Emad Zolfaghari
October 1 - 4, 2024
Described as “An enthralling young viola soloist overflowing with imagination and conviction” by the violin channel, 19-year-old Canadian violist and VC artist Emad Zolfaghari recently came to international attention after being the first ever Canadian to be awarded first prize and audience prize at the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition. He was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music at age 16, where he currently studies with Hsin-Yun Huang. Emad is also the first prize winner of the 2023 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and the International Morningside Music Bridge Competition, second prize winner of the 2022 Johansen International String Competition and third prize winner of the 2023 Concours OSM String Competition. His other awards include Grand Prize at the OMNI Music Competition, and first prizes at the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra Competition, Guelph Symphony Orchestra Competition and Oakville Chamber Orchestra Competition.
Emad has appeared as a soloist with several major symphony orchestras, including l’Orchestre Métropolitain in Maison Symphonique de Montréal under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Montreal Symphony in Maison Symphonique de Montréal, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Roy Thomson Hall, the National Philharmonic in Strathmore Hall, the Oakville Chamber Orchestra and the National Metropolitan Philharmonic. Solo engagements this upcoming season include The Peninsula Symphony, Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, and Santa Cruz Symphony.
In 2018, Emad was accepted into the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists on full scholarship where he studied with Theresa Rudolph, Assistant Principal Viola of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He was also a member of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, where he often performed as principal viola. In May 2023, Emad served as principal viola for the Curtis Symphony Orchestra on their West Coast Tour. Emad was also selected for Curtis On Tour in February - March 2024, touring the United States as a string sextet with distinguished artists Ben Beilman, Milena Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt and Oliver Herbert. He has attended renowned summer music festivals such as Morningside Music Bridge, the Center Stage Strings festival as a junior faculty member, the Perlman Music Program, Music from Angel Fire, Cleveland ChamberFest, ChamberFest West and Music in the Vineyards. Emad currently plays on a fine 1700 Matteo Goffriller viola on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation and a Sartory copy bow on generous loan from CANIMEX, inc.
