| Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

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Tony Crawford is a technical director and production manager with more than 15 years of experience in dance and performing arts; select experiences include: Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (Operations and Production Manager); Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (Technical Director); Twyla Tharp Diamond Jubilee Tour (Production Stage Manager); New York City Ballet (Assistant Technical Director); Brooklyn Academy of Music (Production Coordinator). Crawford also has a BS in Geographic Information Science with an interest in conservation and resiliency of natural resources, and he restores and refinishes mid-century modern furniture.

Production Manager

Language English

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American-Canadian dancer Nora Brown trained at the Boston Ballet School and Manhattan Youth Ballet before performing with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, and Ballett im Revier. From 2015 to 2022 she was a member of Gauthier Dance at Theaterhaus Stuttgart and began working with Aszure Barton & Artists in 2023. Nora has originated roles in works by Aszure Barton, Sharon Eyal, Marco Goecke, Marcos Morau, Cayetano Soto, Marie Chouinard, and Nacho Duato and performed repertoire by Ohad Naharin, Mauro Bigonzetti, Hans van Manen, David Dawson, and George Balanchine, among others. Nora also holds a bachelor’s in art history and a master’s in curating from the Zurich University of the Arts.
First worked with aB: 2023

Performer

Language English

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A graduate with a bachelor's degree in Fashion Design from the École Supérieure de Mode, Rémi van Bochove was discovered with his first collection “Les Fleurs d'Opium” presented during the 2017 Fashion and Design Festival. To this day, the collection of Asian and futuristic inspirations has been a resounding success on the Montreal and international scene. Original, fluid, colorful and sometimes cinematic, his creations have been seen in music videos and visuals of several performing artists including Louis-Jean Cormier, Philippe Dunnigan, Apashe, Pierre Kwenders, Mulay, Lubalin, Sarahmée and many more. Van Bochove has created costumes for dance projects such as “La Résistance” by Lydia Bouchard and Merryn Kritzinger, “Animal of Distinction” by Dana Gingras, and “Les chambres des Jacques” by Aszure Barton for Ballets Jazz Montreal. And other creative projects: from C2 Montreal, to “Sakuya Lumina” by Moment Factory in Japan, and Attitude's “Raise the bar” campaign.

Costume Designer

Description

Leighton Artist Studios is pleased to present an artist talk by Ryan Van Der Hout, recipient of the 2026 Barbara Spohr Memorial Award for Photography. During their awarded residency at Banff Centre, Van Der Hout will share insights into their interdisciplinary practice spanning photography, stained glass, and sculpture.

Their work investigates transformation through processes of breaking and reassembly, creating luminous portraits and large-scale installations that trace both fracture and connection. During the residency, Van Der Hout will explore the intersection of geological and human time, integrating analog darkroom processes with stained glass techniques to create new works that collapse temporal scales into unified forms.

The Barbara Spohr Memorial Award for Photography supports one mid-career Canadian artist annually with a fully funded residency at Banff Centre. Established by the friends and family of the late artist Barbara Spohr, the award encourages the advancement of Canadian contemporary photography by providing financial and creative support to artists whose practices have made significant contributions to the field.

This event is presented in partnership with Exposure Photography Festival and made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Government of Canada, Government of Alberta, and the friends and family of Barbara Spohr.

Page Summary

Ryan Van Der Hout, recipient of the 2026 Barbara Spohr Memorial Award, shares their interdisciplinary practice in photography, stained glass, and sculpture.

Exhibition

Free

Yes

Donation

Off

Banff Centre Artist/Practicum/Staff Only

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Licensed

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Performance Date

Date

Friday, February 6, 2026 - 16:00

Extra Description

4-5:30 PM with a Reception to Follow

Can’t make it in person? The talk will be live-streamed so you can watch from anywhere. Please register to receive the webinar link.

Register for Webinar Now

Location

Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Bldg, 204

Expandable Content

Biography

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Photo credit: Kristina Ruddick.

Ryan Van Der Hout (b. 1987, Canada) is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice investigates transformation through fragmentation and reflection, using glass and mirrors as both material and metaphor for queer experience and becoming. They create works that challenge how we see ourselves and our environment, inviting viewers to witness how breaking can reveal new possibilities.

