Winner of the 2021 Canada Council for the Arts’ Michael Measures 1st Prize, David Liam Roberts has established a reputation as one of Canada’s most promising cellists. David Liam was awarded both the 1st Prize and Grand Award at the 2018 National Music Festival of Canada and recently won 1st Prize of the 2022 biennial WMC McLellan Competition after performing the Schumann Cello Concerto as soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in the competition’s final round.
Upcoming engagements include a 3-week recital tour of the Atlantic provinces in March 2023 with pianist LaLa Lee as 2022-23 Debut Atlantic touring artists. Recent engagements include a solo appearance with the Winnipeg Symphony in a subscription concert performing double cello concerti with Yuri Hooker (conducted by Daniel Raiskin), recorded concerts presented by the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg and Virtuosi Concerts, and a solo recital in collaboration with Winnipeg’s Polycoro Chamber Choir and multimedia artist Taylor McArthur.
Chamber music has been an integral part of David Liam’s life since he started busking with his older siblings at age 5, playing Métis fiddle tunes in his home province of Manitoba. Recent highlights have been collaborating with pianist Nicolas Namoradze and violinists Joel Link (Dover Quartet) and Scott St. John at the Toronto Summer Music Festival. David Liam is a regular extra with the Toronto Symphony since the 2021-22 season.
David Liam plays a Ruggeri-model cello that was made for him in 2017 by Winnipeg-based luthier, Garth Lee.
LaLa performs extensively throughout China and Canada and has played concerti with orchestras including the Shanghai Philharmonic, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, and Symphony Nova Scotia. Both artists have been featured on CBC’s list of Canada’s 30 Top Classical Musicians Under 30 and are recipients of The Royal Conservatory’s most prestigious scholarships.
Liam&LaLa performing Frédéric Chopin’s Introduction and Polonaise Brilliante in C major for Cello and Piano, Op 3:
Press quotes:
David Liam: “deeply thoughtful and soft-spoken artist” (Winnipeg Free Press)
LaLa Lee: “undoubtedly a talent to watch” (Juno Award winning composer Dinuk Wijeratne)
Artist websites:
https://www.davidliamroberts.com/
Artist Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/davidliamroberts/
https://www.instagram.com/lalaleepiano/