Patricia Parr, pianist, Joaquin Valdepeñas, clarinetist, and David Hetherington, cellist formed AMICI in 1985, with their first concert at Harbourfront in Toronto. They launched a three-concert season in 1988-89 and since moving to the critically acclaimed Glenn Gould Studio in the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in 1995, have expanded the series to four concerts. There being a limited repertoire for their combination of instruments, the Artistic Directors have commissioned new works and, just as the name of the organization implies, invited friends to perform with them.

Among the Canadian performers are Russell Braun, Measha Brueggergosman, Barbara Hannigan, Michael Schade, Steven Dann, Susan Hoeppner, Andre Laplante, Erika Raum and Scott St. John. AMICI also attracts international artists to perform with them as well. Some of these have included Shmuel Ashkenazy, Ida Kavafian, Cho Liang Lin, Jaime Laredo, Arnold Steinhardt and the Orion String Quartet. The artistic control that AMICI members have in determining their programming and guest artists, translates into a pleasant atmosphere for performers and audience alike.

AMICI has toured the Maritimes, the United States, Eastern Europe and Mexico; they also continue to perform locally, in Ontario and in Quebec. In all, Amici has released 9 CDs on the Naxos, Summit, and CBC labels. They won a Juno Award in 1993 and received nominations for their 1995 Messiaen and 1998 Brahms recordings. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.