Photo by Bo Huang
Integral Ensemble was formed in 2014 following a highly successful private appearance organized by the late James Stewart in his spectacular Integral House. Founding members violinist-violist Brenna Hardy-Kavanagh and pianist Dr. Lisa Tahara are dedicated to building and maintaining a repertoire of contemporary compositions and staples of the Classical and Romantic chamber music canon.
Based in Toronto, Canada, the ensemble was featured (under their previous name Amarok Ensemble) in the International Showcase concert during the 2015 St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar in Stanford, California. The following year, they were selected as the inaugural ensemble for the Career Development Residency at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival.
The members of the Integral Ensemble have participated in such prestigious programs as The Banff Centre Chamber Music Residency, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Domaine Forget Chamber Music Academy, Mozarteum Summer Academy, Wiener Musikseminar, and the Schlern International Music Festival, and have performed alongside such ensembles as the Penderecki String Quartet and the Art of Time Ensemble.
The Integral Ensemble’s musicians hold degrees from the University of Victoria, University of Toronto, University of Montreal, and the Glenn Gould School. Together, they have presented recitals at the Canadian Music Centre, Mazzoleni Hall of the Royal Conservatory of Music, and Festival Pontiac Enchanté in Luskville, Québec. Integral Ensemble completed a tour of concerts for the Health Arts Society of British Columbia in 2018, and was recently featured in the Music at St. Andrew's recital series in Toronto.