Spark Ensemble

Spark is an ensemble of Chinese instrumentalists from across the Greater Toronto Area with a mission of challenging boundaries and exploring possibilities with music for Chinese instruments. Its core group comprises Gavin Zhang, an erhuist trained in Beijing and Vancouver; Matthew Poon, a conductor and music professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Mike Liu, a sheng player, tubist, and secondary school music teacher for the Toronto District School Board; and Tracy Chan, a ruan specialist trained by the Hong Kong Music Office. Projects have seen Spark perform in Toronto and Edmonton, while future plans are in the works for tours elsewhere in Canada, across the United States and in Singapore.