About

Musique Royale welcomes mezzo-soprano Camila Montefusco and pianist Yolanda Tapia to perform “Aire y Tierra” at Cecilia’s Retreat in Mahone Bay on Saturday November 9 at 3pm. With classical music, sound effects and storytelling, Obsidiana Duo has crafted a program inspired by ancestral stories, the search for home, and a journey to self discovery through our shared humanity. Drawn together to celebrate the vibrant tapestry of Ibero-American musical culture, the duo’s accolades speak volumes: a First Prize win at the Puerto Rico Collaborative Piano Competition, a prestigious fellowship with the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and an artistic residency at the renowned Banff Centre.

About Obsidiana Duo

Pianist Yolanda Tapia and singer Camila Montefusco co-founded the Obsidiana Duo with a clear mission: to celebrate the rich tapestry of Ibero-American musical culture and amplify the voices of historically overlooked composers.

Renowned internationally as a prize-winning collaborative pair, the duo has been featured in CollabFest and Collabaret 2020, and the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society in 2021. Noteworthy accolades include the First Prize at the Puerto Rico Collaborative Piano Competition, and a fellowship with the Toronto Summer Music Festival where they worked under the tutelage of Wolfram Rieger, Benjamin Appl, and Steven Philcox. They also participated in the Evolution Classical artistic residency at the Banff Centre, mentored by David Harrington and Paul Wiancko from the Kronos Quartet, the Gryphon Trio, Dinuk Wijeratne, Tom Allen, Patricia O’Callaghan, Marie Jossée Chartier, and Parmela Attariwara.

Highlights of their previous season include their inaugural national tour with Prairie Debut and the debut of ‘Circular Sky’ – a commissioned piece by composer Alice Ping Yee Ho and writer Madeleine Thien, supported by SOCAN, Prairie Debut, and the Canada Council for the Arts. This collaboration sparked ‘AIRE,’ a thematic exploration of immigration and belonging within their repertoire.

In recognition of their artistic vision, the Duo received a Canada Council for the Arts grant, facilitating collaborations with costume designer Madeline LeBlanc and graphic designer Paula Vergara. This collaboration culminated in the visual elements for ‘AIRE y TIERRA’.

Their performances have been showcased on the stages of Music Toronto’s Celebration of Small Ensembles Concert Series, Music Monday Toronto, 5 at the First, and London’s In Diversity There is Harmony. Looking ahead to the 24/25 season, they look forward to touring ‘AIRE y TIERRA’ with Debut Atlantic.

Camila and Yolanda call Toronto home, where they continuously explore new avenues in their artistic journeys, driven by a deep commitment to forging genuine and impactful connections with their audiences.