30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30, 2019 edition - CBC.ca

Posted: 07 Aug 2019 12:00 AM PDT

It's a beloved summer tradition at CBC Music: our classical "30 under 30" list, celebrating the accomplishments of Canada's hottest young classical musicians.

Last year, Canadians cleaned up at some of the world's biggest international classical music competitions. This year's inductees into CBC Music's classical "30 under 30" community are continuing that winning trend.

Without exception, all of them told us that they wouldn't be where they are today without the unconditional support of their parents. So, this year we dedicate our classical "30 under 30" list to these unsung heroes who invest time and money to help their children be their best selves and reach their goals. Take a bow, moms and dads!

And now, meet this year's 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30, from oldest to youngest.

Is there a young classical musician who has grabbed your attention? Let us know via Twitter @CBCclassical.

Jillian Bonner, mezzo-soprano

Age: 29
From: Saint John

In 2005, at the historic Imperial Theatre in Saint John, Jillian Bonner sang in the chorus of Puccini's Tosca and her fate was sealed. Fourteen years and a lot of hard work later, she's basking in the afterglow of singing her first Charlotte in Massenet's Werther at the Lunenburg Academy of Music last May. "I have to actively convince myself to practise other music, instead of just constantly working on Werther!"

But other work does beckon: Bonner is heading to Toronto this fall to begin a Rebanks Family Fellowship at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and she'll make her debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in January 2020 as a soloist in Mozart's Requiem, the latter resulting from a collaboration between the TSO and Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium Young Artists initiative. If Bonner gets homesick for the lush greenery and ocean breezes of her native New Brunswick, she'll distract herself with — this is weird — a mix of horror and Disney movies. And when she's not belting out show tunes from Sondheim musicals ("he writes such beautiful, poignant lyrics"), she's busy advocating for social justice, "especially pertaining to feminism and the LGBTQIA+ community."

We raise a pint of Moosehead (Bonner's favourite) in her honour.

'Get back on that horse.' — Jillian Bonner (Mike Capson)

Naomi Woo, conductor

Age: 29
From: North Vancouver

Hey, Winnipeg: get ready to welcome Naomi Woo to your fair city. She's moving there in September to become assistant conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, conductor of the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of Winnipeg Sistema. "I look forward to getting to know many sides of this vibrant city," she says. "I'm especially thrilled to be able to work with the musicians in the WSO — it is such a warm community, and an absolutely stellar orchestra."

Woo will be arriving from Cambridge, England, where she recently submitted her PhD thesis on 20th- and 21st-century piano études, including a full chapter on Nicole Lizée's Hitchcock Études. "I really love the way she works with sound, and also how blurred the boundaries are between the live and electronic components of the music." Despite her busy schedule in Winnipeg, Woo will return to England in September to perform piano with Tangram, a collective dedicated to the new music of the Chinese diaspora, at the Rye Arts Festival. She loves Blossom Dearie ("her voice is just amazing"), greatly admires Marin Alsop, and says nothing beats "working at the piano while a deer casually strolls up to the window to peer through" at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

'I think of myself as much a curator as a musician.' — Naomi Woo (Irene Trancossi)

Stephen Ivany, trombonist

Age: 29
From: Shoal Harbour, N.L.

"Other than sharks, bugs, heights and open water, I think my biggest fear is not being heard," says Stephen Ivany, adding, "you can read into my choice of trombone all you want." Evidently you can take the boy out of Newfoundland (all the way to Greenville, N.C., in fact, where Ivany is assistant professor of trombone and euphonium at East Carolina University) but you can't take that Newfoundland sense of humour out of the boy.

Jokes aside, Ivany has had a busy year: he played second trombone in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 with the North Carolina Symphony under Karina Canellakis in January, did a recital tour of the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Florida, and saw two of his graduating students get accepted into master's programs. Despite his many accomplishments, Ivany says he's constantly "in pursuit of total mastery" of his instrument and still regularly consults Scott Hartman, his former trombone teacher at Yale, for guidance. This fall, fuelled by a steady diet of pink Starburst, he'll tour Ecuador and Colombia with the Carnyx Trio, and in 2020, he'll release Monuments, an album featuring six new chamber works.

'Consistent work equals consistent results in all aspects of one's life.' — Stephen Ivany (Greg Locke)

Bryn Blackwood, pianist

Age: 28
From: Toronto

The first thing to know about Bryn Blackwood is that, on his mother's side of the family, he's related to famed composer (and Alberti bass abuser) Muzio Clementi. If that name gives you piano-lesson PTSD, don't blame Blackwood: he has made up for it by winning first prize at both the 2019 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition and the doctor of musical arts recital competition at U of T, where he studies with Marietta Orlov as a recipient of the Alice and Armen Matheson Graduate Scholarship.

While Blackwood says Jacob Collier's album Djesse reinvigorated his love of harmony, these days he's most likely to be diving deeply into the modernist works of Russian composer Nikolai Roslavets. "His music has such an expressively dark harmonic sense." An amateur baker, Blackwood unwinds either in the kitchen ("one day I will perfect macarons!") or the campgrounds of Ontario. (Fun fact: he was a zipline/canopy tour guide for a number of years.) This fall, you can catch him playing music by Jean Coulthard, Jacques Hétu and Brian Current on his cross-Canada Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition winner's concert tour.

We invited Blackwood to Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto and he cast a spell with this Scriabin Prelude:

Bryn Blackwood performs Alexander Scriabin's Prelude in B Flat Major, Op. 11, No. 21 1:57

Ariane Brisson, flutist

Age: 28
From: Montreal

In June, Ariane Brisson became the new artistic director of Pentaèdre, the renowned wind quintet of which she's been a member since 2016. Earlier this year, they went to London, England, to perform Schubert's Die Winterreise (arranged for voice, winds and accordion) with Christoph Prégardien and Joseph Petrič at Wigmore Hall. "Without a doubt, the musical highlight of my year," Brisson enthuses. (Watch here and be amazed.)

In the upcoming season, while continuing her doctoral studies at l'Université de Montréal thanks to a generous SSHRC grant, she and her Pentaèdre colleagues will present an all-Jacques Hétu concert on Nov. 8 ("simply magnificent music!"), and in May 2020 she'll join some friends from Les Violons du Roy to play the complete flute quartets by Mozart. An ongoing obsession for Brisson is the music of Ravel ("I've always been sensitive to his musical language") and she's busy transcribing his pieces for her instrument. And yet, she insists she is not a flute geek!

This summer, you're likely to find her hanging out — literally, in the hammock she takes everywhere — near a lake, and knitting with a gin and tonic/mojito/Pilsner within reach.

'Vivre et laisser vivre (live and let live).' — Ariane Brisson (Annie Éthier)

Sarah Bissonnette, mezzo-soprano

Age: 27
From: Boucherville, Que.

