Kaimerata Concerts

Canadian born violinist, Kai Gleusteen, finished his post-secondary studies in the US, having studied at University of Michigan and Rice University under the tutelage of Camilla Wicks. Since 1990, he has lived in Europe. Almost 10 years in France, a year in Prague and since 2000, in Barcelona, as concertmaster of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Symphony Orchestra. He has performed world-wide with Catherine Ordronneau and has now completed 13 seasons of Kaimerata Festivals, highlighting a different composer every year.

French born pianist, Catherine Ordronneau enjoys a diverse musical life, sharing her time between teaching and performing. She is equally at ease performing concertos with orchestra as in solo recitals, having a preference of being able to share the stage with her favourite colleagues. She has been a professor of piano and chamber music in the Conservatorio Superior del Liceu in Barcelona since 2008 and Kai's partner in life and chamber music since over 25 years. She is co-founder of Kaimerata Concerts and continues to extensively tour North America, Europe, and China.

Cellist Beth Root Sandvoss has a notably varied career as a recitalist, chamber musician and pedagogue. Beth is a founding member of the Land’s End Ensemble and a member of the UCalgary String Quartet. Beth has recorded twelve commercial CDs and has premiered more than 125 new works for solo cello, cello/piano and chamber ensemble. Beth has the great pleasure and privilege to perform on an award- winning cello made by her husband, Luthier, Christopher Sandvoss.

Dan was the Principal Violist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra for twenty seven seasons before retiring in the fall of 2021. He was a faculty member for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, taught at the University of Manitoba and conducted the Winnipeg Youth Symphony Orchestra. He was a founding member of the Clearwater Quartet and performed over two thousand concerts across North America. Since moving to Victoria he has continued to perform with Kaimerata, adjudicate at some of Canada’s finest music festivals, and teach at the Amici Stringfest in Calgary.

Philip Manning is the recently appointed assistant concert master of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and is equally at home as a solo, chamber, or orchestral musician. He has won many awards and scholarships for solo and chamber performances, delighting audiences in Canada and the United States. Over his career, Philip has performed as a feature soloist with several orchestras, was a finalist in the Canada Council of the Arts Instrument Bank Competition in 2015, and in 2016 was successful in his first two ever professional orchestra auditions.

Violinist Tori Gould has been Principal Second with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra since 2006; she has also held the position of Assistant Principal Second Violin with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony and has regularly performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. With a passion for chamber music, Tori has been part of the Odyssey String Quartet since 2007, and has performed with numerous chamber orchestras across North America. Tori teaches violin and chamber music at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and coaches the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, and frequently acts as a mentor at the National Academy Orchestra of Canada. Tori holds a master’s degree from Rice University.