Donna Wedgewood-Maynes
In its objective to provide diversity and excellence during the 2015-16 concert series, the North Okanagan Community Concert Association (NOCCA) believes it has succeeded with its next performance.
The upcoming concert duo of Kornel Wolak and Chris Donnelly will take to the Vernon Performing Arts Centre stage Sunday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Armed with a clarinet, a piano and their personable stage presence, Wolak and Donnelly present a remarkable blend of traditional classical and jazz music rarely heard in live performance.
Their musical expertise coupled with their humour and personal interaction engage the audience in a very entertaining manner. In short, they make a great team.
Fresh from their successful concert tour of eight border states earlier this year, Wolak and Donnelly look forward to their time with the Vernon audience.
As Wolak humourously suggests, “come and see the weirdos!”
Focusing on the similarities between the genres rather than the differences, clarinetist Wolak and pianist Donnelly entertain, inform and ultimately delight. Their programs include revered classical pieces such as Mozart’s beloved Clarinet Concerto in A Major, Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue and Oscar Peterson’s jazz classic Hymn to Freedom, supplemented with brief, light-hearted, descriptive, historical or personal perspectives on the music.
Throughout the program, Wolak and Donnelly also showcase their talent as solo artists.
Highly praised on two continents for his glorious tone, precise technical control, and musical imagination, Polish-born Wolak began piano lessons at age six and took up the clarinet when he was 12.
“I was not forced into music by my parents, both classical musicians. I was encouraged on a regular basis,” he said.
Wolak’s successful university studies in Europe won him a scholarship at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he earned a master’s in music. He then pursued advanced orchestral studies at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto in the fall of 2005, earning an artist’s diploma.
“I was inspired not by individual clarinet players, but by former clarinet teachers,” said Wolak.
Canadian-born Donnelly is a Juno-nominated pianist, composer, and improviser known for his ventures into jazz and classical music, both of which he was trained in from an early age. He acquired his master’s in jazz performance in 2006, and competed in jazz piano competitions in Florida in 2007 and in Britain in 2008.
That same year, he released his debut album, Solo, with Alma Records, which also earned him nominations for Best Recording of the Year and Best Keyboardist of the Year at the 2009 National Jazz Awards.
In early 2013, the Wolak-Donnelly Duo celebrated the release of its debut album, Common Ground, with Alma Records.
“We were not accepted as soloists for the Atlantic showcase tour in 2011, but it was suggested that since we were both from Toronto, we should get together and find common ground as a duo,” said Wolak, in explanation of the album’s name.
Since their first performances in September 2011, Wolak and Donnelly have toured Canada extensively from the East Coast with Debut Atlantic, across the Canadian Prairies with Prairie Debut and the West Coast with Music by the Sea in Bamfield, plus have played in many major festivals and concert series in Ontario.
They are also dedicated to working with schools and communities, offering educational performances and workshops.
Opening for their anticipated performance is Brent Matterson, a young classical guitarist who participated in the well-received NOYSE concert at the Performing Arts Centre in January.
Tickets for the March 20 performance are available at the Ticket Seller box office, 250-549-7469, www.ticketseller.ca. More info. is at www.nocca.ca.