Artistic Director

Fiona Carnie Director and Violin Teacher

“In Edinburgh when I was 11, I discovered the two passions of my life - violin and Scottish country dancing. I feel compelled to share these loves and have become a committed teacher of both.

The influence of French violin pedagogue, Dr. Lise Elson, permeates my own teaching approach. Her lessons were a revelation and so much fun! What made her so special as a teacher was her understanding of the mechanics of violin playing and her treatment of each student as an individual. She communicated her ‘joie de vivre’ constantly and helped all her students understand that this is the driving force behind making music. I strive to emulate her and so my teaching philosophy is grounded in trying to help the student find ease in playing, pride in accomplishment and joy in music.”

In 1989, Fiona Carnie was invited to follow her mentor and much-loved teacher as senior violin instructor in the Academy Program at Mount Royal College. In accepting this position, she interrupted a successful freelance career in Toronto where she played professionally in the National Ballet Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and many other groups. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Music with Distinction from the University of Calgary and a Master of Music from Yale University, where she studied under New York Philharmonic concertmaster, Sidney Harth, and Syoko Aki. In 1996, Ms. Carnie was invited to join the College of Examiners of the Royal Conservatory of Music and she regularly tours Canada as an examiner and festival adjudicator.

As String Coordinator, Director of Early Childhood Strings, Intermediate Academy Coordinator and Coordinator of the popular Summer Strings Academy during her eighteen years at Mount Royal College Conservatory, Ms. Carnie has guided generations of string players to the fulfillment of their individual goals. Her students perform with major orchestras and teach at major institutions across the country. Much sought after as a master class clinician, she was approached to join the Peabody School of Music - Preparatory Division at Johns Hopkins University in recognition of her outstanding teaching abilities.