Aisslinn Nosky

Violinist Aisslinn Nosky captivates audiences around the world with her innovative interpretations and impeccable technique. Her fierce passion for early music and skill as a soloist, director, and conductor has generated robust appreciation by press and audiences alike. Hailed as “superb” by The New York Times and “a fearsomely powerful musician” by The Toronto Star, widespread demand for Aisslinn continues to grow.

Aisslinn has also collaborated with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Holland Baroque, and the Charlotte Symphony. She was a dedicated member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra from 2005 to 2016 and served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Niagara Symphony from 2016 to 2019.

Aisslinn has also been a frequent collaborator of the MCO and is a founding member of the Eybler Quartet, who explore repertoire from the early quartet literature on period instruments. With the Eybler Quartet, Aisslinn serves on the faculty of EQ: Evolution of the String Quartet at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. EQ is an intensive summer course for emerging artists which celebrates the lineage of the string quartet, both as a historical genre and as a freshly invigorated practice in the 21st century.

Caitlin Broms-Jacobs

Renowned for her “gorgeous singing tone” and “sensitive musicality” (Winnipeg Free Press), Canadian oboist Caitlin Broms-Jacobs leads a multifaceted career as a soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician, and has played with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra since 2009. Caitlin has performed across Canada as one half of oboe and piano duo Fierbois, with pianist Madeline Hildebrand. The debut album from Fierbois was released in January 2025 to critical acclaim. The duo will tour western Canada with Prairie Debut for the 2025-26 season.

Described as “always sublime” (Winnipeg Free Press), Caitlin’s recent concerto performances include an appearance with Sinfonia Toronto and, as a chamber musician and recitalist, she has appeared at numerous festivals in Canada and abroad, including the Toronto Summer Music Festival, Under the Spire, The Banff Centre, and Winnipeg’s prestigious Millennium Recital Series.

Caitlin can often be heard performing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as guest principal oboist; she has played countless concerts with the WSO, including numerous performances in the pit for the Manitoba Opera and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Caitlin previously held the position of principal oboist of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. 

In these difficult times, we know there is comfort to be found in the “perpetually fabulous” (Boston Globe) musicality of Aisslinn Nosky. Paired with resident oboist Caitlin Broms-Jacobs, Solace invites you to take refuge in the counterpoint of the Baroque era.

While Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020) is more typically associated with his work using harsh tone clusters and throbbing intensity, this is Penderecki at his most radically simple. The Three Pieces in Baroque Style is refreshingly straightforward, consisting of an aria and two minuets. This would be one of the last conventional works Penderecki wrote, with his next project being the towering St. Luke Passion. It is no surprise that Penderecki found comfort in the Baroque tradition. As a child, Penderecki lived through the Nazi invasion of Poland. We can imagine the contrapuntal pleasure and emotional content of the Baroque tradition acted as a salve for the composer’s soul in those difficult times.

Despite J.S. Bach’s (1685-1750) enduring proclivity for writing solo sections for the oboe, few indications of any solo repertoire exist in Bach’s oeuvre. The Oboe Concerto in F, BWV 1053 is a rarity, and a testament to the power of musicology. This concerto is a reconstruction of various past works. Beginning in the mid-20th century, scholars postulated that several of Bach’s keyboard concertos were really arrangements of other works written for various solo instruments. The resulting arrangement works beautifully as a spotlight for Broms-Jacobs’ oboe.

Penderecki is not the only composer to turn to Baroque music for inspiration. Jocelyn Morlock’s (1969-2023) Solace is another example of the healing power of dialogue. The work consists of two sections: the “early music ensemble” in the center of the stage and the “harmonic violins,” encircling the early music players. The “early music ensemble” play music partially derived from Josquin de Prez’s Missa L'homme armé sexti toni, and the violin and cello soloists respond to that theme. The result is a one-of-a-kind meeting between early and contemporary music traditions, rendered in Morlock’s signature style.

C.P.E. Bach (1714-1788) is one of the more fascinating figures in music history. The son of J.S., C.P.E. developed his own music in the newfangled style of Sturm und Drang. This highly dramatic musical style would come to represent the new Classical tradition of Mozart and Haydn. The String Symphony in C major W. 182/3 is full of stormy and dramatic tension, but ultimately resolves with a few playful flourishes.

Finally, Nosky and Broms-Jacobs join forces in Antonio Vivaldi’s (1678-1741) Concerto for Oboe and Violin, RV 548. Listen as the two soloists playfully try to outdo the other before coming together in a triumphant finish. We invite you to find solace in this resolution.

Program notes written by Lukas Sawatsky