Bio
Trio Timia
Formed in Montréal, Trio Timia brings together pianist Itamar Prag, violinist June Lee, and cellist François Lamontagne. All three are graduates of McGill University's Schulich School of Music. Prizewinners at the 2025 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, one of North America's most prestigious, the trio will represent Canada at the 2026 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition as one of eight piano trios selected worldwide and the only North American ensemble, and at the 2026 Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition as one of only two finalist ensembles.
The trio shaped its artistic voice as an ensemble-in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where they premiered a commissioned work by Canadian composer Yejin Kwon as part of their project "Second Attempts: Music of Persistence in Exile, Recovery, and Transformation." They have also participated in Musique à Flaine with a fellowship supported by Jeunesses Musicales du Canada (Aida Fund), and studied with Steven Isserlis at the Lunenburg Music Academy. The trio has performed at venues and festivals across Canada, including the Music Toronto COSE series, the Music Room Chamber Players Series at the Scotia Festival of Music, the Bon-Pasteur Concert Series, and the Festival Rendez-vous musical de Laterrière, as well as in the United States and Europe. Coached by Violaine Melançon at the Schulich School of Music, they have also worked with André Laplante, Jinjoo Cho, Guillaume Sutre, Jean Marchand, Elizabeth Dolin, Yovan Markovitch, and Max Geissler.
Picture by Iryna Peleshchyshyn
Picture by Iryna Peleshchyshyn
Itamar Prag
Israeli pianist Itamar Prag made his orchestral debut at the age of eleven with the Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble and has since appeared as a soloist with the Israel Symphony Orchestra, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the McGill Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with conductors including Lahav Shani, Omer Welber, Frédéric Chaslin, Vag Papian, and Alexis Hauser. Selected by Zubin Mehta in a competitive audition, he performed as a soloist under the baton of Yoel Levi. He won the Classical and Romantic Concerto Competitions at the Schulich School of Music. A first prize winner at the Pnina Salzman Piano Competition and a longtime recipient of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship, he has also received support from the Zefunot Culture Foundation and the Mushkin Memorial Scholarship for young musicians. He has given recitals across Israel, Europe, and North America and participated in the Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival. He has taken part in masterclasses with Murray Perahia, Eliso Virsaladze, Richard Goode, John Perry, Piotr Paleczny, and Gabriel Kwok. He studied with Hannah Shalgi, Asaf Zohar, Vadim Monastyrski, Arie Vardi, André Laplante, Kyoko Hashimoto, and Ilya Poletaev, and holds degrees from the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University and McGill University's Schulich School of Music, where he is completing his Doctorate in Piano Performance.
June Lee
Originally from Seoul, South Korea, June Lee is a rising violinist based in Montreal, Canada. She strives to inspire audiences with compelling interpretations and imaginative sound, drawing on a diverse musical styles and cultures.
June’s achievements include Second Prize at the Schulich Golden Violin Competition and performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Paju Philharmonic Orchestra. She won the Grand Prize at Coltman Chamber music competition and Bronze medal at Fischoff Chamber Competition and also earned recognition in the Mary Lane Memorial Violin Competition and the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition.
She has performed internationally, serving as Assistant Concertmaster on a European tour with Martha Argerich and attending masterclasses with Gerhard Schulz, and Mihaela Martin. June has participated in IMS Prussia Cove, Schiermonnikoog Festival, Encore Chamber Music Institute, MISQA, and the Trondheim String Quartet Academy, among others.
Currently a graduate student at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, she studies with Jinjoo Cho.
Picture by Iryna Peleshchyshyn
Picture by Iryna Peleshchyshyn
François Lamontagne
François Lamontagne began his cello studies with David Ellis at the Conservatoire de Musique de Saguenay and then at McGill University under the tutelage of Elizabeth Dolin, where he has received the "Student Excellence Award" scholarship and the Frank Mills Prize. In 2022, he earned his bachelor's degree with the distinction of "outstanding achievement in cello performance" and his master's degree, in 2025.
Since 2025, François is principal cellist in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Symphony Orchestra and assistant-principal the Orchestre symphonique de l’Estuaire. He also plays with the Orchestre de l'Agora and the Orchestre symphonique de Québec.
François has distinguished himself in various competitions, such as the Festival du Royaume and the Canadian Music Competition. He won the "Jeunes solistes" competition of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Youth Orchestra. In 2018, he was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Medal and the Governor General's Medal as part of his collegial diploma at the conservatory.
Passioned about chamber music, he studied string quartet under the guidance of renowned ensembles such as the Alban Berg string quartet, Quatuor Ébène, and Quatuor Danel at the McGill International Sring Quartet academy. François has also played internationally in the Fischoff Competition (USA), the Schiermonnikoog Festival (Netherlands), and the Trondheim Chamber Music Academy in Norway.