It's been a terrific year for Sarah Bissonnette. She won first prize and the audience prize at Vancouver Opera's inaugural VOX competition — "It was a pleasure to sing on the stage of Queen Elizabeth Theatre and to feel so welcomed for my first day in B.C." — and completed her tenureship at Calgary Opera's Emerging Artists program, which saw her perform in the "quite effervescent" world premiere of Veronika Krausas and André Alexis's Ghost Opera at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Earlier in the year, she was on the East Coast to work on the title role in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri at the Lunenberg Academy of Music.

Now, you might be inclined to put your feet up after all that, but not Bissonnette. She's making the most of her summer, studying art song and opera at Edith Wiens' Internationale Meistersinger Akademie in Germany. She loves being onstage and hopes to improve her hair and makeup skills ("I have never learned how to contour," she admits.) Occasionally Bissonnette despairs at the wage gap and double standards in the music business. "There is still so much work to do, especially in opera, to give equal opportunity to female voices," she says, adding, "New works should really pass the Bechdel test."

Best thing about being a musician? 'Bringing together mind, body and soul,' says Sarah Bissonnette. (Steffanie Sedlbauer)

Sharanjeet Singh Mand, sitarist

Age: 26
From: Surrey, B.C.

A latecomer to his instrument, Sharanjeet Singh Mand was 16 when he began playing the sitar and in the 10 years since then has become one of its leading proponents, especially skilled at fast taans (patterns of notes) and soulful gayaki ang (imitation of the human voice.) So skilled, in fact, that he recently left his job to devote himself full-time to "taking Indian classical music to a platform where it actually deserves to be." Last fall, he got to perform alongside his guru, Pandit Harvinder Sharma, who was touring Canada, and Singh Mand recently joined the faculty at Place des Arts music school in Coquitlam, B.C.

His music-making is inspired by nature. "I look at a seedling breaking through hard ground and surviving through sun and rain until it becomes a bowering tree," he reflects. "I lose myself for hours watching drops of water slowly merging into each other on a window or watching the graceful movements of a caterpillar." Not surprisingly, Singh Mand is also a poet, writing in multiple languages.

"Music conquers all," he asserts, and his playing certainly conquered us when he came to our Vancouver studio last winter:

Sharanjeet Singh Mand stopped by CBC Music's Studio 1 in Vancouver for a special performance of Yaman on the sitar. 4:17

Heemin Choi, violinist

Age: 26
From: Halifax

Heemin Choi often reminds himself that 'the night is darkest before the dawn.' (Donna Santos)

"I love going back to Korea. The food is endless and so good and cheap," says Heemin Choi, whose journey began in Seoul 26 years ago. After a brief detour to the Solomon Islands, his family eventually settled in Halifax, their long-term home. "I find inspiration in both my mom and dad every day," he says. "They risked a stable life to move to Canada so that my sister and I could grow up in a more favourable environment."

In Halifax, Choi studied with Philippe Djokic at Dalhousie University before heading to Houston, Texas, to complete his master's degree with Paul Kantor at Rice University. Choi participated in the Verbier Festival Academy last summer, and got to play Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 under the direction of Simon Rattle. "My favourite orchestral musical experience," he recalls. "The energy onstage was so surreal you could feel the air buzzing!"

Last fall, Choi was awarded the three-year use of the 1768 Miller Januarius Gagliano violin from the Canada Council for the Arts' musical instrument bank. He'll play it with Kinetic Ensemble, a conductorless group in Houston, in the upcoming concert season. Until then, he'll load up on Lays ketchup chips ("only available in Canada!") and brag to anyone who'll listen about the Raptors' win.

Abshir Miller, guitarist

Age: 26
From: Iron Bridge, Ont.

'It could be worse.' — Abshir Miller (Melissa Lagacy)

Abshir Miller started out as an alto saxophone player, but he soon succumbed to the allure of the guitar, partly due to the Canadian Guitar Quartet's 2003 release Les Scènes de quartiers, which he says changed his life. Miller did his bachelor of music in guitar performance at the University of Toronto and completed a performance diploma at Sudbury's Cambrian College before heading to California last fall to begin his master's degree with David Tanenbaum at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. There, he became the guitar department's teaching assistant and is a member of the "hire" team, playing various gigs throughout the Bay Area.

Like so many performing artists, Miller says his biggest fear is giving "a horrible performance," which he appears to have avoided so far. ("I would like to be a little more optimistic," he admits.) In August 2018, he nabbed the $1,500 first prize in the guitar division of the National Music Festival in Sackville, N.B. Miller loves Beethoven "for the quality and emotional depth of his music," has taken coffee-worship to a whole other level, and looks forward to the 2019 Sauble Beach Guitar Festival later this month, where he'll participate in master classes, play in the guitar orchestra and catch up with old friends.

Nicole Linaksita, pianist

Age: 26
From: Vancouver

In high school, Nicole Linaksita was nicknamed "Squirrel" by friends watching her play expert-level Guitar Hero. They were noticing that caffeinated focus and persistence she would also apply to academics (she holds an undergraduate degree in computer science) and, of course, piano.

Linaksita won first prize ($10,000) at the Canadian Music Competition's 2019 Stepping Stone final as well as the Canimex Group Prize ($1,000) for best performance of a Canadian work, having already taken part in the 2012 and 2016 editions of that competition. She also placed third at this year's Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, and while acclaim is important, she also values music's therapeutic qualities. "Some of my favourite performances were in high-care seniors' homes," she says. "It made my day when an otherwise unresponsive resident started to sing along to a tune they remembered from years past."

In her spare time, Linaksita enjoys drawing, animating and arranging video game music — endeavours we hope she'll have time to continue this fall, when she heads to the University of Texas at Austin to begin her master's in piano performance.

'Be yourself.' — Nicole Linaksita (Nicole Linaksita)

Meagan Milatz, pianist

'Stick to your instincts!' — Meagan Milatz (Mathieu Deshayes)

Age: 26
From: Weyburn, Sask.

In May, Meagan Milatz's childhood dream of playing with the Regina Symphony Orchestra was fulfilled when she was the soloist in David McIntyre's Piano Concerto No. 1, conducted by Gordon Gerrard, at the RSO's 110th anniversary concert. "There were so many family members and friends in the crowd, it left me speechless and a bit choked up," she recalls. Fans everywhere will have a chance to hear her as of September, when she and violinist Amy Hillis (together they're known as meagan&amy) begin Roadtrip!, a pan-Canadian 50-concert tour. When that wraps, she'll play music by Beethoven, Ravel and Poulenc with cellist Matt Haimovitz at the Isabel Bader Centre in Kingston, Ont.

Milatz studied fortepiano and piano, respectively, with Tom Beghin and Ilya Poletaev at McGill University, graduating with a master's degree in 2017, and she's still happily based in Montreal, where cycling and whiling away the day at Marché Jean-Talon are her favourite activities. She says she secretly wishes to play the horn — could this be because she recently performed with Stefan Dohr, principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic, at Domaine Forget? Future goals for Milatz include learning to throw a Frisbee properly and getting a Bernese mountain dog.

Jaelem Bhate, conductor and composer

Age: 25
From: Richmond, B.C.

