“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.

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.