2013 | Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble | Amici Chamber Ensemble | | The JUNO Awards

The Amici Chamber Ensemble has been at the forefront of the Canadian chamber music scene in the past 25 years. Founding members, clarinettist Joaquin Valdepeñas, cellist David Hetherington, and recent addition, pianist Serouj Kradjian invite some of the finest musicians to join them in eclectic programming and projects, at the same time celebrating friendship through music; hence the name Amici. Some of the many renowned artists who have performed with Amici in their renowned concert series at the Glenn Gould Studio are James Ehnes, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Russell Braun, Michael Schade, Jaime Laredo, André Laplante, and James Sommerville. Amici Chamber Ensemble has commissioned and premiered over 20 works by Canadian composers, among them Allan Gordon Bell, Brian Cherney, Malcolm Forsyth, Jacques Hétu, Alexina Louie and Jeffrey Ryan. Amici’s recordings have placed them firmly among the world's best chamber ensembles and garnered AMICI a JUNO Award (for Among Friends), and several JUNO Award nominations – most recently, a 2011 JUNO Award nomination for their latest ATMA Classique disc, Armenian Chamber Music. Two recordings of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time highlight their critically acclaimed discography. The 2012-2013 Celebrating Through Collaboration will feature a very strong line-up of collaborators and innovative programming.