Violinist. Concertmaster. Pedagogue. Innovator.
Hailed by critics for her “ability to unfold bittersweet magic" (Rhein Main Presse) and “impeccable precision"(Le Devoir) Canadian violinist Mary-Elizabeth Brown has established herself as both a captivating performer and a dedicated educator in Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, Asia and beyond. In recent seasons, she has appeared as an invited soloist with orchestras in Europe, Asia, North and South America.
Engagements include numerous well-known chamber music festivals and venues: Festival Campos do Jordao (Brazil), Mozarteum Uruguay, The White House (USA), the Aldeburgh Festival (UK), ScotiaFest, Indian River Festival, Elora Festival and Banff Summer Arts Festival (Canada). Her recording of the last 3 Mozart Violin Concerti for the Mozart Effect recordings were released worldwide in 2017.
Equally at home in the first chair, critics have praised Brown as “superbly confident in her role as leader” (Norfolk Times) and “...an outstanding concertmaster” (El Adelantado, Spain). She has led nearly 1000 concerts on 4 continents under the direction of some of the most noted conductors of our time including Lorin Maazel, Placido Domingo, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Vasily Petrenko.
Leader posts include Orchestra of the Americas (2006-2008), the Britten-Pears Orchestra (2007-2009), Orchestra London Canada (Assoc. CM, 2006-2015), the award-winning chamber orchestra Sinfonia Toronto (2007-2016), Montreal’s longstanding McGill Chamber Orchestra (2016-2019), Ottawa Symphony Orchestra (2017-2020), Festival Internationale de Lanaudiere (2018-2019) OPCM Montreal (2018-present). She has recently joined the National Symphony of the Dominican Republic in the role of invited Assistant Concertmaster.
Brown is a highly sought-after teacher, speaker and author. She founded the AVIVA Virtual Young Artist Program in 2012, pioneering web-based pre-college music education for young violinists. Past speaking engagements span a wide range of disciplines and topics, from Google’s Women TechMakers to the American String Teachers’ Association. She has held visiting artist appointments at Dalhousie University, the University of the Bahamas, Bellarmine University, CNMRD and the University of Texas, and was named a Teacher of Distinction by the Royal Conservatory in 2020.
Her commitment to innovation and accessibility extends to her work in the creation of low-cost instruments using polymers and 3D printers, work that has been featured in more than 400 media outlets in 14 languages including Voice of America, Reader’s Digest, BBC’s Science in Action, NPR’s Science Friday and the Hong Kong Economic Times. Featured in Scholastic’s Science World, her work and career in the Arts and STEM served as a lesson in middle school science classes across America in December of 2023.
Brown's academic qualifications include degrees from the University of Toronto, DePaul University, and l’Université de Montréal (where she completed her doctorate as a Schmeelk Fellow), as well as graduate certificates from the London School of Economics and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
