Anna Atkinson
Anna Atkinson, B.Mus.Composition (Victoria)
Viola, Violin & Fiddling
Anna began violin lessons at the age of four in her hometown of Windsor, Ontario. Upon completion of high school, she moved to Victoria, British Columbia to study with the Lafayette String Quartet at the University of Victoria. It was then that she decided to shift her focus to the viola, under the tutelage of Joanna Hood. While at UVIC, she participated in the Strings Mentoring program, acting as a teachers' assistant and tutor in the Victoria Public Schools' Strings Programs.
She also taught viola and violin in both classical and fiddle styles privately and at the Daniel Lapp House of Music. Anna became heavily involved in the performance and study of contemporary music, premiering several student works, including “What time is it now?” an opera by Anna Hostmann with a libretto by canadian poet P.K.Page. In 2006, she was first prizewinner at the UVIC Bach Competition.
Anna has had lessons and masterclasses with many notable teachers, including Yehonatan Berick, Lara St. John, Moshe Hammer, The Borromeo String Quartet, and Marc Destrube. During the final year of her degree, Anna became a member of the Continuum Consort, a flute/viola/guitar/voice ensemble dedicated to the performance of both early and contemporary music. She traveled to South Korea with the group in 2007 to participate in a series of concerts in collaboration with a group of Korean women composers called Delos. They performed regularly in Victoria and other parts of Vancouver Island. Anna has also appeared with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra and the Euphonia Festival Orchestra, as well as the Windsor Symphony.
In addition to classical music, Anna is also an accomplished improviser and songwriter. She is now a member of the old-time country trio “The Rusty Halos”. She is also a member of the Victoria-based duo “Blue Richard and the Apricots”. In these ensembles, Anna sometimes swaps her violin and viola for an accordion or banjo. Her songs have received radio play on various community radio stations. Anna is also an experienced session musician, working with canadian folk veteran and guitar wizard David Essig, among others.
In November 2009, following a month-long bicycle excoursion to the East Coast, Anna moved to Toronto and is now beginning to settle herself as a freelance musician and teacher in its exciting and diverse artistic community.