Oksana Zolkewych

TORONTO – Since being formed in 1993, the Gryphon Trio has become recognized as one of Canada’s finest chamber groups. Besides performing works by classical and romantic composers, the Gryphon Trio also commissions and performs new works by contemporary Canadian composers. To date, it has premiered more than 20 of these works across Canada. And two of the Gryphon Trio’s musicians are coming to perform at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation. Roman Borys, the trio’s talented cellist, and Annalee Patipatanakoon, the group’s gifted violinist, will be performing on November 17 at 3pm. The program will feature works by Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, Lawryshyn and others.

Roman Borys grew up in Toronto’s Ukrainian Community. In his early years, he studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Later, he studied under such teachers as Yale University’s Aldo Parisot and the world-renowned Janos Starker at Indiana University. One music critic has said that "Borys plays with an electrifying presence and luscious warmth." Recently, he performed on the sound track to the motion picture, You Can Count on Me, which was nominated for multiple Academy Awards.

Annalee Patipatanakoon is also an accomplished chamber music player and teacher. She has studied with Lise Elson in Calgary and Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. One reviewer recently described her as "a sensitive, intelligent and mature musician."

Together Patipatanakoon and Borys form two-thirds of the Gryphon Trio, one of Canada’s premier ensembles. Absent at the Concert will be the third member of the "Trio", the pianist Jamie Parker. Time and again, critics have noted that although they perform as a group, each member of the Trio is an accomplished artist in their own right. One critic has described their performances as "musical conversations [that] are animated and charming."

And what a charming conversation it will be. Borys plays an 1824 Gagliano cello, while Patipatanakoon performs on a 1717 Stradivarious. They won use of these instruments from the Canada Council for the Arts.

But their reputation goes beyond Canada’s borders. The Gryphon Trio has performed widely in the United States, as well as Germany, France, Belgium, Russia and Finland. They are heard regularly on CBC Radio across Canada and have recorded on the Analektra label. In the coming year, the Gryphon Trio will tour with a large-scale multimedia work entitled "Constantinople" which was highly acclaimed when it played as a work-in-progress in Toronto.