LYELL GUSTIN RECITAL SERIES 2026
~ 21st Season, with superb Canadian artists ~
summer recital
Tracy Dahl, soprano, and Laura Loewen, pianist
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
St. John’s Anglican Cathedral, 816 Spadina Cres. East
Canada’s premier coloratura soprano, Tracy Dahl, and her fine collaborative pianist Laura Loewen, give the finale recital of the 2026 Lyell Gustin Series! They will perform a delightful mixed program–songs of summer, love, and life: lieder by Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss, mélodies by Debussy and Poulenc, a song cycle by Tom Cipullo, selections from opera and musical theatre, light-hearted pieces from John Greer’s A Sarah Binks Songbook, and more. Join us for an enchanted summer evening!
more about the artists
Tracy Dahl, C.M., O.M., has performed in many of the finest venues around the world: Teatro all Scala (Milan) and Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris), Metropolitan Opera in New York, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company and more. She has been highly praised for her warm and elegant tone, vocal agility, and acting prowess in both comedy and tragedy. Ms. Dahl has shared the stage with such notable artists as Placido Domingo, Marilyn Horne, Renee Fleming and Maureen Forrester. Her signature roles in the lyric repertoire have been in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Strauss’ Ariadne of Naxos; and her most frequently performed works include Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahms’ Requiem, an American program of Gershwin and Bernstein, and Gilbert and Sullivan. Ms. Dahl is also a voice teacher and a mentor for young artists programs across the continent.
Laura Loewen, sought-after collaborative pianist, is known for her vivid expressivity, virtuosity, and committed playing. She has performed throughout North America and in Europe, Asia and South America. Dedicated to sharing her passion for ensemble playing and coaching, she is Professor of Collaborative Piano and the Vocal Coach at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music. Dr. Loewen is a founding faculty artist of VISI (Vancouver International Song Institute), and is also on the faculties of the NUOVA opera training program in Edmonton, Alberta, the Contemporary Opera Lab in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and RICE (Rio International Cello Encounter) in Brazil.
Tickets $50 regular / $30 student: St. John’s Music, Saskatoon Academy of Music, Gustin House Committee, at the door, or online.
winter recital
Philip Chiu, piano
Friday, January 16, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
St. John’s Anglican Cathedral, 816 Spadina Cres. East
Gustin House proudly opened its 21st season with pianist Philip Chiu, acclaimed as an artist “who amazes more and more music lovers” (Ici Musique). The recital featured works that, in the words of the pianist, “shimmer, sway, flow, and dance:” Spanish rhythms in Debussy and Mompou, percussive energy in Ginastera, whisper moving to swirling dynamism in Schubert. There was also music by Percy Grainger, 100 years after he–famed Australian pianist-composer, and friend of the Lyell Gustin Piano Studios–performed in Saskatoon in March 1926!
Praised for his brilliant technique, poetic musicality, and charismatic stage presence, Chiu is one of Canada’s leading pianists of the new generation. Winner of the 2023 JUNO Award for Best Classical Solo Album and first-ever recipient of the prestigious Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer, he is known for his artistry as a “pianist-painter,” for his expressiveness in a wondrous kaleidoscope of colours on the keyboard.
Much in demand as soloist and chamber musician, Chiu has completed numerous cross-Canada tours, performing extensively across North America, and in Japan and France. His collaborations have included performances with violinists James Ehnes and Jonathan Crow, and cellist Johannes Moser.
Philip Chiu is equally at home with traditional classical repertoire as well as with new works that he, a champion of Canadian composers and contemporary music, has commissioned. His numerous acclaimed recordings are regularly heard on BBC Radio 3, France Musique, ICI Musique, and CBC Music.
spring recital
Gryphon Trio
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
St. John’s Anglican Cathedral, 816 Spadina Cres. East
Gustin House was honoured to welcome the Gryphon Trio to the Lyell Gustin Recital Series!
Celebrated internationally as Canada’s foremost piano trio, the Gryphon Trio is lauded for dynamic programming and for vibrant, captivating performances of music traditional and modern. The Trio's recital in the Lyell Gustin Series sweeps across the development of their repertoire, with music of Mozart to Brahms to Rebecca Clarke, and more, in the program, Becoming the Piano Trio: From Enlightenment Conversation to Inner Voice. Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 will be a special feature.
Comprised of violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon, cellist Roman Borys, and pianist Jamie Parker, the ensemble has toured extensively on this continent, in Europe, and in Asia, receiving countless accolades from critics and the press: “This is a piano trio that plays with strength and unanimity . . . big, bold, almost orchestral performances," (Los Angeles Times); “tonal control . . . delicacy and sensuous beauty” (BBC Music Magazine); and “extraordinary instrumentalists [who] have also mastered the art of ensemble playing" (Weser Kurier, Germany).
Gryphon’s rich discography of 22 recorded albums has brought the Trio 11 JUNO nominations and three wins for Classical Album of the Year (2019, 2011 and 2004). As deeply dedicated educators, the Trio members mentor young musicians and actively advocate for the arts. The ensemble has commissioned over 85 musical works, bringing gifted new composers into the realm of chamber music. Gryphon Trio has won multiple honours for its contribution to and leadership in music in Canada. A privilege and pleasure to present them!
Tickets $50 regular / $30 student: St. John’s Music, Saskatoon Academy of Music, Gustin House Committee, at the door, or online.
All recitals at St. John’s Anglican Cathedral,
816 Spadina Cres. East, Saskatoon
Please use the northwest doors for entry. Paid parking is available behind the Cathedral; street parking is also available.