About

A superbly versatile artist whose recent and upcoming concerts include world premieres, early music, jazz and many genres in between, Mark Fewer is often referred to as one of Canada’s most important artists.

Recent engagements as soloist have included appearances with ensembles as diverse as the Melbourne Symphony (Australia), the Fodens-Richardson Brass Band (UK), the Zapp Quartet (Amsterdam) and the McGill Percussion Ensemble.  He is often sought after to give voice to new works from composers such as Bramwell Tovey, Serge Arcuri, Phil Dwyer and others, and has given Canadian premieres of works by John Adams, Ludwig van Beethoven and Olivier Messaien.

As a chamber musician, he is a regular member of the SuperNova String Quartet, the Duke Piano Trio, and the Smithsonian Chamber Players.  When not performing with these groups, he is regularly invited to perform with some of the world’s best musicians.

The 2010-2011 season saw the release of six new recordings, the most recent of which features the arresting music of American composer and self-designated “Bad Boy of Music”, George Antheil. The recording, which features the world premiere of the composer’s Sonata for Violin Solo earned high praise from The Buffalo News: ”Bravo isn’t enough … Try a good lusty Bravissimo for this disc, one of the most welcome classical discs of the year.”  Other critically acclaimed releases include the complete works of Giovanni Pandolfi – “…dazzling bowmanship, the fiddle gets to sing as if performing its very own operas.” (Toronto Star); sonatas of Johannes Brahms – “..fascinating and thought-provoking…not necessarily the sonatas the way you would expect to hear them.” (The WholeNote); and Bramwell Tovey’s Nine Daies Wonder – “violin wizardry” (James Wegg Review, UK).  The fall of 2011 will see the release of the ground-breaking work “Changing Seasons” by Phil Dwyer, written for jazz big band, string orchestra and solo violin.

The 2011-2012 season will see Mr. Fewer make his conducting debut with I Musici de Montreal, as well as perform the Canadian premiere of Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto (new version).  He will also tour as a member of the St. Lawrence String Quartet for performances in Canada and the United States.

He is regularly heard on CBC Radio Two, NPR, RTVE, BBC 3, and ABC.

Mr. Fewer was concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony from 2004-2008.  He is currently Chair of the String Area at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University.