For Jaelem Bhate, Leonard Bernstein has been a role model. "Beyond his genius as a conductor, composer and person, his life story reminds me that it's OK to be different and to forge your own path," he says. After starting out in the sciences, Bhate's path now bisects classical music and jazz. He recently completed his master's degree in orchestral conducting at UBC, having done an undergraduate degree there in percussion, and his debut jazz album, On the Edge, which features his own big band compositions, has been described as "well-designed, smartly performed [and] admirably recorded." (Check out these recent videos of Bhate's arrangements of Bizet's Carmen for jazz orchestra.)

In May, at its annual Jean Coulthard reading sessions, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performed Bhate's composition Natcitlaneh. In July, he was a conducting fellow at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C., working with Gerard Schwarz. In November, Bhate will conduct the VSO in their Wall to Wall percussion show. A new project is Symphony 21, through which Bhate aims to reinvigorate orchestral music "not by reinventing the wheel, but by removing that wheel from the wagon and attaching it to an electric hybrid vehicle." Other things to know about Bhate: the Toronto Symphony's recording of Holst's The Planets was "almost solely responsible" for hooking him on orchestral music, he is a fan of standup comedy and all sports ("I've even watched darts in a pinch") and he's "fairly obsessed with dogs."

'It's all crazy until it isn't.' — Jaelem Bhate (Takumi Hayashi)

Meagan Turner, violist

'Have a take, and play to the best of your ability.' — Meagan Turner (Adam Despinic)

Age: 25
From: Toronto

Receiving her master's degree from Juilliard this spring was "tremendously exciting" for Meagan Turner. "It was a thrill and an honour to walk across a stage so rich in musical history!" And she'll remain in New York for the foreseeable future, having been accepted into Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect for 2019-20. While she loves living in New York ("there's always something new to check out"), she visited Sydney, Australia, last year and seems to have left her heart there. "I'll never get over the view of the harbour and the opera house, and the food is to die for," she says, adding, "I checked meeting a koala off my bucket list!"

In July, Turner returned to the Steans Music Institute at the Ravinia Festival, where she played Mendelssohn's Octet, Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht, and Berg's Lyric Suite. "The Berg is one of my favourite works, despite its tremendous difficulty, so I was thrilled to finally have the chance to learn it." While not immersed in all things viola, Turner likes to cook ("I've been experimenting with Thai cuisine lately and recently learned to make a green curry from scratch") and rarely goes a month without listening to Glenn Gould's recording of the Goldberg Variations. Surprising fact about her? She used to be a huge WWE fan and her ringtone was her favourite wrestler's walk-on music.

Thomas Le Duc-Moreau, conductor

Age: 25
From: Montreal

'Keep calm.' — Thomas Le Duc-Moreau (Francis Leduc)

Meet Thomas Le Duc-Moreau, the incoming (and youngest ever) assistant conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. His first year on the job will coincide with Kent Nagano's final season with the orchestra. "It will be very special," says Le Duc-Moreau, who has recently completed his tenure as assistant conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, and is the founding and artistic director of his own orchestra, Ensemble Volte, which offers an "audacious alternative to the traditional concert formula" and is generating a lot of buzz.

He studied cello and conducting at the Conservatoire de Montréal and credits his mentor, Jacques Lacombe, for his success. "He inspired me a lot about the role of the conductor and all its different aspects." A recent obsession for Le Duc-Moreau is baroque music, especially the works of Jean-Philippe Rameau, which explains why he secretly wishes to play the harpsichord. (He's less secretive about his weakness for red wine.) François Truffaut's La nuit américaine left a lasting impression on Le Duc-Moreau. "It's about the making of a movie, and it touched me how the director is always connected to every little detail. It reminded me a lot about my role as a conductor."

Antoine St-Onge, bassoonist

Age: 24
From: Morin Heights, Que.

'Work hard and enjoy life harder.' — Antoine St-Onge (Annie Éthier)

"If it's winter and there's some good snow up in the mountains, I need to ride it," states Antoine St-Onge, a passionate backcountry snowboarder and cyclist who has just completed his first season as principal bassoonist of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Could there be a better job for someone with his abilities and interests?

Before moving to Calgary, St-Onge was a member of the Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal and subbed with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy and other Quebec ensembles. While he says Mozart's timelessness and Mahler's modernist approach to symphonic form will never cease to amaze him, he's also drawn to Acid Pauli and Aphex Twin's "amazing organization of a musical environment."

Work–life balance? He's got that figured out: "Preparation for upcoming performances is a big thing on days off, in my case reed-making, score-studying and instrument practice," on top of outdoor activities and "spending time with human and furry friends." St-Onge is looking forward not only to playing lots of Beethoven with the CPO in 2019-20, but also to marrying his fiancée. "She is amazing."

Hannah Craig, cellist

Age: 24
From: Scarborough, Ont.

In May, Hannah Craig auditioned for her very first orchestral position — and got the job! She joins the Victoria Symphony in September, in time for their "Beethoven 250" cycle. "I'm really excited to get all of those under my belt," she says. Last November, as a winner of the Glenn Gould School's concerto competition, she made her orchestral debut playing Elgar's Cello Concerto with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra under Bramwell Tovey. "Craig displayed an authoritative command of her technique, a sumptuously full sound and expressively lyrical phrasing," wrote one reviewer.

The daughter of musicians, Craig singles out her mother (her first cello teacher) as especially influential. "She is extremely honest with me, not just with regards to life, but especially to cello." Speaking of honest, Craig tells us she's fascinated by the theorbo, is very much into Ravel's music these days, and would like to take a road trip with — get this — Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Jeff Goldblum, Björk and a medium-sized dog. Shotgun!

She and pianist Daisy Leung recently dropped by our Toronto studio to play some Fauré:

Hannah Craig and Daisy Leung perform Gabriel Fauré: Romance, Op. 69 3:53

Matthew Cairns, tenor

Age: 24
From: St. Catharines, Ont.

'Singing is a lot like cooking; it takes preparation, execution, and a great amount of passion to create the perfect outcome.' — Matthew Cairns (Mikelis Rogers)

Even though Matthew Cairns won first prize ($5,000) and the CBC Music Young Artist Development Prize at the Canadian Opera Company's 2018 Centre Stage Competition, the highlight of his year was likely the Toronto Raptors' victory in the NBA finals. "I am a massive Raptors Fan," he says. "I try to get to as many games as I can."

Despite that distraction, Cairns recently completed his master's degree in opera performance at U of T, studying with Darryl Edwards. He says he admires Luciano Pavarotti "because he was able to inspire a generation of people with his passion for his craft," and as an incoming member of the COC's Ensemble Studio, Cairns will be able to exercise his own passion for opera. He's slated to sing three roles in their upcoming season: the Prince of Persia in Turandot, the Gamekeeper in Rusalka and the Messenger in Aïda. "I can't believe I get to work and share the stage with so many fantastic artists," he says. To store up energy for that, he's spending as much time as possible this summer on the dock at his cottage ("It is a beautiful and serene place with an amazing sunset") and enjoying the occasional cigar and glass of scotch ("Sorry, Mom").

