biography

Short & sweet

Emily Hiemstra (b.1991) is a real life viola mom. She is a violist, composer and mom to four boys under 6. 

A JUNO-nominated composer, she has had her music performed at festivals throughout Europe, USA and Canada. Her orchestral and operatic background as a performer has deepened her understanding of colour and texture which she readily applies in her compositions to create clear and innovative works.

As a violist and dedicated chamber musician, she has performed at festivals around the world and is founder of the Charis Collective, a chamber ensemble creating family-friendly concerts in London, ON.

A little longer

Emily Hiemstra (b.1991) is a real life viola mom. She is a violist, composer and mom to four boys under 6. She holds a Bachelor of Music in viola performance with Christine Vlajk and composition with Peter Hatch from Wilfrid Laurier University, an artist diploma in viola performance with Steven Dann at the Glenn Gould School in the Royal Conservatory, Toronto and is currently pursuing a Masters in music composition from Western University.

A JUNO nominated composer with music that has been deemed “superb” and “extremely resonant” (George Elliott Clarke, Canadian Poet Laureate), she has had her music performed at festivals throughout the UK, USA and Canada. Such festivals include the Impulse New Music Festival (Los Angeles, USA), the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology (Cambridge, UK) and the American Viola Society’s 2024 Festival (Los Angeles, USA). Her orchestral and operatic background as a performer has deepened her understanding of colour and texture which she readily applies in her compositions to create clear and innovative works. Her desire is to create relevant and engaging music for the next generation and future generations to come, which is why she loves working with artists from other musical mediums like Brian Sauvé and Jesse Maranger.

A dedicated community member, Emily creates opportunities for new music such as the New Works for Solo Viola Project. She also strives to bring new music to a wider community through the In The Shadow of Your Wings concert series and performing family-friendly chamber concerts around the GTA. She was also on the board of the Association of Canadian Women Composers as the Outreach & Publicity Officer from 2021-2023. 

As a violist she has been heard on CBC Radio’s About Time with Tom Allen (2022), performed at festivals around the world including Banff Centre for the Arts (Banff, CAN) and the German-Scandinavian Youth Orchestra (Berlin, GER). She performed the Stamitz Viola Concerto with the Charis Collective in 2017, and has played with ensembles such as the Canadian Opera Company and the Magisterra Soloists.

You can find her playing concerts around London, ON or writing music when her boys are napping.