ECSQ Play Viola Quintets
Hello everyone!
Happy spring! This email comes to you from my front porch - the bees are buzzing, our cherry tree is blossoming, and today you can tell summer is on its way. Hope you’re able to catch some of today’s sunshine as well!
Our next tour is coming up in a couple weeks — our very last run of concerts for the season! As always, we like to make our season closer a special one. A little more on that below!
Concert 5: Viola Quintets with Carolyn Farnand
Tickets are now on sale for our last show of the season: ECSQ Play Viola Quintets with Carolyn Farnand! We first met Carolyn at Scotiafest in Halifax nearly ten years ago. She’s done a lot since then - like going to Juilliard, performing in the New World Symphony down in Florida, and most recently winning the Principal Viola position at Symphony Nova Scotia. We’re so excited to be able to reconnect and to share the stage with her!
We’ll be playing a super fun (obviously viola heavy!) program — Brahms’ Viola Quintet No. 2, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Phantasy, and the premiere of a beautiful new work by New Brunswick-based composer Sasha Louis Leger, that was written just for this collaborative run of concerts.
We’ll be in touch in a week or so with more information on the repertoire!
A little about Carolyn
Recognized as one of CBC Music’s 2024 “30 Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30, violist Carolyn Farnand is celebrated for her versatility and passion for collaboration. Recent highlights include performing on Nu Deco Ensemble’s major-label debut EP Duende with Sony Music Masterworks and appearing at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. Equally excited about early music, Carolyn toured New Zealand with Juilliard415 and was featured as a soloist with Les Violons du Roy.
A graduate of the Juilliard School, New World Symphony, and the University of Toronto, Carolyn was a Temerty Fellow while completing her Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School. She is grateful for the inspiration of her teachers: Carol Rodland, Toby Appel, Steven Dann, Cynthia Roberts, and Eric Nowlin.
Carolyn serves as Principal Viola of Symphony Nova Scotia and looks forward to performances this season with the Amati Concert Series, Sensory-Accessible Cecilia Concerts, and the Music Room Chamber Players. This spring, she will embark on a five concert tour in New Brunswick with the Elm City String Quartet.
As a recipient of the 2024 and 2025 Women for Music Professional Development award, Carolyn is grateful for the continued support in her artistic growth.
To learn more about what Carolyn’s up to, visit her website at: https://carolynfarnand.com