Central to Van Der Hout's practice is the innovative use of photographic imagery as a foundational element in creating three-dimensional objects and installations. In their "Twice Broken Glass" series, they explore parallel acts of destruction—shattering one pane through violent impact while precisely cutting another to mirror the breaks, then repairing both identically using traditional stained glass techniques. This investigation continues in their photographic glass portraits, where intimate images printed on glass are deliberately shattered and reconstructed into fragmented new forms, suggesting that when we put ourselves back together after breaking, we become stranger but more authentic versions of ourselves.

Van Der Hout's public works function as large optical devices, reflecting and refracting surrounding space to create ongoing physical dynamics with viewers. Their monumental sculpture "To Reflect Everything" (Washington Square Park, 2025, Toronto Sculpture Garden, 2023) used hundreds of mirror panels to create an optical device that transforms public space, drawing on the disco ball's history as a symbol of queer sanctuary and the satellite's promise of alternative futures.

Van Der Hout holds an MFA from Parsons at The New School and a BFA in Photography from Metropolitan University. Their work has been featured in Time Out NY, NBC News, Vogue Italia, Fortune Magazine, and CBC. Recent solo exhibitions include "Mending Shards" (United Contemporary, 2024) and "To Reflect Everything" (Toronto Sculpture Garden, 2023). They have created public art for NYC Parks, the City of Toronto, and Nuit Blanche, and have been supported by the Ontario Arts Council and awarded the Emerging Artist Award by the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the Barbara Spohr Memorial Award from the Banff Centre.

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Event Subtitle

Ryan Van Der Hout

Language English

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Bonnie is an award winning lighting designer from Toronto, Canada. She has designed the lighting for over 400 productions for theatre, opera and dance. Her work has been seen in most theatres in Canada including The Shaw Festival, The Stratford Festival, The Canadian Opera, Opera Atelier, Soulpepper theatre, The National Arts Centre, The National Ballet of Canada, Tarragon theatre, The Segal, The Citadel and Ballet British Columbia. International work includes lighting designs for The Dutch National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Glimmerglass Opera, The Versailles Royal Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The New Zealand Opera, The Dortmund Ballet, The Royal Flanders Ballet, Ballet du Rhin in Mulhouse, The State ballet of Georgia, and Ballet Im Reveir in Germany, Bonnie also designed the lights for 7 world premieres for The Stuttgart Ballet, and collaborated with the Kevin O'Day Ballet in Mannheim, Germany for 14 seasons from 2002 to 2016 where she designed the lighting for more than 25 world premieres for the company. Bonnie has received 18 Dora award nominations and has won the award twice.

Lighting Designer

Language English

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Jonathan E. Alsberry began dance and music training with his mother at Agape Dance Center and later graduated from The Chicago Academy for the Arts. He earned his BFA from The Juilliard School, where he met choreographer Aszure Barton—launching a long-standing creative partnership. Known as “Jojo,” he is currently the Senior Rehearsal Director and Director of Summer Intensives at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He is also a Creative Associate with Aszure Barton & Artists, assisting in numerous creations for companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hamburg Ballet, Malpaso, and La Scala Ballet. He joined the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in 2007 and continues to serve as a stager and teaching artist. Jojo has appeared as a soloist with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet and Lyric Opera of Chicago in several productions, and most recently, LA Opera. Other companies include Luna Negra Dance Theater, The Chase Brock Experience and Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company. International performance credits include Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Hell’s Kitchen Dance, Evolution with Alessandra Ferri, and Despertares with Isaac Hernández. Teaching and choreographic credits include Arts Umbrella, The School at Jacob’s Pillow, The Juilliard School, Springboard Danse and University of California Irvine.
First worked with aB: 2004

Performer and Rehearsal Director

Language English

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Michael Falk is a songwriter, record producer, artistic director and concert producer. He joins the Banff Centre after 3+ years in senior leadership at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, producing their concerts, managing the orchestra, and programming their Pops and Movies series.

Throughout his multifaceted career, Michael has focused on collaboration across disciplines, bringing together diverse artists to create inspired new work. Through building partnerships with architects, Indigenous presenters, dancers, wrestlers, comedians, restauranteurs, and more, he has created countless projects that blur artistic lines and engage audiences in unique, inspired
experiences.

