.png)
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Inspired by the warmth, elegance, and emotional richness of Italy, this program brings together three distinctive works for strings by Luigi Boccherini, Giacomo Puccini, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The program opens with selected movements from Boccherini’s String Quintet in E major, music celebrated for its charm, grace, and unmistakable classical elegance. Best known for its famous Minuet, the work captures the refined atmosphere of 18th-century Italy with lightness, beauty, and warmth.
Puccini’s Crisantemi offers a striking contrast. Written in memory of a close friend, the work unfolds with deep lyricism and emotional intensity for which Puccini would later become famous. Rich in sorrow, tenderness, and longing, the music remains one of the most beloved short works in the string quartet repertoire.
The program concludes with Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, a passionate and brilliantly energetic work inspired by the composer’s time in Italy. Overflowing with sweeping melodies, virtuosic writing, and vibrant ensemble interplay, the piece blends Russian emotional intensity with the warmth and colour of Florence, creating one of the most exhilarating chamber works of the Romantic era.
Together, these works offer an afternoon of lyric beauty, emotional depth, and radiant string writing inspired by the spirit of Italy.
PROGRAM
String Quintet in E major, Op. 11 No. 5, G. 275
Luigi Boccherini
Crisantemi for String Quartet
Giacomo Puccini
Souvenir de Florence in D minor, Op. 70
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
I. Allegro con spirito
III. Allegretto moderato
IV. Allegro vivace
THE ARTISTS
Domagoj Ivanovich
VIOLIN
Domagoj Ivanovic moved to Canada in 2007, after graduating with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance at the University of Miami, where he held the post of a Teaching Assistant, as well as served as an Assistant Concertmaster for the Miami Symphony Orchestra.
Since then, he has quickly established himself as a violinist and an educator in the greater Vancouver area. As a performer he has shared the stage with some of the top ensembles in Vancouver, such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and Turning Point Ensemble. He also adjudicated a number of festivals and competitions, such as the North Shore Music Festival, Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Surrey Youth Symphony Concerto Competition, and University of British Columbia Concerto Competition, to name a few.
Originally from Zagreb, Croatia, he began studying violin at the age of seven. During his studies he was the recipient of numerous prizes and awards in violin competitions at the national and international level, the most important being First Prize in the National Violin competition and First Prize in the National Chamber Music competition.
As a soloist he appeared with several orchestras, most notably with the Zagreb Philharmonic orchestra, and the Miami Symphony orchestra. Described as a player with “clear technique and great sensitivity” he has performed all over Europe and North America, as well as China, Taiwan and Singapore.
Esther Hwang
VIOLIN
Korean-Canadian violinist, Esther Hwang, is known for her ability to captivate audiences with her virtuosic and passionate performances. She studied at The Juilliard School located in New York City under Professor Daniel Phillips.
Born in New Jersey, Miss Hwang began her violin studies at the age of three and immigrated to Canada at the age of five.
Her first appearance with an orchestra as a soloist was at the age of nine. She performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under conductor Ken Hsieh. Since then, she has garnered widespread acclaim and performed with various orchestras including Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, Haw Par Summerfest Chamber Orchestra, Canadian Music Competition Orchestra, and many others.
Within the past two years, Miss Hwang participated in numerous masterclasses and lessons with world renowned teachers such as David Finckel, Wu Han, David Halen, Paul Kantor, Masao Kawasaki, Sylvia Rosenberg, Richard Aaron, Nam Yun Kim, Donald Weilerstein, Joel Smirnoff, James Ehnes, and many more.
Miss Hwang has also achieved immense success in numerous provincial and national competitions such as the Shean Strings Competition (2016 and 2011), Canadian Music Competition (2010), and the Vancouver Women’s Music Society Scholarship Competition (2012).
In addition to her appearances as a soloist and recitalist, Miss Hwang performed regularly as the concertmaster of the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra and the Juilliard Orientation Orchestra. She is also an active chamber musician as she was the first violinist of the Forza Quartet which won first place in the National round of the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals (2014).
This past summer, Miss Hwang had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Heifetz International Music Institute. She was also a participant of the Banff’s Chamber Music Residency program (2015), Aspen Summer Music Festival (2015), Finckel-Wu Han Chamber Music Studio in Aspen (2015), Great Mountains Music Festival (2012), and the New York String Orchestra Seminar (2011), where she received full scholarship.
Miss Hwang hopes to inspire the community and contribute to society through her dedication and passion in music.
Isabelle Roland
VIOLA
Isabelle is a native of Canada, but was raised dividing her time between Paris and Vancouver. Isabelle received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria studying with Jaroslav Karlovsky and obtained a Masters in Performance at the Cleveland Institute where she was a student of Heidi Castleman, Lynn Ramsey Irvine, and Robert Vernon.
From 1990-2001, Ms. Roland was Assistant Principal viola of the Victoria Symphony, where she appeared many times as a soloist including a performance under the baton of Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Isabelle was the founding member of the Savitri Quartet with whom she performed for CBC radio broadcasts, as well as a collaboration with mezzo soprano, Susan Platts. From 1996-1998, Ms. Roland served as Assistant Principal viola with the Colorado Festival in Boulder, Colorado.
