Pianist Jonathan Mak "The Enchanted Night"

Jonathan Mak ​explores dreams, fantasy, mystery, and moonlight through music by Beethoven, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms​. Pianist Jonathan Mak has emerged as one of Canada’s leading young classical musicians, appearing as a soloist with orchestras and at major festivals across North America and Europe. A winner of the inaugural Concours international de musique de Sorel-Tracy and the Bader & Overton Canadian Piano Competition, he was named one of CBC Music’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30” and has performed with ensembles including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Kingston Symphony Orchestra, and RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. Mak has appeared at Music@Menlo, Bravo! Vail, Festival of the Sound, Ottawa Chamberfest, and the Edinburgh International Festival, and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts at Rice University with pianist Jon Kimura Parker. His Halifax recital, “The Enchanted Night,” explores the mysterious worlds of dreams, fantasy, and imagination. Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata opens the program in an atmosphere of quiet reverie, followed by Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, eight contrasting pieces that move between tenderness, excitement, introspection, and dreamlike fantasy. Liszt’s virtuosic transcription of Schubert’s “Erlkönig” draws the listener into a supernatural journey where fear, illusion, and fate intertwine. The program culminates with Brahms’s expansive Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, a passionate early work whose slow movement evokes two lovers united beneath the moonlight. This special Choose-What-You-Pay performance is presented in support of the Cecilia Concerts 2027 Developing Musician Award. Co-presented with Debut Atlantic Season Sponsor: NICE MOVES / Red Door Realty