Christmas in a Time Machine

Winter Solace is a new outreach concert series of the Instrumental Society of Calgary dedicated to healthcare workers, patients, and families.This concert will be specifically shared with the Children’s Hospital and will explore the spirit of Christmas through music, by visiting some key moments in history starting from the oldest known Christmas carol written in 310 AD to the present day! We invite you to join us for a fun whirlwind tour of some key moments and locations that inspire the music we love best during the holidays.

Susanna Duhamel (Heystek) started her musical career in her small hometown of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, where she took violin lessons from the age of 5. She began her post-secondary studies on violin at the Victoria Conservatory of Music with Michael van der Sloot. In 2017, after trying out the viola for a week, she made the switch from violin to viola and has never looked back. That same year, she received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to perform chamber music and collaborate with Canadian Composer David Braid at the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy. In 2018 and 2019 she took part in the NAC Orchestra’s Institute for Orchestral Studies in Ottawa, and performed in the orchestra for three of their concerts, under the direction of guest conductors Pinchas Zuckerman and Bramwell Tovey. She is also the winner of the University of Ottawa Concerto Competition of 2020. Susanna graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Music from the University of Ottawa. Throughout her studies, she volunteered and later worked for OrKidstra, an El Sistema inspired program that offers free music lessons to children from under-served communities. When Susanna is not performing or teaching music, she is taking care of her baby boy, Eli, and hiking in the beautiful mountains near her hometown.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Jessica Lui recently graduated with a Bachelor of Music with Distinction in Piano Performance from the University of Calgary under the tutelage of Dr. Lana Henchell. This past year, Jessica has built an online community where she illustrates an authentic perspective of what practice is like as a classical pianist. Jessica has gained over 20,000 followers through her realistic and relatable content in just over one year. Social media has led her to many opportunities like extending her piano studio internationally and being invited to join the Pixical Virtuoso Summer Program for Piano as a featured artist faculty of the week. She was also a part of the Orford Musique Artist Residencies in September. Jessica has participated in masterclasses from renowned artists such as Andre Laplante, John O’Conor, and many others. She enjoys collaborative piano and is experienced in working with singers, instrumentalists and choirs. 

Mari Coetzee (cello, baroque cello) is a versatile performer & educator who is passionate about music from the Renaissance and Baroque to the present day. Included in CBC Music’s 30 Top Canadian Classical Musicians under 30, Mari has performed at Carnegie Hall, as soloist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and with the Orchestra Symphonique de Quebec among others. A frequent recitalist and chamber musician, Mari has performed across the USA, Canada, France, Switzerland, and South Africa. She received her Master’s of Music from The Juilliard School studying with Richard Aaron and also studied Baroque Cello with Phoebe Carrai in Juilliard’s Historical Performance department. She currently makes her home in Calgary with her husband, their 7-month old daughter, and puppy Teddy.