Since settling permanently in Vancouver in 2002, Isabelle has appeared as a soloist with the Sinfonia of the North Shore and the West Coast Symphony. Currently, she is Principal viola with Sinfonia of the North Shore, a member of the Vancouver Opera, and performs regularly with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and the National Broadcasting Orchestra. Ms. Roland also enjoys a busy chamber music career performing with Trio Accord, Music In The Morning, West Coast Chamber Music, and is a member of the Tantalus String Quartet. In addition to her busy performing career, Isabelle joins her love of music and children teaching viola and violin at VAM, and by joyfully caring for her two young sons, Nicholas and Kai, with husband, Steve Mason.
Tawnya Popoff
VIOLA
Canadian violist Tawnya Popoff enjoys an exciting and versatile international career. In addition to being principal violist with the Vancouver Opera (BC), she is a member of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (TX), the Walden School Players (NH) and a founding member of Microcosmos string quartet/Kessler Academy (BC). Ms. Popoff is in demand as a chamber music collaborator, has given solo and chamber music recitals throughout North America and Europe. She was a prizewinner in the 2000 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and a recipient of two consecutive Canada Council Individual Grants. Valuing education immensely, she has served on the faculties of the Perlman Music Program, University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, SUNY Buffalo, Brandeis and Dobbs Ferry High Schools, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, The Walden School, and Artes no Camiño (Spain) and in her private studio.
Ms. Popoff has a keen interest in inter-disciplinary projects and has worked and toured internationally with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance in New York City, Marta Marta in Vancouver, BC and the trans-media New York group Vision Into Art. She is passionately devoted to developing and performing music by living composers especially those under 18yrs at The Walden School. She has recorded for the Koch, Albany, Nonsuch, CRI, SHSK’H (web label), Columbia Composers and other independent labels as has been heard on air on WNYC, CBC, WGBH (Boston) and KUHF (Houston). She studied with Gerald Stanick (Fine Arts Quartet) in Vancouver, BC and Martha Katz (Cleveland Quartet) at Rice University in Houston, TX and was based out of NYC before relocating to Vancouver in 2014.
Aside from musical pursuits, Ms. Popoff had a cycling tour company in NYC, designs handmade games and toys for her little friends, volunteers regularly and passionately enjoys the great outdoors in all seasons by foot, ski, sail and bicycle!
Joseph Elworthy
CELLO
Artistic Director of the Academy Chamber Players, President & CEO of the Vancouver Academy of Music
Joseph Elworthy, driven by his passion for music education and performance, has graced the stages of Alice Tully Hall, Suntory Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, and Sejong Hall as a featured soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. His exceptional contribution to Canadian
arts and culture has earned him the prestigious title of Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music. His music, a testament to his dedication, is available on the EMI, Sony, Archetype, Naxos, CBC and Bose record labels.
Elworthy began his cello studies at the Vancouver Academy of Music (VAM) under the tutelage of Audrey Nodwell, then studied for many years with Eric Wilson. In addition to receiving the Sylva Gelber Award, Joseph has received multiple Canada Council career grants. Mr. Elworthy is a graduate of the Juilliard School and Yale University, where he received the Aldo Parisot/Yo–Yo Ma Prize, the highest honour issued by Yale University to a graduating cellist. Mr. Elworthy has been a visiting artist at the Beijing Conservatory, Harvard University, the Royal Northern College of Music, Cremona International Music Academy, and the Royal Conservatory
of Music.
Joseph Elworthy is artistic director of the Amati & amp; Stradivari Players at VAM, with whom he has performed and internationally toured, including a recent Cambridge University residency. Mr.Elworthy is also co-artistic director of the Sea to Sky Summer Chamberfest. Joseph Elworthy served as Western Music Advisor for the Haw Par Music Foundation, a collaborative educational initiative linking Vancouver and Hong Kong, from 2012 to 2023. Prior to his appointment as VAM’s President & CEO in 2011, Mr. Elworthy was a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for twelve years. Joseph plays on a cello made by Ian Crawford McWilliams, modelled on the legendary ‘Sleeping Beauty’ cello of 1739 by Domenico Montagnana.
Eva Lakirovich
CELLO
Eva Lakirovich is a dynamic and accomplished cellist recognized for her artistry, versatility, and commitment to education. She began studying the cello at the age of six with her mother, cellist and professor Julie Ribchinsky, laying the foundation for a lifelong dedication to music.
Eva holds a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master of Music
from Carnegie Mellon University. She studied with Richard Weiss, Anne Martindale Williams, Dr. Katie Schlaikjer, and Dr. Kangho Lee, whose mentorship significantly shaped her artistic voice and technical command.
An active performer specializing in chamber music and recital work, Eva appears regularly in concert throughout the year. She has performed extensively with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and was invited to appear with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco in Guadalajara. She has also served as guest principal cellist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and collaborated with numerous ensembles across Canada, the United States, and Europe. In June 2025, she performed the Brahms Double Concerto as soloist with the West Coast Symphony. She frequently collaborates in recital with pianist Sunny Qu.
Deeply committed to mentorship and artistic development, Eva maintains a full studio at the
Vancouver Academy of Music, where she guides young cellists toward technical excellence, musical maturity, and expressive depth. She also serves on faculty at the Vancouver Island Music Academy and the Cremona International Music Academy, performing and mentoring students from around the world. Her work reflects a strong dedication to fostering the next generation of musicians and contributing meaningfully to the musical community.
Eva performs on a modern cello crafted in 2016 by luthier Benjamin Wilke.