Eslin McKay
Eslin McKay, B. Mus (University of Toronto)
Eslin McKay picked up her first violin at the age of three, beginning her musical education with Virginia Little in Brantford Ontario. She is currently an undergraduate student in Violin Performance at the University of Toronto studying with Annalee Patipatanikoon. As a student at University of Toronto Eslin was a member of a string quartet that was named runner up for the prestigious Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award in 2010.
Eslin has been involved with orchestras since the age of five and in 2009 Eslin toured Canada as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada led by conductor Alain Trudel. She has been concertmaster and principal player of numerous orchestras including the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Brant Youth Orchestra. Eslin was the winner of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and preformed with the orchestra in 2007. She was also a soloist in the Brantford Music Club Young Artist Series and preformed in 2007. She has attended numerous summer music programs including Music at Port Milford, Southern Ontario Chamber Music Institute where she received coaching and masterclasses from The Tokyo String Quartet, Penderecki String Quartet, Lafayette String Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, violinist Jasper Wood and other prominent Canadian musicians.
Other accomplishments include being the recipient of numerous scholarships and trophies in different festivals. She was the recipient of the Junior and Senior Strings Award in Hamilton and has represented Brantford at the Provincial Finals for the past four years. In 2008 she also completed her Grade 10 violin examination with the Royal Conservatory of Music under the guidance of her teacher Adele Pierre. Prior to university Eslin was a Suzuki teacher and quartet coach at the Brant Suzuki String School in Brantford. She is also a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has completed teacher training up to Book 3, studying with Karen-Michele Kimmett.