Duo Fortin-Poirier will present their new concert program Mémoires on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at the Quadra Island Community Centre in a Quadra Cultural Events presentation.
Duo Fortin-Poirier is made up of pianists Amélie Fortin and Marie-Christine Poirier, who have distinguished themselves with their fiery four-hand interpretations, their vitality and their wit. A close affinity between their playing styles along with a sharp, shared sensitivity fuels their extraordinary ensemble playing.
Since their inception in 2005, Duo Fortin-Poirier have made waves both in Canada and abroad, garnering scholarships, prizes, and other distinctions (1st prize the Canadian Music Competition; 2nd Prize at the 2013 Concorso Pianistico Internazionale Roma; finalists at the 2009 Concours international de piano à quatre mains de Valberg and the 2011 Liszt 200 Chicago International Duo Piano Competition; Special Jury Mention at the 2010 International Edvard Grieg Piano Competition; and scholarships from the arts councils of Québec and Canada).
Very active on the North American scene, in 2008 they premiered Vingt Doigts et un Piano, the first classical concert to be chosen for Loto-Québec’s Entrées en Scène. Recently, the duo also performed at the 2015 Festival de Lanaudière, toured the Maritimes with Debut Atlantic in 2017, and presented their new concert Mémoires as part of a tour with Prairie Debut in 2016-17. Since then, they have undertaken an extensive tour in the western United States.
Mémoires, features works for one piano, four hands from across the classical, tango and ragtime genres. Exploring the theme of memories, the program weaves between the intensity of Piazzolla’s tangos, the lyricism of Rachmaninov, and the liveliness of Samuel Barber. Mémoires is a concert that blends hard-driving rhythm and sweet nostalgia. You will be impressed by the choreography of the four hands. But most of all, you will be moved and delighted by the intensity of the piano artistry and the complicity between Amélie Fortin and Marie-Christine Poirier.
Advance tickets are available for $17 at Inspirations, Work of H’Art, The Music Plant and online at Tidemark Theatre. Tickets will be available at the door for $20. Students 16 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.