Darryl Friesen

Dr. Darryl Friesen has been praised for his “rich palette of tonal colour” and performances of “intimate, poignant simplicity” (Winnipeg Free Press). He has given acclaimed performances as a soloist and collaborative artist across Canada, the United States, Europe, China, and Brazil, and has been featured many times in concert on CBC Radio.

  • In the faculty

    • Instructor, Piano and Musicianship Skills
    • MPS Instructor, Piano

Education

  • BMus, University of Manitoba
  • MMus, University of Manitoba
  • DMA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Performance highlights

Friesen has given acclaimed performances as a soloist and collaborative artist across Canada, the United States, Europe, China, and Brazil, and has been featured many times in concert on CBC Radio. He has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Chamber Music Society, and the Virtuosi recital series. As a collaborator, he has performed with many distinguished artists, including Andrew Wan, Elliot Madore, the Adaskin String Trio, and the Martha Graham Dance Company. He also had the rare privilege to serve as rehearsal pianist for a memorial concert featuring Frederica von Stade, Elizabeth Futral, Richard Leech, Thomas Hampson, and Samuel Ramey.

Awards

Friesen has been the recipient of many awards and honours. His studies were made possible through multiple grants by the Manitoba Arts Council, as well as the Canada Council of the Arts in 2005 and 2006, which included the coveted Sylva Gelber Foundation Award, given annually to the most talented Canadian classical artist under the age of 30. He was awarded the Nancy Kennedy Wustman Memorial award in Vocal Accompanying at the U of I in 2006, and was the grand prizewinner of the 2003 CBC Arts Encounters Young Performers Competition. He was a finalist in the International Stepping Stone Competition (2004) and Canadian Music Competition (2001), and received the Lawrence Genser Memorial Scholarship (2002) as the most outstanding performer at the University of Manitoba School of Music. He performed in the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Muriel Richardson Auditorium as a featured artist in the Prairie Performances series, and has participated in masterclasses with such artists as Murray Perahia, Jeaneanne Dowis, and Marc Durand.

Ongoing research and creative works

In addition to his work in the Desautels Faculty of Music, Friesen is in great demand as a soloist, collaborative artist, teacher, and clinician, and also maintains a large studio of private students. He is also a faculty member at the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he works as a collaborative artist and coach.