Ms. Tatiana Friesen

Tatiana Friesen (she/her) is a freelance violist, Baroque specialist, and music educator based in Winnipeg, Treaty 1. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Canadian Mennonite University and a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Music from the University of Manitoba, both under the instruction of Daniel Scholz. She began early music studies through Tafelmusik's Baroque Summer Institute, then acquired a Master's in Early Music from McGill University, where she benefited from the guidance of Hélène Plouffe, Hank Knox, Olivier Brault, Adrian Butterfield, Stefano Montanari, and Rodolfo Richter, as well as historical dance specialist Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière. From 2016 to 2019, she was a founding member of Musica Poetica, a historically-informed Baroque instrumental ensemble which shared early music with Winnipeg audiences in a relaxed and intimate setting.

Tatiana teaches privately at her home and through the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and the Arts, coaches chamber ensembles, and is a Teaching Artist with Sistema Winnipeg; from 2021-2023 she was the director of the Collegium Musicum at the University of Manitoba. During the summer, she has been on the faculty of Cadenza Summer Music Week in Winkler and International Music Camp.

Tatiana’s approach to both performance and teaching is one of curiosity about the notes on the page, historical context, physical and emotional health, and relational dynamics between performers and other listeners.