Quartetto Gelato
Encyclopedia
Quartetto Gelato is a Canadian new classical quartet
currently composed of Peter DeSotto, Liza McLellan, Alexander Sevastian and Colin Maier, and based in Toronto
, Ontario
. The group was originally formed in 1989 with founding members Cynthia Steljes, Peter DeSotto, George Meanwell, and Claudio Vena, Quartetto Gelato quickly established themselves on the emerging "new classical" scene early in their career by winning the title of NPR
Performance Today's
Debut Artist of the Year in 1996. in 2010, they received the distinction as "Best Classical Group" at the 10th annual Independent Music Awards during Canadian Music Week.
Known for their musical versatility, the original groups' instrumental expertise has consisted of many different musical instruments including an opera
tic tenor
in Peter DeSotto, a classical guitarist in George Meanwell and a dynamic accordionist composer and pricipal arranger in Claudio Vena. The first three CD releases of QG represent the founding members and instrumentation of the Group.
Their musical repertoire consists of a mix of classical masterworks and operatic aria
s with tangos
, gypsy and folk songs
from around the world. Unique in their field is their penchant for performing without musical scores
and their sense of humor.
The quartet's CDs have literally been heard around the world - Canadian astronaut
Dr. Robert Thirsk
took their first two CDs with him during his NASA
flight on board the space shuttle Columbia
. Despite having changed members frequently throughout the years, the Juno
and Gemini
nominated Quartetto Gelato persists with repeat sold-out performances throughout the globe.
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
currently composed of Peter DeSotto, Liza McLellan, Alexander Sevastian and Colin Maier, and based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The group was originally formed in 1989 with founding members Cynthia Steljes, Peter DeSotto, George Meanwell, and Claudio Vena, Quartetto Gelato quickly established themselves on the emerging "new classical" scene early in their career by winning the title of NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
Performance Today's
Performance Today
Performance Today is a Peabody Award-winning classical music radio show, currently hosted by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations...
Debut Artist of the Year in 1996. in 2010, they received the distinction as "Best Classical Group" at the 10th annual Independent Music Awards during Canadian Music Week.
Known for their musical versatility, the original groups' instrumental expertise has consisted of many different musical instruments including an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
in Peter DeSotto, a classical guitarist in George Meanwell and a dynamic accordionist composer and pricipal arranger in Claudio Vena. The first three CD releases of QG represent the founding members and instrumentation of the Group.
Their musical repertoire consists of a mix of classical masterworks and operatic aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
s with tangos
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
, gypsy and folk songs
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
from around the world. Unique in their field is their penchant for performing without musical scores
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
and their sense of humor.
The quartet's CDs have literally been heard around the world - Canadian astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Dr. Robert Thirsk
Robert Thirsk
Robert Brent "Bob" Thirsk is a Canadian engineer and physician, and a former Canadian Space Agency astronaut. He holds the Canadian records for the longest space flight and the most time spent in space .-Personal life:Thirsk is from New Westminster, British Columbia and is married to Brenda...
took their first two CDs with him during his NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
flight on board the space shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy Space Shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. First launched on the STS-1 mission, the first of the Space Shuttle program, it completed 27 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28th, STS-107. All seven crew...
. Despite having changed members frequently throughout the years, the Juno
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
and Gemini
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
nominated Quartetto Gelato persists with repeat sold-out performances throughout the globe.
Current members
- Peter DeSotto — tenor, violin, mandolin
- Alexander Sevastian — accordion, piano
- Liza McLellan — cello, bass
- Colin Maier — oboe, clarinet, English horn, guitar, mandolin, piano, saw
Past members
- Cynthia Steljes (deceased) — oboe, English horn
- Kristina Reiko Cooper — cello
- Elinor Frey — cello
- Joseph Macerollo — accordion
- George Meanwell — guitar, cello, mandolin
- Claudio Vena — accordion, viola
- Shalom Bard — clarinet
- Carina Reeves — cello
- Kornel Wolak — clarinet
Albums
- Quartetto Gelato (1993)
- Rustic Chivalry (1996)
- Aria Fresca (1998)
- Neapolitan Café (2001)
- Quartetto Gelato Travels the Orient Express (2004)
- Musica Latina (2009)
- The Magic of Christmas (2010)
Guest appearances
- Only You: Music From The Motion PictureOnly You (1994 film)Only You is a 1994 romantic comedy film written by Diane Drake and directed and coproduced by Norman Jewison. It stars Marisa Tomei as a young woman who searches for a man whom she believes is her soulmate and Robert Downey Jr. as a young man she meets along the way...
(1994) - Ashley MacIsaacAshley MacIsaacAshley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
, Hi, How Are You Today? (1995)
Videography
- Quartetto Gelato - La Danza (Music Video) (1998)
- CBC's Canada Day 2004: Merci Montreal! (2004)
- Quartetto Gelato Explores Music and Wine DVD (2006)
1995
- Quartetto Gelato — Nomination: Best Classical Album — Solo or Chamber Ensemble Juno AwardJuno AwardThe Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
. - Quartetto Gelato — Nomination: Instrumental Artist(s) of the Year Juno Award.
1996
- Quartetto Gelato — Winner: Debut Artist of the Year NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
Performance TodayPerformance TodayPerformance Today is a Peabody Award-winning classical music radio show, currently hosted by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations...
.
1999
- La Danza — Quartetto Gelato — Nomination: Best Photography — Comedy, Variety, Performing Arts Program or Series Gemini AwardGemini AwardThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
. - La Danza — Quartetto Gelato — Nomination: Best Editing — Comedy, Variety, Performing Arts Program or Series Gemini Award.
2005
- Canada Day 2004: Merci Montréal — Nomination: Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series Gemini Award.
2010
- Quartetto Gelato — Winner: Best Classical Group -- Independent Music Awards