Steven Turner has been a props and scenic designer and builder for more than 45 years. He started his career at home in Nova Scotia working summers at the Festival on the Bay. Later he worked at the Neptune theater in Halifax and then went on to New York, Las Vegas, Macau and then the rest of the world. His career has taken him around the globe designing and building props, sets, and illusions for dozens of major companies like, Cirque du Soleil, DreamWorks, Audi, Harley Davidson, Mattel, Second City, Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Catz, Venetian Macau Resort, Guinness Book of Records, and most recently Stephen Kings - The Institute (TV show), and many others.

Anne Larlee has worked as a répétiteur and coach at the Frankfurt Opera since 2016. The Canadian pianist has also given numerous recitals, including performances with Tamara Wilson, Bianca Andrew, Jonathan Abernethy, Louise Alder, Paula Murrihy and Anthony Robin Schneider. Previously, she was a répétiteur and vocal coach at the Komische Oper Berlin and the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, where she regularly returns. The multi-award-winning
musician has performed in recitals at renowned venues in North America and Europe – including St. John’s Smith Square in London and La Maison de la Radio in Paris. The sought-after pianist has also performed at festivals such as Glyndebourne, Aldeburgh and Bregenz, as well as at Calgary Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Opera Theatre in St. Louis, and the Tyroler Festspiele Erl. In addition, she has accompanied masterclasses led by Sir Thomas Allen, Brigitte Fassbaender, Martin Isepp, Dame Felicity Lott and Carlo Rizzi. She is regularly engaged as a collaborator and coach for the Neue Stimmen Masterclasses of the
Bertelsmann Foundation in Gütersloh.

Photo: Phil Crozier, Photophilcro

Described as a “scintillating player,” pianist and Coach, Tina Chang, is currently on the music staff at Vancouver Opera, and has been involved with international organizations such as Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, soundSCAPE New Music Festival in Italy. Locally, she works with organizations such as Chor Leoni, Arts Club Theatre, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Sound the Alarm Music Theatre, and Vancouver Bach Choir.  She maintains her own private studio, and has been on the adjunct faculty at the University of British Columbia, and Dalhousie University. Find out more about Tina at www.TinaChangPiano.ca. 

Elly Grant (she/her) is a dynamic arts administrator, program coordinator, and multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges creative practice and community engagement. A graduate of Quest University Canada with a Master’s in Art Education from NSCAD University, Elly brings a thoughtful, experimental approach to arts programming and cultural production. Her curatorial and project management experience spans a range of institutions and initiatives, including Temporary Collection, Guelph Arts Council, Nelson Museum Archives and Gallery, Parks Canada, the Junction Artist-in-Residence Program, Ed Video Media Arts Centre, Textile Museum of Canada, and the University of Guelph. Elly also runs Double Dipped, an upcycled clothing venture where she designs and handcrafts custom garments, merging sustainability with style. Elly is passionate about reimagining arts programming and administration as a form of creative inquiry, as she actively explores the intersections of art, collaboration, and place-making through innovative, community-rooted projects

Jennifer Qu (she/her) is an artist and arts administrator with a background in events and communications. With roots in Toronto, she is now based in Banff, where she works as a Program Delivery Specialist with the Leadership team at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. She holds a BFA in Photography and a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration and Cultural Management. Most recently, she worked with The Bentway Conservancy, supporting the production of community events and large-scale arts programs. With over five years of experience in Canada’s not-for-profit arts sector, Jennifer is passionate about supporting artists and building community through an accessible lens.

Wil Fraser (he/him) is the Program Associate and Elders/Knowledge Keepers/Participant Support for Indigenous Leadership and Cultural Leadership Programs at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. In this multifaceted role, Wil provides holistic care and cultural support to Elders, Knowledge Keepers, faculty, and participants, fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment throughout each program.  With a deep commitment to Indigenous ways of knowing and community-building, Wil plays a vital role in ensuring participants feel safe, supported, and empowered during their time on campus and works closely with Leadership team to uphold the integrity and spirit of the programs.  Wil is also currently pursuing his Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies at Royal Roads University, further deepening his knowledge and expanding his capacity to serve through education and leadership. His work is grounded in respect, relationality, and the belief that meaningful cultural exchange, informed by wise practices and right relations, can transform individuals and communities alike.

