Karl Stobbe

Karl Stobbe is a member of a group of gifted musicians who emerged from Prince George, BC, in the 1980s. He began violin studies at the age of four, was awarded the Senior violin trophy at the Prince George Music Festival when he was 11, and at age 14 made his orchestral debut with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, premiering a work written especially for him. He has won prizes from the Vancouver Women's Musical Club, the Indianapolis Musicale Matinee and Eckhardt-Gramatté competitions, and has performed solo recitals and chamber music throughout Canada and the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of British Columbia and a Masters Degree in Violin Performance with a minor in Violin Repair and Construction from Indiana University. An avid woodworker, Karl enjoys building new violins and has restored several older instruments. He appreciates the beautiful craftsmanship of the master luthiers as much as he enjoys playing their instruments.

An active performer, teacher and chamber musician on the Winnipeg music scene, he appears regularly with the THE WINNIPEG CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY , as well as on the GroundSwell and Virtuosi concert series. He performs a diverse body of music, from large orchestral repertoire to small chamber orchestra works, concertos, chamber music, and other solo pieces, which has enabled him to perform and record with many of Canada's finest musicians throughout the country. A dedicated teacher, he has maintained a private studio for the past sixteen years, and his students have gone on to do advanced university music degrees in Canada and the United States. This year marks his tenth season as Concertmaster of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and his twelfth season as a member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, where he holds the position of Associate Concertmaster.