- Dry Fig Trees

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Of Armenian origin, composer, pianist and teacher, Gerard Satamian was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. Although his family could hardly support their basic needs, his mother, noticing his early musical inclinations, arranged for him to take private piano lessons.

At the age of 13 he entered the Beirut National Conservatory of music. At school in Lebanon, Satamian excelled in literature and languages, and for many years immersed himself in the French writers and poets. His early years were filled with the musical traditions of many cultures and styles: Armenian, Arabic, and Western, such as Romanticism and Impressionism.

In 1977, during the Civil War in Lebanon, Satamian moved to Armenian to continue his piano studies at the Gomitas Conservatory of Music in Yerevan. There he was exposed to the Armenian and Russian composers. He also pursued his love for singing through vocal coaching, finding voice and most natural and expressive instrument. He received his Masters degree in piano, in 1982, but vocal music had found a special place in his heart.

In 1983, Satamian left Lebanon with his family for Los Angeles. Deeply affected by the tragedies of the war in Lebanon he turned to the Scriptures for answers. For the next 10 years he taught piano while concentrating most of his energy on his spirituality.

Although Satamian never studied composition formerly, he always knew he had a gift for writing melodies. Having moved to Vancouver, Canada in 1989 he further developed his composition skills. Chansons sans Paroles (1989) written originally for voice and piano and the Suite Lyrique (1994) are short stories inspired by images of the past and people he knew.

Francois Houle

Francois Houle's energetic performances are bridging the gap between the new music and improvisation. He went to McGill University in Montreal where he received his bachelor of music degree and graduated with a Masters degree from the Yale school of music. He also spent two years in residence at the Banff Centre for the arts. His great interest in contemporary music has led him to perform under the direction of Bruce Mather, Mauricio Kagel, Arthur Weisberg, Toru Takemitsa and Yannis Xenakis, among others.

Since moving to Vancouver in 1990, Houle has established itself as a strong new voice on the Canadian creative music scene. Recent performances include all Western Canadian gas festivals, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, the Festival de Music Actuelle de Victoriaville, new music across America, time flies, and Seattle World Jazz Festival. He has also dedicated much of his time composing for his own critically acclaimed group Francois Houle Et Cetera.