Morten Lindberg (b. 1970, Norway). Recording Producer and Balance Engineer with 46 American GRAMMY-nominations since 2006, 38 of these in craft categories Best Engineered Album, Best Surround Sound Album, Best Immersive Audio Album and Producer of the Year. Founder and CEO of the record label 2L. Grammy Award-winner 2020.

About our approach recording music in immersive audio: The beauty of the recording arts is that there is no fixed formula and no blueprint. It all comes out of the music. Every project starts out by digging into the score and talking with the composer, if contemporary, and the musicians. It is not our task as producers and engineers to try to re-create a concert situation with all its commercial limitations. On the contrary; we should make the ideal out of the recording medium and create the strongest illusion, the sonic experience that emotionally moves the listener to a better place.

The music captured by 2L features Norwegian composers and performers and an international repertoire reflected in the Nordic atmosphere. The immersive recordings not only transform the entire listening experience, but also - more radically - these innovative recordings overturn some very basic concepts regarding how music is composed and performed. 2L emphasize immersive audio with Pure Audio Blu-ray and HiRes file file distribution and streaming, and have garnered no less than 46 GRAMMY nominations, 38 of these in craft categories Best Engineered Album, Best Surround Sound Album, Best Immersive Audio Album and Producer of the Year. In 2020 the album LUX won the GRAMMY for Best Immersive Audio.

2L record in spacious acoustic venues: large concert halls, churches and cathedrals. This is actually where we can make the most intimate recordings. The qualities we seek in large rooms are not necessarily a big reverb, but openness due to the absence of close reflecting walls. Making an ambient and beautiful recording is the way of least resistance. Searching the fine edge between direct contact and openness - that’s the real challenge! A really good recording should be able to bodily move the listener. This core quality of audio production is made by choosing the right venue for the repertoire, and by balancing the image in the placement of microphones and musicians relative to each other in that venue.

There is no method available today to reproduce the exact perception of attending a live performance. That leaves us with the art of illusion when it comes to recording music. As recording engineers and producers we need to do exactly the same as any good musician: interpret the music and the composer’s intentions and adapt to the media where we perform. Immersive Audio is a completely new conception of the musical experience. Recorded music is no longer a matter of a fixed one- or two-dimensional setting, but rather a three-dimensional enveloping situation. Immersive Audio is a sculpture that you can literally move around and relate to spatially; surrounded by music you can move about in the aural space and choose angles, vantage points and positions. Rather than reproducing a concert situation we consider the Recording Art a discipline on its own. It gives us the possibility to place the listener in an ideal position and become an actual party to the event. Thru a dedicated production of the music we can maximize energy, reveal all the small nuances and avoid disturbing distractions. The emotional impact can be made massive. The conductor’s position is the seat no audience can afford — until now with these dedicated recordings.
 

Allie Su has taught and performed extensively as a chamber musician throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. Specializing in wind and brass accompanying, Su has collaborated with many leading artists including Nitzan Haroz, Carol Jantsch, Denson Paul Pollard, Demondrae Thurman, Toby Oft, Benjamin Kamins, George Sakakeeny, and Alexa Still in various concert venues. Su has served as a collaborative pianist in major festivals including Perlman Music Program, Interlochen Center for the Arts, American Viola Society, Cooper International Violin Competition and Meadowmount School of Music Summer Festival.

As an internationally recognized chamber artist, Su has performed and given master classes at the Oberlin Conservatory, University of Texas in Austin, University of Denver, University of Colorado in Boulder, Cleveland State University, Taipei University, Tunghai University, Sun Yat-sen University, Seoul National University, and Yonsei University. Besides being an instrumental accompanying specialist, Su also served as a vocal coach and staff pianist for the Land of Enchantment Opera, Young Artist Program at the Butler Opera Center, and Franco-American Vocal Academy, ISING Summer Festival in Suzhou, China and Lingua e Canto in Sant’ Angelo in Vado, Italy.

Su is currently on faculty at The Tianjin Juilliard School in Tianjin, China where she is an instructor in the graduate studies program, chamber coach in Pre-College, and staff pianist area coordinator. Prior to her position at Tianjin Juilliard, Su served as a full-time collaborative pianist at the Oberlin Conservatory and was piano faculty member at the Oberlin Community Music School.

Su has a DMA in collaborative piano from the University of Texas in Austin under the tutelage of Anne Apperson and an MM in piano performance from Arizona State University.