As a musician he releases music under the name Touching, was the leader of indie rock band Les Jupes, and has performed and recorded with numerous other groups. His Record Of The Week Club project brought musicians who had never met to his studio to create new works that were released the next day. His songs have been placed in films and tv shows, and charted across North
America and Europe.

Before the WSO, Michael served as Artistic Director of Jazz Winnipeg, where he led the festival through its most ambitious and internationally-focused programming.

Michael has also ran a recording studio, a record label and produced the SpaceLand and Hatch interdisciplinary block parties. With one eye towards trying things that haven’t been done before, and another to seeking artistic excellence through collaborations that build each other up, Michael continues to chase new ideas, creative flow, and a pathway to giving
audiences transformative experiences.

Photo by Samantha Katz.

Dolson Rhona

Director of Music

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The competition offers one of the largest prizes in chamber music worth over $500,000 CAD.

BANFF, AB, CANADA AUGUST 31, 2025 – Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada and is thrilled to announce the Poiesis Quartet from Cincinnati, USA was awarded the grand prize of the 15th triennial Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC): Sarah Ying Ma (she/they) on violin, Max Ball (he/they) on violin, Jasper de Boor (they/them) on viola, and Drew Dansby (he/him) on cello.

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Widely recognized as one of the most prestigious global platforms for emerging quartets, BISQC offers one of the largest prizes in chamber music—valued at over $500,000 CAD—with the potential to shape a quartet’s artistic journey in profound and transformative ways.

Competitors in the 15th Banff International String Quartet Competition travelled to Banff from their home bases in Asia, Europe, and North America, with players hailing from 14 different countries.

This year’s edition was one of the most competitive in the competition’s four-decade history. Nine extraordinary quartets from across the world presented dynamic programs curated from extensive repertoire lists designed to highlight their individuality and versatility. The rounds included the 21st Century Haydn Round, Romantic Round, Canadian Commission Round, and Beethoven/Schubert + 20th Century Round. The week culminated in the Finals Round wherein three finalists played a program of their own curation.

Competition jury members include Marie Chilemme, Jonathan Crow, Eugene Drucker, Honggang Li, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, Eckart Runge, and David Ying.

Quotation

“Throughout this rigorous week, Poiesis Quartet impressed the jury and inspired our audience. We are all excited to work together to help them realize their dream.”

Source

Barry Shiffman, Director, BISQC

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Prizes

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1st Place Laureates: Poiesis Quartet is awarded a custom-designed, three-year artistic and career development program which includes:

$25,000 CAD cash prize;
Winner’s Concert Tours in career-building markets across North America with MKI Artists and Europe with Kozertdirektion Hamplin, arranged by Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity;
A two-week residency at Banff Centre including a recording produced by Banff Centre;
Coaching, career guidance, and mentorship;
Southern Methodist University Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence Prize which includes a one-year paid visiting residency at the Meadows School involving performances, coaching, and mentorship, valued at over $110,000 CAD;
A residency with the Esterházy Foundation, including concerts at Haydn Hall in Eisenstadt and the Lucerne Festival;
An opportunity for a two-week Chamber Music Residency at the prestigious Britten Pears Arts in England.

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2nd Place Laureates: Arete Quartet

$12,000 CAD cash prize;
A creative residency at Banff Centre including coaching and mentorship opportunities.

3rd Place Laureates: Quartet KAIRI

$8,000 CAD cash prize;
A creative residency at Banff Centre including coaching and mentorship opportunities.

The R.S. Williams & Sons Haydn Prize: Quartet KAIRI

$4,000 for the best performance of a quartet by Haydn quartet from Round 1.

The Canadian Commission Prize, in honour of the R.S. Williams & Sons Company: Poiesis Quartet

$4,000 for the best performance in Round 3 of the newly commissioned quartet by Kati Agócs.

The DC Anderson Family Foundation: Viatores Quartet
• In partnership with The Grenadines Initiative: an all-expenses paid 10-day residency and outreach opportunity

Christine and David Anderson Career Development Prizes: Cong Quartet, Quatuor Elmire, Quartett HANA, Quatuor Magenta, Nerida Quartet, Viatores Quartet

In recognition of the extraordinary level of artistry that BISQC attracts, all quartets not advancing to the finals will receive a $5,000 CAD prize to support their emerging careers.

