Emma Grant-Zypchen

Born and raised in Ottawa, Emma began her musical studies with the National Capital Suzuki School of Music at the age of 7. There she studied with Kirk Starkey and Margaret Tobolowska. At Canterbury High School she attained a Fine Arts Certificate in the Strings Program where she was taught by John Pohran and Janice Mah. After high school she decided to pursue her musical studies further at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music where she obtained her Bachelor’s of Music in Cello Performance with Outstanding Achievement in Cello, Dean’s Honour List and the McGill Alumnae Society Prize under the tutelage of Matt Haimovitz. During this time, she was twice a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada whose tours saw them performing such venues as Montréal’s Maison Symphonique, the National Art Centre’s Southam Hall, Toronto’s Koerner Hall, the Berlin Konzerthaus and Edinburgh’s Usher Hall. After graduating from McGill in 2019, she returned to Ottawa and began her career as a music educator, becoming a teacher at the same Suzuki school that fostered her as a child, as well as at OrKidstra. She finds great fulfillment in this path, aiming to share her love of music and the cello with the next generation, and enjoying witnessing each child uniquely grow through their musical experiences. Emma has completed Units 1 and 2 of Suzuki teacher training with Susan Gagnon and Tanya Carey, respectively. She received her Master’s of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Montreal where she studied with Yegor Dyachkov. In her free time, she enjoys various outdoor pursuits such as running, cross country skiing and backcountry canoe camping as well as hobbies such as watercolour botanical illustration and knitting.