Barry Shiffman,
classical artistic director

Artistic Director Barry Shiffman, a violinist and violist, has enjoyed a rich and varied career as a performer, recording artist, educator, and arts leader. In 1989, he co-founded the St. Lawrence String Quartet. During his 17 years with the ensemble, he performed more than 2,000 concerts worldwide and recorded several critically acclaimed albums for 
EMI Classics.

A dedicated teacher, Shiffman served as artist-in-residence at Stanford University, while part of the St. Lawrence Quartet, and visiting artist at the University of Toronto. Passionately committed to composers of our time, he has participated in the premieres of hundreds of new works, both with the St. Lawrence Quartet and beyond.

Shiffman has held significant leadership roles across the international music community. From 2006 to 2010, he served as Director of Music Programs at Banff Centre, and from 2010 to 2016 as Artistic Director of its Summer Music Programs and Executive Director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, where he oversaw its growth and global prominence. He continues his longstanding role as Executive Director of the competition.

Since 2010, Shiffman has been a central figure at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, serving as Associate Dean and Director of Chamber Music at the Glenn Gould School and Dean of the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists. In July 2026, he assumes the role of Dean of the Conservatory. He has also served as Executive Artistic Director of Vancouver’s Music in the Morning Concerts.

A frequent juror for major international competitions, Shiffman is the recipient of the Nadia Boulanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching and an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary. He studied at the Royal Conservatory, University of Toronto, Juilliard, and Yale.