Magpie Duo (Lauren Conroy and Matthew Schultheis) is a violin-piano team celebrating the vibrant stylistic diversity of music from the 20th century to today, driven by the belief that contemporary music is a meaningful source of artistic expression and inspiration to communities. Named after the bird long known in Western folklore for its curious and obsessive trinket collecting, we weave together pieces from across generational and cultural lines, building programs around shared aesthetics and relationships between artistic voices. We design concerts to be experienced live as cohesive works, from programs involving sounds outside the typical violin-piano palette to Sunset Concerts—continuous programs that move from standard repertoire to rarely-heard contemporary offerings. Lauren is a graduate of The Juilliard School (MM ‘22) and Matthew is currently a doctoral candidate there. The duo’s 2024–25 season included performances with New Chamber Ballet in New York City and a recital at Toronto Summer Music’s season launch. Upcoming events in the 2025-26 season include the recording of the duo’s debut album in collaboration with composer/producer James Diaz, residencies at Avaloch Farm and the Banff Centre, and performances at Maine’s Mechanics’ Hall and Columbia University’s Sacred Music Series.

Matthew Schultheis was generously supported by the Banff Centre Endowment.

Gage Salnikowski is a multi-instrumentalist composer, sound artist, and performer, based in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada on Treaty One Territory.

As an autodidactic proficient in over 50 different instruments, Salnikowski’s work seeks to undermine the dichotomy between the colloquial and cultural academia. Embracing the avant-garde towards sublimation of the visceral and brutalist. Through merzbau of sound art installation, input reactive live coding, circumventive scoring and performance techniques, Salnikowski plunders and corrupts the technicality he has honed through years as a music educator for decidedly anti-academic results. A diptych of the absurd and accessible, Salnikowski’s work is equally at home performed in local bars as it is art galleries.

Gaining notoriety on various new outlets by performing and recording every instrument of symphonic works entirely solo as a ‘one-man orchestra’, Salnikowski’s primary output has been focused on live sound art installation and performance. As half the duocollective Savant Flâneur, Salnikowski uses audio programming languages, acoustic sound sculpture, and experimental compositional means to produce and perform works for various new music and arts festivals, and touring composers. Notably, Salnikowski’s work under the project has been visited by over 40,000 people through repeat sound art installations in various Nuit Blanche festivals.

Gage Salinowski was generously supported by the Banff Centre Endowment.

Mikołaj Rytowski is a versatile instrumentalist and sound artist rooted in percussion, diverging from conventional norms to explore sound and creativity organically. His pracice spans improvisation, composition, and collaboration, moving beyond interpretation to actively engage with the creative process. As both creator and improviser, he pushes the boundaries of percussion and electronic instruments, constantly experimenting with new combinations and sonic innovations. His work challenges traditional perceptions of percussion, reflecting a commitment to exploration and artistic expression. Since 2019, Mikołaj has been living and working primarily in Basel, Switzerland.

Mikolaj Rytowski was generously supported by the Banff Centre Endowment.

Laura Roy is a Canadian artist, musician, and Grammy-nominated songwriter originally from Nova Scotia. Blending soulful melodies with introspective storytelling and contemporary r&b and folk influences, she has built a distinctive presence in the music industry. A 2x ECMA (East Coast Music Award) winner, she gained recognition with her breakthrough EP Forte, followed by Tides and Odyssey, which showcased her evolving artistry. Her songwriting and vocals landed her a cut on Doja Cat’s “Alone” Planet Her album, gaining a Grammy nomination.

After being based in London, UK since 2017, Laura splits her time between the UK and her home in Canada. She has worked as a vocalist and songwriter with major artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa, Anne-Marie, Camila Cabello, Mabel, Jordan Rakei, Lianne La Havas and JP Cooper.

With her unmistakable voice, emotive lyricism, and a gift for crafting melodies that resonate, Laura Roy continues to establish herself as one of contemporary music’s most compelling talents.

Laura Roy was generously supported by the Banff Centre Endowment.

Gabrielle Proulx, also known as VERLENE, is a French-Canadian singer-songwriter. She presents a musical universe where symbolic lyrics are carried by melodies that are both dark and luminous. Her work reveals the influence of cinematic soundtracks as well as the alternative rock of the 1990s.

In 2014, she released her first single Florence, marking the beginning of her solo career. In 2015, she began a collaboration with world-renowned contemporary folk guitarist Antoine Dufour. In 2016, she released the EP IMMOLER LES OMBRES. In 2019, she presented the mini-album CORSET DE CHAIR.

In 2023, she released her first conceptual album ARCANES MAJEURS, Vol.1.

During the pandemic, with the support of the CALQ, the artist created the solo performance Verlene en forêt using looping technology, which was broadcast in November 2022. This work, described as a tour de force, earned her a finalist nomination in the Performing Arts Creation category at the 24th edition of the Arts Excellence Awards of Culture Mauricie.

In 2024, Verlene fulfilled the dream of performing her repertoire in symphonic form with the Trois-Rivières Pop Orchestra.

Gabrielle Proulx was generously supported by the Banff Centre Endowment.