Samuel Blanchette-Gagnon, pianist

Age: 23
From: Quebec City

"I am trying to learn to be more patient," says Samuel Blanchette-Gagnon. "It's a quality of utmost importance for a musician, because music needs time to grow." While that may be true, he has been wasting no time racking up accolades. Blanchette-Gagnon won the 2019 Prix d'Europe (watch his performance of Liszt's Après une lecture de Dante from the gala here), walking away with $26,500 in prize money. This comes one year after he nabbed second prize at the Stepping Stone final of the 2018 Canimex Canadian Music Competition.

Blanchette-Gagnon singles out Michel Franck, his coach for the past two years, as especially influential: "He transmits a wonderful way to conceive of, and make, music: a fantastic combination of savoir-faire, intelligence and intuition to create a unique moment that is not just a reproduction of what was done during rehearsal." He'll put that wisdom into practice this fall recording an album (Debussy, Szymanowski, Franck) with violinist Marie Bégin, and playing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Orchestre Symphonique des Jeunes de Montréal in March 2020. When not "putting his life, thoughts, experiences and feelings into music," Blanchette-Gagnon loses himself in math, physics and literature and seizes every opportunity to get out into nature.

'Believe in what you find beautiful.' — Samuel Blanchette-Gagnon (Marianne Isabelle)

Xiaoyu Liu, pianist

Age: 22
From: Montreal

Xiaoyu Liu was one of two Canadian pianists selected from a field of 954 applicants for the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in June. (Watch his round 1 recital here.) Back in 2012, he won the grand prize at the OSM Competition (he was 15) and in 2015, the Prix d'Europe, so he's no stranger to the thrill of competition. Maybe that's why he can picture himself as a race-car driver in a parallel universe.

Liu graduated with great distinction from the Conservatoire de Montréal, where he studied with Richard Raymond, and he's currently enrolled at the Université de Montréal, working with Dang Thai Son. He likes to sleep late, is a good mimic, and enjoys getting to the ocean when he can ("because you can't see the end"). Liu recently enjoyed spending New Year's with his grandparents in Beijing, China, and attending his five-year high-school reunion. For now, he's indulging his fascination with Scriabin.

'Everything is instantaneous, everything will pass.' — Xiaoyu Liu (Supplied by Xiaoyu Liu)

Albert Chen, pianist

Age: 20
From: Winnipeg

"We live in a world that emphasizes consumption whereas music is all about creating," says Albert Chen, a young pianist with an old soul who looks to legends such as Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein and Claudio Arrau for inspiration. It seems to be working: last October, he did a recital tour of Manitoba and Saskatchewan as a CFMTA young artist; in February, he made his concerto debut playing Beethoven's "Emperor" with the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra; and in June he played the third movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra — all of this while still working on his bachelor of music.

He loves Shostakovich, hates insects and says Miles Davis's Kind of Blue changed his life. And if he can recover from the disappointing final season of Game of Thrones (he's a big fan), then Chen's future plans include playing in the scholarship-winners' recital of the Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg's upcoming concert season, graduating from the University of Manitoba, and taking the MCAT exam for entry into medical school. We think he'll excel wherever life takes him.

'The only person you should aim to be better than is yourself.' — Albert Chen (Darren Place)

Alison Kim, violinist

Age: 20
From: Vancouver

"I eat way too many sweets for my own good," admits Alison Kim between bites of an egg tart (her favourite snack). On the other hand, they give her the energy she needs to do wonderful things such as playing in the Nico Quartet (one of the New England Conservatory's honours ensembles for 2018-2019), winning the 2019 Michael Measures Second Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts ($15,000) and touring with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada this summer as a soloist in Brahms' Double Concerto.

It may surprise you to learn that, until Grade 11, Kim had plans to go to law school. And at the age of eight, she was accepted to become a trainee at a major Korean entertainment agency. "If I'd had the courage and determination to move to Korea then, maybe I would've become a K-pop star instead!" But the violin won out, due in large part to her Vancouver violin teacher, Taras Gabora ("he motivates me to pour my all into my music") and supportive parents ("the pillars of my music education"). She's looking forward to playing in a four-city Canadian tour of the NYOC and the Euoprean Union Youth Orchestra in November.

'Live with no regrets.' — Alison Kim (John Paik)

Angela Ryu, violinist

Age: 19
From: Calgary

"I am in love with Brahms," gushes Angela Ryu, who recently learned his Violin Sonata No. 3. "The intensity and grandeur of his music, combined with his soulful, breathtaking melodies are just so satisfying to play!" Her good taste is further confirmed by her admiration for James Ehnes's recording of the violin concertos by Barber, Korngold and Walton: "Growing up, that was the CD my mother would always play wherever we'd go!"

In May, Ryu won first prize ($8,000) and the Paul J. Bourret Award ($1,000) for best performance of the test piece at the Shean Strings Competition, securing a performance with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra next season. It was a fitting conclusion to Ryu's first year studying at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where she enjoyed hosting her own recital for friends and peers. Like most young musicians, she sometimes has doubts ("the musician's path can be pretty unpredictable and I think that scares me the most," she admits), but this summer, Ryu is putting all fears aside and is "super excited" to be taking part in the Aspen Music Festival before returning for year 2 at Rice. You got this, Angela!

'Work hard, play hard. I always believe that if you put in the work and practice, good results will always come your way.' — Angela Ryu (Calgary Herald)

YuYang Xie, pianist

Age: 19
From: Gatineau, Que.

In November 2018, while YuYang Xie was working out at the gym, the unthinkable happened: "I suffered a comminuted fracture in my right thumb. On my way to the hospital, I forced myself to accept the worst-case scenario that I would not be able to play piano again (at least professionally)." But three months later, he was back at it ("it felt like a new life for me at that moment") and by July, miraculously, he was ready to compete in the Canimex Canadian Music Competition in Calgary, where he won first prize in his age category in addition to the overall grand prize in the 19-to-30-year-old category. He got to play Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Calgary Phil as a result. To celebrate his remarkable comeback, he travelled to Jasper and Banff with his parents ("they are my family and also my best friends") and kayaked on Lake Louise — "the best day off I have had so far!"

A student of Alan Chow at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., Xie is currently working on Schubert's Wanderer-Fantasie and despite its "countless scales, arpeggios and even 'lightning octaves'," he says he will "conquer it" in time for a recital in March 2020. On account of a "slight obsession" with math and cards, Xie can see himself as a professional poker player. "In fact, I am currently enrolled in a dual degree program of piano performance at Eastman and economics at the University of Rochester, while taking behavioural science courses as my electives," he explains. "Perhaps that dream is not dead yet!"

'It's important to hold an optimistic attitude towards both our fortunes and misfortunes.' — YuYang Xie (Supplied by the artist)

Matthew Christakos, cellist

Age: 19
From: Ottawa

On one hand, Matthew Christakos is a typical 19-year-old who enjoys binge-video-gaming and compares himself to a sloth. ("I like to take my time to do things," he says.) On the other hand, he's the model of discipline and hard work, having just graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music's Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy, and previously taken part in the Morningside Music Bridge program in Boston, Mass. He's also highly specific about his preferred lunch order: "Smoked salmon on a Montreal bagel with cream cheese, tomato, onions, capers, dill and a squirt of lemon juice."

