Kerson Leong

Sunday, September 28, 2025 | 3:00pm

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A young man in a blue shirt is holding a violin.
A young man in a blue shirt is holding a violin.
A young man in a blue shirt is holding a violin.

Bach+ Bratwurst and Beer

In the words of Kerson himself: I could think of no better way to emphasize the perennial power and relevance of J.S. Bach’s music than to include two of his most monumental works for solo violin – the idyllic C major sonata as well as the legendary D minor Chaconne – and to juxtapose them with two solo sonatas by the 20th-century Belgian violin giant Eugène Ysaÿe, directly inspired by Bach’s writings and containing an emotional power that has captured my imagination on a personal level. The ethereal atmosphere captured by this interplay is strengthened by two pieces originally for classical guitar, including one I arranged.


In celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the Cecilian Chamber Series, join us for a feast of bratwurst and beer following this concert!


PROGRAM

Tárrega arr. Ricci: Recuerdos de la Alhambra 


Bach: Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005 



Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 3 'Ballade' 



– Intermission –



Barrios arr. Leong: Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios



Kreisler: Recitativo and Scherzo 



Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 4 in e minor 



Bach: Chaconne from Partita No. 2



Program subject to change

  • Kerson Leong Biography

    Kerson Leong has been described as “not just one of Canada’s greatest violinists but one of the greatest violinists, period” (Toronto Star). Forging a unique path since his First Prize win at the International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition in 2010, he continues to win over colleagues and audiences alike with “a mixture of spontaneity and mastery, elegance, fantasy, intensity that makes his sound recognizable from the first notes” (Le Monde).  


    His latest album release ‘Britten & Bruch,’ recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Patrick Hahn for Alpha Classics, was awarded Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Choc de Classica, and ‘The Strad Recommends’ by The Strad, as well as five-star recommendations from the Sunday Times and Diapason among others. As a sought-after soloist, he was hand-picked by Yannick Nézet-Séguin to be artist-in-residence with the Orchestre Métropolitain during the 18/19 season and has recently performed as soloist with such ensembles as the Royal, Oslo, Brussels, Kansai, and Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Seattle, Singapore, Toronto, Istanbul, Toledo, Montreal, Stavanger, and Wuppertal Symphony Orchestras.  


    Kerson performs on the ‘ex Bohrer, Baumgartner’ Guarneri del Gesu violin courtesy of Canimex Inc, Drummondville (Quebec), Canada.

A mixture of spontaneity and mastery, elegance, fantasy, intensity that makes his sound recognizable from the first notes”


– Le Monde