Dr. Ivars Taurins

Biography

Equally at home conducting symphonic choral repertoire, Ivars Taurins is the founding director of the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, now in its 35th season, and a founding member and principal violist of the Tafelmusik Orchestra for 23 years. His direction of the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir has been widely praised for its clarity, nuance, and brilliance. From 2001 to 2011, Ivars served as the Principal Baroque Conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and is an active guest conductor with orchestras and choirs across Canada. His guest appearances include engagements with the Edmonton, Victoria, Kitchener-Waterloo, Winnipeg, and Windsor Symphonies, among others. Ivars was the guest choir director for the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in September 2011. Additionally, he was the director of the National Youth Choir of Canada in 2012 and has led various youth choirs and orchestras. Taurins has received widespread acclaim for his recordings with Tafelmusik, which have garnered several JUNO nominations. He is a passionate lecturer and teaches orchestral conducting, directing the Baroque Ensemble Collegium Musicum at the University of Toronto, where he is also a faculty member at the Glenn Gould School. Highly sought after as a guest lecturer and clinician, he shares his expertise at multiple universities and conducts the vocal/choral program at the annual Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute.

Research Interests