I HELP INDIVIDUALS, ENSEMBLES, and INSTITUTIONS IDENTIFY THEIR UNIQUE VOICE and CONNECT IT TO THEIR GOALS with GREATER CLARITY, CONSISTENCY, and IMPACT.
I’ve asked the same questions and faced the same challenges you’re navigating now, (still do!), and understand firsthand what it takes to grow as an artist, connect with your voice, and build a career that supports a full and meaningful life.
I’m a violinist, fiddler, teacher, artistic director, coach, consultant, and dad. I perform as a member of the Miró Quartet, serve as Artistic Director of the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and teach at the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin. At the center of it all is family—two boys, two dogs, and my wife, Leah.
Here’s my Longer Story…
I grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in a family with no musical background. My sister heard a violin at school one day, came home wanting to play, and I was brought along to her lessons. Before I knew it, I was playing too.
My early memories are less about structure and more about imagination—“rocket ships,” playing on my back, dressing up in costumes. I was fortunate to study with teachers who created an environment where fun, creativity, and curiosity lived alongside focus and discipline. That balance has stayed with me ever since.
At six, I entered the Mount Royal Conservatory and joined the studio of Joan Barrett. Her studio was filled with violinists of all ages who became a source of inspiration and community—people who modeled hard work, humor, vulnerability, and a willingness to think beyond traditional boundaries. There was space to ask questions, to explore, and to begin discovering a sense of voice. At the same time, her teaching was deeply rooted in the traditions of her own mentors—the creativity and openness of Josef Gingold, the technical foundations of Ivan Galamian, and the mindset and physical awareness work of Paul Rolland. That combination of freedom and structure continues to inform how I approach music and teaching today.
Joan also introduced me to fiddling through her husband, Dr. Norman Burgess, founder of the Calgary Fiddlers. What began as a reward system—learn your scales, earn a fiddle tune—quickly became a passion. I joined the Calgary Fiddlers as its youngest member and was immersed in a world of performance that included choreography, stagecraft, improvisation, and connecting directly with audiences.
Around this time, I also had the chance to sing in the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary—I was in the yellow ring!—a moment that, even then, hinted at the scale and excitement that music and performance could hold.
My first tour took me to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm in California—an experience that set the hook. From there, I traveled internationally as a member of the Calgary Fiddlers and other groups, serving as a Canadian ambassador performing in schools, theaters, and stadiums around the world. One moment that still stands out is performing at Hachiko Crossing in Tokyo—playing for a crowd of over 60,000 people in one of the busiest intersections in the world. Experiences like that shaped not just my musicianship, but my understanding of communication, presence, and connection.
Alongside traditional contest fiddling, I also gravitated toward the theatrical side of performance—the Novelty category, where musical skill and entertainment meet. I became known for doing things a little differently: playing with coat hangers and plungers, flipping, moving, and sometimes standing on my head—all while maintaining precision, timing, and connection with the audience. What may have looked spontaneous was something I worked at intentionally—refining coordination, pacing, and communication through repetition, discipline, and a genuine sense of play.
One moment that still stands out is performing at Hachiko Crossing in Tokyo—playing for a crowd of over 60,000 people in one of the busiest intersections in the world. Experiences like that shaped not just my musicianship, but my understanding of communication, presence, and connection.
At the same time, I was navigating both classical and fiddling worlds—often succeeding in one and falling short in the other. Those years became a training ground for mindset, resilience, and perspective. In 1989, I won the Canadian National Fiddle Championship in the Novelty category—an experience that reflected both the discipline and creativity that had been developing over those years.
“I wanted to say thank you for giving me a safe space to look in within me and see how I have become the person that I am today. Up until we started working together I had not taken the time to look back or be brave enough to ask myself many of the things that we covered, thank you!”
– Sara Aldana, violinist + conductor
My formal training continued at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where I studied with Kathleen Winkler and developed a deeper understanding of both artistry and life direction. Around this time, I spent formative summers at the Music Academy of the West, Tanglewood Music Center, the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute, Kent Blossom, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar—experiences that expanded my perspective, deepened my musicianship, and reinforced my path toward a life in chamber music. It was during these years that I realized the string quartet would become a central part of my life.
I continued my studies at Indiana University, working with Miriam Fried and receiving coachings from Menahem Pressler and Atar Arad, while gaining orchestral experience under conductors such as Kurt Masur and Joseph Silverstein. During my second year, I joined the Borromeo Quartet, beginning a six-year period of intensive touring and performance.
With the Borromeo Quartet, I performed over 100 concerts annually, traveling extensively and immersing myself in the core quartet repertoire—Beethoven, Bartók, Brahms—while engaging with audiences and communities around the world. Those years were transformative, not only musically but personally: learning how to sustain a high-performance life, collaborate deeply, and communicate with clarity and purpose. Alongside performing, I taught full-time at the New England Conservatory, working with extraordinary colleagues including Paul Katz, Miriam Fried, Donald Weilerstein, and Kim Kashkashian, and mentoring students who have gone on to major orchestras, chamber ensembles, and teaching careers around the world.
After ‘retiring’ from the Borromeo Quartet, I was seeking a different pace and perspective, which led me to Logan, Utah, as first violinist of the Fry Street Quartet. These were deeply rewarding years of building and leading—developing the string program at Utah State University, overseeing admissions, scholarships, and program direction, and creating initiatives such as the “Passport to Adventure” series, which brought world-class guest artists to campus each semester.
At the same time, we cultivated a vibrant and connected artistic community, including presenting the first complete Beethoven cycle in Logan. Life outside of music also found a different balance—living within minutes of world-class fly fishing and skiing, and welcoming the births of my sons, Max and Olli.
In 2011, I joined the Miró Quartet and returned to Texas, where I now live in Austin. With the Miró, I continue to perform internationally, record, and engage deeply in education and mentorship through our work at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music. I maintain a studio of violinists, coach chamber music, and co-direct the Young Professional String Quartet Program, including developing a professional development course focused on ensemble culture, communication, and the fundamentals of building a sustainable artistic career.
Alongside my performing life, my work has expanded into teaching, coaching, and consulting—supporting individuals, ensembles, and organizations in clarifying their voice, aligning their goals, and building meaningful, sustainable paths forward.
In 2025, I stepped into the role of Artistic Director of the Toronto Summer Music Festival, bringing together many of these threads in a single artistic vision. The festival combines a high-level mainstage concert series with a mentorship-driven academy for emerging artists in strings, piano, and vocal performance, as well as a vibrant community component—reflecting the integration of performance, education, and connection that has shaped my own path.
Looking back, the through-line has always been the same: a deep curiosity about how we grow, how we connect, and how we use our voice—both on and off the stage.
Today, my work continues to bridge performance, mentorship, and leadership, supporting artists and institutions in shaping vision, building community, and creating lasting impact.