Christakos acknowledges his parents' support ("they've been there every step of the way") and singles out his longtime cello teacher, David Heatherington, for helping him find his artistic voice and "keeping things in perspective, whatever the situation." In June, he won second prize ($5,000) at the CMC's Stepping Stone final, and as this year's recipient of the Canada Council's Michael Measures First Prize ($25,000), he has spent the summer touring with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada as soloist in Brahms' Double Concerto. And when that winds down, he'll pack his bags and head to Philadelphia's Curtis Institute, where he's set to begin his bachelor of music, studying under Peter Wiley and Carter Brey.

'Try your best and have fun!' — Matthew Christakos (Alice Hong)

David Liam Roberts, cellist

Age: 19
From: Winnipeg

Best thing about being a musician? "Being able to make a human connection with, and speak to, people through my performances without even saying a word," says David Liam Roberts, and that eloquence is taking him far. He was the youngest-ever finalist (and won second prize) at the 2018 Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg's McLellan Competition; he won first prize (strings) and the grand award ($5,000) at the 2018 National Music Festival, securing a solo appearance in spring 2020 with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra; and he has completed his first year at the Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, where he got to play Mendelssohn's D Minor Trio with his newly formed chamber group.

Roberts also oversees the Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg chapters of the Back to Bach Project, visiting elementary schools and "highlighting the importance of having vision and determination in achieving goals as well as sharing great classical music with them." He's inspired by James Ehnes and Yo-Yo Ma and says Pablo Casal's 1937 recording of Dvorak's Cello Concerto set him on his current path. Fun fact: Roberts won the silver medal in triathlon at the 2012 Manitoba Summer Games. Catch him if you can!

'Always be sincere and genuine.' — David Liam Roberts (Simeon Rusnak)

Eric Guo, pianist

Age: 17
From: Toronto

"I feel that 24 hours in a day is not enough for me," says Eric Guo, and it's no wonder. He's too busy being amazing! In March, Guo won third prize ($4,870) at the Hastings International Piano Competition in the U.K. — he was the youngest contestant and the only Canadian — where he played Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the final round. Last August, he won first prize ($9,161) in the junior division of the 11th International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists, held in China. And in July, he placed third at the International e-Piano Junior Competition in Minneapolis, Minn.

"Besides practising piano, sleeping is my favourite thing," he says, then gets philosophical: "I believe peace and music are the most important things for mankind." Who can argue with that? A student of Li Wang at the Royal Conservatory of Music's Taylor Academy, Guo loves Vladimir Ashkenazy's recording of the Ballades and Scherzi by Chopin, the composer he's currently obsessed with "because all of his music is noble, poetic, dramatic and nostalgic." It may also be because Guo is busy preparing for the Canadian Chopin Piano Competition coming up later this month, where he'll compete in the senior division. He's also got the 2020 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in his long-range plans. We like his chances!

'Smile through tears. The more difficulties one confronts, the stronger one will be.' — Eric Guo (Michael Yao)

Ariel Wang, flutist and pianist

Age: 16
From: West Vancouver

Growing up, Ariel Wang loved Harry Potter ("even now, I'm still learning lessons from the characters in that story") which may explain her wizardry on not one but two instruments. Don't believe us? She toured Portugal in March as principal flutist of the Phillips Academy Chamber Orchestra (she's in Grade 11 there while studying music at the nearby New England Conservatory) and earlier this summer she attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute's flute workshop. She then headed to the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C., on a merit scholarship in piano, where she was one of five winners of the concerto competition. She got to play the first movement of Rach 2 with orchestra on July 25 as a result. (Was she channelling her piano hero, Evgeny Kissin? "[He] has reserves of power that I really hope to replicate," Wang says.)

In June, she won first prize (piano) in the senior category of the American Fine Arts Festival's Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition. As part of that prize, she'll play Schumann's Fantasiestücke in November at Carnegie Hall. Perhaps Beyoncé can take some of the credit: "Homecoming was so powerful to me," reflects Wang, "and watching her confident, passionate performance (five times in the first weekend it came out) was incredibly inspirational to my own musical performance." Oh, and one of Wang's poems was recently published in her school's literary magazine, no big deal.

'Chin up, smiles on, look straight on.' — Ariel Wang (Stuart Beeby)

Sarah Oulousian, pianist

Age: 15
From: Brossard, Que.

If Sarah Oulousian's name is familiar, maybe it's because her older sister, Emily, appeared on our 2016 list. Or, it could be from this TV interview she did in January prior to her performance in Beethoven and the Bully with the National Academy Orchestra. It was just the first of many accomplishments for Oulousian in 2019: In May, she won the grand prize ($1,000) at the Steinway Junior Piano Competition in Ottawa. In June, she won the grand prize ($1,000) at the Concours de musique Choeur de la Montagne, and in July — are you detecting a pattern here? — she was the youngest competitor at the CFMTA's National Piano Competition in Winnipeg, where she walked away with the second prize ($3,000) and two other awards ($2,500).

Oulousian says she looks to prominent women such as Julie Payette ("not only an astronaut but also a pianist and singer") and Michelle Obama ("articulate, educated and inspiring") for encouragement, and like Ariel Wang, above, she's awestruck by Evgeny Kissin ("His performances are filled with character and energy. His hair, too!"). When not practising, she's involved in sports (football, fencing, cross-country running) and is a self-described book worm. She'll play a duo recital with her sister in Pro Musica's Mélodînes series in February 2020, and then, in April, she'll be the soloist in Bach's Keyboard Concerto in D Minor with the string orchestra at the Conservatoire de Montréal, where she studies with Richard Raymond.

'There is no elevator to success; you'll have to take the stairs one step at a time.' — Sarah Oulousian (Julie Robichaud)

Henry From, pianist, violinist and composer

Age: 15
From: Bellingham, Wash.

A dual American–Canadian citizen, Henry From lives on the other side of the border, but attends the Vancouver Academy of Music ("Some weeks it seems that I actually spend more time in Vancouver than Bellingham!"), where he studies piano with Amanda Chan and violin with Sandra Payton and plays violin in the school's orchestra. While he tries to adhere to Chopin's dictum, "simplicity is the highest goal," From in fact juggles two instruments, sings in a choir and has composed more than 50 pieces — not exactly a simple life!

Last November, he won first prize ($10,000) in the junior division of the OSM Manulife Competition, playing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G in the final round, and he's a four-time participant at the New England Conservatory's Morningside Music Bridge, where he formed Trio Savyon with a violinist from Calgary and a cellist from Israel. Earlier this year, they played one of From's compositions in Warsaw, Poland.

