Hailed for her “soaring cantilena” (Gramophone Magazine), violinist Kerry DuWors has performed across Canada, the United States, Europe, Mexico, Japan and New Zealand. In demand as a versatile chamber musician, Kerry champions collaboration across an array of ensembles from her duo work to leading chamber orchestras. Highlights include performances with duo526, James Ehnes, Yo-Yo Ma, Dame Evelyn Glennie and NYC-based The Knights. Praised for “always finding the music behind the notes” and her “fearless competence” (Winnipeg Free Press), she has been soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony, and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. In 2014, Kerry released her debut duo526 CD Ballade for PARMA Recordings with pianist Futaba Niekawa. Her sophomore album DUO FANTASY was released May 2019 featuring works by Villa-Lobos, Arnold Bax, and William Bolcom. “DuWors and Niekawa are a beautifully balanced duo, with exceptional intonation and a tangible empathy” (Gramophone Magazine).
Kerry has won prestigious awards including Grand Prize at the 26th Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, Felix Galimir Award for Chamber Music Excellence, and two Canada Council Career Development Grants. She is a four-time laureate of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank and played on Gagliano, Pressenda and Rocca violins between 2003-2015. She currently plays on a modern instrument by Felix Krafft modeled after the 1735 “Plowden” Guarneri.
Curiosity drives Kerry’s dedicated academic and musical study through creative projects, artist residencies (Banff Centre, Avaloch Farm, Indiana University), commissions, premières, masterclasses, and community outreach. Her mentors include Lorand Fenyves, Charles Castleman, Scott St. John, Jean Barr, and the Lafayette String Quartet. Committed to pedagogy and mentorship, Kerry has been Associate Professor at Canada’s Brandon University since 2003. She created the annual duo526 Sonata Seminar in 2018 to mentor the next generation of collaborative duo players.
TEACHING
Prof. Kerry DuWors was appointed to Brandon University’s School of Music in 2003 as the youngest tenure-track music professor in Canada. She is currently Associate Professor of Violin & Chamber Music. Prof. DuWors has recruited students to Brandon University from across Canada, the United States, Mexico, China, South Korea, Belize, and Brazil at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
Students from Prof. DuWors’ studio have gone to graduate programs at Berklee College of Music (MA), Aaron Copland School of Music – CUNY Queen’s College (NY), University of Limerick (Ireland), University of British Columbia, Ottawa University, Memorial University, University of Victoria, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Sydney (Australia), Queen’s University, University of North Texas, University of Oklahoma, and the Fellowship Program at Community MusicWorks (Providence, RI).
Many are also employed as professional orchestral players and educators: Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Symphony New Brunswick, National Academy Orchestra of Canada, Saint John String Quartet, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Kingston Symphony Orchestra, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Regina Symphony Orchestra, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (South Africa), Edward Said National Conservatory of Music (Palestine), Education and Outreach – Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Academy of Music, St. James Academy of Music – Sistema Vancouver, Sistema New Brunswick, Sistema Newfoundland and Labrador, Suzuki Charter School (Edmonton), Suzuki Music Winnipeg, Prince George Conservatory of Music), Wentworth Music Education Centre (Kelowna).
Prof. DuWors’ students have been accepted into internationally respected programs: National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Aspen Music Festival, Domaine Forget International Festival, the Orford Summer Academy, Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy, the String Program at the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, Rosamunde Summer Music Academy, and Burton Kaplan’s Magic Mountain Music Farm (NY). Her students have competed and won prizes at the National Music Festival as representatives from Manitoba in the String and Chamber Music categories, Saskatchewan Shurniak Concerto Competition, as well as the finals for the Shumiatcher Scholarship Competition (Regina) and Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg McClellan Competition.
Prof. DuWors is also in demand as an adjudicator and competition juror across Canada: the 2018 National Music Festival (NB), festivals in Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw), Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary, Provincial Finals), British Columbia (Vancouver Kiwanis, Provincial Finals), Ontario (Provincial Finals), and Manitoba (WMC McLellan Competition, RMTA Scholarship Competition, Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory Scholarship Competition, Saskatchewan Orchestral Association.
She regularly gives studio classes at Brandon University and has been invited to give masterclasses internationally: University of Victoria, University of Calgary, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Wilfrid Laurier University, Schulich School of Music – McGill University, Mount Allison University, Regina Conservatory of Music, Ohio State University, University of Dayton (OH), University of Tennessee (Knoxville), University of Northern Colorado (Greeley), University of Oklahoma, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand).