Violist Nicholas Penny is based in Windsor Ontario, where he enjoys an active career both as a performer and teacher. He joined the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in 1989 where he has held positions as Assistant Principal and Principal viola. In addition to WSO performances, he freelances he can be heard occasionally in local chamber music concerts, notably with 4th Wall Music. Mr. Penny’s teaching experience has encompassed everything from three-year-old beginners to university level performers and advanced chamber music coaching. He has taught privately, at the University of Windsor, and at Huckleberry Music Camp where he was the violin and viola teacher, quartet coach and string orchestra conductor for twenty years. For many years, Nicholas and his wife Michèle have run Sunnyside Strings, their home studio which provides private lessons, Suzuki group lessons, chamber ensembles and a summer chamber music session. Sunnyside students and ensembles perform regularly in the community including WSO main series concerts, and have been award winners at the Kiwanis festival and at OMFA provincial competition. Several have gone on to professional performance careers. After the disbanding of the Windsor community orchestra, Nicholas organized and conducted a community string orchestra for a few years. He is currently one of co-lead teachers with the new String Project run by the Greater Essex County District School Board, teaching violin to grade 3 and 4 beginner students in an after-school program.Nicholas began his violin studies with Benjamin Stolow of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. A student at Marianopolis College and McGill University, he studied violin with Mauricio Fuks, and viola with Stephen Kondaks, and chamber music with Marcel Saint Cyr of the original Orford Quartet. Mr Penny was a member of NYO Canada and of L’orchestre des jeunes du Québec before winning his position with the WSO.
