Notice Board

Music at Noon presents Bootland-Ksiazek Duo
Christine Bootland, cello & John-Paul Ksiazek, piano 
12:15 pm | February 28, 2023
University Recital Hall
Free admission, everyone welcome!

About the program
Chopin’s Sonata Op. 65 is one of the great works written for cello and piano, powerfully emotional and full of incredible beauty. It is one of Chopin’s extremely rare chamber works, and listening to it one experiences the turmoil and grief Chopin was going through as his life was coming apart. Berteau’s cheery, witty, and elegant Sonata in G Major is a complete foil.

About Bootland-Ksiazek Duo
Christine Bootland and John-Paul Ksiazek have been performing together for ten years, as a duo and also in piano trios and quartets joined by Airdrie Ignas and Gabe Kastelic. Their most recent appearance was in a performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra last November.

Christine Bootland, a passionate music educator and cellist, has been a teacher and performer in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan over the last 20 years. She recently retired from the Medicine Hat Conservatory of Music and has taken over the role of vice chair for the Alberta Music Education Foundation. Her philosophy is to help create future generations of music lovers of all styles, whether they be professionals, amateurs, or concert goers. Each student is unique, and her goal is to help them develop their own individuality and personality in their playing. Christine has extensive experience as a cello instructor, ensemble coach, conductor, and performer, and currently teaches both privately from her home in Medicine Hat as well as at the University of Lethbridge Conservatory.

A native of Lethbridge, AB, John-Paul Ksiazek has a wide range of experience including solo, chamber, and orchestral performances, as well as accompanying singers and choirs. He is the organist at McKillop United Church and plays piano for the Little Lethbridge Opera Theatre. A gifted and enthusiastic teacher, John-Paul has had several students recommended to the Alberta Music Festival. He studied at the Université de Montréal, University of Alberta, and University of Lethbridge, and he was an artist-in-residence at The Banff Centre.