Acclaim for Ensemble Vivant

The WholeNote iFugue CD Review

…an imaginative exploration of fugues from around the world and across the centuries, this album is beaming with creative sonic adventures.. each with a message and a beauty of its own… Read the full reviewThe WholeNote

Ivana Popovic

The WholeNote

iFugue CD Review

La Scena Musicale iFugue CD Review

This disc is not only a fine listen, but one to revisit again and again—if only to experience that sudden shift away from the baroque stylings in that last piece to the very Cartesian compositional approach including daringly dissonant sounds of contemporary music. Read the full reviewLa Scena Musicale – English | French

Justin Bernard

La Scena Musicale

iFugue CD Review

Artsforum Magazine iFugue CD Review

You can always count on Ensemble Vivant, led by pianist and artistic director Catherine Wilson, for music of the very highest quality. Here, nine musicians turn their ample talents to fugues by nine composers from eight countries, headlined by the form’s exemplar, J.S. Bach. Read the full reviewArtsforum Magazine

John Arkelian

Artsforum Magazine

iFugue CD Review

Vittorio Mezza iFugue CD Review

(George) Thank you very much for sending your beautiful new CD iFugue ~ A World of Fugues. Congratulations for the great sound and deep emotions that Ensemble Vivant communicates to the listener!!

Vittorio Mezza

composer, arranger, recording artist, Professor of Music, Rome, Italy

iFugue CD Review

Patricia Parr, O.C. iFugue CD Review

Just listened to your excellent CD. I enjoyed it even more on the third hearing. What a brilliant idea! The arrangement of the Vivaldi (Fugue #1) grabs your attention immediately on a strong and positive note! They are imaginatively arranged, with much contrast, and beautifully performed throughout.
Congratulations! You all should be proud.

Patricia Parr, O.C.

Concert Pianist

iFugue CD Review

Latin Romance CD Review, The WholeNote

Ensemble Vivant’s Latin Romance CD is absolutely stirring and heart-achingly beautiful. Catherine Wilson and her merry band of fellow world-class musicians… sparkle, shimmer, pulsate, yearn, beckon, move, tango and haunt in gorgeous (and often sexy) pieces. Wilson’s opening solo on Gismonti’s Memoria Y Fado is especially poignant. Don Thompson’s vibe work on Gismonti’s Loro is an exhilarating tour de force… this is chamber music at its evocative best! Read the complete review in the March, 2020 edition of The WholeNote Magazine.

Sharna Searle

The WholeNote Magazine

Latin Romance CD Review

Ensemble Vivant Review, Rick Wilkins

Catherine Wilson and her stalwart band of Ensemble Vivantists have “hit it out of the park” again. Combining incisive, emotional playing with challenging material, they strike a compelling tone that never lets up. A grand success!

Rick Wilkins, C.M.

Jazz Icon – musician, composer, arranger

Ensemble Vivant Review

Latin Romance CD Review, Phil Dwyer

(Latin Romance)… wonderful collection by Ensemble Vivant. The music leaps off the page in these performances, which are joyful, attentive to detail, and interpretively clairvoyant. The musicians in the ensemble are individually brilliant and, collectively, greater than the sum of their parts. Thank you Catherine Wilson and Ensemble Vivant…

Phil Dwyer C.M.

noted Canadian Jazz Musician

Latin Romance CD Review

Rick Wilkins CD Review, WholeNote

Ensemble Vivant… what you get is absolute magic… familiarity of old friends… yet their playing always retains a sense of gracious etiquette associated with the noble chamber ballroom… sincere and poised… great warmth and swing. (re Ensemble Vivant’s Live in Concert Tribute to Rick Wilkins CD)

The WholeNote Magazine

Rick Wilkins CD Review

Rick Wilkins CD Review, Rick Wilkins, C.M.

This is the highest-level chamber music making. No matter the genre, there is magic in Ensemble Vivant’s music-making

Rick Wilkins, C.M.

musician, composer, arranger

Rick Wilkins CD Review

Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD Review, Radio Classique

To my heart, your rendition of Piazzolla’s ‘OBLIVION’ is the most touching I have ever heard: Bravo!” (re Catherine Wilson’s performance of OBLIVION on Ensemble Vivant’s Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD, ODEG)

François Paré

Radio Classique, Montréal

Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD Review

Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD Review, Toronto Star

Ensemble Vivant does a fantastic job with the nuevo tango of Astor Piazzolla… captures the passion as well as the verve… Catherine Wilson’s piano gives this music unerring drive and plenty of sparkle… beautiful, poised performances… reveal the deep musicianship and light interpretive touch of these Toronto-based musicians.

