Ambrosia Chamber Ensembles are groups of chamber music enthusiasts who play in various combinations in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. We are musicians who play for enjoyment and to share music with others. We rehearse in Kitchener-Waterloo and sometimes in rural Princeton. Some of our groups have consistent members working toward performances, and others meet on an ad hoc basis to read through repertoire. Our ensembles include string quartets (standard, and two cellos), clarinet quartet, piano quartet, clarinet quintet (string quartet and clarinet), piano quintet (string quartet and piano), string quintet with two violas, string quintet with two cellos, string sextet, trios, and a duo.

In classical mythology, ambrosia is the food of the Greek and Roman gods, thought to confer immortality. As life on Earth becomes increasingly sobering with escalating threats to the continued existence of humanity including wars, climate change, extinction of numerous species, and artificial intelligence, alongside widespread diminishing ability to read, think, and value science and truth, we look to the beauty of music as a source of replenishment to uplift ourselves and others. Just as ambrosia confers life-enhancing benefits on those who partake of it, playing and listening to music confers life-enhancing benefits on those who partake in it.

We are: Yiyang Shi, violin/viola (tenor); Carmen Miron, violin/viola; Caleb Olesen, viola (bass); Mary Steele, cello (soprano); Michelle Kyle, cello/piano (alto); Ginny Scarfino, clarinet, and Anita Brooks Kirkland, clarinet (alto). Musicians who have played with us include Jackie Wall, violin, Pawel Pomorski, violin, Desirée Mau, violin, Veronica Kroess, violin, Nathan Hilton, violin, Gareth Au, violin, Cesar Carreno, viola, Dave Wadley, viola, Jeremy Bell, viola, Philip Spence, cello, and Flavio Sestu, piano.

Yiyang, Carmen, Caleb, Ginny, Mary, Michelle

Upcoming Ambrosia Concerts

The musicians performing on April 26, 2026 are Anita Brooks Kirkland, clarinet (alto), Yiyang Shi, violin (tenor), Caleb Olesen, viola (bass), Carmen Miron, viola, Mary Steele, cello (soprano), and Michelle Kyle, cello and piano (alto).