Canadian violinist Jonathan Crow is currently concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Jonathan has performed at chamber music festivals across the globe, and has performed as a soloist with most major Canadian orchestras.

1. What are we interrupting (i.e. what music-related activity are we taking you away from to write this)?

Practising (Friday, May 24) for upcoming TSO concerts (West Side Story with film next week and Scheherezade later in June), as well as scheduling for New Orford String Quartet summer concerts and teaching at the Orford Arts Centre.

2. What, if anything, are you most looking forward to as an audience member between now and September 7?

I'm excited to hear the “Mentors and Fellows” performances at the Toronto Summer Music Academy and Festival in August – each student at the program performs in a group with a professional mentor. It's amazing the level that the ensembles can achieve with just a week of intense rehearsal time, and the energy on stage is going to be incredible!

3. How about as a music maker/player?

I can't wait to play the Franck sonata with Ian Brown on July 31at Walter Hall (torontosummermusic.com) – a spectacular piece with an amazing pianist! I'm also looking forward to touring with the New Orford String Quartet across Quebec and Vermont with a special trip to Music Niagara! (neworford.com, facebook.com/neworford)

4. What are you already preparing for musically beyond the summer? And (how) do your summer plans tie in with these longer term plans?

I'll be going on tour with the New Orford String Quartet in October – 16 concerts in 17 days across Western Canada! We'll be previewing some of our tour rep this summer – we'll also be touring repertoire we recorded last fall for CBC. (music.cbc.ca/#/concerts/New-Orford-String-Quartet-Beethoven-2012-10-23)

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