Tanya Charles

Violin

Tanya Charles, a Hamilton-born violinist with roots in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, has captivated audiences across North and South America and the Caribbean. An award-winning artist, she is the recipient of the Women’s Art Association of Canada’s Luella McCleary Award, the Gabriella Dory Prize in Music, and the John C. Holland Award. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto and an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School.

Tanya is the concertmaster of Montreal’s Ensemble Obiora, which she has led since its founding in 2021. Highlights include her role as soloist in the Canadian premiere of Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 1. She has also served as concertmaster and soloist with the Colour of Music Festival Orchestra and as associate concertmaster of the Gateways Festival Orchestra.

Equally at home on stage and in the pit, Tanya has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, and National Ballet Orchestra of Canada. A versatile musician, she performs on violin, viola, and mandolin in productions including The Lion King in Toronto, and leads the violin section of Viva Mexico Mariachi.

Deeply committed to education, Tanya is an active teacher, adjudicator, and clinician internationally, and currently serves on faculty at the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory’s Oscar Peterson Program.