Augmented Trio Promotions

Be Mused

Be Mused

“Be Mused is a must-see performance for the music lover” – Paula Cain, Piano Teacher, Victoria, B.C.

On Saturday October 18th, 2025 Aerie Trio, (Diane Berry, flute, Maria Wang, cello and Kathryn Le Gros, piano) along with soprano Marnie Setka-Mooney performed in Be Mused, a concert of contemporary classical music by four BC women composers. These talented musicians presented works by Sylvia Rickard, Janet Danielson, Leila Lustig and Diane Berry, in the renowned setting of the Murray Adaskin Salon in Vancouver. Reflecting the diversity of the composers, the program consisted of a variety of duets, trios and a quartet.

Be Mused, Saturday October 18, 3pm

Murray Adaskin Salon of the Canadian Music Centre

837 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1B7

Program Description

“What a delightful concert was Be Mused. So much of the instrumental works performed at the concert easily evoked pictures in my mind.” – Beth Goh, Victoria, B.C.

Image reflects music of Diane Berry's "Tidepools"

This is not music that will come up on a Spotify playlist! Contemporary Classical composers find their inspiration in diverse places, which lead them to create music that is thought provoking, often beautiful, perhaps unsettling, contemplative and often humourous. Be Mused celebrates this diversity with pieces such as Leila Lustig’s “Introductory Remarks”, in which a professor is completely honest with her class on the first day, Diane Berry’s “I’m Spinning’ ‘Round”, a take on modern life, and “Tidepools” that evoke an afternoon on our rocky coast. Janet Danielson’s “Resolutions” leaves you thinking about the multiple definitions of the word, while Sylvia Rickard's Song for the Earth is a moving tribute to our world.

The impetus for Augmented Trio Promotions to present this concert, was Leila Lustig’s piece “Glacier”, which she wrote for Diane Berry and Kathryn Le Gros. Also written for Be Mused is Diane Berry’s “Gargoyles”, to give these four musicians a chance to play together. Two intriguing subjects for musical works, fitting in nicely with the other works on the program, a chance for audiences to come and Be Mused.

Tickets, $20 + taxes and fees, available now!

The 4 Women Composers

"an unforgettable afternoon of inspired harmony and contemporary brilliance" Christie Morrison, voice teacher/composer

All of the music in this concert has been written by four renowned Canadian (and from BC!) women composers, Janet Danielson, Leila Lustig, Sylvia Rickard and Diane Berry, who are associates of the Canadian Music Centre, the League of Canadian Composers, and the Association of Canadian Women Composers. Between them, their music has been performed across North America, and Europe, by many different ensembles, and in a variety of settings.

While Janet Danielson was born and raised in Victoria, she spent a number of years in Vancouver, where she taught theory at Simon Fraser University and Regent College. During this time she lectured at conferences, and wrote articles on music, philosophy and the history of technology, all of which have influenced her music.

Diane Berry and Sylvia Rickard both come from Toronto, though Sylvia spent a number of years traveling and living in France, the U.S., Germany and India after finishing her B.A. in languages and her A.R.C.T. from the Royal Conservatory. Sylvia came back to music and composition in 1970, in Vancouver, where she studied with Jean Coulthard, later moving to Victoria. Diane arrived in Victoria with her husband in 1989 via Halifax, but since that time lived in Suva, Fiji then Smithers, B.C., returning to Victoria in 2003. In all those places, she was active as a performer and teacher, only starting composition in her mid-thirties, while in Smithers.

Leila Lustig was born in Kentucky, studied composition at UCLA and the University of Wisconsin. She came to Ontario in 1987, then moved west in 1987. Over the years she has worked as a radio music producer, arts marketer, and a government writer.

The music of all of these women is as diverse as their backgrounds and interests. They have all written extensively for voice, ranging from Janet Danielson’s In the Very Highest Place for choir, to Sylvia Rickard’s Answering the Call for tenor, clarinet and guitar. Their music also includes music for small, sometimes unusual ensembles, such as Diane Berry’s works for Two Flutes & a Violin, as well as her piece Cangiante for glass orchestra, and Leila Lustig’s Revenge of the Northern Pike for voice, keyboard, woodwind and tom tom.

This concert will also reflect these composer’s diverse range of ideas, inspirations, and viewpoints, with thoughts on glaciers (Leila Lustig), gargoyles (Diane Berry), the earth (Sylvia Rickard), and resolutions (Janet Danielson).

Music composition is a solitary pursuit. If composers are able to attend a performance of their work, they are often the only living composer on the program. To have a concert in which all the music has been written in the last twenty years, and to have all the composers in attendance is a much rarer occurrence, as was the case for the first BE MUSED concert in Victoria, Oct 2024. Because the first BE MUSED concert took place where they live, the composers were able to work with the performers beforehand, as well as having the opportunity of sharing the event with their colleagues and friends.

Tickets, $20 + taxes and fees, available now!

The 4 Women Performers

Be Mused will bring together two trios, Aerie Trio, and on the ‘hat. 

The ensembles already overlap each other in their membership, with flutist Diane Berry and pianist Kathryn Le Gros joined by cellist Maria Wang to form Aerie Trio, and by soprano Marnie Setka-Mooney to form on the ‘hat. Both trios also share their love of contemporary classical music and include it in their already diverse repertoire. They have often sought out music written by Canadian women and enjoy having the chance to bring the work of local women to their home audiences.

The diversity of venues that both ensembles have performed in, reflects their passion for connecting with a variety of audiences. Aerie Trio have performed their classical and contemporary classical music at the Moss Street Market, for the Highlands Coffeehouse, in a streamed concert from Triangle Mountain, and in a special long table dinner created by Diane Berry and Chef Castro Boateng at House of Boateng in Langford. On the ‘hat, too, has performed for the Highlands Coffeehouse, done a streamed concert from Triange Mountain given concerts at St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Oak Bay, and even played for a video filmed on the beach in East Sooke Park, which was created for the Association of Canadian Women Composer’s 40th anniversary. While the Wardroom on the naval base is an unusual venue for a concert, the musicians are looking forward to its relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

Contemporary classical music always presents a challenge to performers, particularly if the performance will be a world premiere. There are no recordings to listen to in order to learn how the parts fit together and how the instruments interrelate, which means the musicians must get to know the music solely through practice and rehearsals. While performing a piece for the first time can be daunting, members of on the ‘hat and Aerie Trio will tell you there is something unique and special in having the chance to work directly with the composers, to perform new works with them in the audience, and to share that with audience members. To help connect listeners to the music they’re hearing, their concerts always include insights into the music’s history, context and often their own relationship to it. They strive in performances to engage audiences in the music before they have even played a note and this concert will be no exception.

Tickets $20 + taxes and fees