Sharon Wei

Sharon Wei is a dynamic and multi-faceted musician, recognized as one of the most respected violists on the scene today. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Kingston Symphony, Sinfonia Toronto, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and premiered Mascall’s Ziigwan concerto with London Symphonia. She has performed recital tours with Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut with pianist Angela Park. In 2025–2026, she will premiere Saman Shahi’s viola concerto—inspired by the Northern Tornadoes Project—in Montreal with Ensemble Obiora, with additional performances in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

As a chamber musician, Sharon regularly performs at festivals such as Marlboro, Verbier, Banff, Seattle, and Ravinia. She is the violist of the award-winning New Orford String Quartet and has collaborated with renowned musicians including James Ehnes, Claude Frank, Joseph Silverstein, and the Amernet and St. Lawrence String Quartets. Sharon co-founded Ensemble Made in Canada in 2006, and their Mosaïque Project—which won the 2021 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year—toured across Canada in both traditional venues and unique settings, such as the seabed of Hopewell Rocks at low tide.

Sharon has served on the faculties of Yale and Stanford Universities and is currently Associate Professor of Viola at Western University, where she has also held the role of Assistant Dean of Research. She is a regular faculty member at Curtis Summerfest, Scotia Festival, Toronto Summer Music, and the Orford Academy. Sharon won the viola prize at Yale University, is a Western Faculty Scholar, and has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and FACTOR.