Divas Of Country Music: A Violin Tribute Concert

Royce Rich is establishing himself as one of Canada’s up-and-coming concert artists. He was listed as one of CBC Music’s “Top 30 Under 30 Hot Musicians” for the release of his self-produced debut Spotify album of show pieces entitled Short Stories. Royce was awarded the coveted Gabora Prize in Italy at the Casalmaggiore International Festival in 2015, and has since appeared on concert stages as a solo artist and chamber musician across Canada, United States, Italy, and Germany.

Royce has also performed as a violinist with the Victoria Symphony, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, the National Academy Orchestra, Brott Music Festival Orchestra, Kingston Symphony Orchestra, Prince George Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Ontario Philharmonic, and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra.

Simon Hauber is a violinist based in St. Catharines, ON. He studied with Mary Beth Doherty, Aaron Schwebel and now Mark Fewer at the University of Toronto. He is a multi-faceted player and can be seen playing in a great variety of spaces with various ensembles. He studies classical violin, having served as concertmaster of U of T, but has continued to perform fiddle music since his youth and in this role was a showcased artist at the 2022 Canada Games.

Philipp Samutin is a professional violinist and recent graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Master’s program in Collaboration, Curation, and Creative Performance. Trained at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in Saint Petersburg, Russia, he has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player with leading ensembles across Russia and
Canada. Philipp’s artistic practice explores the violin as a medium for dialogue between genres and art forms. His performances merge contemporary classical aesthetics with the rhythmic intensity of flamenco, the harmonic language of jazz, and the textures of electroacoustic sound. Guided by curiosity and a spirit of experimentation, his work seeks to dissolve traditional boundaries between music, movement, and visual design. Through collaborative and multimedia projects, Philipp reimagines performance as a living space for exchange—where the violin becomes both an instrument and a storyteller, shaping immersive experiences that connect sound, emotion, and presence.