Margaret Gay Q&A

By Ado Nkemka

Read this Q&A ahead of “Delights of my Life/In the Mirror of this Night,” the May 29th concert with performances by Eric Chenaux Trio as well as Margaret Gay and Laura Reid (duo performing Mark Ellestad). Learn more about the event and get tickets on Showpass.

Learn more about Margaret Gay through this short Q&A.

Ado: Could you very briefly introduce yourself?

Margaret: I grew up in Vancouver, studied ‘cello in Boston, and returned to Canada to settle in Toronto about 35 years ago. Drawn by a strong desire to explore baroque cello, I was excited to be in Toronto—home to Tafelmusik and a thriving early music scene. I'm happily married, and have a 23-year-old son building a career in the world of hockey. When I’m not working, you’ll often find me in the garden or dedicating time to the not-for-profit chamber music organization I run in the Niagara region of Ontario.

What will you contribute stylistically to the performance of “In the Mirror of this Night” on May 29th?

This performance feels like a full-circle moment for me. When I first arrived in Toronto 35 years ago, I was drawn not only to the early music scene but also to the vibrant new music community. My first professional string quartet experience was with the Modern Quartet, a group dedicated to performing works by living composers—primarily Canadians. Very early on, the first violinist, Marc Sabat, and I performed In the Mirror of This Night. At the time, I was just beginning my journey with the baroque cello, and though my career gradually shifted from a focus on modern ‘cello and contemporary repertoire to period instruments and 18th-century music, Mark’s piece left a lasting impression.

Revisiting it now has been fascinating. What I remember most from that first experience was how monumental and elusive the work felt—vast and hard to grasp in its entirety. Strikingly, it now feels far more approachable, which is slightly odd as I’ve spent the last few decades immersed in baroque and classical music, where pieces and movements tend to be much shorter in comparison. It’s curious that this long piece now feels more comfortable and familiar. My guess is I was trying to impose a narrative onto the music rather than thinking of it more as a tableaux. It’s also possible one just gets better at being calm and reflective as one gets older, and these are skills that this piece really requires.

What are you excited about when it comes to performing the piece with Laura?

I hadn’t met Laura when I agreed to perform this piece, and even as I write this, our only interactions have been virtual, through Zoom. We meet in person for the first time on May 26th. Still, I have a strong feeling we’ll connect well in person. This will be her first time performing the work, and I’m genuinely curious to see how she approaches and interprets it—fresh eyes often bring unexpected insight.

Margaret Gay Bio

Toronto based ‘cellist Margaret Gay leads a very active freelance career performing on both modern and period instruments. Margaret performs regularly with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, Opera Atelier, the Eybler Quartet (www.eyblerquartet.com), and Ensemble Polaris (www.ensemblepolaris.com), a group exploring the traditional music of various Nordic countries.

She is the administrative and artistic director of the Gallery Players of Niagara (www.galleryplayers.ca), an organization presenting chamber music since 1995. From 2020-2023 she was the artistic producer of

Evolution: Quartet, an international programme offered at the Banff Centre For Arts and Creativity. Margaret can be heard on numerous recordings with the Eybler Quartet and Ensemble Polaris.

Purchase tickets to May 29th New Works Calgary presentation “Delights of My Life/In the Mirror of this Night” on Showpass.