Evan Hesketh, Violin/Viola
Principal violist of the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, Evan Hesketh performs throughout California with ensembles including the New West Symphony and Fresno Philharmonic (guest principal violist), as well as the period instrument ensembles Musica Angelica, Los Angeles Baroque, and Ensemble Bizarria with whom he performed in a concert presented by the San Francisco Early Music Society. Originally from Victoria, Canada, Evan has been a guest artist at the Canadian Viola Society Festival, and this summer will return to the west coast of British Columbia as a guest artist at the Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival. In Canada, he frequently performed in the Victoria Symphony, Galiano Ensemble, and Vancouver Island Symphony.
Evan studied violin and viola at the University of Victoria with Ann Elliott-Goldschmid and Joanna Hood and obtained a masters degree in viola performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was a student of Robert Vernon and Jeffrey Irvine. While in Cleveland, Evan was a member of the Ariadne String Quartet, with whom he won prizes at both the Coleman and Fischoff chamber music competitions. Evan returned to the University of Victoria to complete a second masters degree in orchestral conducting, and served as assistant conductor of the University Orchestra as well as the Sonic Lab New Music Ensemble. Notable master classes and workshops include the Tafelmusik summer and winter workshops (Toronto, Canada), Banff Centre for the Arts (Banff, Canada), and the conducting course at the International Bartók Seminar and Festival (Hungary). Evan has had the privilege of learning from such artists as Pinchas Zukerman, Paul Katz, James Dunham, and Atar Arad.