has previously served as chamber music coach and mentor at the Green Lake Festival of Music, as well as resident pianist and artistic advisor to the Brandon Chamber Players.

Dr. Kim is currently Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Division Coordinator at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music. She previously served as Chair of the Keyboard Division at the University of Minnesota, where she founded and directed the Minnesota International Piano Festival.