About
The Rosebud String Quartet (violinists Aaron Schwebel and Sheila Jaffé, violist Keith Hamm, and cellist Leana Rutt) was formed in 2013 in Rosebud, Alberta at the inaugural Rosebud Chamber Music Festival, an annual summertime chamber music showcase in the Alberta Badlands. Comprised of principal players from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, the RSQ is one of Canada’s most exciting string quartets with a unique voice and a special love for the quartets of Haydn. In February ‘23, the RSQ released it a recording of Haydn and Mozart on Leaf Music. This debut garnered widespread acclaim including a five-star review in La Scena Musicale.
The RSQ performs regularly in various Toronto-based series, including Stereo Live, Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre Chamber Music Series, Echo Chamber Toronto, Pocket Concerts, Xenia Concerts, Off Centre Music Salon, and Music Mondays. The quartet is regularly heard on CBC Radio including a recent performance on In Concert.
The RSQ has performed at Ottawa ChamberFest, Stratford Summer Music Festival, Music by the Sea in Bamfield, British Columbia, and Sweetwater Music Festival among others. Upcoming performances include Toronto’s Off Centre Music Salon, the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival, Toronto Summer Music Festival, and Sunday Chatter in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The RSQ had their chamber music education at the Domaine Forget, where individually they performed with members of the London Haydn Quartet, Chilingirian Quartet, Elias Quartet, ARC Ensemble, Florestan Trio and the Smithsonian Chamber Players.
Sheila Jaffé
Sheila Jaffé was born into a family of musicians and was fascinated by classical music from a young age. Born in Montreal and raised in South Florida, she returned to her native Quebec at the age of thirteen to live and study with her second cousin Catherine Dallaire, concertmaster of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and professor of violin at the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec. After completing high school as part of the arts intensive program at l'École Secondaire Pierre-Laporte in Montreal, Sheila completed her Bachelor's degree in violin performance at the Université de Montréal. Over the course of her years in Montreal, it became clear that chamber music and orchestral playing were at the core of her musical passions. She co-founded the Alaya String Quartet, performed in numerous chamber music concerts in the city, and kept herself impossibly busy with every kind of ensemble she could put together. In the summers, she participated in orchestral, chamber music and masterclass festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein Orchester, Domaine Forget, International Musicians Seminar and Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove, Orford Arts Centre, Aurora Music in Sweden, and several others. Sheila continued her studies in Berlin, Germany with a Master's program at the Hanns Eisler Hochschüle für Musik, during which she also was accepted into the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Akademie for a one-year position. During this time she also co-founded the Alondra String Quartet, who were invited to the International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove as well as the Toronto Summer Music festival. The members of this quartet are now in leading orchestras around the world. In 2013, at the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival in Alberta, Canada, she co-founded the Rosebud String Quartet (RSQ), with whom she currently performs regularly. In 2015, Sheila joined the Canadian Opera Company as a violist while continuing to nurture her love of chamber music on the violin by performing with various ensembles in Toronto, as well as her quartet and the occasional recital with her husband, pianist Peter Longworth. She has also recently been appointed as principal viola of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra.
Sheila Jaffé plays on a Francesco Gobetti (1710-15) violin and Raymond Schryer (2001) viola on generous loan from Canimex.
Aaron Schwebel
Canadian violinist Aaron Schwebel has performed throughout the world in various musical roles. Based in his native Toronto, Aaron currently holds the positions of Concertmaster with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra and Associate Concertmaster with the Canadian Opera Company. As a guest concertmaster, Aaron has performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Les Violons Du Roy, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Aaron is also Founder and Artistic Director of Echo Chamber Toronto, a series that intertwines chamber music and contemporary dance (www.echochambertoronto.com).
Aaron has performed as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Lanaudiere, Scarborough Philharmonic, the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, Kindred Spirits Orchestra, and McGill Symphony Orchestra. An active chamber music performer, he is a founding member of the Toronto-based LARK ensemble and Rosebud Quartet, and has been on faculty at Toronto Summer Music Festival, Interprovincial Music Camp, and Festival Del Lago in Ajijic, Mexico. Aaron appears regularly at summer chamber music festivals around Canada, including Music by the Sea in Bamfield, BC, Stratford Summer Music Festival, and the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival.
