Morningside Music Bridge in Fort Simpson
October 5 @ 7:30 pm
An international scholarship program for gifted artists aged 12–18, Morningside Music Bridge brings together the finest emerging artists to perform on an international stage and measure themselves against the absolute best performers globally.
Since its inception in 1997, more than 1,000 young artists from almost every continent have benefited from the barrier-free music-making experience offered by Morningside Music Bridge. Their alumni have become today’s leading classical musicians, performing on stages around the world, holding key positions with the best orchestras, and teaching at the top music schools. Equally important are the cultural bridges and lifelong friendships Morningside Music Bridge participants, guest artists, and partner organizations enjoy.
Morningside Music Bridge is pleased to collaborate with the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre to commemorate the 30th anniversary tour of the Morningside Music Bridge, its first tour to the Northwest Territories.
With the Morningside Music Bridge International Quartet, they will be bringing four exceptional MMB alumni artists, as well as the NWT’s own Wesley Hardisty, across the NWT for a special concert series. The MMB International Quartet consists of Anna Stube (violin), Emad Zolfaghari (viola), Brandon Leonard (cello), Irene Huang (piano), and Wesley Hardisty (fiddle).
Wesley Hardisty, Guest Musician
Wesley Hardisty is Dene First Nation from Tulita and Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ (Fort Simpson) Northwest Territories. Wesley is a vibrant fiddle player, composer, and collaborator who started playing the fiddle at age 12.
Notable performances include: the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, the Inuvik 2011 Truth and Reconciliation Commission National event, and the National Arts Centre events Canada Scene and Northern Scene. His album 12:12 won the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award in 2012.
Wesley is an instructor for the Kole Crook Fiddle Association. As a student through the program, he performed for William and Kate in Yellowknife on their 2011 Royal Tour of Canada. He attended the Gulf Island School of Performing Arts and was formally in the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre Mentorship Program, mentored by acclaimed violinist/producer/composer Jesse Zubot.
This mentorship led to a contribution to Jesse’s music score for the Bones of Crows TV Series, nominated for 12 Canadian Screen Awards. Wesley’s contributions with Carmen Braden and the Canadian Chamber Choir led to a nomination for a JUNO award Classical Album of the Year, for their album Where Waters Meet. Wesley is a highly sought-after musician, collaborator, and commissioned for many projects with fiddle players, classical ensembles, and singer-songwriters.
He mentors in mentorship programs and provides valuable feedback to up and coming musicians. Wesley stays involved in the not-for-profit sector by serving on the Board of Directors as the Vice President of the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, taking part in the Atti! Indigenous Artists Collective Committee and Salt Spring Island Foundation Committee. Since 2023, he has been involved with V’ni Dansi workshops and performances, which aims to educate both the aspects of Métis history and culture in schools and communities. He is also an ambassador for the Downie-Wenjack Fund.
Anna Stube, violin
Hailed a “sensation.. brilliant display of poise and virtuosity” (Classical Voice North America), Latvian violinist Anna Štube (b. 2005) has astounded audiences with her depth of expression throughout her international performance career, devoted to sharing the compassion and humanity of music. Anna has made festival appearances as a featured guest artist at the Banff International String Quartet Festival, Toronto Summer Music, and the Rockport Chamber Music Festival.
Her numerous accolades include First Prize at the OSM Manulife Competition as their youngest-ever winner, the Glenn Gould School’s 2024 Corcoran Concerto and Chamber Music Competitions, and Grand Prize at the Canadian Music Competition. Anna is featured on the Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble’s studio album released by CHANDOS Records in fall 2025, invited to create the inaugural recording of the Kanitz Violin Sonata with acclaimed pianist Kevin Ahfat. The album received resounding praise from the industry’s most prolific platforms including Gramophone, The Strad, and BBC Classical Music. Anna has also collaborated with preeminent ensembles such as the Kronos Quartet, Calidore String Quartet, Emerson Quartet, and the New Orford String Quartet. She has worked with celebrated musicians such as Midori, James Ehnes, and Pinchas Zukerman, among many others. Anna recently performed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in their 2024/25 season as a MacLachlan Ridge Emerging Artist, having made her solo debut with the CPO at age 13. With regular appearances in Toronto’s Koerner Hall as well as a recent concert with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra and Earl Lee, Anna has also played with ensembles including the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, National Ballet Orchestra of Canada, Calgary Civic Symphony, and Kensington Sinfonia. Twice the recipient of the prestigious Sylva Gelber Award, Anna currently studies at The Glenn Gould School with Jonathan Crow. She plays on a 1667 Andrea Guarneri violin and Fétique bow, generously loaned by CANIMEX Inc.
