Keith Hamm, viola and Julie Hereish, cello

Keith Hamm is a native of Rosebud, Alberta. He received his training at the Glenn Gould School of Music under the instruction of Steven Dann, and at the Mount Royal Conservatory with Nicholas Pulos. Other influences include Pinchas Zukerman, Mark Fewer, Richard Lester, the London Haydn Quartet, and especially formative summers at the Chamber Music Program at Le Domaine Forget.While still a student, Keith was named Principal Violist of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and performed there for eight seasons. In the fall of 2019, Keith took up that same position with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
Keith is an alumnus of the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove; the Sarasota Music Festival and programs at the Banff Centre. Keith has been featured on CBC Radio, Toronto’s Classical 96.3, Minnesota Public Radio and has been named one of Canada’s Hottest 30 Classical Musicians Under 30 by CBC.A dedicated chamber musician, Keith has shared the stage with Anssi Kartunnen, Ernst Kovacic, Richard Lester, David Geringas and members of the Smithsonian Chamber Players. Keith has been invited to perform at the Ravinia Festival as guest violist with the Royal Conservatory’s Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Stratford Summer Music, Sweetwater Music Festival, and Music By The Sea in Bamfield, BC. Keith has been a guest with the Juno-winning Amici Ensemble and frequently performs with Continuum Contemporary Music, Skylight Series in Toronto’s Distillery District, Echo Chamber Toronto, and Stereo Live as performer and producer.
Keith is Founder and Artistic Director of the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival in Rosebud, Alberta and co-founder of the Rosebud String Quartet.
Keith plays on a viola made by Joseph Curtin in 2001.

Julie Hereish studied the cello in her native city Montreal, and then in Vienna, Austria. Assistant principal cello of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra since 2015, she cofounded there the piano quartet Quatuor Philanthros and the cello octet Élément 8.
Her chamber music activities have brought her on tour all over Canada with Debut Atlantic and Les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada. Julie has played in various chamber music festivals such as Music By The Sea in Bamfield (BC), Rendez-vous musical de Laterrière in Saguenay (QC), Rosebud Chamber Music Festival in Rosebud (AB) and Rockport Music Festival (Massachusetts).
She has performed as a guest artist with ARC Ensemble in Toronto and as guest assistant principal cello at the Canadian Opera Company. She participated in concerts of the Toronto series Off Centre Music Salon and Pocket Concert Series. She created, along with actor Pierre Mayer, a musical pantomime for kids called Charlot et Mlle Cello, in honor of Chaplin’s famous character. The show was presented in its symphonic version with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra and will be presented again with the Geneva Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland next December.
Julie has played regularly as a supernumerary cellist with the chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy (Quebec) and has toured with them in North America and in Europe. Starting this Fall, she will be holding the position of assistant principal cello of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.