Amahl Arulanandam

Amahl Arulanandam is a member of The Oscar Peterson School of Music faculty, teaching private cello lessons. He also teaches cello in the Oscar Peterson Program, founded in 2022.
 
With tastes ranging from baroque music to death metal, Toronto-based cellist Amahl Arulanandam is known for his musical versatility and ability to adapt to many different genres. Feeling at home in studios, small clubs and large concert-halls, Amahl hopes to convey that musical expression is beyond genres and labels.
 
In the “classical” realm of Toronto, Amahl is quickly becoming known as a strong advocate for the music of our time, performing with ensembles such as Soundstreams, New Music Concerts, Tapestry Opera, FAWN Chamber Creative, Thin Edge New Music Collective, Art of Time Ensemble, Freesound Collective and Music in the Barns, as well as regular appearances at the 21C Music Festival. In his time with these ensembles, he has had the opportunity to work closely with leading composers such as Salvatore Sciarrino, Ana Sokolovic, Luna Pearl Woolf, Bekah Simms and Brian Current and has been involved in the Toronto, Canadian and World premieres of dozens of new works.
 
As a soloist and chamber musician, Amahl has presented several recitals and performed alongside artists such as David Geringas, Robert Aitken, Steven Dann, Angela Cheng, and Jeffrey Beecher. He toured the US with Matt Haimovitz’ all-cello ensemble, Uccello and was a featured artist at the Salzburg Chamber Music Festival and Ottawa Chamberfest. Amahl is a co-founder of VC2 Cello Duo alongside friend and colleague, Bryan Holt, who recently released their second album, I and Thou, featuring newly commissioned and never-recorded Canadian cello music, in February 2023.
 
Outside of classical music, Amahl has performed and recorded with many incredible artists including Allison Au, Laila Biali, Jherek Bischoff, Aline Homzy, Adi Braun, Sarah Slean, Naomi McCaroll-Butler, Half Moon Run and Jann Arden. Recently Amahl recorded cello for Laila Biali’s Wintersongs, Allison Au’s upcoming Migrations Suite album and Bekah Simms’ Foreverdark.
 
Upcoming engagements include VC2 Cello Duo performances in Barrie, Toronto (with Collectif9 for TO Live) and St. John’s, the Toronto premiere of Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Opera Angel’s Bone and the world premiere of a new double-sextet by Nicole Lizée.