Performers

TARA SEMPLE is a flute/piccolo and baroque flutist/recorder player in Regina. She holds a degree in Music Performance from the University of Toronto. She performs as the assistant principal and piccolo player in the Regina Symphony. Her trio High Flutin' is back performing, coming out with their debut Cd in 2015. The Gene Pool allows her to perform with her family in a pop genre where she gets to let loose performing on flute Jethro Tull style. She is the Artistic Director of Per Sonatori, a period baroque performance ensemble.

What can you say, Flute players have always been a social bunch! Why play alone when you can play with your friends. Linda Lucyk and Tara began the flute quartet because they loved playing together. They became friends in grade 5 with the Regina Catholic School Band program and have performed together ever since. Tara has an active flute studio and loves to work with her students on flute, piccolo, recorder and historical performance practice.

Studying is a way of life and Tara continues to learn new things every day! In the past few years she has studied privately with Sarah Jackson (LA Philarmonic) on Piccolo. She has attended two sessions of the Tafelmusik summer institute, a course at Longy in Boston, as well as masterclasses in Seattle at the Cornish Institute. Most recently she has taken classes with William Bennett and Carol Wincenc on flute, Zart Dombourian-Eby on piccolo and Janet See and Soile Stratkauskas on baroque flute.

Linda Lucyk is an active performer, flute teacher and music educator. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, she studied flute with Randi Nelson at the University of Saskatchewan, Philippa Fullerton at the University of Calgary, and John Shao Jiang Huang in Singapore.  Linda won the NFA Masterclass Performers Competition, performed chamber and solo recitals in Singapore and Canada, and won the University of Calgary Concerto Competition to perform as a soloist with the University of Calgary Orchestra. She performed as a soloist with the University of Saskatchewan Wind Ensemble, played 2nd flute/piccolo in the Saskatoon Symphony, and principal flute in the Calgary Civic Symphony.  Currently, Linda is a member of the Regina Symphony Orchestra and is one of the founding members of the Quartertones Flute Quartet.  Linda performs regularly with the Lucyk Trio, her family ensemble, at events around Regina.

David POPOFF is currently a music teacher and performer in Regina. David also performs as Utility/3rd Flute with the Regina Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the National Academy Orchestra and the University of Ottawa Orchestra. His main teachers have been Jane Schudel and Robert Cram.

He has been involved with many smaller ensembles in Saskatchewan, including the Quarter Tones Flute Ensemble and was a part of the premiere of ''The Little Match Girl'', a ballet composed by Elizabeth Raum for the Saskatchewan Youth Ballet Company.

He is currently on faculty at the Conservatory of the Performing Arts at the University of Regina. David is also an active Irish traditional musician. He currently performs with Rogairi, a Regina based Celtic band. He has also performed and recorded with Eileen Laverty and Ruth Sutherland and has performed in sessions throughout Canada.

Marie-Véronique BOURQUE is the recipient of two First Prize awards from the Quebec Conservatory of music in Flute and Chamber music. She is also an award winner of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra Competition. She was invited as a soloist with different orchestras in Quebec.

In 1992, Marie-Véronique joined the RCMP Band as a musician. After the disbanding of this musical group, she worked as a police officer in Quebec while continuing to perform her flute for different venues. In 2006, she moved to Regina to work as an instructor at the RCMP Academy.

The following year, Marie-Véronique became utility flute with the Regina Symphony and joined the Quarter Tones Flute Ensemble. For the past two years, she has been playing duet with her son, Nathaniel Paquet (cellist). Together, they have performed for several events organized by the Francophone community and were invited as guest artists for the official visit of His Royal Highness, the Earl of Sussex, Prince Edward.

In 2012, Marie-Véronique discovered a real interest for Jazz and was invited to perform with pianist Maurice Drouin and singers Christie-Anne Blondeau and Rachel Molder during the Regina Mosaics Festival. In 2012, she also attended a session at the Flute School in London, UK. Most recently, she was awarded a bursary from the Conseil Culturel Fransaskois, which enabled her to attend the Carleton University Jazz Camp in Ottawa.