Gregory Oh
Piano
Canadian pianist Gregory Oh has always had commitment issues, and believes firmly in keeping his options open. He holds graduate degrees from the University of Toronto, where he completed his studies with Marietta Orlov as the top graduating pianist, and the University of Michigan, where he worked with Martin Katz.
As a soloist, he has garnered praise for his "crystal clear tone, musical structure-conscious thinking, highly sensitive art of touch" (Graz Neue Zeit - Austria) and was described as an "exceptional performer...mesmerizing...intelligence and insight...a visceral sense of tempo, excellent voicing, a wonderful pianistic palette, and a warm, honest sound." (National Post - Canada)
He has appeared with the UTSO, the Graz Hochschule Orchestra, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra London and the Festival Players, and has given recitals throughout Canada and the United States. As a chamber musician, he has shared the stage with musicians like Shauna Rolston, Patrick Gallois, Alain Trudel, Jens Lindemann, James Thompson, John Marcellus, Lorand Fenyves, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Mark Fewer, Michael Colvin, Allyson McHardy, Lori Freedman, NEXUS, Beverley Johnston, Noreen Burgess and Jean MacPhail.
He is active as an opera coach, has served as music director of the San Diego Opera Ensemble, and has also worked with Florida State Opera, the University of Michigan Opera Program, Michigan Opera Works and Lyric Opera San Diego. He has held faculty positions at the Banff Centre for the Arts, both in Music and Sound, and Theatre Arts, where he worked with the Contemporary Opera and Song Training Program.
He is the artistic director of the highly acclaimed new music group Toca Loca with Simon Docking and Aiyun Huang, and "is clearly on his way, through performances, commissioning and programming, to making a lasting contribution to new music in this country." (National Post - Canada) Toca Loca has been relentlessly branding the cattle of the new music world, and has been Provost Distinguished Visitors at USC, Ensemble-in-Residence at the Music Gallery, and has recently premiered works by James Rolfe, Andrew Staniland, Dan Koontz, Chris Paul Harman, Inouk Demers, Erik Ross and Hywel Davies, and introduced works by Philippe Leroux, Heinz Holliger, Frederic Rzewski, Liza Lim, Toshio Hosokawa, Dai Fujikura, Dorothy Chang, Michael Finnissy, Juliet Palmer, Jerome Kitzke, Daniel Koontz, Rick Burkhardt, Ken Ueno, Unsuk Chin and Sofia Gubaidulina to Canadian audiences.
As a conductor, he works with contemporary ensembles as well as in musical theatre and opera productions. No stranger to the pop scene, he has worked with Kurt Swinghammer, Andrew Downing, Andrew Craig, Quinsin Nachoff, John Gzowski and the Redemption Steel Orchestra, and as the keyboardist in uberband The Lollipop People has played Pop Montreal, NXNE, Wavelength, Galapagos, the Guelph Folk Festival and the Brampton Indie Arts Festival. He frequently appears with cabaret performer Patricia O'Callaghan, and has also performed in the Festival of the Sound, Sound Symposium, Music Around Us, Two New Hours, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Brave New Works, Esprit Orchestra, Nouvelle Ensemble Moderne, the Music Gallery, la Chapelle historique de Bonpasteur, Tapestry New Opera, Soundstreams, Continuum, Ergo and the Soulpepper Theatre Company. His performances are often heard on CBC Radio One and Radio Two, and seen on CBC Television, TV Ontario, BravoFACT and Bravo's Live at the Rehearsal Hall. He currently lives in Toronto, where he teaches at the University of Toronto, freelances, watches bad television and tries in vain to fix his bike. This past summer he conducted performances by Continuum New Music and CONTACT Contemporary Music, appeared in the Luminato Festival with Patricia O'Callaghan, participated in the Canadian premiere of Steve Reich's "Daniel Variations" with NEXUS and Soundstreams Canada, was the Music Director for the Companion Star workshop and performance of The Transtromer Project by Ellen Lindquist in Sweden and joined the faculty of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.