Appassionata
is a chamber orchestra that founder Daniel Myssyk has directed with passion for the past eleven years. Composed of twenty talented musicians, the orchestra annually presents some fifteen concerts of the highest quality in Quebec and more recently, in the United States. Specializing in the classical period, Appassionata is motivated by the desire to bring music to as many people as possible, while renewing interest in the concert experience. Aware of the artistic and social role that an orchestra can play in its community, Appassionata supports the creation of Canadian compositions and the emergence of new talents by means of original artistic associations. The orchestra also annually produces an important youth series for elementary school students. Regularly aired on Espace musique, Appassionata accompanies internationally renowned soloists including John Zirbel, Yehonatan Berick and Richard Raymond. The release of its first CD, Idyla, was well-received by Canadian and American critics alike and was a finalist for the OPUS Prize in 2010.

Daniel Myssyk - Conductor
Daniel Myssyk conducts repertoire from the classical, romantic, modern and contemporary periods with great attention to stylistic appropriate- ness. He maintains a consistent and continuous engagement with Opera and operatic excerpts in a variety of styles from Mozart to Menotti, from Gilbert & Sullivan to Strauss. Sensitive to the music of our times, he has contributed to the creation of many contemporary North-American works, including the world-premiere of Anthony Brandt’s opera, “The Birth of Something”.

Conductor Daniel Myssyk is founder and artistic director of the Orchestre de chambre Appassionata. He is also Assistant Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Recent engagements include his debut with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and the All-Virginia State Symphony. He brought the Montreal based, Appassionata on its first American tour in January 2012, which included two concerts in Richmond. His first appearance with the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal was in February 2012.

His recordings have received critical acclaim. In 2010, his CD, Idyla (Fidelio), was nominated for an Opus Prize as best recording of the year. His latest recording, features American trumpet player Rex Richardson ( Summit Records). Myssyk recently completed the recording of serenades for strings by Suk and Dvorak, scheduled for release (Fidelio) in 2012-13.

Among the highlights of the past few years, Myssyk has been musical director of the premiere of American composer Anthony Brandt’s chamber opera, “The Birth of Something”, for Da Camera of Houston. He has been guest conductor of Houston’s River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. In June 2007, he made his debut at the Round Top International Festival (Texas) and later that summer served as associate conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. During the 2007-2008 season, he was a guest of Ottawa’s Thirteen Strings, the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and the Festival international de Lanaudière.

Daniel Myssyk studied conducting under the greatest masters, most notably David Zinman and Tomas Koutnik . He did a Master’s degree under Larry Rachleff at Rice University and served as his assistant for two years with the Shepherd School Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, two orchestras that bring together some of the finest music students from the United States and abroad.