Flutist Kathleen Schoen and violinist Thomas Schoen
are classically trained performers and teachers
who value innovation and creativity
as much as history and tradition.
We do creative work in person and in an online environment.
We work both locally and internationally.
We are more than teachers or performers: we are Teaching Artists.
We play old music on copies of period instruments, and we compose and improvise new music on modern instruments with electronics.
Our recordings are featured in radio broadcasts and are available on most digital platforms.
- We perform in formal concert halls and experiment with unusual venues, including outdoors.
- Orchestral performer: CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony, and others
- National touring Artists: from Parliament Hill on Canada Day to tiny northern villages
- Artist Residencies: from Banff Centre to elementary schools
- We were awarded a grant from the Edmonton Heritage Council to create an interactive community based composition as part of the Tracing Connections in River Crossing project.
We teach using methods, such as Suzuki and Royal Conservatory, and we invite our students to improvise and compose their own music.
We have been recognized as experts in our field:
- Kathleen is registered Teacher Trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and sits on the SAA pedagogy advisory committee
- Thomas is the recipient of the Royal Conservatory of Music Distinguished Teacher Award
- Kathleen has been invited to teach internationally: in Australia, Netherlands, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and the United States
- Thomas is invited to adjudicate at music festivals across western Canada
- We have been invited to present artist residencies in school throughout Alberta as part of the Artists in Schools Residency Program administered by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
We work with all ages and levels: from pre-professional students at the University of Alberta Augustana Campus to preschoolers. Our students are:
- Royal Conservatory gold medalists
- Winners of National level Contemporary Showcase
- Winners of Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Championship
- Winners of Provincial level Music Festivals
- Accepted to music programs at Universities in Canada and Europe
- Recording artists
- Empowered to use the expressive power of music for their own personal development