Biography

Described as “An enthralling young viola soloist overflowing with imagination and conviction” by the Violin Channel, Canadian violist and VC artist Emad Zolfaghari recently came to international attention after being the first ever Canadian to be awarded first prize and audience prize at the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition. He was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music at age 16, where he currently studies with Hsin-Yun Huang. Hailed as one of CBC music’s “30 under 30 hot classical musicians,” and awarded Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant in 2024, Emad is also the first prize winner of the Irving M. Klein International String Competition and the International Morningside Music Bridge Competition, second prize winner of the Johansen International String Competition and third prize winner of the Concours OSM String Competition. His other awards include Grand Prize at the OMNI Music Competition, and first prizes at the Toronto Symphony, Guelph Symphony, and Oakville Chamber Orchestra Competitions.

Emad has appeared as a soloist with several major symphony orchestras, including l’Orchestre Métropolitain in Maison Symphonique de Montréal under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Montreal Symphony in Maison Symphonique de Montréal, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Roy Thomson Hall, the National Philharmonic in Strathmore Hall, the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, the National Metropolitan Philharmonic, the Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, and the Santa Cruz Symphony. He has given recitals across Canada and the United States, including at La Chapelle Historique du Bon Pasteur, the Gualala Chamber Music Series and Britton Recital Hall at the University of Michigan.

In 2018, Emad was accepted into the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists on full scholarship where he studied with Theresa Rudolph, Assistant Principal Viola of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In May 2023, Emad served as principal viola for the Curtis Symphony Orchestra on their West Coast Tour. Emad was also selected for Curtis On Tour in February - March 2024, touring the United States as a string sextet with distinguished artists Ben Beilman, Milena Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt and Oliver Herbert. In 2025, Emad was invited to take part in Morningside Music Bridge on Tour, Performing in the UK with Timothy Chooi, Łukasz Byrdy and Maciej Kułakowski. He has attended renowned summer music festivals such as Morningside Music Bridge, the Center Stage Strings festival as a junior faculty member, the Perlman Music Program, Four Seasons Chamber Music festival, Music from Angel Fire, Cleveland ChamberFest, ChamberFest West and Music in the Vineyards. in summer 2025, Emad will attend the Marlboro Music Festival. Emad performs on a fine 1700 Matteo Goffriller viola on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation and a 1786 Lorenzo Storioni viola and Eugène Sartory bow on generous loan from CANIMEX, inc.