Carson Becke - Artistic and General DirectorBorn and raised in Ottawa, Canadian pianist and composer Carson Becke has performed worldwide.  He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, and at the University of Oxford, where he completed a doctorate in musicology.  As a composer, Carson's work is generally concerned with the idea of placefulness, and is often inspired by his surroundings in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec.  His 2025 song cycle The Forest received funding from the English Language Arts Network in Quebec, and is based on newly commissioned poetry about trees by six Gatineau Hills-based poets.  As an arranger, he written transcriptions of music by Mendelssohn (Hebrides Overture - solo piano), Puccini (Fantasy on themes from Tosca - solo piano), Holst (The Planets - piano duo), Richard Strauss (Vier Letzte Lieder - piano and voice), and others.  Carson lives in Wakefield, Quebec with his partner, their son, and two untrained small black dogs who often escape.

Suren Barry - Season Curator, La Fab Baroque Series

Hailing from Ottawa (Canada), Suren is a versatile artist, equally at home on piano, fortepiano, and harpsichord. Having performed with some of the world's leading early music ensembles, Suren has established himself as a sought-after early music specialist, recently having been awarded second prize at the Jurow International Harpsichord Competition as well as a fellowship with The English Concert of America. Suren teaches harpsichord continuo at the University of Montreal, and regularly collaborates with various ensembles in Canada and the US, such as Les Violons du Roy, Twelfth Night Ensemble, Ensemble Caprice, and I Musici de Montréal. Suren also maintains an active career as a pianist, regularly performing alongside Carson Becke as part of Duo Octavian, a piano duo dedicated to commissioning new music and arranging orchestral works.  A self-professed generalist, Suren is happiest when learning new things and engaging in conversation, and has perhaps spent more time playing chess than he cares to admit.

Julia MacLaine- Season Curator, Chocolate Chip Chamber Music

Assistant Principal Cello of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 2014, Julia MacLaine performs as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician in music ranging from classical to contemporary and from ‘world’ to her own arrangements and compositions.  Julia enjoys exploring the juxtaposition of music with other art forms, of different styles of music, and of contemporary and classical music. Her début album, Préludes, released by Analekta in January 2022, features six new Canadian works written for her, alongside the six Préludes from the Bach Cello Suites that inspired the new pieces.  Julia has performed at the Mecklenberg‐Vorpommern, Lanaudière, Bic, Mostly Mozart, Tanglewood, and Ravinia Festivals, and in Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, and throughout Europe, the US, and Canada. Her chamber music partners have included Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, James Ehnes, Cynthia Phelps, Inon Barnatan, Jamie and Jon Kimura Parker, and the Orion String Quartet.  Originally from Prince Edward Island, Julia studied at McGill University, the Mannes College of Music, and at The Juilliard School.  She lives in Wakefield, Quebec with her partner – also a musician – and their two sons.