John Terauds

Toronto Star

Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD Review

Mysterium CD Review, WholeNote

…precisions of sonority, dynamics and rhythm that Ensemble Vivant, led by pianist Catherine Wilson fully deliver… Burke’s intricate ensemble writing is performed magnificently…a moving experience… Wilson’s playing is evocative.

Roger Knox

WholeNote Magazine, Canada

Mysterium CD Review

Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD Review, Don Thompson, O.C.

Pianist extraordinaire Catherine Wilson and this wonderful group of musicians have totally captured the romance and passion of Astor Piazzolla’s music… This is a truly beautiful CD!

Don Thompson, O.C.

musician, composer, arranger

Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD Review

Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD Review, Amazon

Ensemble Vivant, one of the best small chamber groups out there…is led by pianist extraordinaire Catherine Wilson…(Homage to Astor Piazzolla) is an exciting and vibrant album that is a sure-fire hit.

Maxwell Fletcher

Amazon.com (USA)

Homage to Astor Piazzolla CD Review

fête française Review, WholeNote

Wonderful performance… congratulations to Ensemble Vivant for uncovering these works and presenting them with their usual flare.

David Olds

WholeNote Magazine, Canada

fête française CD Review

Leroy Anderson Review, Skitch Henderson

Catherine Wilson brings great technical virtuosity and an understanding of the ‘American’ sound of the Leroy Anderson Piano concerto… she possesses rare depth combined with highly sensitive artistry that is tremendously refreshing.

Skitch Henderson

Founder & Music Director

New York Pops

Leroy Anderson CD Review

Leroy Anderson Review, County Courier, Vermont

There were bravos, a standing ovation and an encore … the concert revealed the full sweep of Catherine Wilson’s artistic personality, her youthful idealism and openness, her willingness to express emotion, her authority at the piano, and her command of the concert’s direction … Ensemble Vivant cruised the whisking currents of Leroy Anderson’s musical imagination with skill and zest … Anderson would have enjoyed every minute of it.

County Courier

Vermont (USA)

Leroy Anderson CD Review

Ensemble Vivant Review, Fredericton Daily Gleaner

The greatest selling point of the ensemble was the players’ masterful interpretative style. Whether playing a lyrical ballad, a spirited rag, or a sensuous tango, Ensemble Vivant captured the appropriate style instantly. The sense of ensemble was likewise impeccable, with entrances, articulations and dynamics mirrored precisely … an overwhelming success. The trio was equally at home with traditional classics and original compositions.

Fredericton Daily Gleaner

New Brunswick, Canada

Ensemble Vivant Review

Catherine Wilson Review, Neville Bowman

Led by a remarkable pianist, Catherine Wilson, Ensemble Vivant boasts a collection of musicians whose abilities and qualifications are second to none… a diversity of beautifully played music and sound (with vibes… Don Thompson, O.C.) from Bach to Piazzolla to Widor… wonderful interpretations… highlight of the Kelowna Community Concert Association series. I had the pleasure of spending time with the group after the concert and they are a fun, humble and inspiring group of musicians… such tremendous mutual talent and respect within the ensemble… Merci Ensemble Vivant!

Neville Bowman

musician, composer for B.C. Arts

Catherine Wilson Review

What the critics have to say about the members of Ensemble Vivant

Catherine Wilson Review, Joseph Cooper, UK

(Re: Pianist Catherine Wilson) I have not heard exquisite Chopin playing like this since last hearing Artur Rubinstein…

Joseph Cooper, UK

Concert Pianist and Broadcaster, including as chairman of the
BBC’s long-running television panel game Face the Music

Norman Hathaway Review, David Zafer

I was deeply touched by Norman Hathaway’s viola playing…poignant and rich with expression.

David Zafer, violinist

Professor of Violin, University of Toronto

Tom Mueller Review, Hamilton Spectator

Cellist Tom Mueller produced many moments of gorgeously lyrical music and showed a deep understanding of both the style and essence of the work…the phrasing was spacious and songful, the whole brought off with admirable style and musicality. His playing was a joy.

Hugh Fraser

Hamilton Spectator

Share to...