Warhol Dervish
Founded in 2007, the enigmatic Montreal-based Warhol Dervish is a string quartet gathering together some of the most interesting and creative musicians in Canada. Highlights include performances at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and the Festival International de Lanaudière, as well as a recent Maison de Culture tour of Yiddish music for voice and quartet with Socalled. Previous projects have included diverse musical offerings, such as performances of Morton Feldman’s Piano Quintet, improvisations with Lukas Ligeti, and recording new music for Electric Harp and Strings by Sarah Pagé. Last season’s highlights include a five concert series dedicated to the last five string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven at Montreal’s Theatre La Chapelle, and a national tour with Basia Bulat. The members of Warhol Dervish draw on their professional experience working with artists and playing in ensembles as diverse as Ensemble Caprice, Paper Beats Scissors, Barr Brothers,Richard Reed Parry, Socalled, Suuns, Lukas Ligeti, Bradyworks, l’Ensemble de l’SMCQ, Orchestra de l’Agora and the OSM.
Pemi Paull (Viola) has been performing extensively as a soloist and chamber musician, nationally and internationally, for more than 20 years, cultivating deep roots in Canada’s contemporary, historical, chamber music and improvised music communities, as well as Montreal’s indie community He is the founder and artistic director of Warhol Dervish, an original and unorthodox chamber music collective based in Montreal. Pemi’s activities have brought him to the forefront of Canada’s contemporary music world, where he is a member of two important new music ensembles, Bradyworks and SMCQ, and played previously in the pioneering KORE ensemble, led by Michael Oesterle and Marc Couroux. In addition, Pemi has premiered many works for viola by composers including Scott Godin, Andre Ristic, Rose Bolton, Emily Hall, and Nicolas Gilbert, Michael Oesterle, Cassandra Miller and Tim Brady, as well as dozens of ensemble works over the years.
Canadian cellist Jean-Christophe Lizotte is an eclectic musician with interests spanning from classical and contemporary to improvisation and rock. In Quebec, he has played with several symphony and chamber orchestras, notably I Musici de Montreal, and is a founding member of chamber music collective Warhol Dervish. Additional chamber music collaborations in Canada include Ensemble Caprice, Ensemble SuperMusique, SMCQ, and Bradyworks. Jean- Christophe has collaborated with world famous artists both on stage and in the studio, notably Patrick Watson, Arcade Fireʼs Richard Reed Parry, Socalled and Ljova, and toured extensively with music groups and dance companies worldwide, including Corneille and Edouard Lockʼs La La La Human Steps. Jean-Christophe and his cello were featured in the Théâtre Jean-Duceppe (Montreal) production of Chekhovʼs La Cerisaie (The Cherry Orchard). His playing can also be heard on a multitude of award-winning film soundtracks such as Reel Injun, China Heavyweight, Corbo, and Imax 3d Flight of the Butterfly.
Chloé Chabanole started playing violin at a young age in her hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan. She completed a bachelor’s degree in violin performance at the Conservatory of Amsterdam under Johannes Leertouwer as well as a master’s degree and performance diploma at the Université de Montréal under Laurence Kayaleh. She has taken part in numerous international orchestral and chamber music festivals, including the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar at Stanford University, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Accademia Mahler in Bolzano, Italy, the Colorado College Summer Music Festival and the Rendez-vous musical de Laterrière. Chloé plays regularly with the Orchestre Métropolitain, I Musici de Montréal, collectif9 and Warhol Dervish, and she currently serves as concertmaster of the Orchestre de l’Agora.
Alexander Read (violin) had the privilege of being introduced to music by his parents, who have always greatly encouraged him. Music was a strong presence at home: he remembers hearing the OSM and recognizing its highly distinctive sound on radio broadcasts. Alexander studied the violin with Ani Kavafian and Robert Mealy at the Yale School of Music, with Thomas Williams and Denise Lupien at McGill University, as well as with Sharon Jones on a private basis. His favourite musical memory is his first experience as an ensemble player, at 15, when he performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. His first rehearsal with them confirmed that music would become an integral part of his life. Alexander Read serves as a frequent guest Concertmaster with Les Violons du Roy, Ensemble Caprice and the Bach Festival Orchestra. He loves playing on period or rare instruments such as the violin d’amore.
