Cellist Brandon Wilkie grew up in Pembroke, Ontario where he began playing cello at the age of 13. His first teacher was Peter Morris. After high school, Brandon had the opportunity to study with several renowned teachers including Matt Haimovitz at McGill University and Shauna Rolston at the University of Toronto. For several years, Brandon was based in Toronto where he was a member of the Arkadas String Quartet. As a member of the group, he performed at major music festivals in Banff and San Francisco.
As a recording artist, Brandon has been featured on the debut recording by the Capital Chamber Choir of Ottawa performing Jocelyn Morlock’s “Exaudi”. He also participated in a debut recording of chamber works by composer Joanna Estelle on the Parma Records label and has collaborated on several film scores.
Brandon currently resides in Deep River, Ontario with his wife and two children. He is a trained Suzuki instructor, and also performs regularly throughout eastern Ontario and western Quebec with his wife Dian as the piano/cello ensemble Luxe Duo.
Rob Carson grew up in Windsor, Ontario and has been playing saxophone for the last 23 years. In Windsor, he studied woodwinds under Gil Grossutti, a prominent local performer and educator who sadly passed away at the height of the pandemic.
Rob was the first chair alto saxophone player in the National Concert Band from 2007 to 2009 and has played with jazz and wind ensembles at the university of Windsor and Queens university during his studies. He has woodwind doubled for many musical theatre productions and was Music Director for the Deep River Players productions of Anything Goes and Mamma Mia.
Lately, Rob has been busy performing with several local groups. He performs with and co-directs the Deep River Community Band alongside Anne Dickson, he performs with Gord Tapp’s Dixieland band, The Kitchissippi Jazz Kats, and he is a regular performer with the River Run Theatre Company directed by Anthony Leclair. He’s even been known to play in the occasional rock band!
Rob is a regular member of the DRSO’s clarinet section. In 2014, Rob was featured with the orchestra playing alto saxophone for Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche. In 2018 he performed two concertos for soprano saxophone with the DRSO: Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Fantasia and David Heath’s Out of the Cool. He’s very excited to have the opportunity to be featured once again with the DRSO and to help them celebrate their 70th concert season.
Bio Coming Soon!
Susan Butler is a professional oboist, pianist, and recorder player. She is well-known in Deep River as a dedicated music teacher through her work with private students of all levels and ages, and as the director of the Summermusic day-camp. Local concertgoers may be less aware of her career as a professional oboist, as this work is mostly based in the National Capital region. Susan is the principal oboist of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and oboist with both the Harmonious Pigs Reed Trio and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra Wind Quintet, which is ensemble-in-residence at Carleton University. She has an active career as a freelance musician, performing frequently with various ensembles such as the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thirteen Strings, l’Ensemble Prisme, the Canadian Centennial Choir, and the Ottawa Choral Society. She is often heard as a visiting player with the Deep River Symphony Orchestra. Susan has performed concertos and recitals in Ottawa and in Deep River on various occasions, and she welcomes this opportunity to perform as soloist with the Deep River Symphony Orchestra again.
Susan conducts Deep River Youth Orchestra and enjoys teaching recorder ensembles and small chamber groups. Susan also enjoys working with adult amateur musicians in community orchestras and with CAMMAC, and she is choir director for the Deep River Community Church. Along with her fellow musicians in the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra Wind Quintet, Susan is an ensemble coach for music performance students at Carleton University.
Susan obtained her Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Ottawa in 1980, followed by post-graduate studies in the Orchestral Training Program at the RCM in Toronto. Her studies at UOttawa included piano pedagogy and Early Music. When she is not busy with musical activities, Susan enjoys cooking and outdoor pursuits such as gardening, camping, hiking and snowshoeing.
