Canadian violinist and international chamber musician William Fedkenheuer has been to lead Toronto Summer Music as the organization’s next Artistic Director. He’ll take over from current AD Jonathan Crow, whose tenure ends with the closing of this year’s festival, running from July 10 to August 2, 2025.
BC born violinist Jonathan Crow has been the Concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since 2011. Prior to his appointment in Toronto, he joined the Montréal Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Second Violin right after graduating from McGill University with a Bachelor’s degree in Music in Honours Performance. He subsequently became the MSO’s Concertmaster from 2002 to 2006 — the youngest person to hold the position in any major North American orchestra at the time.
On his appointment, Crow became TSM’s third Artistic Director, after founding AD Agnes Grossmann (2006 to 2010), and Douglas McNabney (2010 to 2016).
Classical violinist, fiddler, teacher, and consultant William (Will) Fedkenheuer was raised in Calgary, Alberta.
While it wasn’t a musical family, his sister’s interest in the violin as a child sparked his own, and his musical story began. After taking private lessons, at the age of six he auditioned for the Mount Royal Conservatory in Calgary, and was accepted.
His teacher there introduced him not only to classical technique, but also country and western fiddling, together with her husband, Dr. Norman Burgess, founder of The Calgary Fiddlers. Fedkenheuer took to it immediately, and he became the youngest member of The Calgary Fiddlers. He toured North America and internationally with the popular ensemble, and began to enter fiddle competitions, taking home top prize in the 1989 Canadian National Championship Novelty class at 12.
He was also learning the Conservatory classical program, and found his musical home. Will made his his solo debut with the Calgary Philharmonic in 1994 at the age of 17.
Will went on to study violin performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree, followed by a Master’s Degree in Bloomington, Indiana. He joined the Borromeo Quartet during his second year, and toured the world with the ensemble along with completing his studies. He taught full time at New England Conservatory during that same period.
After a move to the West Coast, he became the first violinist of the Fry Street Quartet. The Quartet would go on to develop and ran the string program at Utah State University.
In 2011, he made his next move, this time at the invitation of the Miró Quartet, and became their second violin chair. Today, in addition to his solo performing career, and as a member of the Miró Quartet, he is a professor at the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas.
His performing calendar as both as soloist and chamber musician has taken him all over the world’s most renowned stages, including Carnegie Hall, Esterhazy Castle, Suntory Hall, and the Taipei National University of the Arts, as well as media appearances on outlets such as NPR, PBS, NHK, and the Discovery Channel.
A dual citizen of Canada and the United States, Will is looking forward to coming back to his Canadian roots.
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