"Many of my compositions are inspired by the Group of Seven," he says. "These paintings are so imaginative in their colours, which makes it easy for me to compose music to represent them." This summer, he's looking forward to visiting his grandpa in Winnipeg and playing Brahms, Ravel, Chopin, Prokofiev and his own music in Creston, B.C. (Aug. 18) and Tofino, B.C. (Aug. 25). He's also looking for an opportunity to play Khachaturian's Piano Concerto — any takers?

'Simplicity is the highest goal.' — Henry From via Frederic Chopin (Ellie Griffin)

Xenia Huang, violinist

Age: 11
From: Surrey, B.C.

It's been a solid 12 months for Xenia Huang, who attended Charis Camp in Chilliwack, B.C., for the first time, got to see pandas while travelling in China, and — most importantly for our purposes — won first prize in the junior division of the VSO School of Music's Future of Excellence Competition. She admits she gets "very nervous" backstage, but onstage "I just play my very best and try to forget about the people." The people won't soon forget about her, though: Huang will be sharing the stage with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra next season as a result of her competition win.

She finds finger flexibility and vibrato to be the most challenging things about playing violin, which she'll continue working on with her teacher, Carla Birston, at the VSO School of Music. Huang loves Vivaldi, holidays in the Caribbean, and collecting cool rocks. She draws inspiration from Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, the central character in the YA fantasy series Throne of Glass, "because she perseveres in hard times and she does many good things for her country." Despite her prodigious talent, Huang is a normal pre-teen who enjoys skiing and, when the craving strikes, is tempted by "the whole entire junk food aisle." The future is bright.

'I just play my very best and try to forget about the people.' — Xenia Huang (Amy Wang)

The Top 15 Places To Travel In 2019 - Forbes

Posted: 15 Jan 2019 12:00 AM PST

By Fathom | What's better than end-of-year lists? Beginning-of-year lists. So much potential. So much promise. So many blank days on the calendar. Draw a red line through a week or two and strategize your 2019 travel plans. Here are 15 exciting destinations we predict travelers will be buzzing about all year long.

Kotor, Montenegro.

Photo by George Kedenburg III / Unsplash.

Montenegro

Everyone and their brother has been taking a summer vacation in Croatia. But once you drive the coast and experience the crowds at Dubrovnik (thanks, Game of Thrones), the two-hour drive to quiet, picturesque Montenegro feels mighty enticing. And why not cross the border? Approaching Kotor, with its show-stopping UNESCO World Heritage-protected fjord-like boka (bay), will take your breath away. The crystal blue waters are hemmed in by mountains; by car, it feels like driving through a canyon. Last year saw the largest influx of tourists for the country — staffing in restaurants, hotels, and ski resorts is lagging a little behind demand. If you travel like a local, lodging and dining can be ridiculously cheap, scenic, and charming (your best bet is to camp out in sleepy fishing villages like Donji Stoliv). Big spenders can find the thread count and service they expect on the very pretty islet Sveti Stefan, a preserved 15th-century fortified village, part of which is run as a glamorous Aman. Additional luxury hotels will open on the water this year and next — The Chedi, Ananti, One & Only — with spas, restaurants, boats, beach clubs, and villas. At the end of May, the town of Budva, on the Adriatic Coast, will host Games of the Small States of Europe, an Olympics-style, multi-sport event for nine nations with a population of under one million.

Stargazing in Elqui Valley.

Photo by Matias Guerrero / Unsplash.

Chile

Northern Chile's Elqui Valley, home of pisco, world-class wine, and the stunning Andean mountainside, is one of the best places in South America for stargazing — its remarkable lack of artificial light earned it the world's first designation as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Get down there on July 2, when the remote region crosses the path of totality during this summer's solar eclipse. For a guaranteed front-row seat, book a well-appointed tent at Upscape's new Outpost pop-up camp, which will occupy choice real estate near the valley from June 29 to July 3. Elqui Valley is where wine meets woo woo meets the wonders of the universe, so you'll want to tack on a few days before or after the main event to explore. Crush grapes by foot at a local high-elevation winery (our pick is Alcohuaz), sample some pisco, and align your energies — the valley is one of the biggest spiritual vortexes on the planet.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Chile

Western Australian charm.

Photo by Amanda Klamrowski / Unsplash.

Perth, Australia

Sorry, Oz: The secret's out on Western Australia — wine, waves, Wild West charm, and all. In March 2018, Quantas debuted a new direct flight from London to Perth, linking the world's most remote major city (its closest counterpart, Adelaide, is a casual 1,672-mile drive east) to one of the world's biggest transit hubs. And the hotels followed suit. Among the city's most exciting openings are COMO The Treasury (think five-star accommodations, a forager-focused rooftop restaurant, and the group's signature spa) and urban-chic QT Perth, which employs a Director of Chaos to help craft unique (and highly Instagrammable) experiences for its guests. Perth's world-class beaches, vibrant culinary scene, and new Elizabeth Quay waterfront demand exploration, but no trip Down Under is complete without a three-hour drive to Margaret River, Australia's answer to Bordeaux, a 70-mile biodiverse region dotted with white sand beaches, turquoise bays, ancient limestone caves, farmland, and rolling vineyards that produced a quarter of the country's premium wines. Naturally, there are great meals to be had here — booking an adventurous food tour, a bush foraging expedition, or a cooking class are a few fun ways to experience them. After a long day trekking through vineyards, catching waves at world-renowned Surfers Point, or exploring the sun-bleached coastal town of Margaret River, tuck in for the night at Cape Lodge Margaret River, located on an eight-acre vineyard, or Sal Salis, a luxurious glampsite on Ningaloo Reef where surf and The Outback meet.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Perth

Chengdu.

Photo courtesy of The Temple House.

Chengdu, China

As travel to China becomes increasingly popular, visitors interested in going beyond the Shanghai-Beijing route will find themselves drawn to Chengdu, the arty, open-minded, liberal capital of Sichuan in Central China. A large student and expat population has helped make Chengdu a fashion, culture, and tech hub, but this is a serious food town, famous for its old teahouses and colorful wet markets. UNESCO's first City of Gastronomy, the local specialities include hotpot, spicy mapo tofu, kungpao chicken, and — for the non-squeamish — rabbit head and chicken feet. Nicknamed the "Country of Heaven," this is also the land of pandas, which can best be seen just north of the city at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, home to some 200 giant and red pandas. A new visa-free policy went into effect on January 1, 2019, allowing visitors from 53 countries to stay for six days. The past meets the future at The Temple House hotel, where the entrance is through an old house and in-room decor includes hand-woven Tibetan blankets, but the overall design is modern as can be, with an underground pool and an art gallery that changes its collection every other month. Chengdu is also a gateway city to Tibet, and the hotel can help with those arrangements.

Old town San Juan.

Photo by Ramiro Collazo / Unsplash.

