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Arlan Vriens shows an incredible versatility as a classical violinist. The jury was impressed by his ability to evoke strong, emotional performances with difficult, contemporary repertoire that pushes the boundaries of what the instrument was designed to do.
– Emerging Artist adjudicators
Arlan Vriens is an Edmonton-born classical violinist with a keen interest in projects that bring surprising new sounds to the concert stage. Equally at home performing newly-written contemporary works or rediscovering long-lost violin techniques, Arlan is committed to nurturing and critiquing classical music as a living, evolving practice.
After tenures as the associate concertmaster of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and concertmaster of Opera on the Avalon, Arlan’s chamber music and solo violin projects have been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the arts councils of Alberta, Ontario, and Newfoundland. A strong advocate for advancing artistry through research, his performance research projects have recently received a SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship, the Sir James Lougheed Award of Distinction, and the American Bach Society’s William H. Scheide Research Grant, among others.
Arlan is currently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge and a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the University of Toronto, where he studies with acclaimed violinist Mark Fewer. His ongoing dissertation research aims to rediscover the lost performance techniques of the late 18th-century violinist Friedrich Wilhelm Rust.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal 2022
© 2024 the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards
