German born pianist and curator, Constanze Beckmann is a passionate advocate for cultural exchange and tolerance through the arts. The legendary conductor, Kurt Sanderling, praised her as “a musician with extraordinary musical taste.”

As a soloist, Constanze has performed throughout Europe, Canada, Israel and the USA, including the Berliner Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Freie Akademie der Künste in Hamburg, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Canadian Opera Company, Koerner Hall in Toronto and Merkin Hall in New York City. Working with musicians from the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Constanze was acknowledged by Claudio Abbado as “a sensitive and gifted chamber musician”.

A sought after collaborator for singers and string players, Constanze regularly plays with musicians from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, among others. Constanze has originated and performed in numerous projects as a pianist and curator; including recitals as part of Holocaust Education Week (since 2010), featuring works composed by Holocaust survivors. These were followed by exhibits and lectures in collaboration with well known artists such as Samuel Bak. At the request of the German Embassy in Ottawa, Ms. Beckmann created and performed a musical program in remembrance of the 80th Reichskristallnacht, with concerts in Toronto and Ottawa. In 2019, the German Embassy in Ottawa initiated and sponsored a project in memory of the late George Brady, and the victims of Terezín. With the ongoing support of the embassy, Constanze has curated a musical program which includes The Ethics (2015), for violin, piano, percussion, and chorus composed by the Israeli-American violinist, Ittai Shapira. The performances featured the Schulich Singers under the baton of Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée, in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. In addition, Ms. Beckmann has commissioned a chamber version of The Ethics with soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists, which premiered in Toronto at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre-Canadian Opera Company in November 2019.

The winner of several first prizes and special awards in competitions, including the International Steinway Competition and “Jugend Musiziert," Constanze has performed with renowned orchestras including the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra, the Kammerakademie Potsdam, and the Erzgebirgisches Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Beckmann received her Performance Diploma in Piano from the The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto under the tutelage of John Perry. She also holds a Bachelor of Music and Economics from the Thompson Rivers University in BC. She has participated in master classes for some of the world’s finest musicians, including Leon Fleisher, Arie Vardi, and Dmitri Bashkirov. Further mentors include Robert Levin, Elena Richter and Ilana Vered. She received her M.M. at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Phillip Kawin. 

Named one of CBC Music’s Top Young Canadian Classical Musicians, Canadian Baritone Samuel Chan is establishing himself as a versatile young artist to watch internationally. Recent acclaim by critics include praise for his “agile and powerful baritone” and “natural and convincing acting ability,” (Neue Musikzeitung). Since 2020, he has been a member of the Opernensemble at Theater Kiel. His 2023/24 season includes four new productions: Marcello in La Bohème, role debuts as Ford in Falstaff, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Ottokar in Der Freischütz, and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. His 2022/23 season included the role debuts of Robert in Iolanta, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, alongside resumptions of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. Past house season roles include Montano in Otello, Albert in La Juive, Pantalon/Farfarello in L’amour des trois oranges, the Gurilla in the world premiere of Giovanni Sollima’s Das Dschungelbuch, and Hans in Der Vetter aus Dingsda. He has recently worked with directors Alexandra Liedtke, Luise Kautz, Daniel Karasek, Pier Francesco Maestrini, and Dirk Schmeding alongside conductors Benjamin Reiners (GMD), Sergi Roca, Stephan Bone, and Daniel Carlberg. Most recently in Canada, he was a last minute jump in for Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia under the baton of Speranza Scappucci at the Canadian Opera Company. He has previously appeared across Canada with Saskatoon Opera, City Opera of Vancouver, and the Brott Music Festival. Samuel is a graduate of the COC’s Ensemble Studio, Canada’s premiere young artist training program. Particular roles during his tenure include Marcello/Sergeant in La Bohème, the Sycophantic Senator in the world premiere of Hadrian, and the 2nd Japanese Envoy in Robert Lepage’s production of Stravinsky’s The Nightingale and Other Fables. Concert and recital appearances include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Philharmonisches Orchester Kiel; Fauré’s Requiem with Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and recital performances with the Festival of the Sound, the Elora Festival, and Toronto Summer Music. He is part of a Lieder-duo with pianist and curator Constanze Beckmann, with whom he will debut a new recital and film project, Songs and Suppression: A Musical Journey out of Exile, centering around compositions by suppressed Jewish-German composers Walter Braunfels and Hanns Eisler.

Samuel has received judges recognition at the 2019 Stella Maris International Vocal Competition, 2nd prize with the COC’s Centrestage Ensemble Studio Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions’ Western Canada/Ohio districts, respectively. He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.