Elena Spanu

Elena Spanu started playing the violin at the age of three. She began her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She continued to develop her skills at Western University where she received a Bachelor of Musical Arts. It is there that she discovered her interest in Baroque violin performance and moved on to pursue an Artists Diploma in the subject while at the University of Toronto under the direction of Jeanne Lamon and other members of Tafelmusik.
 
Elena currently holds the chair of principal second violin with the North York Concert Orchestra and plays regularly with orchestras and chamber groups in and out of Toronto. In addition to classical music Elena enjoys the grooves and feels of folks music and plays Appalachian old time music and is active in the Balfolk French folk music dancing scene.
 
More recently Elena has been honing her storytelling craft. She became interested in telling folk tales when she attended a story telling event at Danu Social House in Toronto. Since then, under the guidance and loving mentorship of storytellers Dan Yashinksy and Mariella Bertelli, she has been exploring and sharing the art.
 
Elena is a trained Suzuki violin instructor and Creative Ability Development coach. She directs the Toronto Suzuki Studio and is a faculty member in the MNjcc’s Suzuki program and at the Royal Conservatory of Music. She received her training though the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute (SOSI) and the Suzuki School of Guelph’s 2 year pedagogy course affiliated with Laurier University.