Music at Mount Carmel started as a dream of Fr. Stan Makacinas, the Director to have classical music fill The Chapel of Mount Carmel. With the gracious help of Atis Bankas, a member of the Toronto Symphony and the Artistic Director of the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival, this dream became a reality in April 2007. Mr. Bankas accepted the post of Artistic Director for Music at Mount Carmel to keep this dream alive.
Artistic Director, Atis Bankas has assembled a wonderful array of performers and music to inspire and to entertain music lovers. Come and enjoy fine music on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 PM in the Chapel at Mount Carmel. On February 10th, Music for Muses presents a fine quartet featuring works by Saint-Saens, Schumann, Puccini and Poulenc. Soprano Kristine Dandavino sings Ave Maria along with music for harp and flute. March 30th features Atis Bankas on violin and Julian Milkis on clarinet as they team up to present a delightful tour through the music of Brahms and Mozart. On April 13th the Gould String Quartet will present two full works, Dvorak's String Quartet in C major, Op. 61 and Tchaikovsky's String Quartet Op. 30, No. 3 in E flat minor. May 4th features Musical Portraits-French Baroque with Atis Bankas leading a musical journey through Couperin, Daquin, Rameau and Duphly for harpsichord and violin.
Tickets are Adults - $25.00 -- Students - $10, and are available through the Mount Carmel Gift Shop, the Spiritual Centre Office, email or at the door on the day of the concert.
Atis Bankas
(Artistic Director, Violin)
First prize winner of the International Violin Competition in Tallin, Estonia, Atis Bankas has performed as a soloist in the former Soviet Union, Europe, the United States, and Canada; and with orchestras under the direction of Nejme Jarvi, Iona Brown, and Andrew Davis, among others. Mr. Bankas was Assistant Concertmaster of the Lithuanian Philharmonic Orchestra prior to immigrating to Canada in 1981. Since 1982, he has been a violinist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Bankas is an avid chamber musician. He is first violinist with the Gould String Quartet. Prior chamber ensembles included the New World Trio, the Krieghoff String Quartet, the Toronto Piano Trio and Trio Rachmaninoff. His solo and chamber music appearances have been featured on CJRT, CFMX, CBC and NPR radio networks, as well as on television in Canada and the United States. His performances have received critical acclaim: “A brilliant technique and profound musicianship are combined in the artistry of the Lithuanian born violinist, Atis Bankas” - Estonian Daily “Atis Bankas excelled in brilliant solo passages, but was first among equals in a seasoned ensemble...” - Kitchener-Waterloo Record; “... the mellow tone he elicits from his instrument is responsible for the warmth of the ensemble. Its pitch approaches that of the viola but in capable hands of Mr. Bankas it soars the heights into sweetness. Quite remarkable!” - Financial Post.
Mr. Bankas is the founder and Artistic Director of the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival and the Canadian Chamber Academy. He was also the founder and Artistic Director of the Muskoka Lakes Music Festival and the Windermere Music Festival. Mr. Bankas has participated in many summer festivals including the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, the Weathersfield Music Festival, Shandele Music Festival and the Silver Bay Summer Music Festival.
Mr. Bankas studied at the School of the Arts for Gifted Children in Kaunas, Lithuania, and the Lithuanian State Conservatory, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Masters degree in solo violin performance, chamber music, pedagogy and orchestral performance. Mr. Bankas continued his post-graduate work in violin performance at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where he studied in David Oistrakh’s department. His principal teachers were Victor Radovich and Semyon Snitkovsky, both students of David Oistrakh.
Mr. Bankas is highly regarded as a teacher of violin performance. Since 1982, Mr. Bankas has been a Professor at the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. His teaching experience also includes academic positions at the University of Toronto, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and the Moscow Gnessin Pedagogical Institute in Moscow. Mr. Bankas has adjudicated and offered master classes in Japan, Europe, the United States and Canada. Many of Mr. Bankas students have been top prize winners of international and national competitions, such as the Paganini International Violin Competition, Niagara International Music Competition, the Toronto Symphony and Montreal Symphony competitions, Edward Johnson Music Competition, Kiwanis Festivals, and the Canadian Music Competitions. As well, they have gone on to study at prestigious institutions such as Juilliard, the Cleveland Institute, Peabody, the Royal Northern College of Music and have obtained positions with Canada’s major symphony orchestras including the Toronto Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony.