Monday, June 8th

Bijan Sepanji is a Canadian-Iranian violinist and educator who is based in Toronto, Canada.

As a violinist, Bijan has toured across Canada, as well as in China, Turkey, Iran, Italy and the USA. He has performed concerts and offered masterclasses with his string quartet - The Ton Beau - at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, University of Toronto, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee as well as privately in Chicago, Illinois. He frequently collaborates with musicians from across the musical spectrum from western classical to jazz, and even classical Persian music.

Bijan regularly performs with orchestras such as the Toronto Concert Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Sinfonia Toronto, and has collaborated with Confluence Concerts, Orpheus Choir, Amadeus Choir, Arkora, as well as many individual artists such as David Braid, A.R Rahman,and Lauryn Hill.

Bijan also plays as concertmaster of the Canadian Golha Orchestra, an orchestra that specializes in performing the highly ornamental style of classical orchestral music from Iran. Their most recent performances have included sold out shows in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Bijan studied violin at Indiana and McGill universities under the tutelage of Ellen Jewett, Mark Fewer, and Mark Kaplan, as well as at The Glenn Gould School in Toronto with Mayumi Seiler and Erica Raum.

In his educational role, Bijan is a conductor of the Mooredale Youth Orchestra, conducting and coaching the young string players and preparing them for three diversely-programmed concerts each year.

Bijan's instrument was made in 2009 by the celebrated Canadian luthier, Mark Schnurr.