
Chair sponsors Jennifer and David Strauss
When you meet Scott, ask him… What is his favorite Disney character? Where all has he traveled? What is one of his favorite meals?
Bio
Violinist Scott St. John, from London, Ontario, is known for his joyful style of music-making and inspiring chamber music coaching. Scott is Concertmaster of the innovative ROCO chamber orchestra in Houston, Texas, and returns frequently to the summertime Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. From 2018 to 2021 he was Director of Chamber Music at The Colburn School in Los Angeles.
Scott was a member of the St. Lawrence String Quartet and faculty member at Stanford University for seven years, from 2006 – 2013. The SLSQ, known for its compelling and energetic style, tours regularly in the US and around the world. From 1999 – 2006, Scott was Associate Professor of Violin at University of Toronto, and founded the Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award for U of T students.
Early success in Canada and the US led to a Carnegie debut in 1988, followed by the Young Concert Artists Award in 1989. Solo concertos, recitals, and an enormous variety of chamber music were played in numerous halls throughout the world. More recently Scott played a performance of Bruce Adolphe’s violin concerto “I Will Not Remain Silent” with ROCO, and Korngold’s Violin Concerto with Sinfonia London.
A recording of Mozart’s Symphonia Concertante with his sister Lara St. John won a Juno Award for best recording: solo with orchestra. Working with composers has been important throughout his career; Scott has worked with John Adams, Charles Wuorinen and Oswaldo Golijov in the US, and Arsenio Giron, Gary Kulesha, Elizabeth Raum and many others in Canada.
Scott began his violin studies at age three with Richard Lawrence, in London Canada. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied violin with David Cerone, Arnold Steinhardt, and chamber music with Felix Galimir. Current non-musical interests include transportation advocacy, and supporting HanVoice, a lobby organization for North Korean refugees in Canada.
SaveSave
