Double bassist, conductor and educator, Richard Carnegie divides his creative time between playing principal bass with the Saskatoon Symphony and Chamber Players and serving as music director of the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra (SYO). Under his leadership, the SYO program has seen the addition of a chamber orchestra, conducting classes, a composition contest for young Saskatchewan composers, an annual concerto competition, expanded enrolment and a unique partnership with the University of Saskatchewan Department of Music.
Seeing great value in the complimentary paths of performer and educator, Richard maintains an active performance schedule outside the Saskatoon Symphony including solo recitals and appearances with Prairie Virtuosi, Ritornello Festival and the YouTube Symphony in Sydney, Australia. A dedicated teacher, he is the instructor of double bass at the University of Saskatchewan and enjoys a busy private teaching studio. In the fall of 2014 Richard joined teaching team of Sistema Saskatoon, a program that focuses on the the ideal that every child should have the opportunity to enrich their lives through music and teamwork.
Richard made his Saskatoon Symphony conducting debut in the Family and Pops series in the 12-13 season and returned for concerts in the 13-14 season. This year he will conduct the Saskatoon Symphony in Abigail Richardson's “The Hockey Sweater”, an orchestral work based on Roch Carrier's classic story. His birth certificate says he's from Ontario, but Richard has called Saskatchewan home since 2006 after completing studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and the Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School in Toronto.
In 2013 he was named one of CBC Saskatchewan's Future 40, a list of 40 leaders and change makers in the province.
James Legge, originally from Waterloo, Ontario, moved to Saskatoon to take the position of principal violist with the Saskatoon Symphony after completing his studies at McGill University. Jim is one of Saskatoon's most active chamber musicians, performing with the Saskatoon Symphony Chamber Players, Elixir Ensemble, Starry Night Musicians and BeMUSed. Jim has been featured soloist with the Saskatoon Symphony, Saskatchewan Chamber Orchestra and with Prairie Virtuosi a chamber orchestra he co-founded in 1997 and continues to co-direct.
He has been a regular performer at Calgary’s Mountain View Festival of Song and Chamber Music, Mountain View Connection, Ontario’s Viola Camp, and co-directs Saskatoon’s Summer String Experience, a week-long workshop for young string players. Jim has a private studio of approximately thirty violin and viola students, and as a registered teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas, teaches in the Saskatoon Suzuki String Program.
When not performing or teaching, Jim enjoys spending time playing with clay and a potter's wheel.
Born and raised in Saskatoon, Stephanie Unverricht moved back in 2011 to join the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bassoonist. She began her studies on the bassoon with Peter Gravlin in Saskatoon and then continued at the University of Ottawa for her Bachelor of Music with Christopher Millard. She completed her Master of Music degree in Bassoon Performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston, studying with Richard Svoboda.
Stephanie performs around the city in various chamber groups, including Prairie Virtuosi and her trio "Chicks with Sticks", and is also a multi-instrumental member of a semi-experimental alternative folk music band, Minor Matter. Stephanie maintains a private studio in Saskatoon and a few surrounding rural communities, including Humboldt and Middle Lake.
Cellist Scott McKnight holds a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance, as well as a Chamber Diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University, where he studied with Paul Pulford and Simon Fryer. During his undergraduate studies Scott worked closely with the Penderecki String Quartet. An ardent chamber musician, he has performed in a multitude of ensembles and participated in intensive summer music festivals in Southern Ontario. In 2010 he completed a Master of Music degree in Cello Performance at the University of Ottawa, where he studied with Paul Marleyn.
Since arriving in Saskatoon, Scott has performed throughout the province with various ensembles including the Saskatoon and Regina Symphonies, Elixir Ensemble, Prairie Virtuosi, Starry Night Musicians, and BeMUSed. Scott maintains a private studio and teaches with the Saskatoon Suzuki String Program.
