The QuarterTones Flute Ensemble
Tara Semple, Linda Lucyk, David Popoff & Marie-Véronique Bourque
Album COMBINE
The QuarterTones Flute Ensemble is delighted to announce the digital release of its album COMBINE, marking the 10th anniversary of its original physical launch. You can now listen to COMBINE on all major digital platforms.
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
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You can also buy both digital and physical copies of COMBINE on
bandcamp
The QuarterTones
The QuarterTones Flute Ensemble was founded more than twenty years ago by Tara Semple and Linda Lucyk. The group, which also includes David Popoff and Marie-Véronique Bourque, performs a wide variety of musical styles: sacred music, jazz, classical, world, baroque, and contemporary. It is recognized for its unique and colorful sound, achieved through a combination of bass, alto, C flute, and piccolo. The members are constantly seeking new arrangements and composers interested in highlighting the rich sonorities of their formation.
Each musician of QuarterTones brings not only knowledge and experience with the modern flute, but also with the baroque and Irish flute, contributing to a wide musical palette. All members currently perform with the Regina Symphony Orchestra.
In September 2025, the ensemble releases the digital version of its debut album, COMBINE – New Works for Flute Ensemble.
Originally launched in June 2015 in Regina as a physical release, the album features works by David McIntyre, Jason Cullimore, Pierick Houdy, Sören Sieg, and Michael Bakrn?ev. Upon release, the album was warmly received: critics praised the selection of contemporary works that captivate the listener, the brilliant tone, precise intonation, and the ensemble's elegance and vitality.
The QuarterTones Flute Ensemble is especially proud of the success achieved with its two Canadian commissions: Argyle Street by David McIntyre — a suite of short movements showcasing the full flute family — received an award at the 2012 NFA Convention in Chicago. Figurines by Jason Cullimore, winner of the 2013 Western Canadian Music Award for Classical Composition of the Year, was commissioned by the ensemble and premiered in Calgary at a concert presented by the Canadian Music Centre (CMC).
In 2023, QuarterTones commissioned Mackenzie Hay to compose Distant Vastness, a trio for flutes inspired by his childhood memories of the Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan. The work, not yet published, explores the shifting landscapes of the region using the entire flute family — piccolo, concert flute, alto, and bass.
Since its creation in 2002, the QuarterTones Flute Ensemble has performed at numerous concerts and events, including the Cathedral Village Festival, Regina Public Library concerts, as well as corporate, religious, social, and multicultural events. The group has also been featured on the airwaves of Radio-Canada and CBC Radio.
Tara Semple
Tara Semple holds a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the University of Toronto. She has numerous certifications in early childhood music education, early music, and the use of sound for therapeutic purposes. She is currently Associate Principal Flutist and Piccolo with the Regina Symphony Orchestra. Recently retired as Artistic Director of Per Sonatori, an early music ensemble where she also performed on traverso, recorder, and Renaissance flute, Tara now runs a large private flute studio, with many students following the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) program. She also directs the Rusty Flute Club. Tara is a founding member of the QuarterTones Flute Ensemble and performs with her family group, The Gene Pool. Her musical practice is inspired by a wide range of styles and traditions, creating a unique and original blend of genres.
Linda Lucyk
Linda Lucyk holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Saskatchewan and a diploma in conducting from the University of Calgary. She is an active musician, flute teacher, and music educator. Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, she has been a member of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, and the Calgary Civic Symphony. A founding member of the QuarterTones Flute Ensemble, she has performed with the group in the Regina region for more than twenty years. Linda currently teaches music at Chadwick International School and lives in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the Lucyk Trio (flute, violin, and cello), she has performed with her family at secular and religious events across Saskatchewan.
David Popoff
David Popoff is a music teacher and musician based in Regina. He is currently Utility/Third Flute with the Regina Symphony Orchestra and has also performed with the National Academy Orchestra and the University of Ottawa Orchestra. His principal teachers were Jane Schudel and Robert Cram. David has played in many chamber ensembles in Saskatchewan, including the QuarterTones Flute Ensemble, and took part in the creation of The Little Match Girl ballet, composed by Elizabeth Raum for the Saskatchewan Youth Ballet Company. He teaches at the Conservatory of Performing Arts at the University of Regina. More recently, David has performed in several Regina musicals and embraced the challenge of playing other woodwind instruments.
Marie-Véronique Bourque
Marie-Véronique Bourque studied with Barbara Todd Simard and Jean Morin at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec, where she was awarded a Premier Prix in flute and chamber music. She also attended the Domaine Forget Music Academy, studying with world-renowned flutists such as Alain Marion, Raymond Guiot, and Marc Grauwels. She performed with the Orchestre des Jeunes du Québec and the Orchestre de chambre Gilles Auger, and has appeared as a soloist with various orchestras. Marie-Véronique moved to Regina in 2006 as a member of the RCMP. In 2007, she joined the QuarterTones Flute Ensemble and became Utility Flutist with the Regina Symphony Orchestra. For more than ten years she has also been active on the jazz scene, releasing several singles and three albums: Une porte s'ouvre (2018), Entre Québec & Saskatchewan (2021), and Bruissement boréal (2025), the latter in collaboration with guitarist Christine Tassan.