A native of Lethbridge, Alberta, Aaron Au is a first violinist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Sessional Lecturer of Viola atthe University of Alberta. A student of Andrew Dawes and Gerald Stanick at the University of British Columbia where he studied both violin and viola, Aaron graduated Head of the Class in 1998. He then, on a Johann Strauss Foundation Scholarship, studied for a year at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
 
A frequent guest of CBC Radio, Aaron has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician on both violin and viola in concerts across Canada, the U.S., Cuba and Europe. He has won various competitions including the 1993 CIBC National Music Festival. Aaron has appeared as a faculty member and performer at festivals throughout Canada, including the Ottawa International, the Agassiz, and the Victoria Chamber Music Festivals.
 
As a conductor, Aaron has worked with various ensembles and orchestras in western Canada including the Mill Creek Colliery Band in Edmonton, the Edmonton Youth Orchestra, and the University of Alberta Academy Strings orchestra. Aaron has recently completed his Doctor of Music degree at the University of Alberta where he is a Killam Scholar and was also awarded the University of Alberta Ph.D.Scholarship. He was missed last year and we are delighted to welcome him back to the ’08 Festival.