Pocket Symphonies

Thursday, October 2, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Matsqui Centennial Auditorium
32315 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford

 

Marcel Bergmann, Piano
Elizabeth Bergmann, Piano
Jasper Wood, Violin
Sungyong Lim, Cello

 

A dynamic husband-and-wife team, the Bergmann Duo will be joined by two of BC’s outstanding string players. Violinist Jasper Wood is chair of the Strings Division at the UBC School of Music. Born in Korea and trained in Europe, Sungyong Lim is currently the cellist of the highly acclaimed Borealis String Quartet.

‘Pocket’ ensembles bring a fresh and new take on a much beloved work such as Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. The cornerstone classical masterpiece is probably one of the most well-known pieces of all time, and this ‘pocket’ version by Carl Burchard for one piano 4 hands, violin and cello leaves nothing out in terms of fullness and exuberance. Also, on the programme is the Hebrides Overture by Mendelssohn and a selection of Brahms Hungarian Dances. The quartet will round out the programme with other works that celebrate the splendid and rich sound combination of strings and piano.

 

https://bergmannduo.com
https://www.jasperwood.net

 

Program

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture

Brahms: Hungarian Dances

 

Sungyong Lim

Cellist, Sungyong Lim, graduated with honors from the renowned Yewon School and the Seoul School of the Arts before entering the Korea National University of Arts. During his university studies, he decided to advance his musical education in Europe. Accepted by the Detmold Musik Hochschule in Germany, he earned a VorDiplom, a Diplom (same as Bachelor,Master Degree),a konzertexamen’s (The “Konzertexmen” is highest degree available at music university in Germany) in cello performance. Sungyong graduated at the top of his class, with a comprehensive performance repertoire and with considerable teaching experience.

Among his many musical achievements, Sungyong has received accolades from the DAAD (Deutdcher Akademischer Austausch Dienst) and from his performance at the German Chamber Music Competition. He continues to receive invitations for solo engagements from organizations such as the German Johannes-Brahms-Saal, and Detmold Konzert Hause, as well as from musical groups in Switzerland , France, Luxembourg, Germany and Korea. Sung Yong has also concertized as an outstanding artist in the French Flaine International Masterclass, the Courchevel Music Festival, the Swiss Lugano Music Festival and the Swiss Sion Music Festival. In addition, he performed, by invitation at music concerts with the Navara Music Festival, and had concerts under Kurt Masur. He also attended the Master classes of famous music professors, such as Lauren Lesser, Christoph Henkel, Xenia Jankovich, Yong Chang Cho and Praha Trio. His musical talents have been influenced by many recognized artists with whom he studied, including Marcio Carneiro, Johnes Goritzki, Alexander Gebert, Auryn Quartet, and Sung Won Yang.

In whichever configuration of music, Sungyong delivers to the highest standards and has become the much applauded leader of Canada’s foremost String Quartet, based in Vancouver, BC. The Borealis String Quartet has achieved an international reputation for fiery performances, passion, coupled with a refined musical interpretative style. The quartet has toured in the USA and Canada, at major venues, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Seattle, and also in Europe and Asia. Their broad repertoireincludes the traditional masterworks as well as new works written especially for the Borealis by contemporary composers such as Imant Raminsh, Bramwell Tovey and Murray Schafer.

As a philanthropist, Sungyong and the Borealis devotes their time and art by playing hundreds of performances for audiences who are less fortunate and are no longer able to make it to concerts as part of the Health Arts Society and Concerts in Care. The Borealis also raises the awareness of young composers in the annual Jean Coulthard Quartet Readings by promoting and performing works especially written for the event.

Sungyong places great emphasis on teaching, reaching out to numerous local and international students through individual coaching, masterclasses, and collaborations with school orchestras. His students have earned full scholarships to prestigious institutions such as Curtis, Juilliard, Manhattan, Indiana University, as well as Berlin, Detmold, Köln, and more. They have also received recognition in numerous international competitions.

The Borealis is also positioned at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University. In addition to being faculty and artist in residence at these institutions, they have also taught and been in residence at many other universities and frequently give master classes world wide whenever they travel. Sungyong and the Borealis received the honor of “Distinguished Fellow of BC” for their applauded lectures presented there as visiting scholars at Green College@ UBC.

The Borealis is endorsed by Pirastro Strings and are ambassadors for the famed company. Sungyong plays on a 1843 Enrico Ceruti made in Cremona.

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Bergmann Duo

The Bergmann Piano Duo’s dynamic and energetic performances of uniquely eclectic programmes have inspired audiences internationally. Their recitals and concerts with orchestra have taken them to many parts of the world, including the United States, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, France, Macedonia, Greece, China and Canada. The duo has appeared at international festivals including: Honens International Piano Festival, Grand Piano Spectacular, Minnesota Orchestra Summer Festival, Festival of the Sound, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Tuckamore Festival, Abbey Bach Festival, Ohrid Summer Festival, Zodiac Festival, The San Francisco International Music Festival, MusicFest Vancouver,  Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, Banff Arts Festival, the Royal Bank Calgary International Organ Festival and Competition, Festival Miami, the Tage für Neue Musik, Darmstadt, the Braunschweiger Kammermusik Podium, and EXPO 2000, Hannover

They have made recordings for the CBC, for several stations of the ARD in Germany and for National Public Radio and have produced several CDs, which appear on the CordAria, Arktos, Koch International Classics, Naxos, ARS and Brilliant Classics labels.  Their most recent recording, American Stories on the ARS label, features exclusively Marcel’s arrangements.

Elizabeth and Marcel are Artistic Directors of White Rock Concerts and are on faculty at the Langley Community Music School. Elizabeth is also Artistic Director of Concerts at LCMS and Marcel is currently composer in residence. The duo has been on faculty at Mount Royal University and University of Calgary as well as being involved in various musical projects at The Banff Centre for the Arts. For several years, Marcel held a position as Professor of Music at Mohawk College in Hamilton.

As an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, Marcel’s broad range of musical interest and experience in both classical and popular music has led to an output of arrangements and compositions in a variety of styles and genres. He has been commissioned by the CBC, the Land’s End Chamber Ensemble, the Spiritus Chamber Choir, the Langley Community Music School, the VSO School of Music, and the San Francisco International Music Festival. Recent performances include his Requiem for a Lost Girl, which was part of Vancouver Opera’s 2018 Festival. In 2019, the Bergmann Duo and Vancouver’s Turning Point Ensemble gave the premiere of a new chamber version of the concerto for two pianos.
The duo studied with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hannover and with Jean-Eudes Vaillancourt at the Université de Montréal. They received first prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Caltanissetta, Italy, and were laureates of The 4th Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition. They performed extensively in Germany as members of the young artists’ roster of Yehudi Menuhin-Live Music Now.

Their distinctive and extensive repertoire ranges from the baroque to the contemporary and includes numerous own arrangements and compositions.

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Elizabeth Bergmann
www.bergmannduo.com
www.marcelbergmann.com
www.canadianpianoquartet.com
www.langleymusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bergmann-Piano-Duo/109454509084085?ref=ts