(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Composer Toby Johnston-Stewart presents Cathedral After Dark, a live recording captured on September 12, 2025, at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, BC, a space known for its vast, resonant acoustic. Performed by Jillian Forster Fair (piano), the Emily Carr String Quartet (Müge Büyükçelen-Badel, violin 1; Cory Balzer, violin 2; Mieka Michaux, viola; Alasdair Money, cello) and Bruce Meikle (double bass), the album is released through Leaf Music Distribution. Conceived as a continuous musical narrative, the recording unfolds as an immersive journey, extending beyond the format of a standard concert presentation.
Johnston-Stewart avoids traditional structural divisions, shaping Cathedral After Dark as a continuous sequence of interconnected atmospheres moving from restrained, intimate passages to expansive climaxes that fully engage the acoustic space. The piano shapes the harmonic and expressive direction, moving between intimacy and breadth, while the string quartet brings precision and subtlety to the work’s evolving textures. The double bass provides a grounded, resonant foundation, reinforcing the music’s darker and more expansive sonorities. Recorded during a late-night performance, the album captures the interaction between musicians and environment, where reverberation and spatial depth become integral to the listening experience.
Cathedral After Dark: Continuum (Live)
About Artist
Based in Victoria, BC, Toby Johnston-Stewart was born in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 1989. He developed an early interest in classical music and composition, focusing on introspective, atmospheric works in neoclassical and classical minimalism. He studied for many years with Tim Janz at the Mount Royal University Conservatory of Music and frequently collaborates and records with instrumentalists in the Pacific Northwest.
Jillian Forster Fair holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Victoria, where she studied with Bruce Vogt. An active collaborative pianist, she performs regularly with instrumentalists, vocalists, and ensembles in Victoria. She has appeared as a soloist in the Scriabin Piano Concerto under conductor János Sándor and has participated in the Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival. She frequently collaborates with composer Toby Johnston-Stewart in both studio and live performances.
Formed in 2006 by members of the Victoria Symphony and the Aventa Ensemble, the Emily Carr String Quartet has performed across Canada, the United States, and Europe. The ensemble has appeared at events and series including ISCM World Music Days, Music in the Morning, Music on Main, and the Victoria Summer Music Festival, and has been featured on CBC Radio. Their recording Hidden Treasure was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards.
Bruce Meikle studied with Kenneth Friedman in Vancouver and later with David Currie at the University of Ottawa. After three summers with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, he returned to the West Coast to freelance with the Vancouver Symphony before joining the Victoria Symphony. He is also active as a chamber musician and jazz performer.
Leaf Music is an independent classical recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Nashville, Tennessee. The label produces and distributes recordings by artists and composers from across North America, with worldwide distribution through Naxos of America. In addition to its recording activities, Leaf Music provides professional audio and video production, post-production, and integrated marketing and distribution services.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Ai Lynn Ang, ailynn@leaf.music