Quotation

“Congratulations to Poiesis Quartet! I’m so proud that Banff Centre can play a part in what promises to be a long and impressive career in classical music.”

Source

Chris Lorway, President and CEO of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

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History

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Established in 1983 as part of Banff Centre’s 50th anniversary, BISQC is a major celebration of chamber music in a festival format that attracts enthusiastic audiences for sold-out performances.

Past winners of BISQC include the Isidore String Quartet (USA, 2022); Marmen Quartet and Viano Quartet (2019); Rolston Quartet (2016); Dover Quartet (USA, 2013); Cecilia String Quartet (Canada, 2010); Tinalley String Quartet (Australia, 2007); Jupiter String Quartet (USA, 2004); Daedalus Quartet (USA, 2001); Miró Quartet (USA, 1998) and, St. Lawrence String Quartet (Canada, 1992).

Thank you to all our generous supporters and endowments that make this competition possible.

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For photos, information or interview requests, please contact:

Carly Maga
Director, Communications
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
tel: +1.403.763.6210
cell: +1.403.431.3423
carly_maga@banffcentre.ca

About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Founded in 1933, Banff Centre is a post-secondary institution built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and leadership development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become a global organization leading in arts, culture, and creative decision-making across dozens of disciplines, from the fine arts to Indigenous Wise Practices. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to move everyone who attends our campus - artists, leaders, thinkers, and audiences - to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to build an innovative, inspiring future through education, performances, convenings, and public outreach. banffcentre.ca

Media Release

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Photo by Abigaile Edwards, courtesy of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

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Three quartets will compete for the grand prize at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

BANFF, AB, AUGUST 31, 2025 – Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is proud to announce the three finalist quartets for the 15th Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC).

Held every three years in Banff, Alberta, the week-long competition brings together the world’s finest young string quartets to compete for over $500,000 CAD in cash, prizes, and career development opportunities. The grand prize package includes extensive touring across North America with MKI Artists and Europe with Kozertdirektion Hampl, a recording residency, the Southern Methodist University Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence Prize, an Esterházy Foundation Residency with concerts at Haydn Hall in Eisenstadt and the Lucerne Festival, and a two-week Chamber Music in Residency at the prestigious Britten Pears Arts in England.

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The three competing quartets are (in alphabetical order):

Arete Quartet – Based in Seoul, South Korea

Quartet KAIRI – Based in Salzburg, Austria

Poiesis Quartet – Based in Cincinnati, United States of America

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On Sunday, August 31 at 2 p.m. MT, these three quartets will enter a final round of competition, performing a program of their choice before a sold-out crowd in Banff Centre’s Jenny Belzberg Theatre.

The final concert of this week-long event will be livestreamed on the BISQC Facebook page and on theviolinchannel.com. The winning laureate quartet will be announced at an awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. MT following the finals round on Sunday afternoon.

Find out more about the competing quartets at banffcentre.ca/bisqc.

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“Following a week of performances from nine of the finest quartets of our time, these three finalists now have a chance to win the largest prize in chamber music in the world. The celebrated jury members have their work cut out for them as all three of these quartet finalists sound so strong.”

Source

Barry Shiffman, Director, BISQC

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The finalists were chosen by seven competition jury members representing some of the top names in chamber music: Marie Chilemme, Jonathan Crow, Eugene Drucker, Honggang Li, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, Eckart Runge, and David Ying.

Thank you to all our generous supporters and endowments that make this competition possible.

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For photos, information or interview requests, please contact:

Carly Maga
Director, Communications
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
tel: +1.403.763.6210
cell: +1.403.431.3423
carly_maga@banffcentre.ca

Media Release

Language English

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Haema Sivanesan is Director, Visual Arts at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where she has previously held positions as Director Leighton Artist Studios and Curator, Walter Phillips Gallery. She has held leadership and curatorial positions in public art galleries and visual arts organizations across Canada and around the world. Her curatorial work focuses on non-western, trans-national and diasporic art histories and practices. She has been the recipient of prestigious awards from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York and the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, Hong Kong.

Director, Visual Arts

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