Strings Jury

President & CEO of the Vancouver Academy of Music, Joseph Elworthy enjoys a vibrant career as an Arts & Culture leader, music educator, and performing artist. Mr. Elworthy has been named a Fellow of The Royal Conservatory of Music for his extraordinary contribution to Canadian Arts and Culture, an honor he shares with such cultural icons as Oscar Peterson, Robertson Davies, Adrienne Clarkson and Leon Fleisher. Joseph Elworthy has been a featured soloist, recitalist, and chamber music performer on such stages as Alice Tully Hall, Suntory Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Library of Congress. His recordings can be heard on EMI, Sony, Archtype, Naxos, Bose and CBC record labels. In addition to receiving the Sylva Gelber Award of $15,000, Joseph has been the recipient of multiple Canada Council career grants exceeding $50,000.

Mr. Elworthy began his cello studies with Audrey Nodwell at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and continued his training under the tutelage of Eric Wilson. Joseph spent multiple summers at the Banff Centre, where he first encountered esteemed cello pedagogue, Aldo Parisot. Elworthy continued his studies at Yale University and the Juilliard School under the guidance of Mr. Parisot. Upon graduation from Yale, Mr. Elworthy was the recipient of the Yo-Yo Ma/Aldo Parisot Prize – the highest honour issued by Yale University to a graduating cellist. In recognition of Aldo Parisot’s immense contribution to the advancement of cello performance, Elworthy founded the Parisot Cellofest, an event occurring every three years that pays tribute to the memory of Aldo Parisot’s legacy as a pedagogue and performing artist. Mr. Elworthy has been a visiting lecturer at the Beijing Conservatory, Harvard University, Royal Northern College of Music, Glenn Gould School, and the Royal Conservatory of Music. Joseph Elworthy serves as Artistic Advisor for the Haw Par Music Foundation – a collaborative educational initiative linking Canada and Asia that concentrates on chamber music studies. He has appeared on numerous television and radio broadcasts around the globe including media outlets such as CBC, A&E, BRAVO, PBS, Radio Europe, and NHK. In 2009, Joseph released a critically acclaimed recording of the complete Bach Cello Suites, described in Strad Magazine as: “a cogent vision of each suite impressively expressive yet contained, drawn with surgical precision making these interpretations an impressive achievement”. Mr. Elworthy was a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for twelve years before retiring from the orchestra in 2014. Elworthy is a member of the critically acclaimed, Koerner Piano Trio, who serve as ensemble-in-residence at the Vancouver Academy of Music. Joseph plays on a rare Ferdinando Gagliano (1760) that was the instrument of legendary German cellist, Hugo Becker (1863-1941).