Bio
Trio Timia
Rooted in sincerity and creative collaboration, Trio Timia unites three musicians whose artistry is defined by openness, imagination, and expressive depth. Formed in Montréal, the trio takes its name from the Greek word timia—meaning “truth” and “honesty”—as well as a playful echo of the Korean phrase “we are a team.”
Winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (3rd Prize, 2025), the ensemble has already established a distinctive voice within North America's chamber music scene. This season, Trio Timia will work in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, premiering a new piano trio by Canadian composer Yejin Kwon as part of their project “Second Attempts: Music of Persistence in Exile, Recovery, and Transformation.”
From its inception, the trio has embraced a shared artistic vision rooted in honesty, sensitivity, and profound musicality, striving to bring fresh and meaningful interpretations to the chamber music repertoire. Since forming, Trio Timia has worked with a distinguished roster of mentors — André Laplante, Jinjoo Cho, Jean Marchand, Guillaume Sutre, and Elizabeth Dolin.
The ensemble is coached by violinist and pedagogue Violaine Melançon at the Schulich School of Music. This summer, the trio attended the Lunenburg Music Academy in the class of cellist Steven Isserlis as well as the Flaine Music Academy in France with a fellowship supported by Jeunesses Musicales du Canada (Aida Fund).
Trio Timia’s is dedicated to exploring a wide array of repertoire, from classical masterpieces to contemporary works, always aiming to forge intimate, authentic connections with listeners. Whether on the concert stage, in educational settings, or through community outreach, the trio is dedicated to sharing the transformative power of chamber music.
Picture by Iryna Peleshchyshyn
Picture by Iryna Peleshchyshyn
Itamar Prag
Israeli Pianist Itamar Prag began piano studies at the Givatayim Conservatory of Music. He then attended Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts and later the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University. Prag is pursuing a Doctorate Degree in Piano Performance at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal. Prag enjoys a vibrant performance schedule as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician. He debuted at the age of 11 as a soloist with the Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble. He later performed as a soloist with leading Israeli orchestras, including The Israel Symphony Orchestra – Rishon Lezion, The Haifa Symphony Orchestra, and The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Prag won the Classical and Romantic Concerto Competitions of the SSoM and performed as a soloist with the McGill Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Alexis Hauser. In 2019, Prag won an audition by Maestro Zubin Mehta and performed with the BMSM Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Yoel Levi. He has also performed as a soloist under the batons of Lahav Shani, Frederic Chaslin and Omer Wellber and Vag Papian. Prag won several prizes in piano competitions in Israel and abroad, including the first prize at the Pnina Salzman Piano Competition in Israel. His teachers were Andre Laplante, Arie Vardi, Hannah Shalgi, Kyoko Hashimoto, Ilya Poletaev, Asaf Zohar, and Vadim Monastyrski. Prag has performed in recitals across Israel, Europe, and North America, including Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, France, Spain, Georgia, the USA, and Quebec. He has also performed in masterclasses with Murray Perahia, Richard Goode, John Perry, Piotr Paleczney, Eliso Virsaladze, and Gabriel Kwok. He received scholarships from The America-Israel Cultural Foundation (2006-2020) and Zefunot Culture and a scholarship for young musicians in memory of Ruthy and Benny Mushkin
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.