He is a violinist and conductor born in Edmonton, Alberta who studied at the University of Alberta, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree.
Starting out, he performed with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra followed by the Victoria Symphony Orchestra from 1985 for five years. In 1990 he became a member of the Second Violin Section of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and went on to perform in the Frozen concerts for schoolchildren, the Frank Zappa tribute concert, the Norther Lights Tour and at Carnegie Hall. He retired from the ESO in the 2020/21 season after 30 years.
He is the founder of the Sherwood Park Youth Strings and the co-founder of the Wye String Ensemble, which he has conducted since 2003. He has also performed as a member of the Arden String Ensemble, the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, the Edmonton Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.
In the field of musical education he works and teaches at the annual Strathcona County String Music Camp, which is an offshoot of the Wye String Ensemble. He also teaches and works with other amateur orchestras and has been a clinician at the Contemporary Showcase Edmonton music festival.
His wife is the flutist Elizabeth Koch who performs as Principal Flute with the ESO.
He performs here…
Sources:
- https://www.winspearcentre.com/extra/blog/retiring-musician-murray-vaasjo/
- https://www.wyestringensemble.com/About-us.php
- https://www.edmontonphilharmonic.com/hear-us-play/
- https://www.csedmonton.com/festival-clinicians/