Israeli pianist Itamar Prag began his piano studies at the Givatayim Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Hannah Shalgi and later attended the Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts. He served as an “outstanding musician” in the Israel Defense Forces and continued his training at the Buchmann–Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University in the class of Prof. Arie Vardi. Prag is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music degree in piano performance at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, studying with Kyoko Hashimoto and André Laplante. Past teachers also include Ilya Poletaev, Asaf Zohar, Vadim Monastyrski, and Daria Monastyrski.

Prag maintains a vibrant career as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician. He made his solo debut at age eleven with the Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble and has since performed with orchestras in Israel and abroad under conductors such as Yoel Levi, Lahav Shani, Frederic Chaslin, Omer Wellber, Vag Papian, and Alexis Hauser.

He is a member of Trio Timia, winners of the third prize at the 2025 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Prag has appeared in recitals across Europe, North America, and Israel, and is a recipient of scholarships from the America–Israel Cultural Foundation and the Ronen Foundation.

Itamar Prag was generously supported by the Sir Jack Lyons Scholarship for the Arts.

I grew up in an environment where women’s singing voices were restricted, yet I always dreamed of sharing my voice freely with the world. This desire became the foundation of my artistic journey. Rooted in the folk traditions of Azerbaijani music, I was surrounded by melodies that carried the history, emotions, and resilience of my culture. These songs, often marginalized and forgotten, became my strongest source of inspiration. Singing them allowed me to both preserve cultural memory and express my deepest emotions. Over the years, I have released an album that reinterprets Azeri folk songs with contemporary arrangements, blending piano and clarinet with my voice. My goal is to revive these traditions while creating a bridge to global audiences. For me, music is more than performance—it is a universal language of freedom and connection.

Ooldouz Pouri was generously supported by the Banff Centre Endowment.

Jordan Nobles is a JUNO Award-winning Canadian composer celebrated for music of “unearthly beauty” (Mondomagazine) that invites listeners to “close (their) eyes and transcend into a cloud of music” (Discorder Magazine). His works—spanning over 100 compositions for orchestra, ensemble, and choir—have been performed around the world, admired for their immersive soundscapes and evocative use of space.

Over the course of his career, Jordan has received numerous accolades including the prestigious Azrieli Music Prize (2024), a JUNO Award (2017), and a Western Canadian Music Award (2018). He has also been awarded first prizes in several international composition competitions: Unbound Flute Festival (Brisbane, 2016), Sacra/Profana (San Diego, 2013), Vancouver Bach Choir (2008), and Polyphonos (Seattle, 2011).

He is a past recipient of the Jan V. Matejcek Award from SOCAN for outstanding achievement in New Classical Music (2017), and was honoured with the Barbara Pentland Award of Excellence for his “extraordinary contribution to Canadian music.” In 2009, he was recognized as the Emerging Artist in Music by the City of Vancouver’s Mayor’s Arts Awards.

He lives in Deep Cove, BC, with his wife Kelly and their daughter Julian.

Jordan Nobles was generously supported by the Leo Brouwer Endowment.

Garrett Myers is a saxophonist and educator who believes in music’s power to tell stories and create community. Originally from central Minnesota, he began playing saxophone at age 11 and quickly discovered its ability to convey a wide spectrum of emotions. Over the years, he has developed a deep appreciation for the instrument’s versatility in expressing the human spirit. Garrett recently graduated from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and now performs throughout the Midwest as both a soloist and ensemble musician. His recent appearances include a solo performance with the Manitowoc Wind Ensemble, and he is a recipient of a DownBeat Student Music Award.

Equally devoted to teaching and performing, Garrett strives to create musical experiences that feel communal. He plans to continue his studies through master’s and doctoral degrees in music, deepening his artistry while inspiring and supporting future generations of musicians. Outside of music, Garrett is an avid outdoors enthusiast who enjoys climbing, hiking, biking, and skiing. Whether on stage or in the classroom, he hopes to share moments of honesty, joy, and connection through his music.

Garrett Myers was generously supported by the Banff Centre Endowment.

Rachel Lewindon is an award-winning, interdisciplinary composer and sound designer working in the diverse array of mediums of theatre, dance and live performance. After gaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) at the VCA in Interactive Composition, she has firmly established her voice in the Australian live performing arts scene, her passion for the immersive experience of sound within a live performance setting, particularly the electro-acoustic boundaries of composition and sound design using voice, piano and synthesis garnering her much critical acclaim.

She has been hailed “one of Melbourne theatre’s best composers working to date..” by the Australian Book Review and was awarded a 2022 Green Room Award for Best Composition/Sound Design for her work on ‘The Gospel According to Jesus Queen of Heaven’. Her own work Orlando: A New Musical premiered to critical acclaim in 2023, being described as ‘(a) beautifully wrought chamber opera’, ‘Profoundly formative in a risk-averse industry… Stephen Sondheim meets Brian Eno’. She has had work developed and premiered internationally with So Percussion (USA), BRAZZA Artists Residency Program (France), CPH Hit Copenhagen (Denmark), Wuzhen Theatre Festival (China), BIRCA Climate Residency (Denmark) and nationally with Speak Percussion, Melbourne Theatre Company, FortyFive Downstairs, Darwin Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and other local music venues.

Rachel Lewindon was generously supported by the Banff Centre Endowment.