Étienne Chénard completed his studies at the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec in 2016 where he was unanimously awarded the “Prix avec distinction” in viola. He studied with François Paradis, Catherine Dallaire, and Élise Lavoie in Québec City and Rimouski.

Born in Rimouski, Québec, Étienne spent many summers at the Domaine Forget Academy and Orford Art Centre working with acclaimed violinists such as Vera Beth, Anne Robert, Helmut Lipksy, Mark Fewer, David Gilham, and Mimi Zweig, as well as violists François Paradis, Jocelyne Bastien, and the Arthur-Leblanc String Quartet. He has also had the opportunity to perform in masterclasses with Christian Tetzlaff, Antoine Tamestit, Roberto Diaz, Paul Silverthorne, Jean Sulem, and Miguel DaSilva.

As a chamber musician, Étienne has played for many festivals and series including Concerts aux Îles du Bic, Domaine Forget, and Inner Space Concerts, among others.

Prior to his appointment as Symphony Nova Scotia’s Assistant Principal Viola in 2018, Étienne held the same position in the Orchestre Symphonique de Sherbrooke and Orchestre Symphonique de l’Estuaire. He also plays regularly with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Les Violons du Roy, and as a freelance musician with many other professional orchestras throughout Québec.

Étienne performs on a mid-18th-century Milanese viola and a bow by Marcel Lapierre, signed Collin-Mezin. Both are generously loaned by CANIMEX INC.