Viola NACO Mentorship

Emily Kistemaker

Last updated: January 22, 2025

Emily Kistemaker is a professional violist and violinist currently based in Ottawa, Ontario. Since starting violin at the age of three, she has received both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Violin Performance, as well as a Diploma in Viola Performance. During her time at Wilfrid Laurier University she received several scholarships, won the Ken Murray Concerto Competition as well as the Laurier Concerto Competition, and performed as a soloist with both the Wilfrid Laurier Symphony Orchestra and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. While studying at the University of Ottawa, her trio won the University of Ottawa Chamber Music Competition with Kodaly’s Serenade, which they then performed at the National Arts Centre’s Fourth Stage. Emily was a finalist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Bursary Competition in 2023, and she was also given the opportunity to sit as concertmaster for the Ottawa Symphony’s recording of Farewell to Bach. She has performed as a substitute with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the Gatineau Symphony Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Projects & initiatives

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NAC Orchestra Mentorship Program

Play it forward! A bold and innovative professional development initiative for talented emerging and early career professional orchestral creatives from around the world.