'In addition to my love for music, I am also an avid fan of soccer.' — Ari Hooker (Mark Rash)
CBC Music: Ari Hooker named one of 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30
Meet Ari Hooker, one of the young musicians burning up Canada's classical scene
It’s a summer tradition at CBC Music: the annual classical “30 under 30” list, celebrating the achievements of Canada’s emerging classical musicians – and the Desautels Faculty of Music’s Ari Hooker has made it onto the list.
Last September, as winner of the 2024 Aikins Memorial Trophy, Ari Hooker made his solo debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), performing the first movement of his own Piano Concerto No. 1. One month later, he was back onstage with the WSO to play Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. “These performances were made even more meaningful by the fact that I got to perform alongside my dad, Yuri Hooker, who’s been principal cellist of the WSO for 25 years,” he explains.
Ari recently won the $3,000 first prize at the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg’s scholarship competition. In August, his Piano Quartet will receive its premiere at the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy’s 2025 festival. He’ll be a soloist with the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra next season, and he dreams of one day composing a video game score.
To read the entire story, please follow the link to CBC Music.