2012 Collaborative Artist

DARRYL FRIESEN has been praised for his “rich palette of tonal colour” and performances of “intimate, poignant simplicity” (Winnipeg Free Press, 2008). He recently completed his DMA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying with Dr. William Heiles and Dennis Helmrich, as a Fellow of both the University of Illinois (Creative and Performing Arts) and Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Society. He began his studies with Darrel Loewen at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts, and after studying with distinguished pedagogue Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music, he received BM and MM degrees in piano performance from the University of Manitoba as a student of well-known Canadian pianist, David Moroz.

He has given acclaimed performances as a soloist and collaborative artist across Canada, the United States, Europe, and China, and has been featured several times in concert on CBC Radio. He has recently been featured on both the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society and Virtuosi concert series, and in February 2008 he made his professional orchestral debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, performing Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 and the second movement of Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 7. He has appeared in concert with Valdine Anderson, the Martha Graham Dance Company of New York, NY, Chen Xi, top prizewinner of the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition, and Agata Szymczewska, winner of the 2006 Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition. He was awarded substantial grants by the Canada Council of the Arts in both 2005 and 2006, including the coveted Sylva Gelber Foundation Award, given annually to the most talented Canadian classical artist under the age of 30. He was awarded the Nancy Kennedy Wustman Memorial award in Vocal Accompanying at the U of I in 2006, and was the grand prizewinner of the 2003 CBC Arts Encounters Young Performers Competition. He was a finalist in the International Stepping Stone Competition (2004) and Canadian Music Competition (2001), received the Lawrence Genser Memorial Scholarship (2002) as the most outstanding performer at the University of Manitoba School of Music, and received numerous grants from the Manitoba Arts Council throughout his studies. He performed in the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Muriel Richardson Auditorium as a featured artist in the Prairie Performances series, and has participated in masterclasses with such artists as Murray Perahia, Jeaneanne Dowis, and Marc Durand.

Dr. Friesen is in demand as a teacher, clinician, and collaborative artist. He and his wife live with their two daughters in Winnipeg, where he works at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Music.