Trio de l’Île

The Quebec-based Trio de l’Île was founded in 2015 by three established and classically trained musicians. Their coincidental encounter at a competition while they were still students brought forth a collaboration on stage that proved to be extremely promising. At that first performance of Piazzolla’s Las cuatro estaciones porteñas, they established a special bond among themselves which brought forth a sense of affinity and loyalty in their audience. Since then, that bond has further strengthened especially by the discovery of the monumental Babadjanian Trio – a piece that illustrates the ensemble’s passionate and rigorous interpretations. Combining both works in the trio’s first album was the natural next step for an ensemble where each musician complements the other’s artistry.

A prizewinner in many competitions and recipient of multiple grants, Uliana Drugova leads an active career as a performer and teacher. As a guest soloist for the Laval Symphony Orchestra, the Arkea Ensemble, and as a founding member of both the Voxpopuli Quartet and the Trio de l’Île, Uliana’s performances on stage have given her a solid reputation as a musician throughout Quebec.

For her doctoral studies, which were fully supported by a Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture grant, Uliana combined the fields of musical performance and musicology: her research on the evolution of the American School of Violin through its Russian and Franco-Belgian roots, which took her to the Bibliothèque nationale de France, continues to attract the interest of the musical community throughout the world.

Uliana Drugova currently teaches violin at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal as well as violin and chamber music at the collegial level at the École de musique Vincent d’Indy . She is regularly invited to give masterclasses and is seen on jury panels for competitions and exams across Quebec. Her passion for the chamber music repertoire is always at the heart of her teaching. Through her pedagogical approach, she invites young aspiring students to reflect on all aspects of a career in today’s musical world.

Recipient of the 2018 Prix d’Europe and the 2017 Peter Mendell Prize, Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy was ranked among the “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30” by CBC Music in 2018. A two-time first prize winner at the Canadian Music Competition, he has performed as a soloist with the Laval Symphony Orchestra and the Ensemble Volte. Dominique is a founding member of the Trio de l’Île and of the Andara String Quartet, throughout North America and Europe. He recently joined the Hochelaga Trio and recorded the album “Auguste Descarries: chamber music and melodies” (Atma Classique, 2020).

A passionate composer, Dominique won 3rd prize in the « Domicile Adoré » competition organized by the Fondation Jeunesses Musicales Canada in 2020. Two of his compositions have been performed by the Laval Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Alain Trudel. He is a founding member of the BOA experience, an instrumental music project of original compositions, which released the album “Elements” in 2019.

Dominique holds a master’s degree in performance from the University of Montreal, where he studied with Yegor Dyachkov. He has taken part in masterclasses with Mischa Maisky, Alisa Weilerstein, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Raphaël Wallfisch, Philippe Muller and Richard Aaron. He plays on a David Tecchler cello (1704) and uses a Pierre Simon bow (c. 1855) kindly provided to him by the Canimex Inc. company of Drummondville (Qc), Canada.

Described as “a musician of exceptional intelligence who stands out whether playing chamber music or solo” (Gilbert Kalish), Patil Harboyan is a Montreal-based Armenian pianist who leads a versatile musical career as a performer, chamber musician and teacher.

Patil holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts from Stonybrook University, where she studied on a full scholarship. Recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec and winner of various competitions, she has appeared in solo recitals and chamber music concerts throughout North America.

Patil has collaborated with some of the best musicians of our time, such as Kimy McLaren, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Aline Kutan, the Fibonacci Trio and members of the Fitzwilliam Quartet. Chamber music is at the core of her life as a musician. She is a founding member of the Ararat Trio, which had its debut appearance at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, in 2007, as well as the Trio de l’Île which performs regularly throughout Quebec. Her recording with cellist Heather Tuach called Music from Armenia (Divine Art DDA 25075) has been described in Gramophone, the prestigious music magazine, as a “delightful disc of discoveries”. The duo presented the programme of the recording in concert at Carnegie Hall in 2015.

Parallel to her performing career, Patil is also an active pedagogue. She is often seen on jury panels for various music competitions. She currently teaches at the University of Quebec in Montreal and at the Schulich School of Music (McGill University).