SHORT BIO:
Multi-talented artist Marcus Scholtes excels on both the violin and piano, performing frequently as a soloist on both instruments on the same concert program. Most recently, he was named Co-Artistic Director of the Toronto Concert Orchestra, and also serves as the Associate Concertmaster of Sinfonia Toronto, a Juno Award winning ensemble. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where he graduated with a Doctor of Music degree, with Minors in Conducting and Music Education. Marcus is a former Concertmaster of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchester in Germany and has toured much of Europe with this ensemble, and is an original member of Aldeburgh Strings based in the UK which has recently recorded two CD’s, both released to critical acclaim in the UK and Germany. Most recently, he toured 10 cities in China with Sinfonia Toronto (2019). Outside of his musical interests he is a driving and automotive enthusiast. Please visit www.scholtes.ca for a complete biography and media.
LONG BIO:
Multi-talented artist Marcus Scholtes excels on both the violin and piano, performing frequently as a soloist on both instruments on the same concert program. Most recently he was named Co-Artistic Director of the Toronto Concert Orchestra, and also serves as the Associate Concertmaster of Sinfonia Toronto.
Marcus is an alumnus of the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he graduated with a Doctor of Music degree in Violin Performance in the studio of renowned pedagogue Mimi Zweig. During his years there, he minored in Orchestral and Choral Conducting, and Music Education. He also holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from McGill University, both in violin performance.
Marcus has performed internationally in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Most recently, he toured China (2019) with Sinfonia Toronto, performing in 10 cities, and in 2017 performed a duo recital with his wife Sharon Lee, in Gwangju, South Korea. Marcus has been a grant recipient of a Canadian Aldeburgh Foundation Award and was invited to attend the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in Suffolk, England. He performed with the Aldeburgh World Orchestra in 2012, touring in Germany and Holland before playing at the BBC Proms as part of the 2012 London Olympiad. He has participated in the Aldeburgh String Residency Programme in 2010 and 2012, and was again invited to join the Residency as part of the Britten Centenary concerts in 2013.
Summer 2012 marked four years of his involvement with the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany, where he has served as Concertmaster. With the Schleswig-Holstein Orchestra, he performed in Germany, Denmark, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Turkey. Marcus has also attended the Killington Music Festival in Vermont as an Artist Apprentice in 2007, and in the previous year, he participated in the AIMS (American Institute of Musical Studies) Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria.
Furthermore, scholarly and academic work is an important aspect of Dr. Scholtes’ focus. He has been Contract Academic Staff at Wilfrid Laurier University and taught at the WLU String Academy from 2011 to 2019. Marcus was also professor of String Pedagogy at WLU, a course for which he created the curriculum. He achieved a perfect academic record during his time at Indiana University, and has been the recipient of many awards, distinctions, and scholarships. His doctoral dissertation, “The Historical Impact of William Walton’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra” has been published by Lambert Academic Publishing and is available in print worldwide. He received a Full Tuition Scholarship for his Master’s degree at the University of Michigan. As an undergraduate, he made the Dean’s Honour List numerous times, and received the Faculty of Music Award, the James McGill Award, and the H. R. Ressler Scholarship. He has also written program notes for the CD “Presenting Rachel Patrick” produced by Enharmonic Records. In furthering his pedagogical intent, he is currently seeking a publisher for his original method book, “Atonal Sight-Reading Method.”
Outside of his musical interests, Marcus is a driving and automotive enthusiast.