Andrea Stewart

cello

Canadian cellist and gambist Andrea Stewart is a versatile musician and artistic instigator whose explorations span from historical performance to the sounds and techniques of contemporary music. As a performer of historical and modern instruments, she is equally at home playing with electronics as she is playing basso continuo. Various solo recitals and ensemble collaborations have brought Andrea to venues across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Andrea is a founding member and the Associate Director of chamber ensemble collectif9, with whom she has created and performed in numerous creative projects and initiated the commissioning of new music. collectif9’s innovative programmes and educational productions have been toured worldwide. As a member of the early music ensemble Infusion Baroque, Andrea has performed across North America presenting the ensemble’s interactive and engaging programming, and has recorded several albums. The ensemble is dedicated to championing the music of historical women composers and performers with their multi-year project, Virtuosa. Andrea regularly gives workshops and masterclasses in chamber music and solo repertoire. Since 2023, she has been co-director of the chamber music course run by collectif9 at the Orford Music Academy. She is a member of Arion Baroque Orchestra and is regularly invited to perform with ensembles such as Space Time Continuo, Les Violons du Roy, Innovations en concert, Ensemble Caprice, and Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal. In June and July 2024, Andrea will be in residence at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris to work on a new artistic collaboration.

Andrea holds the degrees of Doctor of Music and Master of Music from McGill University. Her doctoral research was devoted to the expansion of cello technique in relation to works in the contemporary repertoire. In the domain of early music, she explores 18th century music for cello and viola da gamba from a multi-instrumentalist point of view.

Andrea performs on the 1824 McConnell Nicolaus Gagliano II cello, on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank.