Christopher Burton, piano
Daniel Kushner, violin
Michelle Kyle, cello
Video excerpts
July 18, 2026
Grace United Church
Thornbury, ON
Piano Trio no. 2 in C major, op. 87 - Johannes Brahms
1. Allegro moderato
2. Andante con moto
3. Scherzo: Presto
4. Finale: Allegro giocoso
Rachmaninoff: Vocalise, arr. Chris Burton
About Trio Terrifico!
In Italy, we would be terrifying! Fortunately, we're Canadian. Hailing from the prairies (Edmonton), la belle province (Montréal), and the nation’s capital (Ottawa), the three of us converged in Ottawa’s music scene way back in the 1970s. Half a century later, we’ve formed a piano trio. From our diverse Ontario homes in Thornbury, Toronto, and rural Princeton, we come together to share the joy of playing chamber music. It's terrific!
Daniel Kushner worked with the Canadian Opera Company, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet, the Hamilton Philharmonic, and other regional orchestras. His earliest musical influences range from Joseph Haydn and J.S. Bach to Patsy Cline. Daniel received his Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Carleton University in 1974. Following a brief stint in the public service, he enrolled in the music performance program at Ottawa University to study with Lazaro Sternic. Daniel played with the Nepean Symphony, the Ottawa Symphony, and rock and country bands around the Ottawa Valley. He moved to Toronto to study with Steven Staryk in 1977. In 1979, he was part of the Orchestral Training Program at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Following years of touring with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as principal second violin, in 1990, he co-founded and played violin and viola with the Riverdale Ensemble. He was a member of the Champagne Symphony Pops Orchestra in many New Year’s Eve concerts at Roy Thomson Hall. Daniel has played viola and violin with choral and chamber groups including the Gala String Quartet, the Cellar Singers, Alchemy, the Severn Players, Trio Bravo, and Canzona, and has performed at the Arts and Letters Club on numerous occasions. Daniel plays a violin and a viola made in 1999 by Toronto’s Quentin Playfair. He currently plays chamber music several times a week and enjoys reading and tending a garden that resembles Eliot’s Waste Land.
Michelle Kyle has worked with the Saskatoon Symphony, Regina Symphony, Alberta Ballet Orchestra, Stratford Symphony, and Guelph Symphony, and has been principal cellist of the Saskatoon Chamber Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, North York Concert Orchestra, and Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra. In her youth, she played cello in the Ottawa Youth Orchestra and performed with a high school orchestra in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. In university, Michelle studied cello performance with Malcolm Tait and Gisela Depkat and piano performance with Garth Beckett and Tom Plaunt, and earned awards in music, philosophy, law, computer science, and German. She completed a Master of Music degree in piano performance at McGill University in 1989, a law degree at Osgoode Hall, and an education degree at Brock University. Michelle has worked as a collaborative pianist, music director for musical theatre, lawyer, web developer, rock climbing instructor, and adult literacy instructor, and she rode her bicycle across Canada. In 2022, she acquired a fine Canadian cello from the workshop of Stensland and Girard in Montréal. She completed Wilfrid Laurier University’s chamber music diploma as a cello student of Katie Schlaikjer in 2025. Michelle currently plays chamber music with Duo Puissance, Ladyfingers, and Ambrosia Chamber Ensembles. She lives in rural Princeton with her husband, many cats, and chickens, and enjoys choral singing, swimming, Duolingo, and puzzles.
Christopher Burton is a native of Ottawa where he began piano lessons at age four. His early musical training also included violin. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Ottawa in 1982, studying piano with Jean-Paul Sevilla, and his Master of Music degree in 1985 from McGill University where his teacher was Charles Reiner. In 1997, he received his Doctoral degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music from the Eastman School of Music, where his principal piano teacher was Dr. Jean Barr and he also worked extensively with the string, winds, brass, and voice faculty. Christopher’s musical interests are diverse. He has been Director of Music at Grace United Church in Thornbury, Ontario, for the past six years. He has taught piano for over thirty years to musicians of all ages and abilities. He is equally at home performing solo and collaborative piano, and has conducted choirs, opera, musical theatre, and oratorio. He had a very brief career as a professional violinist, perhaps most notably performing in the on-stage backup orchestra for performances by Smokey Robinson. His experience with the violin has given him a special affinity for music for piano with strings. Showing no signs of slowing down, Christopher is enjoying life in the Blue Mountains/Georgian Bay region of Ontario. He sings in several choirs, directs others, teaches piano, and has recently been observed teaching recorder and handbells. He also enjoys travel and is an avid published photographer.