OTTAWA SUZUKI STRINGS

NURTURING PERSONAL EXCELLENCE

Stellae Boreales is Ottawa Suzuki Strings’ premier performance violin ensemble, formed from the school’s senior students. The musicians range in age from 12 to 17, and most have been studying the violin since the age of 4 or 5. Members of the ensemble have had the honour of performing with Maestro Pinchas Zukerman and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Many are prize winners of the Kiwanis Music Festival and the Canadian Music Competition. Stellae Boreales has toured widely, with performances in Victoria, BC (2006); China (2008); New York City (2010); Iceland (2011); Washington D.C. (2012); Cuba (2013); Minneapolis (2014); China (2015); Stratford ON (2016); and Argentina (2017).

Click Here for a Brief History

Click on Coach Name/Photo for Bio

Judith Ginsburg

Collaborative Pianist

“Pianist Judith Ginsburg, possibly the best of Ottawa’s regular accompanists, had a fine rapport with the soloist and was deft and musical, as always.” (Ottawa Citizen)  Judith was the longtime Principal Repetiteur, Opera Studio Manager and Music Director of the Opera for Young Audiences program with Opera Lyra Ottawa.  She is a frequent  performer in the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Music and Beyond Festival, and has been heard in the National Arts Centre’s Music for a Sunday Afternoon, Almonte in Concert Series and on CBC Radio.  Judith has collaborated with many of Canada’s leading artists and has performed extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe.  Her teachers have included Jean Paul Sevilla, Paul Hamburger, Martin Isepp and Seymour Bernstein.  Judith is in great demand as a collaborative pianist.  For several years, she was a faculty member of the National Arts Centre’s Young Artists Program as Collaborative Pianist.  She is Pianist and Managing Director with the Ottawa Suzuki Strings music school, Founder and Artistic Director of Chamber Opera Company Ottawa (COCO) and a MASC Artist.

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Judith Ginsburg

Judith Ginsburg

Collaborative Pianist

Aaron McFarlane

Violin

Aaron McFarlane is a musician who is dedicated to community service. As a performer, educator, and administrator, Aaron has worked to create an equitable and transformative impact beyond the stage.   Aaron completed a Bachelor of Music Performance at McGill University and a Master of Music Performance at Rice University.  Aaron has performed in orchestras (Montreal Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Symphony New Brunswick), as a founding member of multiple ensembles (Port City 5, and the Red River String Quartet), and in venues that have included concert halls, airports, and national parks.

As a dedicated educator, Aaron oversaw the launch and growth of Sistema New Brunswick’s second centre in Saint John, Canada, drawing on extensive experience teaching music in private lessons, as a resident artist in community, and in multiple teaching positions abroad.

Aaron has dedicated his efforts most recently to ensuring equal access to quality music education and performance. Aaron worked to expand the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s community engagement efforts beyond the traditional concert hall, and developed the TSO’s Relaxed Concert series for neurodiverse children.

He was most recently the Director of Education and Community Engagement for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and is currently studying towards his B.Ed at the University of Ottawa.

When Aaron's not playing or teaching the violin, he can most likely be found backpacking in the mountains with his wife, Lindsay, and his twin boys, Noah & Samuel.

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Aaron McFarlane

Aaron McFarlane

Violin

TOURS

CHINA (2015) - The group had a very successful and high-profile tour of China in nine different cities under invitation by Poly Theatre Management and the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, with help from the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.

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Find Us in Ottawa

Stellae Boreales has played at numerous galas and receptions in the Ottawa area, including the Canadian Senate, National Arts Centre, University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Federation of Ottawa Chinese Canadian Organization and several embassies. The ensemble is available to perform at similar events, either as a full group ensemble or in smaller groups. Contact the school administrator for details and further information about the group.

Sponsors

KunLogo-footerThe world's leading manufacturer of shoulder rests and Gold Sponsor for Stellae Boreales Performance Tour of China in June 2015.

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