Puerto Rico

There's nothing like a crisis to see what you're made of, and if there's one place laying proof to this, it's Puerto Rico in its recovery from the devastation wrought by the dual punch inflicted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The hotels have nearly all reopened, including newcomer boutique Serafina Beach Hotel, historic Condado Vanderbilt, and recently refurbished Dorado Beach and El San Juan Hotel. That tragedy forced the island to become more self-reliant and has resulted in a resurgence in sustainable farming, a movement no doubt inspired by the heroic efforts chef José Andrés went to in helping to feed locals after the hurricanes hit. (He's been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work.) Meaning that Puerto Rico is even more of a foodie destination than it already was. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the son of Puerto Ricans, is lending his star power to recovery, by reprising his role in Hamilton for a three-week run in January. But beyond the hotels, the food, and the show tunes, you're coming for the beaches, the ease of access, the bioluminescent bays, the charms of Old Town San Juan — and because, as a responsible traveler, you want your travel choices and money to really make a difference. They will continue to do so here.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Puerto Rico

Photo by Fynn Schmidt / Unsplash.

Egypt

Egypt has been a major tourist destination since the 19th century, so it was only a matter of time for the pendulum to swing back to the country after it stabilized post-Arab Spring and the ousting of two presidents. What it means for visitors today: Some alone time with the pharaohs — just not for long. The new Grand Egyptian Museum — the largest archaeological museum in the world — is a billion-dollar undertaking poised to collect the country's most precious ancient artifacts, many of which were looted and scattered in museums around the world and have now been returned to their original home. After a decade-long hiatus, Zaha Hadid's 70-story skyscraper (the tallest on the continent) will finally break ground and hopefully spark an influx of wealthy residents back to downtown Cairo. Nile River boats and hotels are getting refreshed, refurbished, or rebuilt from the ground up. Beyond Cairo, Luxor and Aswan are musts for visitors, who can arrive by land or sea.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Egypt

Bauhaus Archive in Berlin.

Photo by Simone Hutsch / Unsplash.

Berlin, Germany

Hard to believe that 2019 marks 30 years since fall of Berlin Wall and the birth of Berlin cool, when creative chaos and fringe living launched a million artists, designers, musicians, and freewheeling techo parties. (An enormous exhibition in Mitte called Nineties Berlin aims to explain the era to anyone who missed it.) Though coffee shops and high-end boutiques have replaced the artist squats and crumbling warehouses of yore, there's still a whiff of unchecked freedom in the air — including a strong nightlife and cafe culture, progressive creative endeavors, and lots of outdoor space for gathering, skateboarding, drinking, and playing. Restaurants, shops, workspaces, installations, magazines, and studios are opening all the time (new and notable: Korean lunch spot and ceramic gallery NaNum, serious wine bar Freundschaft, and urban farm Metro). Holdovers from the city's edgier days are growing up, too. Case in point: Cookies and Cream, which opened as a nonchalant vegetarian dining spot for hungry dancers at beloved '90s Club Cookie, earned a Michelin star last year. 2019 also marks the Bauhaus Centennial, and Berlin is celebrating the modern design movement with a series of yearlong happenings, including performance art, music showcases, and architectural tours during Bauhaus Week.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Berlin

Doha, Qatar.

Photo by Pavia Rosati.

Doha, Qatar

Like Puerto Rico, Qatar has had to become more and more self-reliant since 2017, not because of a hurricane but rather due to a highly political Saudi blockade that has made it harder for goods and travelers from other points in the Middle East to enter the country. But instead of driving the people apart, it's forced residents to come together, rallying their support around the ruling family, who is beloved for their focus on education (a dozen Western universities have campuses here), health care (several new hospitals have opened), sports (soccer stadium construction is afoot for the 2022 FIFA World Cup), and the arts (the Jean Nouvel-designed National Museum of Qatar is slated to open in March). The upcoming completion of the Msheireb Downtown Doha, a sustainable, mixed-use residential, commercial, and cultural complex, will be anchored by a Mandarin Oriental and is already an attraction for the four heritage homes that comprise the Msheireb Museums. Careful attention to cultural preservation make Doha feel more authentic than nearby Dubai. If you're flying Qatar Airways to Africa or Southeast Asia, you can take advantage of a stopover program for visa-free entry for up to four days, which is more than enough time to shop for goods in the Souq Waqif and check out its too-cute-for-words Falcon Hospital, see horses train and race at Al Shaqab Equestrian Center, Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque, the stunning I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, check out the artists in residence at the Fire Station art complex and Katara Cultural Center, and go dune bashing in the desert. The restaurants in town are dry, but the Western hotels serve alcohol. There's even an extra attractive Nobu in the marina near the Four Seasons.

Cabo coastline.

Photo by Victor Hughes / Unsplash.

Baja Peninsula, Mexico

The Baja California peninsula in Northwestern Mexico — long the home of the bad Cabo spring break cliches — has become unexpectedly cool, thanks in no small part to a handful of high-design boutique hotels both big and small and charming, farm-driven restaurants. At the same time, northern Baja's Valle de Guadaloupe has emerged as the new It wine region in the Americas, with wineries and restaurants ready to serve the early gastronomes who find their way here. At the southern tip of the peninsula, sleepy Todos Santos is a haven for travelers, surfers, artists, and bohemians, who can now take a new tolled highway from the airport, trading Cabo's traffic and stop lights for a winding road along the foothills of the desolate Sierra de la Laguna Mountains and through the desert dotted with massive saguaro cacti.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Baja + Cabo

The Dolomites.

Photo courtesy of Rosa Alpina.

Dolomites, Italy

Is there anything undiscovered in Italy? No, though you may be the first of your friends to have visited the Dolomites, the unsung hero of the country and, frankly, the Alps. Recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the area is a year-round attraction. The winter season (November through March) is the time for skiing, ice climbing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and dogsledding, while the warmer months are for hiking, biking, mountain climbing, paragliding, and meandering in the valleys. This is where German meets Italian, as reflected in the language (seen in dual town names, wherein "Bolzano" is also "Bozen") and the award-winning cuisine (you'll eat more speck than prosciutto, and lots of dumplings), which all pairs beautifully with the local wines and prosecco. As for hotels, Lefay Resort & Spa, the sister hotel to their glorious Lake Garda spa, is the hotly anticipated arrival for summer 2019. Already amazing are Rosa Alpina in Alta Badia, which recently renovated an impressive penthouse suite; Cristallo Resort & Spa in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the chicest town in the area; Hotel Ciasa Salares, a family-run 50-room hotel with five restaurants; and Chalet del Sogno, a cozy-as-can-be eighteen-suite haven in Madonna di Campiglio. On Foot Holidays organizes week-long, self-guided walking excursions from July to early September, traversing ground from South Tyrol to Cortina, with a night spent in a mountain rifugio (refuge). Easily accessible from both Milan and Venice, the Dolomites are an easy addition to any northern Italian itinerary, especially if nature is on the agenda, given the mountains, lakes, meadows, vineyards, and forests that fill the Dolomites. That the dramatic, jagged peaks were coral reefs millions of years ago may explain why they maintain a rosy hue in the sunlight today, and also why Le Corbusier proclaimed the Dolomites not only the most beautiful mountains but also "the most beautiful architectural construction in the world."

Hakone, Japan.

Photo by Azlan Baharudin / Unsplash.

