“Wood is always a joy to hear.” –Gramophone

Canadian violinist Jasper Wood has established a flourishing reputation as a soloist through his frequent performances with many of North America’s finest orchestras, in cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Buffalo, and throughout Europe. He has performed under the batons of Gregory Novak, George Cleve, Georg Tintner, Bramwell Tovey, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. He has also  toured extensively throughout the East Coast, including appearances with Debut Atlantic, Prairie Debut, and throughout Quebec under the auspices of Jeunesses Musicales Canada.

Jasper has also garnered acclaim for his dazzling performances as a recitalist and chamber musician which have taken him to major cities worldwide.  He has performed at important venues such as Dame Myra Hess (Chicago), Carnegie Weill Recital Hall (New York) and the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts.  Jasper, originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, is equally committed to performing in Canada’s smaller communities, such as the Northwest Territories and other parts of northern Canada.

“Wood was in total command. He paired moments of glistening display with a sweet tunefulness edged in melancholy.” –Washington Post

WATCH: Prof. Wood performs Beethoven Sonata No. 9 “Kreutzer,” Op. 47

Jasper performs regularly with guitarist Daniel Bolshoy in Duo Rendezvous, formed in 2012 in response to a great demand for a refreshing and enthusiastic chamber ensemble with a strong dedication to outreach and education.  As a result, a 14-city concert tour was quickly confirmed for the spring of 2013.  Jasper is also a member of the dynamic piano trio Triple Forte (with pianist David Jalbert and cellist Yegor Dyachkov), formed in 2003, to join the forces of Canada’s top young soloists.  This season marks the group’s 10th anniversary. The 2012-2013 season also marks the 20th anniversary of collaboration with Jasper’s frequent partner in music, pianist David Riley, who appears in many of Jasper’s recordings.  In 2010, they toured the Midwestern United States, playing 17 concerts in 19 days, driving over 4,000 miles!

Jasper Wood’s diverse discography includes the music of Mozart, Strauss, Debussy, Ravel, Ives, Stravinsky, Bartok, Andrew P. MacDonald, Oskar Morawetz, Eckhardt-Gramatte, Berio, and Saint-Saëns. His most recent recordings include: Mathew Fuerst (a recording of commissioned works by composer Mathew Fuerst). Chartreuse (Mozart, Strauss and Debussy) with pianist David Riley; A Stradivarius Christmas (musical settings by Terry Vosbein), also with David Riley; and the self-titled Triple Forte (Ravel, Shostakovich, and Ives) with pianist David Jalbert and cellist Yegor Dyachkov, celebrating the ensembles’ 10th anniversary.

Jasper’s debut recording was in 1999, entitled 13 Canadian Caprices on the Analekta label.  He has collaborated with many labels such as Endeavour Classics, ATMA, Analekta, Disques Pelleas, Centrediscs and Naxos.  Along with his work in traditional classical repertoire, Wood has dedicated much of his recording time to world premieres and promoting music written in recent times, such a discovered work of Oskar Morawetz: A Child’s Cry from Izieu.  This work was premiered by Jasper, and he named one of his recordings after it.  His recordings have been recognized by the Junos, East Coast Music Awards, West Coast Music Awards, and the Indie Awards.

Mr. Wood’s media presence includes regular national broadcasts on CBC Radio/Societe Radio Canada; CBC Television; Bravo Television, and British Columbia’s Knowledge Network. In 2007, Wood was featured in a one hour nationally broadcast documentary/performance film titled The Maritime Violin of Jasper Wood, produced by Mozus Productions and DreamStreet Pictures.  In the United States, he is often heard on National Public Radio.

Outreach and education is an important part of Jasper Wood’s mandate as an artist, and he enjoys visiting schools and giving masterclasses.  He was the Co-Artistic Director of Young Artist Experiences (YAE), an organization which combines studies in sciences, humanities, arts, and social responsibility, in addition to traditional rigorous training in the practice and performance of the chamber music repertoire.

WATCH: Prof. Wood performs “Banjo & Fiddle” by William Kroll

Jasper Wood made his solo orchestral debut in 1987 with Symphony Nova Scotia under the baton of Georg Tintner. He holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His main teachers were David and Linda Cerone, Oleh Krysa, and Philippe Djokic.  Wood has won numerous prizes and awards in the United States, Canada, and Europe, including the Lipizer Competition in Italy, CBC Radio National Competition for Young Performers, the Eckhardt-Gramatte Competition, and the National Music Festival. He has also been awarded both the Sylva Gelber Award and the Virginia Parker Prize, two of the most distinguished prizes awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts.  Today he is in demand as a teacher and adjudicator for many prestigious competitions all over the world, as well as mentoring future performers in competition at the local and national level. He has also served on the jury of the Ontario Arts Council.

Jasper Wood has performed on the 1700 “Taft” Stradivarius from 2004-2006, and an 1820 Pressenda from 2000-2004.  He now plays a 1914 Stefano Scarampella violin.  Currently residing in Vancouver with his wife and two children, Wood is Artistic Director of the Galiano Concert Society, Chair of the String Division and Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the University of British Columbia.

“As an added gift, violinist Jasper Wood played … with a gorgeous sound and brilliant control of his instrument.  Wood sounded like an entire violin section unto himself.” –Halifax Chronicle Herald