Ottawa pianist bringing classical to small towns
Pianist Carson Becke came back to Canada last year with a renewed appreciation for experiencing classical music in an intimate venue that’s off the beaten track.
The Ottawa resident, who’s now 30, was a teenager when he left home to study music in the United Kingdom. He spent the next 14 years there, earning a master’s degree and a doctorate, and playing as much as possible, often in Germany.
“As a freelance musician, I played in so many small places in Germany that I never would have heard of had I not gone there to play concerts,” Becke says. “I think it’s great to bring music to small places rather than always having to go into the city to experience high-quality classical music.”
The concept is well-established in Luskville, where Becke and his brother organize the Pontiac Enchanté series of concerts in the renovated hayloft of the barn on their parents’ horse farm.
The series has been a year-round endeavour for the past three years, gaining a loyal audience. (The 2020 season begins March 22 with a concert by the Ironwood Quartet.)
Now Becke wants to give his old hometown of Chelsea the same opportunity. A new classical-music series began this month, featuring concerts in the Grace Church Sanctuary of the Mill Road Community Space. While the 150-yearold church has been a venue for folk-music concerts for a few years, the classical music series is a pilot program.
After Becke was recruited to organize the series, the first thing that had to be done was find a piano to replace the “clunky old upright.” A pianist friend who had relocated to Montreal still had a Yamaha baby grand in the Ottawa area and made the generous offer to loan it.
Becke believes the venue is a good fit for the classical style.
“When you’re listening to classical music, being up close to the musicians makes a difference,” he says. “At Mill Road, you can be five feet from the stage and take in every detail.”
Inspired by the popularity of folk music at Mill Road, Becke decided to program a series that explores the influence of folk music on classical. The second concert in the series takes place Sunday, featuring Toronto’s Iris Ensemble performing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ rarely heard Piano Quintet in C Minor, a piece that’s dotted with English folk traditions.
In all, there will be four concerts in Chelsea between February and May. lsaxberg@postmedia.com