Hilda Cowie

Bassist Hilda Cowie has always been surrounded by music. The daughter of a bassist and a trombonist, her path to a career in music was a natural one. She began studying the bass with her mother, a member of Symphony Nova Scotia, upon entering high school and continued as a student of Joel Quarrington at the University of Toronto and the RCM Glenn Gould School. 

Hilda is an active member of the Canadian music scene and has performed coast to coast in various capacities. She has held positions as principal bass of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Kingston Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with major Canadian orchestras including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company, Symphony Nova Scotia, and l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. 

Hilda can be heard on recordings by the NAC Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Banff Centre’s Gruppo Montebello and has performed in solo recital in Ottawa, Halifax, and Toronto. She enjoys frequently performing chamber music with friends and colleagues. 

Hilda has been a member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 2001.