Teacher

Michael Jarvis has been acclaimed as one of Canada’s finest harpsichordists, fortepianists and continuo players. He has performed across Canada, the USA, England, Italy and Bermuda. He has worked with many of Canada's finest singers and is in demand as a coach and collaborative artist.

He has performed with many of Canada’s leading orchestras and chamber ensembles including Les Violons du Roy, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Aradia, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Symphony Niagara, the Hamilton Philharmonic, the Vancouver Symphony, I Musici de Montreal, The Vancouver CBC Orchestra, as well as with Via Salzburg, the Toronto Chamber Orchestra, the Tudor Singers of Montreal, the Elmer Isler Singers, Baroque Music Beside the Grange, The Amadeus Choir, I Furiosi, the Toronto Consort, the Vancouver Bach Choir, The Elora Festival, the Guelph Spring Festival, The Grand River Baroque Festival, The Festival of the Sound, Music at Westben, and the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, among many others.

Michael has recorded for the Hungaroton, Marquis Classics, ATMA, Naxos, Solitudes and Avalon CD labels, and has many times broadcast nationally and regionally for the CBC, as well as across the U.S. on NPR. His performing editions of 17th and 18th century choral and organ music are published by GIA, Chicago.

Michael has taught fortepiano at the University of British Columbia and harpsichord, continuo, and baroque vocal ornamentation at the University of Toronto. He has also taught harpsichord performance at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and at Havergal College, Toronto. He is also Director of Music at St. Jude's Parish and Shrine in Vancouver, BC and is on faculty as harpsichordist and vocal coach at the Early Music Vancouver Summer Baroque Vocal Programme "The Compleat Singer".

He was also co-host and star of the 13-part television series "Come into the Parlour". Featuring co-host and star Carolyn Sinclair, soprano, and their original 1857 Chickering square grand, the series features some of Canada's finest musicians from the opera and concert stages, including baritone Russell Braun, mezzo Kimberley Barber, violinist Mayumi Seiler, tenor Eric Shaw, etc. "Come into the Parlour" was broadcast nationally in Canada on Bravo-TV and Vision. Mr. Jarvis was also featured on two national Canadian television specials "A Baroque Christmas" and "A Baroque Easter" on Vision and Bravo-tv.
His new CD on the Marquis Classics label of J.N. Hummel's Sonatas for Fortepiano and Violin/Viola, Op. 5 [ca.1798], performed on an original Viennese fortepiano from c. 1800 was released worldwide earlier this year.

Upcoming performances include in February 2013, a programme with Paul Luchkow of fortepiano and violin sonatas by Hummel, Dussek and Beethoven on an original Broadwood grand fortepiano from 1813 at the Jazz Cellar, and in March 2013 the inaugural recital of his newly-restored 6 1/2 Viennese Grand fortepiano from 1832 with the brilliant baritone Joshua Hopkins (recently heard this year as the star of Vancouver Opera's "Barber of Seville") in a programme of Lieder by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and Mendelssohn (for Early Music Vancouver).

Since moving to Vancouver in 2006, he is a regularly featured performer throughout the Lower Mainland.

"...Michael Jarvis was particularly sensitive at the fortepiano; his delicate work added immeasurably to the charm and descriptiveness of the recitatives." The Vancouver Sun (Canada)
"Jarvis has an awesome technique that produces music of enormous style and crystal clarity . . . the contours of the music are never even blurred, but emerge with a coherence and persuasiveness that is remarkable." The Hamilton Spectator (Canada)
"Michael Jarvis donne ici une interprétation limpide et inspirée..." Répertoire (France)