Alexa Wilks
A native of Almonte, Ontario, Ms. Wilks began her violin studies at age three, and made her first public appearance at age five, performing Mozart’s celebrated composition “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. In November 2008, Ms. Wilks performed the world premiere of composer Kevin Lau’s Violin concerto with the SPO orchestra in Toronto. While pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto under the mentorship of Annalee Patipatanakoon, professor and violinist in the Gryphon Trio, she continues to be active in the Toronto freelance scene, where she is a member of Mayumi Seiler’s celebrated chamber ensemble Via Salzburg and the Esprit Orchestra. An emerging talent in contemporary music, Ms. Wilks has collaborated with several Canadian composers, including Arsenio Giron and Steven Chatman. This past January, Ms. Wilks participated in the University of Toronto’s Penderecki Festival, where she performed the composer’s String Trio and Clarinet Quartet with Professor Peter Stoll. Their performance of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Clarinet Quartet recently aired on CBC radio’s “The Signal” with host Laurie Brown. Ms. Wilks enjoys a varied chamber music career, from playing piano trios in Banff, Alberta this past summer, to performing in the Stanford String Quartet seminar this coming June. Ms. Wilks performs on a 1760 Louis Guersan violin.