Aaron did his studies at McGill University and Indiana University with teachers Jonathan Crow, Yaela Hertz, Mauricio Fuks, and Andre Roy. As a student, Aaron was a member of the Roddick String Quartet, representing Canada at the 2009 London International String Quartet Competition, and the Kuttner Quartet, Indiana University's resident string quartet. Upon graduation from McGill, Aaron was awarded the Schulich School of Music’s Golden Violin Award. Aside from music, Aaron enjoys cryptic crosswords and studying the martial art of Muay Thai at Toronto's Krudar boxing gym.
Keith Hamm
Keith Hamm is a native of Rosebud, Alberta. He received his training at the Glenn Gould School of Music under the instruction of Steven Dann, and at the Mount Royal Conservatory with Nicholas Pulos. Other influences include Pinchas Zukerman, Mark Fewer, Richard Lester, the London Haydn Quartet, and especially formative summers at the Chamber Music Program at Le Domaine Forget.
While still a student, Keith was named Principal Violist of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and performed there for eight seasons. In the fall of 2019, Keith took up that same position with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
Keith is an alumnus of the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove; the Sarasota Music Festival and programs at the Banff Centre. Keith has been featured on CBC Radio, Toronto’s Classical 96.3, Minnesota Public Radio and has been named one of Canada’s Hottest 30 Classical Musicians Under 30 by CBC.
A dedicated chamber musician, Keith has shared the stage with Anssi Kartunnen, Ernst Kovacic, Richard Lester, David Geringas and members of the Smithsonian Chamber Players. Keith has been invited to perform at the Ravinia Festival as guest violist with the Royal Conservatory’s Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Stratford Summer Music, Sweetwater Music Festival, and Music By The Sea in Bamfield, BC. Keith has been a guest with the Juno-winning Amici Ensemble has and frequently performs with Continuum Contemporary Music, Skylight Series in Toronto’s Distillery District, Echo Chamber Toronto, and Stereo Live as performer and producer.
Keith is Founder and Artistic Director of the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival in Rosebud, Alberta and co-founder of the Rosebud String Quartet.
Keith plays on a viola made by Joseph Curtin in 2001.
Leana Rutt
Cellist Leana Rutt is a thoughtful and compelling performer, recognized across Canada for her artistry as a chamber musician, soloist, and orchestral player. Originally from London, Ontario, Leana is based in Toronto as the associate principal cellist of the Canadian Opera Company and principal cellist of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
After completing a Bachelor’s degree at McGill University and a Master’s at the Juilliard School, Leana moved to Winnipeg and spent six years as the assistant principal cellist of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
In 2016 Leana started playing with the Rosebud Quartet, with whom she has performed at the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival, Toronto Summer Music, Chatter Albuquerque and the Stratford Summer Music Festival. Leana has also been a guest artist at festivals and series across the country including Music by the Sea (BC), the Ritornello Festival (SK), Virtuosi Concerts (MB), Festival Pontiac Enchanté (QC), the Lunenburg Academy (NS), and the Northern Arts & Cultural Centre (NWT).
Leana has taught and mentored students of the National Academy Orchestra, the Toronto Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Saskatchewan Orchestral Association Strings Workshop, the Thunder Bay Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Sistema Winnipeg. She has been an adjudicator for the Montreal Conservatory, the University of Manitoba, and the Manitoba Provincial Music and Arts Festival, and has performed educational concerts at schools across the country.
Leana is grateful for the training she received from her principal teachers Terry Sefton, Paul Pulford, Matt Haimovitz and Timothy Eddy, and for the formative summers she spent at the festivals of Lucerne, Aldeburgh, Sarasota, Banff, and Domaine Forget, as well as the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival. She performs on a 1769 Guillami cello and a ca. 1830 J.D. Adam bow generously on loan from the Canada Council.