Angela and Kaili began playing as a duet in 2008 during their studies at the University of Toronto. They officially formed their duo in 2010 and have been performing throughout Ontario ever since. Kaili and Angela bring to The Topaz Duo a commitment to a high, professional level of musical interpretation, and a varied repertoire. They are currently curating repertoire by living composers, focusing on bringing new interpretations to under represented works. They commission new works for the flute and harp canon with an emphasis on Canadian content. Recent performances include the Mississauga Chamber Music Society and the McMaster University Faculty Concert series.
Angela Schwarzkopf, harp
JUNO award winning harpist Angela Schwarzkopf concertizes throughout North America as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician and with many top chamber music, choral, and orchestral organizations. The first harpist to receive a Doctorate of Music in harp performance in Canada, she is now teaches at the University of Toronto, the Glenn Gould School, and at McMaster University. Outside of her university teaching, Angela maintains a thriving studio of private students in Toronto and is a newly appointed harp examiner with the Royal Conservatory College of Examiners. Angela is Second Vice President and Director at Large for the American Harp Society and a contributor to the international publications Harp Column and the American Harp Journal and serves on the editorial board of the latter. As an advocate for new music, she has worked on commissioning projects with many prominent composers. Most recently, Angela released her album, detach, of all new Canadian music which won the 2020 JUNO award for Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber.
Kaili Maimets, flute
Flutist Kaili Maimets is in demand as a performer and teacher. Currently a freelance flutist in Toronto, Kaili was Acting Second Flute and Piccolo of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada (NACO) from 2017-2020, Second Flute & Piccolo position of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (KWS) for 2 seasons, and was Principal Flute of Orchestra London for 4 seasons. Kaili performed Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto in C in November 2018 with KWS. In April 2018 she was featured as soloist at the NACO Family Adventures concerts in Ottawa. In 2017 she toured Southern Ontario as a soloist with the Toronto Concert Orchestra. Kaili’s principal teachers have been Nora Shulman, Denis Bluteau and Camille Watts. She has a Master of Music from McGill University, Bachelor of Music from University of Toronto, and A.R.C.T. from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada. Kaili currently is a part-time Professor of Flute at the University of Ottawa as well as maintaining a private studio of all levels and ages.
The Topaz Duo 