Ernest Kanitz - Chamber Works (ARC Ensemble)

Information

Composer: Ernest Kanitz

• Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 10
• String Quartet
• Sonata for Solo Cello
• Concertino
• Sonata Californiana

ARC Ensemble

    Erika Raum, violin

    Marie Bérard, violin

    Steven Dann, viola

    Thomas Wiebe, cello

    Joaquin Valdepeñas, clarinet

    Kevin Ahfat, piano

&

Wallace Halladay, saxophone

Anna Štube, violin

Joel Quarrington, double-bass

Date: 2025

Label: Chandos

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The ARC Ensemble’s Music in Exile series highlights chamber works by Ernest Kanitz, an Austrian composer born in 1894. Trained under Franz Schreker, Kanitz gained prominence as a teacher at the New Vienna Conservatory and as founder of the Vienna Women’s Chamber Choir. Despite converting to Christianity, his Jewish heritage forced him to flee Austria in 1938. After teaching in South Carolina, he built a successful career at the University of Southern California. His later years brought renewed creative activity and performances by major American orchestras. Kanitz died in 1978, and his music—like that of many émigré composers—was largely forgotten until now.

Founded in 2003 as The Royal Conservatory’s ensemble-in-residence, the ARC Ensemble is one of Canada’s leading cultural ambassadors, acclaimed internationally and nominated for Juno, OPUS Klassik, and Grammy awards. Its mission centers on recovering music suppressed by 20th-century political and racial oppression, aiming to restore forgotten works and correct historical distortions. The ensemble has performed at major venues and festivals worldwide and its “Music in Exile” series has received global recognition. Comprising senior faculty and top alumni of the Glenn Gould School, ARC collaborates with renowned artists and composers, producing acclaimed recordings for Sony and Chandos.