Jean-Philippe Tremblay
(OF), conductor, strings
Jean-Philippe Tremblay has been the artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestre de la francophonie (OF) since its foundation in 2001. Under his baton, the OF has performed over 320 concerts across Canada, China, and the United States.
Robert Uchida
(ESO) Director of the Chamber Music Program and String Section Conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra, violin.
Canadian violinist Robert Uchida has been acclaimed for his “ravishing sound, eloquence, and hypnotic intensity” (Strings magazine). Robert joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as Concertmaster in 2013, after holding the same position with the Nova Scotia Symphony Orchestra. He has also been invited to perform as Associate Concertmaster with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2005-2006 season. As a guest conductor, he has collaborated on projects with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Robert’s CD recordings include Tim Brady’s Requiem 21.5: Violin Concerto, released by Centrediscs and awarded Classical Recording of the Year by the ECMA, as well as Andrew Violette’s Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin, released by Innova Records.
As a passionate educator, Robert is a professor at the University of Alberta and has also taught at Acadia University, the Manhattan School of Music, and as part of the Young Artists Program at the National Arts Centre of Canada.
He performs on a rare 1770 Guadagnini violin with Thomastik-Infeld Vision Solo Titanium strings from the Austrian manufacturer Thomastik-Infeld.
Nadia Côté
(OSM), french horn
Born in Chicoutimi (Quebec), Nadia Côté first studied horn with Michel Gingras at the Conservatoire. She pursued her studies in Montreal with John Zirbel at McGill University and took part in Masterclass sessions in Germany with Johannes Ritkowsky and Wolfgang Wipfler. Currently based in Montreal, she regularly plays with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM), Orchestre Métropolitain and Les Violons du Roy. She has also performed as soloist with I Musici de Montréal. Nadia Côté has held the 4th horn position with Orchestre Métropolitain and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, and the Principal horn position with the Shanghai Symphony in China.
Martin Mangrum
(OSM), bassoon
Martin Mangrum has been Second Bassoon of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 2000. Prior to his appointment in Montréal, he was Principal Bassoon of the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, and Assistant-Principal of the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya. Martin holds a Doctorate from the Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with Stephen Maxym (his doctoral document is a method for the bassoon based on his teachings). He has also studied extensively with Mordechai Rechtman, with whom he continues to collaborate closely. Currently, Martin teaches bassoon and chamber music at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, as well as at the Université de Montréal.
Max Cardilli
(NAC), Double-Bass
Max Cardilli joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as Assistant Principal Double Bass in 2022. Formerly a member of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (2017-2022), he has performed and recorded with numerous orchestral ensembles, chamber groups and even as soloist with the ESO in 2020. In 2017, he took part in the NAC Orchestra’s Institute for Orchestral Studies program where he played with the orchestra and studied under Joel Quarrington. In 2015, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Double Bass Performance from McGill University, having studied with the former OSM Associate Principal Double Bass, Brian Robinson. Originally from Montreal’s West-Island, Max was introduced to the double bass at Lindsay Place High School and went on to participate in local youth orchestras eventually spending summers training with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, National Academy Orchestra and l’Orchestre de la Francophonie. When he is not in rehearsal or concert with the NAC Orchestra, you might find him outside skiing or cycling in the beautiful Park de la Gatineau.
Pace Sturdevant
(TSO) / Pedagogical Advisor of the OF, trumpet
Douglas (Pace) Sturdevant is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan. He began his professional orchestral career with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, where he became the principal trumpet at the age of 22.
In 1975, he was appointed as the principal trumpet of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) in Canada, a position he held for 23 years. As a soloist, he performed both in Ottawa and on national tours with NACO, under the baton of renowned conductors such as Pinchas Zukerman, Trevor Pinnock, Mario Bernardi, Roger Norrington, Helmut Rilling, Alexander Schneider, Eduardo Mata, and Charles Dutoit.
Pace later became the manager of artist training and cultural outreach for NACO. He also served as the director of education for the Orchestre de la francophonie.
Hélène Collerette
(OPRF), violin
Born in Chicoutimi, Canada, Hélène Collerette discovered music thanks to her musician mother and music-loving father. She studied under Pierre Amoyal, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Vladimir Landsman, and Langis Breton, and has received several international awards in France (Bordeaux competition), England (London String Quartet competition), Italy (Florence competition), Switzerland (Sion, Tibor Varga), and Canada.
Since 1996, Hélène Collerette has been the Associate Concertmaster of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra. Prior to that, she held positions as Concertmaster of the Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra and the Lyon National Opera. Her extensive knowledge of the orchestral repertoire, acquired through collaborations with renowned conductors such as Dudamel, Salonen, Jarvi, Boulez, Gilbert, Chung, Jordan, and Franck, has led to invitations to conduct Mozart ensemble formations with orchestras including the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and the Auvergne National Orchestra, performing works by Haydn, Mozart, Suk, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Piazzolla.
As a soloist, Hélène Collerette has performed with prestigious orchestras including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Symphony Orchestra, and Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Koopman, Jarvi, Jordan, Chung, Janowski, Rophé, and Roth. Her repertoire spans from concertos by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Sibelius to works by Bartok, Lutoslawski, Thoresen, and the premiere of Hersant’s Double Concerto (Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Pascal Rophé), which has recently been released by Hortus.
In 1995, she co-founded the Renoir Quartet, with whom she has undertaken numerous tours in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Canada. The quartet’s recordings have been acclaimed by critics (Diapason, Classica). Hélène Collerette, admired for both her artistic sensitivity and her respect for the works, shares her passion for chamber music with François-René Duchâble, Roland Pidoux, Abdel Rahman el Bacha, François-Frédéric Guy, Marc-André Hamelin, Jean-Claude Pennetier, Paul Katz, Romain Guyot, Alain Meunier, Adam Laloum, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Vanessa Wagner.
Her performances have taken her to prestigious venues such as the Auditorium of Radio France, Salle Pleyel, Wilfrid Pelletier Hall in Montreal, Palais Montcalm in Quebec, Jiangsu Grand Theatre, Shanghai Opera House, and renowned festivals including the “Présences” Festival of Radio France, Laon Festival, Besançon Festival, Folles Journées, Les flâneries de Reims, Croisements Festival, Lanaudière Festival, Arras Festival, Rennes Lunchtime Concerts, and ArtenetrA Festival.
Driven by her desire to explore new repertoire, Hélène Collerette joined the Phileas ensemble and the Paris String Trio in 2015, and more recently, the renowned Élégiaque Trio. With these ensembles, she frequently performs in various cities and festivals, including Paris, Berlin, Istanbul, and more.
Inspired by the artistic encounters throughout her career, Hélène Collerette enriches her repertoire with contemporary works and premieres, collaborating with composers such as Dutilleux, Salonen, Hersant, Thoresen, and Fedele. She has also embarked on daring projects, such as reinterpretations of works by Arvo Pärt with pianist Vanessa Wagner and electronic music artist Murcof, as well as recent recordings of works by Bartok, Kurtag, and Ravel with cymbalists Cyril Dupuy and Ludovit Kovak.
Hélène Collerette plays a 1732 Guarnerius Del Gesù violin.