STRINGS

Adjudicator:  Julie Amundsen

Alycia Au was very fortunate to have grown up in a family where music was simply a part of life.  She began taking violin lessons in her hometown of Lethbridge, Alberta at the age of 3, and enjoyed it as one of her hobbies throughout her school years.  During a great deal of her musical training, Alycia had many opportunities to make music with other people.  She played duets with her older brother (who is also a violinist), played in small chamber groups with friends and participated in larger ensembles such as The National Youth Orchestra of Canada.  These chamber music experiences were life shaping, enriching, inspiring, rewarding and fun, and led to a greater enjoyment of music and the decision to pursue further education.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the University of British Columbia where she studied with Andrew Dawes.  She recently received a Master of Music degree from the University of Alberta where she pursued studies in violin performance with Martin Riseley. 

Currently, Alycia continues to enjoy the variety that music allows – teaching and performing, and freelancing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.  She hopes that she can continue to share her love of this universal language with others.  Through the years, Alycia has come to realize and strongly believe in the importance of music in peoples’ lives. 

When taking time away from music, Alycia loves to spend her time playing sports such as ice hockey, badminton and soccer; spending time in the outdoors hiking and backpacking; and relaxing at home doing puzzles and reading.