Cited for his "technical prowess [and] perfect conveyance of…wit, humor, and effect" (Sarasota Herald-Tribune), Brad Cherwin is an artist who "has carved a unique career as a clarinettist and chamber musician" (Ludwig van Toronto). His playing has been lauded as "astounding" and "a total success … as flexible in tone as possible" (Calgary Herald). Cherwin is a Dora Award winner for his performances as solo clarinetist in Claude Vivier's Kopernikus with Against the Grain Theatre. For the 2024/2025 season, Cherwin was Curator-in-Residence with Toronto's Soundstreams as part of their New Voices programme for curators of contemporary music. Recent seasons included performances with Barbara Hannigan and as part of her Equilibrium Young Artists initiative, and a sold-out European debut at Hamburg's Tonali Saal in collaboration with mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska.
Cherwin is the director of The Happenstancers, "Toronto's chamber music innovators," recognized for their "fearless examination of contemporary repertoire" (Ludwig van Toronto). The ensemble is known for its distinctive curatorial perspective, blending theatrical staging and multimedia techniques into conceptual performances that feature "an obscene amount of talent" (The WholeNote). Their concerts have been praised as "superbly planned, with a rich banquet of textures and colours … Next time these people throw a recital, run, don't walk" (Lydia Perovic, Definitely the Opera).
2025 marks the launch of the inaugural HappLab, a year-long mentorship curriculum and performance-presentation laboratory led by The Happenstancers and designed to aid 5 early-career Canadian artists working in (or around) classical music, contemporary classical music, and/or experimental classical music. With HappLab, The Happenstancers seek to support compelling young artists as they find their place in society, and bolster the creative diversity of the arts in Toronto by aiding audacious young performers.
