Christian Robinson now entering his 8th season as SSO Concertmaster, violinist Christian Robinson continues to earn praise from audiences and critics alike for his vibrant and energetic performances. His chamber music activities have seen him perform in feature concerts at many of Canada’s premier festivals, includingthe Guelph Spring Festival, Festival of the Sound, the Banff Summer Arts Festival, QuartetFest, and the Ottawa International Jazz Festival. In 2004 he co-founded the Silver Birch String Quartet, which continues to be one of Canada’s most active young quartets, with concerts throughout the country. He also co-produced the SBSQ’s first commercial recording on Montreal’s Effendi record label in collaboration with the acclaimed young jazz-pianist John Roney, which was nominated for both a 2010 JUNO Award, and a Felix Award in the province of Quebec. His chamber music performances with the SBSQ and in other configurations are frequently broadcast nationally on CBC Radio 2, and Espace Musique. Christian is a tireless advocate for new music, having been involved in numerous premieres of pieces by both emerging and established composers, including John Weinzweig, Gary Kulesha, Roger Bergs, and Robert Lemay. His contemporary music collaborations include work with Earshot Concerts at the Music Gallery Toronto, as well as with Soundstreams Canada for CBC at the Glenn Gould Studio. In 2010, he gave the world-premiere performance of Et une porte d’ombre se referme, a violin concerto commissioned by the SSO for him from Robert Lemay through the Ontario Arts Council. Christian performs exclusively on an instrument completed in 1993 by Masa Inokuchi of Toronto.

Geoff McCausland grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick,where he started violin with his father. In his younger years he showed great promise, as Junior and Intermediate Star of the NB Music Festival, playing as concertmaster of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, and as a section violinist in both the New Brunswick and PEI Symphonies. From there he went on to McGill where he was granted a BMus in Violin Performance studying with Jonathan Crow and Andrew Dawes. A great deal of Geoff’s education has come from his time at the Domaine Forget Summer Institute in Quebec, where he has spent 8 summers studying with such teachers as Gwen Thomson, Regis Pasquier, Yehonatan Berick and many others. Geoff has played as Principal 2nd in the Timmins Symphony, as Artist-in-Residence at University New Brunswick, and as part of the Silver Birch String Quartet.

Jane Russell is thrilled to be starting her third year as the principal violist for the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. In May of 2009, Jane completed her Masters of Music in Performance on viola under the instruction of Professor André Roy at McGill University, Montreal. While the viola is Jane’s main instrument, she began her musical education on the violin and started to play viola in chamber ensembles when she was nine. A memorable summer music school and festival with Professor Robert Bardston, of Medicine Hat Conservatory of Music confirmed Jane’s decision to take up the viola full-time. After completing her Bachelors of Music in Performance,from the University of Victoria, Jane remained in Victoria for two years teaching private viola, violin, and fiddle to children, youth and adults. Jane brings to Sudbury a love of music and a great passion for sharing it with people young and old. Jane is currently teaching with the Sudbury Symphony Conservatory of Music and is accepting students.

Jamie Arrowsmith joined the Cambrian Music Faculty in 2005 after an illustrious career as a chamber musician. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Kent State University, and has participated in the Hartt School of Music’s Artist Diploma Program, where he was also adjunct professor of viola in the school’s Community Education Division. Mr. Arrowsmith has studied and performed with many world renowned string quartets and chamber musicians, and has appeared at many leading festivals, including the BRAVO! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Strings in the Mountains Chamber Music Festival. He has won numerous first prize awards as a chamber musician, including the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, the MTNA Chamber Music Competition and the Green Lake String Quartet Competition. He has performed throughout the United States and Canada as a chamber musician and soloist, and has represented Canada at the World Orchestra Festival in Japan. Jamie is currently the joint coordinator of the School of Music and is head of the string program at Cambrian College in Sudbury, ON. He is also the music director of the award winning Sudbury Youth Orchestra, an ensemble that has performed to great acclaim at many festivals throughout Canada and Europe. He is in high demand across the country as an adjudicator and clinician.

Jamie is on leave during the 2011-2012 season, his role as rehearsal conductor will be filled by Dick van Raadshooven.