User:Janedominic/sandbox

Acclaimed by musicians and audiences alike for his commanding stage presence, magnificent tone, and musical integrity, the Canadian violinist Kerson Leong is quickly establishing himself at the forefront of his generation since gaining international recognition by winning Junior First Prize at the Menuhin Competition 2010.

He has performed as soloist around the world with such ensembles as the Oslo-Philharmonien, Wiener KammerOrchester, Stavanger Symfoniorkester, Orquestra Gulbenkian, I Solisti Veneti, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de Quebec, l’Orchestre Métropolitain, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada. He has collaborated with such conductors as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Peter Oundjian, Christian Vasquez, Augustin Dumay, Christopher Warren-Green, Jacques Lacombe, and Lio Kuokman. Highlights of Kerson’s 2017/2018 season include his Carnegie Hall debut giving the North American premiere of John Rutter’s latest work Visions at the Stern Auditorium, debuts with the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Stockton Symphony Orchestra, as well as return performances with the Newfoundland, Sherbrooke, and Longueuil Symphony Orchestras.

An avid chamber musician, he has also performed at many international music festivals, including the Festspillene i Bergen in Norway, the Verbier and Menuhin Gstaad Festivals in Switzerland, the Trasimeno, Veneto, LacMus and ‘Assisi in the World’ Music Festivals in Italy, the Rheingau, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Fraenkische Musiktage Music Festivals in Germany, the Scaldis Kamermuziek Festival in the Netherlands, and the Toronto Summer, Ottawa International Chamberfest, Music and Beyond, OSM Virée classique, and Domaine Forget International Music Festivals in Canada.

Kerson recently released Bis, his first album for Analekta showcasing a collection of encore pieces, to critical acclaim. He recorded John Rutter’s Visions with the composer himself and the Aurora Chamber Orchestra for Collegium Records, after giving its world premiere in London, UK. He has also been invited by Canadian composer Francois Dompierre to record his piece, Les Diableries. He can be heard on CBC Television, CBC/Radio Canada, the BBC Radio 3, Radio France, Radio Television Suisse, American Public Media’s SymphonyCast, NRK, RAI, Deutschlandradio Kultur, and Czech Radio.

He is currently an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium, mentored by Augustin Dumay. He has been a recipient of many awards such as the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award (2015-2017) and the Young Soloist Prize 2015 by the Radios Francophone Publiques. He has also received a Mentorship Award from the Lin Yao Ji Music Foundation of China for inspiring younger generations. He was named Revelation Radio-Canada 2014-2015 for classical music.

Kerson performs on a 1741 Guarneri del Gesu courtesy of Canimex Inc, Drummondville (Quebec), Canada.