Emad Zolfaghari, viola
Canadian violist Emad Zolfaghari came to international attention after winning the first prize and audience prize at the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition. Emad was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music at age 16, where he earned his bachelor’s degree studying with Hsin-Yun Huang, Misha Amory and Roberto Diaz. In fall 2026, Emad will attend the Juilliard School, studying with Cynthia Phelps and Hsin-Yun Huang as a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship.
Other major competition prizes include winning the Klein, ArsClassica, Morningside Music Bridge, Johansen, Tokyo and the OSM international competitions. He also was awarded Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi Career grant in 2024, won the Nobuko Imai Förderpreis at the Kronberg Academy and was listed as one of CBC Music’s 30 under 30 Hot Classical Musicians.
Solo appearances include the Tokyo Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Métropolitain under the baton of Yannick Nezet-Seguin, National Philharmonic, Oakville Chamber Orchestra, Peninsula Symphony and more.
Emad continues to perform at renowned music festivals, such as Marlboro, ChamberFest Cleveland, ChamberFest West, Four Seasons and Music in the Vineyards, among others.
Emad currently plays on a fine 1700 Matteo Goffriller viola on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation, and a Eugène Sartory bow from CANIMEX, inc. His studies are generously supported by a Sylva Gelber Foundation award.
Brandon Leonard is a twenty-year-old cellist from Stone Mountain, Georgia. He studied with Karen Freer of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the Talent Development Program and currently studies with Natasha Brofsky at the Juilliard School as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. He was the winner of the 2023 National Sphinx Competition and has soloed with orchestras such as the Atlanta Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and the Hilton Head Symphony. He has attended summer music camps, including the Center Stage Strings program and the Morningside Music Bridge program.
As a member of the Sycamore Trio, he won 1st prize at WDAV’s Young Chamber Musicians Competition and 2nd prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2022. Most recently, he was a prizewinner at the 2025 Washington International Competition for Strings.
Growing up in Toronto, Irene Huang began her piano studies at age three and earned her ARCT Performance Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music with First Class Honours with Distinction in 2018. She also studied violin from the age of four, receiving the Royal Conservatory of Music Gold Medal for the highest ARCT violin mark in Ontario in 2022.
Irene has extensive experience collaborating with instrumentalists and vocalists in a wide range of settings, including recitals, competitions, festivals, and examinations. She has served as pianist of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, collaborative pianist for the North Toronto Songbirds, and composer-in-residence for the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto Youth Orchestra, working closely with young artists in both solo and chamber contexts.
As a pianist, Irene has performed in major venues including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Jordan Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall, and Kilbourn Hall, and has participated in festivals including Morningside Music Bridge, Connecticut Summerfest, and the Wintergreen Music Festival.
Alongside her collaborative work, Irene is a passionate composer. Her piece “Face the Music” won first prize in the United Nations’ Pitching Peace Youth Music Challenge and was featured at its inaugural International Day for Disarmament event in 2023. Her orchestral work “The Light of Yule” received the Promising High-School Composer Prize from the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra, and her composition “Deaf Pillows” was selected for premiere at Carnegie Hall by the Musical Life Foundation. In 2024, Irene’s string orchestra work “Still Small Voice” premiered at Jordan Hall. Most recently, her song “BE HAPPY!” won first prize at Sparks & Wiry Cries’ songSLAM.
Of all thing’s music, Irene is particularly passionate about championing works by emerging composers and enjoys engaging directly with them to explore interpretive possibilities. She is currently pursuing her studies at the Eastman School of Music.
