Sharon Wei is a dynamic and multi-faceted musician, establishing herself as one of the most respected violists on the scene today. She has appeared as soloist with orchestras including Kingston Symphony, Sinfonia Toronto, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and London Symphonia. In 2026 Sharon premiered Saman Shahi’s viola concerto inspired by the Northern Tornadoes Project with the Obiora Ensemble in Quebec and orchestras in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. She has performed recital tours across Canada with Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut.

 

As a chamber musician, Sharon regularly takes part at festivals such as Marlboro, Verbier, Banff, and Seattle. She is the violist of the award-winning New Orford String Quartet and has performed with renowned musicians including Claude Frank, James Ehnes, Joseph Silverstein, and St. Lawrence String Quartet. Sharon co-founded Ensemble Made in Canada in 2006 and their Mosaïque Project won a 2021 JUNO for Classical Album of the Year which toured across Canada in both traditional venues and eclectic ones such as the seabed of Hopewell Rocks at low tide. 

 

Sharon has been guest principal violist of the Cincinnati Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, the Verbier Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble Matheus in Paris. She recorded with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on their Grammy recording of Ives Symphonies and 2025 JUNO album Messaien’s Turangalila with the Toronto Symphony. 

 

Sharon is currently Associate Professor of viola and was acting Dean of Research at Western University. Previously she was on faculty at Yale and Stanford University. She has given masterclasses at the American Viola Society Festival, Beijing Conservatory and universities across North America. In summers she is a regular faculty violist at Curtis Summerfest, Scotia Festival, Toronto Summer Music, and Orford Academy. At Western Sharon created a course in which students learn entrepreneurial and career-building skills for musicians. Her artistry and leadership have been recognized with Western University’s 2022 Faculty Scholar Award, the viola prize from Yale University, and numerous grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and FACTOR.