Japanese Countryside

Every year is a good year to go to Japan, but 2019 should be the year you venture past the big cities and explore the country's unspoiled countryside. The best part: You don't have to go that far to find it. Hakone, where locals have bathed for almost half a millennia, is gaining popularity among international travelers for its collection of small mountainside onsen communities connected by a meshwork of scenic ropeways, cable cars, and funiculars that reveal stunning views of nearby Mt. Fuji. (For maximum relaxation, check into Hakone Ginyu, the most luxurious bath house ryokan in town.) Close by in Shirakawago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, gassho-zukuri, or traditional thatched farmhouses, offer a taste of old-world, rural Japan to those who stay the night. (Inside Japan Tours will arrange a stay as part of one of their larger holiday packages.) In the beautiful and well-preserved countryside roughly an hour and a half north of Tokyo, towns like Tohoku offer hiking and skiing, while well-preserved Edo period villages like Kakunodate, a former samurai stronghold dotted with weeping cherry trees, has remained virtually unchanged since 1620.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Japan

Serra Cafema.

Photo courtesy of Wilderness Safaris.

Namibia

This is the year the cat comes out of the bag about Namibia. Or rather, the Hartmann's mountain zebra, the species endemic to southwestern African country on the Atlantic. Independent since 1990 but formerly ruled by the Germans and the South Africans and home to the Ovambo, Herero, Himba, and Damara peoples, Namibia is a blend of cultures — even as, with only 2.6 million residents and a vast (and beautiful) Namib Desert, it's one of the most sparsely populated countries on earth. Which in no small part contributes to the lack of light pollution and designation as a Dark Sky Reserve. Now democratically ruled, Namibia's government is one of the only ones to promote conservation, biodiversity, and the protection of natural resources in its constitution, which is pretty awesome. The handful of luxury hotels new to the country will help by making eco-tourism a cornerstone of their offerings. Serra Cafema, Wilderness Safari's remote luxury camp in northwest Namibia developed with the nomadic Himba people, is totally remote: The nearest civilization is hundreds of miles away. Blessedly, there is no internet access, though there are lots of animals. A lack of dangerous predators makes it safe to walk and explore the river and sand dunes. Zannier Hotels will have four lodges in Namibia by 2020, including the recently opened Omaanda, which will be followed by Sonop tented camp in July. Hoanib Valley Camp, where guests track rhinos, elephants, and giraffes, was built in partnership with local communities and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, and is operated by Natural Selection, which recently opened Shipwreck Lodge on the Skeleton Coast, consisting of ten funky wooden beachside cabins shaped like shipwrecks. Habitas Namibia, opening in in February, consists of tented lodges on vast nature reserve less than an hour from the airport.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Namibia

Gazing out at Tasmania.

Photo by Sylvia Yang / Unsplash.

Tasmania, Australia

The most compelling destination for foodies might just be the little island most Americans associate with an uncouth Looney Tunes character. Culinary adventurers, surfers, and devotees to the great outdoors would do well to looking into remote Tasmania, where it's easy to go off-grid without much sacrifice and eat your weight in oysters and abalone. The capital city of Hobart has honed a culinary reputation thanks very much to its proximity to incredible soil, waters, mountain air, old-school agrarian culture and heritage farming, and humble local producers. From wildflower honey to craft beer, the output is outrageous. The weekly Salamanca Market, which features produce, meats, prepared foods, olive oils, as well as crafts, is now Australia's largest open-air market. Sunday's Farm Gate Market showcases a variety of next-level goodies from the island's mono-producers: blueberries, bread, salmon, cider, mustard. The city's restaurant scene has become a see-and-be-seen locale for chefs and sommeliers across Australia thanks to anchor eateries like Franklin (a dynamite seafood spot from chef David Moyle) and The Source, where contemporary food and robust wines are served in the stylish Mona art museum (it should be noted that the museum is located on a winery). A crop of stylish hotels bolster the booming tourism business, like The Tasman, part of the Luxury Collection, boutique design hotel Macq01, and Saffire Freycinet on the island's east coast. Sophisticated dining coupled with a rugged landscape makes for a mighty hearty vacation.

Tel Aviv beaches.

Photo by Adam Jang / Unsplash.

Israel

A lot is happening in the Holy Land in 2019. A new high-speed train, which already fast-tracks the commute between Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion International Airport (itself undergoing a major overhaul), will link Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in under 30 minutes when it opens early in the year. That and new direct flights from United and Delta will make traveling in and out of Israel a breeze. New hotels are poised to take advantage of the influx. Head-turning luxury boutiques like The Setai, located in a 12th-century Crusader fortress; The Jaffa, spotlighting a preserved chapel turned night club; and The Drisco, a design gem in the up-and-coming Noga neighborhood, have upped the ante on accommodations in Tel Aviv, which is also getting two new properties from Brown Hotels — the hip, budget-friendly Dave Levinksy and the sprawling Menorah — in the new year, as well as the White City Center, a foundation aimed at protecting and celebrating the city's Bauhaus architecture in honor of the 100th anniversary of the design approach. Jerusalem's hotel scene has also undergone a renaissance, with the Waldorf Astoria, Orient, and David Citadel offering travelers new places to stay in the old city. Wellness seekers will be glad to hear that a new beachfront property, Brown Mediterranean Ashdod, is coming in the spring, but will all but flip at the country's most anticipated opening: Six Senses Shahrut, down south in the Negev desert outside Eilat, which will sport 58 luxurious suites and villas and a massive spa.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Israel

Texas, U.S.A.

Photo by Roberta Guillen / Unsplash.

Texas, U.S.A.

Texas. Big state, big personality, and — as the recent U.S. Senate race may have revealed — big misperceptions. Seems that there's more to the Lone Star State than ten gallon hats and tough talk; the population is continuing its "rural flight trend," with the population growing and diversifying in big cities like Austin, Dallas, and El Paso. San Antonio, named one of only two UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy in the U.S., has seen an uptick in celebrated restaurants and whole neighborhoods (Southtown, Hemisfair, Pearl District, St. Mary's Strip) revived by the local restaurant and nightlife scene. Boutique properties like the Roman & Williams-designed Hotel Emma and the forthcoming Thompson Hotel provide a solid home base for trips centered around eating $3 tacos from nationally recognized and locally beloved Carnitas Lonja. The city is also opening Ruby City, a free contemporary art center, as well as the Pedro Creek Culture Park, a 2.2-mile riverwalk landscaped with native aquatic plants. New cultural happenings in Houston include a James Turrell light installation on Rice University campus and the Menil Drawing Institute. Visitors can contemplate all the art while resting their heads at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston. In Austin, local hotelier Liz Lambert continues her domination of Texas born-n-bred boutique hotels with Magdalena, opening later this year with condos on South Congress. So far, so bueno at The Carpenter Hotel, another new, cleverly designed, impressively affordable Austin spot. That's not to discount the white sand deserts, pine forests, and Rio Grande — the best way to tackle a trip is to fly into a city and road trip out.

Read more: Fathom's Guide to Texas

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13 Experts Reveal the Best Places to Travel in 2019

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