Garneau String Quartet
The Garneau String Quartet has delighted audiences in their home of Edmonton and at festivals across Canada. From 2022 – 2025, the GSQ was the Quartet-in-Residence at the MacEwan University Conservatory of Music, and starting in the 25/26 season moves to the Winspear Centre for Music Conservatory, where they will perform their concert series and direct the Chamber Music Academy for Young Artists.
The quartet is comprised of violinists Robert Uchida and Laura Veeze, violist Keith Hamm, and cellist Julie Hereish, all active soloists, chamber musicians, all members of your Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
The GSQ has collaborated with Tom Allen, Angela Cheng, Philip Chiu, Cameron Crozman, Steven Dann, Lori Gemmel, Desmond Hoebig, Jessica Linnebach, the New Orford String Quartet, Rosebud String Quartet, and other world class artists. They have been featured by the Banff International String Quartet Festival, Canmore ArtsPlace, ChamberFest West, Edmonton Recital Society, Longshadow Music Festival, Music by the Sea, PRISMA, and the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival.
Robert, Laura, Keith, and Julie gratefully acknowledge the support of the descendants of Eleanor and Laurent Garneau, for whom music and music making was, and is, a great source of inspiration and expression.
“…a gripping performance, high energy, complete commitment, with the climaxes creating perhaps the loudest (and most thrilling) sound I have ever heard in the Muttart.”
Phillip Chiu piano
Renowned for his “pianist-painter” artistry that transforms sound into vivid colour (La Presse), Philip Chiu is recognized as one of Canada’s most distinctive pianists, celebrated for his brilliant technique, poetic sensibility, and captivating stage presence. Winner of the 2023 JUNO Award for Best Classical Solo Album and the first-ever recipient of the Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer, one of Canada’s largest classical music prizes, he has earned a reputation for performances that combine virtuosic mastery with an instinctive ability to create genuine connections with audiences.
A sought-after soloist and chamber musician, Chiu has performed across Canada, the United States, Japan, and France, appearing in major venues and festivals and collaborating with many of today’s foremost artists, including James Ehnes, Emmanuel Pahud, Régis Pasquier, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Bomsori Kim, Johannes Moser, and the New Orford String Quartet. His longstanding duo with violinist Jonathan Crow has become beloved among chamber music audiences, and his commitment to bringing music to communities nationwide is reflected in more than fourteen extensive cross-Canada tours with Prairie Debut, Jeunesses Musicales Canada, and Debut Atlantic.
Chiu’s discography underscores both his deep affinity for the classical tradition and his dedication to amplifying contemporary voices. His JUNO-winning album Fables (ATMA Classique) and its successor Voyages—a tribute to his birthplace of Hong Kong—form part of an ambitious triptych project weaving works by Ravel and Debussy with new commissions from Canadian composers such as Anishinaabekwe artist Barbara Assiginaak and Alice Ping Yee Ho. He has also recorded John Burge’s 24 Preludes for Solo Piano (Centrediscs), Tapeo with cellist Cameron Crozman (ATMA), Night Light with flautist Lara Deutsch (Leaf Music), and a collaboration with Pentaèdre honoring Jacques Hétu. His recordings for labels including ATMA Classique, Warner Music, Analekta, Leaf Music, and Centrediscs are frequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3, France Musique, ICI Musique, and CBC Music.
Authentic, imaginative, and deeply human, Philip Chiu continues to redefine what it means to be a classical pianist in the 21st century—an artist whose performances invite listeners on an emotional journey while affirming his role as both a cultural storyteller and a leading ambassador for Canadian music.
“Astonishing interpretive and technical proficiency…and he makes it all seem effortless”
“[Philip] played with such clarity, delicacy and youthful energy that the week’s crises melted into memory and we were captivated… the engaging wit of Chiu and his refreshingly restrained performance –– except for some busy footwork –– of four Rachmaninoff preludes.”
Please join us!
photo | ERIK VISSER
Robert Uchida
violin
Robert joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) as concertmaster in 2013, having held the same position with Symphony Nova Scotia for seven years. A passionate teacher, Robert serves on the faculty at the University of Alberta and has held teaching positions at Acadia University, the Manhattan School of Music and the National Arts Centre of Canada’s Young Artists Program.
photo | ERIK VISSER
Laura Veeze
violin
Dutch violinist and violist Laura Veeze has reached audiences on three continents as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She has held principal second violin positions with the Radio Chamber Philharmonic in the Netherlands and with Symphony Nova Scotia. In addition to her position with the first violins of the ESO, she is concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton, and principal second violin of the Alberta Baroque Ensemble.
photo | LAUREN HAMM
Keith Hamm
viola
Keith joined the ESO in September 2019 as principal violist, a position he held with the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra for eight seasons. A native of Rosebud, Alberta, Keith 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. Keith is founder and artistic director of the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival in Rosebud, Alberta. He is also co-founder and violist of the Rosebud String Quartet.
photo | LAUREN HAMM
Julie Hereish
cello
Julie Hereish joined the ESO as assistant principal cello in 2019. She previously held the same position with the Québec Symphony Orchestra. Born in Montreal, Julie pursued her studies in her hometown, and then in Vienna, Austria. Julie is a co-founder and member of the Edmonton-based High Level Trio, comprised of members of the ESO. Alongside her husband, Keith Hamm, she founded The New Cohort at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The duet went on tour in the Maritimes with Debut Atlantic in September 2022.
“intimate, powerful, unforgettable.”
