BARRY SHIFFMAN

Canadian violist Barry Shiffman made his debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15. In 1989, he co-founded the St. Lawrence String Quartet where he appeared in over 2,000 concerts in venues around the globe, and recorded several critically acclaimed discs.

Shiffman served as artist-in-residence at Stanford University and as visiting artist at the University of Toronto. He served as Director of Music Programs at The Banff Centre. Shiffman is currently the Artistic Director of the Centre's Summer Music Programs and executive director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition.

Since 2010, he has been Associate Dean and Director of Chamber Music at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, and directs the RCM's Young Artists Performance Program.