CMFAA User Profile

Darryl Friesen has been praised for his “rich palette of tonal colour” and performances of “intimate, poignant simplicity” (Winnipeg Free Press). He completed his DMA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying with Fulbright scholar Dr. William Heiles and Dennis Helmrich, as a Fellow of both the University of Illinois and Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Society. After studying with distinguished pedagogue Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music, he received BMus and MMus degrees in piano performance from the University of Manitoba as a student of well-known Canadian pianist, Dr. David Moroz.

He has given acclaimed performances across Canada, the United States, Europe, China, and Brazil, and has been featured numerous times on CBC Radio. He has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Chamber Music Society and the Virtuosi recital series. As a collaborator and recitalist, he has performed with many distinguished artists, including Elliot Madore, Andrew Wan, 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.

Dr. Friesen has been the recipient of many awards and honours. His studies were made possible through generous grants by the Manitoba Arts Council and the Canada Council of the Arts, including the Sylva Gelber Foundation Award, given annually to the most talented Canadian classical artist under the age of 30. He was the grand prizewinner of the 2003 CBC Arts Encounters Young Performers Competition, and was a finalist in the International Stepping Stone Competition and the Canadian Music Competition.

Dr. Friesen is in great demand as a soloist, collaborative artist and teacher. He and his wife live with their four children in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is currently a Sessional Instructor at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music, and is also a faculty member of the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy in Winnipeg.