Noémy Gagnon-Lafrenais

violin

The québécoise violinist Noémy Gagnon-Lafrenais enjoys exploring repertoire through the filter of historically informed practice. Pursuing the quest for a genuine and creative expression of music, she spends much time wondering and wandering about the past! In 2021, Noémy was appointed concertmaster of Arion Orchestre Baroque. She is the artistic director and cofounder, with Christophe Gauthier, of Ensemble Spinoza. She is also a core member of the Opus Project and Le Petit Rien. She has acted as concertmaster with numerous ensembles including Clavecin en Concert, Ensemble Les Boréades. She performs actively as a chamber musician across Canada, the United-States and Europe. Noémy has contributed to numerous recordings with Arion Orchestre Baroque and Pacific Baroque Orchestra. She will release a recording of Buxtehude op.1 Trio Sonatas with Ensemble Spinoza in October 2023. Countless musical encounters with colleagues, mentors and teachers, have contributed to the definition of her musical identity throughout the years. To mention a few, Monica Huggett, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Axel Strauss, Corey Jamason, Amandine Beyer, Robert Levin, Ian Swensen, Steven Dann, Cynthia Roberts and Anne Robert. She holds degrees from the Juilliard School, the San Francisco Conservatory, and the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal. Noémy taught violin in the Music Advancement Program at the Juilliard School, at UC Berkeley’s Young Musicians Program, Starr King Elementary School (SF), Camp Musical Vivaldi (France) and Camp Musical de l’Estrie. Noémy is grateful for the support of the Canadian Arts Council and the Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec.