Spring into the Music with a brand new line of performances in our Spring Noon Hour Concert Series. Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Tre Gatte
Tre Gatte is a chamber music ensemble formed in December 2022. We met in various orchestras where Cynthia and Michelle play cello and Ginny plays clarinet or bassoon. We discovered that we have much in common and decided to form a trio. Since we are all cat lovers whose families include cats, we agreed on the name Tre Gatte, which means three (female) cats in Italian. We usually wear cat ears when we perform, because it is more fun! Our cat ears were made by Pat Burnell, whose Puddy Products support the Feline Friends Network of Stratford. In early 2023, we began performing together as guests of the Waterloo Chamber Players in various retirement homes. In the 2023-2024 season, we are performing in several concert series in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.
Clarinetist Ginny Scarfino is a native of Kitchener-Waterloo and began playing clarinet in high school. While working toward a Computer Science degree at University of Waterloo, she began private lessons with former K-W Symphony principal, Victor Sawa, and studied with him for 18 years. She then studied bassoon with former K-W Symphony principal, Cedric Coleman, for over 20 years. After a 33-year career in IT with Mutual Life/Sun Life/IBM, she retired in 2013, decided to add piano lessons as well, and studied with long-time Beckett School teacher Terry Kroetsch for 10 years. Ginny is very active in the music community. She plays Principal Bassoon in the Wellington Wind Symphony and the Waterloo Chamber Players, Second Bassoon in the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, bassoon in the Spindrift Wind Quartet, Principal Clarinet in the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Orchestra, and clarinet in Ambrosia Chamber Ensembles.
Cellist Cynthia Steele completed her Bachelor of Music degree at Wilfrid Laurier University, studying with the Penderecki String Quartet. In her fourth year, she spent a term studying with M. Roche, principal cellist of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, at the Utrecht Conservatory of Music in Holland. Cynthia earned a Master's degree in Cello Performance from the University of Victoria, studying with the Lafayette String Quartet. She studied Baroque cello with Christina Mahler of Tafelmusik for two summers and enjoys Baroque ensembles and continuo. Cynthia has been Principal Cellist of the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra for over 10 years. She has taught for over 20 years, at her private studio in Kitchener for 15 years and at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate. She teaches ages six and up, cello at all levels, and piano up to RCM level 6. Her cello orchestra program has around 15 regular members plus casual members who play 4 to 8 part arrangements.
Pianist Michelle Kyle (née Hunchak) began playing at age four, and at 11 began playing professionally for Ukrainian dance groups in Ottawa. Studying with Garth Beckett at Wilfrid Laurier University, she completed Licentiate and Fellowship diplomas in piano performance from Trinity College of Music. Studying with Tom Plaunt at McGill University, she earned a Master of Music in piano performance. She also completed degrees in law at Osgoode Hall and adult education at Brock University, and was co-founder and artistic director of the Heliconian Choir and Orchestra in Toronto and Joyful Voices choir in Listowel. Michelle is Principal Cellist of the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Orchestra and plays cello with the Waterloo Chamber Players. She has performed as a pianist and cellist for special events throughout Ontario for decades and plays piano and cello in Ambrosia Chamber Ensembles.
Spring into the Music
Concert Series Lineup
JUNE 12
Tre Gatte
Ginny Scarfino clarinet
Cynthia Steele cello
Michelle Kyle piano
JUNE 19
Song Settings from Shakespeare
Amanda Jeffreys, Darielle Chomyn-Davison
Morgan Ballantyne, Quade Nielsen
Stuart Bergstra
Ann-Marie MacDairmid piano