A violist is a philosopher, a connector, a pioneer and a human voice. To listen more than to draw attention to oneself, being a musician demands extraordinary awareness and aliveness in all our senses while remaining humble and joyful in our pursuit. I hope the VivaViola! community can become a space and support for everyone who loves the viola.
About Leslie Ashworth
Described by Toronto Concert Reviews as “a mature artist and a budding superstar”, Canadian violinist and violist Leslie Ashworth has performed in France, Italy, Canada, and the United States and in New York’s Carnegie Hall, The Banff Centre’s Rolston Hall, and Toronto’s Koerner Hall. Ashworth earned her Bachelor of Music Performance from The Glenn Gould School under Barry Shiffman and Paul Kantor on the Tim and Frances Price Scholarship and graduated with her Master’s of Music in Violin in May 2021 from Rice University on the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Full Scholarship. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Music in Viola with Misha Amory at The Juilliard School in New York.
Ashworth was named one of CBC’s 2021 Hot 30 Under 30 Canadian Classical Musicians. She achieved her Associate Diploma (ARCT) in Violin, Viola, and Piano Performance, earning the Royal Conservatory’s 2019 National Gold Medal for ARCT Viola, and won first place in Jeunesses Musicales du Canada’s Home Sweet Home Composition Competition 2020. A passionate writer, Ashworth participated in the Emerging Arts Critic Programme with publications in WholeNote, Opera Canada, and Dance Current. She received the Ontario Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteer Award for founding Suite Melody Care, a non-profit sharing interactive performances with hospital patients and elderly in Canada and the U.S. Ashworth plays on a 1696 Albani violin and an 18th century Bohemian viola on loan from generous benefactors. A dedicated teacher and Juilliard Morse Fellow Classroom Instructor, Ashworth aspires to nurture her students’ curiosity and love for music.
