Magali Gavazzi-April
Magali began her violin studies at the University of Ottawa in the class of acclaimed pedagogue Yehonatan Berick. Motivated by the learning of violin and viola, she continued her studies at the studio of violinist Anne Robert at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal where she undertook both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. Magali was trained in chamber music by renowned teachers such as Denis Brott, Richard Raymond and the Formosa Quartet. She has gained valuable orchestral experience working under such renowned conductors as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Alondra de la Parra, Yoav Talmi, Vasily Petrenko, Tania Miller, Alain Trudel, Jacques Lacombe, and Carlos Miguel Prieto. Magali stands out in her musical environment by her initiative and her involvement in her community, as an orchestra manager, stage technician, founder of the conservatory's feminist committee and member of the student association's executive. Her enthusiasm has led her to participate in numerous solo, chamber music and orchestral workshops, such as the Orford Arts Centre Academy and the Domaine Forget Academy with Les Violons du Roy. She was also selected to participate in the Tafelmusik music workshop where she performed as a baroque violist in 2021.
Selected to join orchestral programs such as the Orchestra of the Americas, the Canadian Youth Orchestra and the Orchestre de la Francophonie Canadienne, she has performed in several countries, including Canada, Mexico, Germany, Scotland, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. With these ensembles, Magali has had the opportunity to record with Linn Records. Recently, Magali has received several awards such as the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Youth and the Vic Pomer Scholarship for artistic excellence.
Magali is regularly invited to join the violin and viola sections with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau. She is currently active as a freelancer in Montreal and the Outaouais region, teaching violin and viola to students of all ages. She is part of the faculty of the renowned Encore! El Sistema Québec where she teaches students from Kahnawà:ke. Magali plays on a 2019 Martel violin and a 2013 Walke viola generously loaned by the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and the Walke family of violin makers.