Ema Shiroma-Chao
Group Fiddle
Musicianship
Private Violin & Viola
Ema began her musical journey in her home province of BC, starting violin lessons at the age of 4. Her passion for music has been inspired and supported by many of her childhood teachers, including Angela Schneider, Joan Blackman, Irina Faletski, and Robert Rozek and Joseph Elworthy, who led her early ensemble experiences at the Vancouver Academy of Music.
After completing an ARCT Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music, she moved to Montréal to pursue a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance at McGill University. There, she studied under Mark Fewer and was also extremely fortunate to have received coaching from other McGill faculty members including Douglas McNabney, Jean Marchand, and Richard Roberts. It was through playing chamber music at university where Ema picked up the viola, the instrument she now plays as part of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.
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Putting her formal studies to use, Ema has performed for theatre shows, weddings, convocation events, and non-for-profit fundraising concerts. In 2017, she was part of a massive orchestra which drew in a crowd of an estimated 70,000 people at the base of Mont-Royal, organized for the City of Montreal’s 375th anniversary celebrations. Music has led to many opportunities, including travels to attend summer music programs such as Le Domaine Forget (La Malbaie, Québec), and Allegro Vivo (Horn, Austria). It has also inspired Ema’s love for culture, language, and education. Following the completion of her B. Mus. at McGill, Ema obtained a B. Ed. at Queen’s University (while performing with the Kingston Symphony when possible), gaining teaching qualifications in FSL and Instrumental Music. She looks forward to combining her knowledge in education and music to inform her teaching practice with STEP.