The local Stars for Saskatchewan series will present the new duo, Couloir, on Sunday, February 3 at St. Paul's United Church, starting at 2:30 p.m.
Couloir is comprised of two musicians from the west coast: harpist Heidi Krutzen and cellist Ariel Barnes. They are dedicated to collaboration with Canada’s leading composers to perform modern art music at the highest level of excellence, and present engaging new music concerts in non-traditional settings.
Having collaborated for many years as chamber and orchestral musicians, Barnes and Krutzen have joined forces to explore the sound, timbre, and colour of the cello and the harp, a combination of instruments rarely heard together.
Their mutual desire to create memorable, moving performances - which reach deeply into music’s emotional and spiritual elements – provides the foundation for the duo.
Couloir is project-based, moving away from the traditional recital format. They present innovative and thought provoking works, and explore interdisciplinary creations with artists, dancers and poets.
Couloir debuted at Music on Main’s Modulus Festival at Heritage Hall in Vancouver in October 2011, with world premiers by Canadian composers Jocelyn Morlock and Glenn Buhr, and U.S. composer Baljinder Sekhon. Couloir recently returned from a tour in Washington State for New York's Piatigorsky Foundation, and they have recorded live for CBC Radio’s “The Signal.”
Krutzen and Barnes are the principal harp and principal cello, respectively, for the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and former principal harp and principal cello of the CBC Radio Orchestra. They are members of the Turning Point Ensemble, with whom they have recorded and premiered many new works.
As individuals they perform at festival and concert series internationally, and they teach on the national and international stage.
Tickets are available at Henders Drugs.
The performance is presented with the assistance of the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils, Saskatchewan Lotteries, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts and the City of Estevan.
