Jessica K. — Cello Teacher — Villeray, Montreal

Founding member of the Ximenez Quartet, Jessica Korotkin is a passionate chamber musician, composer, and historical cello specialist. She specializes in cello, baroque cello, and also plays a number of historical bowed bass instruments including the viola da gamba, violone, and bass violin. She has performed with a variety of award-winning ensembles from Canada and the United States. Ms. Korotkin has been featured at a variety of prominent music festivals including the XIII Festival Internacional de Musica Barroca y Renacentista “Misiones de Chiquitos”, Montréal Baroque Festival, Vancouver Bach Festival, Portland Bach Festival, Cleveland Bach Festival, Festival Classica, and Montréal Bach Festival. She is the Artistic Co-Director of Kol Hanashama, an ensemble sponsored by the Mount Parnassus Foundation dedicated to exploring Jewish baroque music. In addition to classical music, Ms. Korotkin enjoys performing pop and experimental music. She has collaborated with top artists in those fields including Emily Lau, Laurent Guardo, and Daniel Lavoie. Ms. Korotkin served as a summer faculty member at the Cornish College of the Arts where she taught a baroque improvisation workshop. As a composer, she has been published under the American Composers Alliance and had a composition commissioned by Earth World Collaborative. Ms. Korotkin received a bachelor’s degree in music from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and a master’s degree in historical performance from the Oberlin Conservatory. Her most notable teachers include Amit Peled, Alison Wells, and Susie Napper. At this time, Ms. Korotkin has qualified as a doctoral candidate at McGill’s Schulich School of Music.

My teaching method is inspired by the teachers I have studied with at top conservatories including Peabody, Oberlin, and McGill. My role as a teacher is to understand what your goals are, and to develop a teaching plan specifically tailored to help you achieve those objectives. As a Doctoral candidate at McGill, my work is centered on the solo music of J. S. Bach. As a music teacher, I specialize in cello technique, classical music, improvisation (baroque and other styles), music theory, orchestra preparation, and music reading proficiency. I enjoy helping students through each part of their musical journey, whether they are just starting out or have years of experience. For students who are preparing for auditions, I offer mock auditions and will help guide the student through each step of their application.