Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony

^{Summer 2025}

Distinguished by innate musicianship, a gift for communication, and an irresistibly joyous spirit, conductor Rafael Payare began playing horn in Venezuela’s El Sistema program at age 14 and started his formal conducting studies in 2004 with José Antonio Abreu. Since winning Denmark’s prestigious Malko Competition for Young Conductors in 2012, his career has advanced rapidly. He was Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Ulster Orchestra from 2014 to 2019; has served as Principal Conductor of the Castleton Festival, founded by his mentor the late Lorin Maazel, since 2015; became Music Director of the San Diego Symphony in 2019, and three years later became Music Director of Canada’s Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. In recent years, Payare has conducted many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including those of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Zurich, Berlin, Vienna, London, Munich, Hamburg, and Paris, besides making important opera debuts at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; the Glyndebourne Festival; Stockholm’s Royal Swedish Opera; and the Royal Danish Opera. 

Godwin Friesen is a pianist and composer from the Canadian Prairies, exuberantly discovering where a life in music can take him. Winning the 2022 Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Competition has led to several collaborations with the orchestra in his current hometown of Montreal. First prize in the 2023 Trondheim International Competition with the Rilian Trio (Daniel Dastoor and David Liam Roberts) has opened doors to professional engagements in Europe and across Canada. Godwin’s musical formation began with singing and playing in the Friesen Family Band. An early piano teacher, Sheila Wright, introduced him to composing; his new compositions inspired by the Psalms have become an important element of his performances, including in his recent duo tours organized by Prairie Debut. After five formative years learning from pianist Bonnie Nicholson in Saskatoon, he studied with John O’Conor at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto and then with Henry Kramer and Jean Saulnier at l’Université de Montréal, where he finished a master’s in 2024.

Timothy Hutchins, Principal Flute of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) since 1978, secured this role weeks before his McGill University M.Mus recital. Hailed as “one of the most hypnotically attractive flute players alive” (Montreal Gazette), he was born in Winchester, UK, to a music-loving family. His father, a British naval officer, and loving, supportive mother nurtured his passion. Voyaging by sea from New South Wales to Nova Scotia, young Tim began flute at six under his father’s guidance, soon performing with local groups. He attended summer music camps in Quebec, Germany, Austria, and Italy, and studied one year at the Guildhall School in London, earning the Silver Medal for top flute diploma marks. He graduated from Dalhousie and McGill Universities on scholarships. Offered principal flute positions with the New York Philharmonic, Boston, and Pittsburgh Symphonies—where he served in 2003–2004—Hutchins remained with the OSM, recording over 70 albums, including the Ibert Flute Concerto under Charles Dutoit and the Rodrigo Concerto with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra under Mario Bernardi. His live solo performances captivate global audiences, praised for “absolute mastery… delicacy, agility, and ample projection” (El Mercurio, Santiago). A warm, respected pedagogue and juror, recently at the 2025 Kobe International Flute Competition, he has taught at McGill and international institutions and leads masterclasses worldwide.