Barry Shiffman — Chamber Music and the Pulse of Community
Barry Shiffman challenges the doom-and-gloom narrative surrounding classical music by spotlighting the remarkable growth of chamber music across North America. Drawing from his roles as Executive Director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, and Associate Dean and Director of Chamber Music at the Glenn Gould School and Dean of the Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music, and Artistic Director of Classical Music & Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Shiffman shares stories of thriving festivals, purpose-built venues, and passionate audiences redefining the art form’s future.
From Rockport Music’s evolution—from volunteer-run gallery concerts to a year-round presenter with its own performance center—to similar transformations in La Jolla and Parry Sound, this episode reveals how grassroots enthusiasm has sparked major investment in chamber music.
Shiffman ties this growth to the art form’s unique intimacy: the direct connection between performers and audience, the communal experience, and the personal resonance audiences are craving today. At Banff, this intimacy creates an immersive, high-stakes environment where audiences become advocates and every quartet leaves with meaningful career momentum.
For aspiring musicians, Shiffman emphasizes that exceptional listening—both musical and interpersonal—is key to unlocking the “flow state” that defines great ensemble work and, ultimately, quartet success.
Whether you’re a chamber music devotee or simply curious about where classical music is thriving, this episode reveals a flourishing art form that brings people together through shared experiences, deep artistry, and a powerful sense of belonging.
Who is Barry Shiffman?
Violinist and violist Barry Shiffman has a rich and varied career as a performer, recording artist, teacher, and administrator. Shiffman made his debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15. In 1989, he co-founded the St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ). During his 17 years with the quartet he appeared in over 2,000 concerts in venues around the globe (including Rockport Music), and recorded several critically acclaimed discs under an exclusive contract with EMI Classics.
In addition to performing and recording, Shiffman is a sought-after violin and viola teacher and chamber music coach. As part of his role in the St. Lawrence, Shiffman served as artist in- residence at Stanford University from 1998 to 2006 and as visiting artist at the University of Toronto from 1995 to 2006. Passionately committed to the composers of our time, he has been involved in the premieres of hundreds of new works, both in the St. Lawrence Quartet and beyond.
From 2006-2010, he served as Director of Music Programs at Banff Centre and from 2010-2016 was the Artistic Director of the Centre’s Summer Music Programs and Executive Director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition. During his tenure at The Banff Centre he introduced new programming in classical music performance, composition, popular music and Jazz and oversaw the dramatic growth of The Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC), which he continues to direct.
Since the fall of 2010, he has been at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, as both 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. A sought-after juror, he has served on the jury of the Tchaikovsky and Montreal Violin Competitions, as well as London’s Wigmore Hall, Geneva, Banff, and Lyon String Quartet Competitions. In addition to his work at Banff Centre and The Royal Conservatory, Shiffman has served as Executive Artistic Director of Vancouver’s Music in the Morning Concerts since 2009.
He is the recipient of the Nadia Boulanger Prize for Excellence in the Art of Teaching awarded by the Longy School of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary. His formal studies were at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, University of Toronto, Utrecht Conservatory, Hartt School of Music, Juilliard School and Yale University.
All episodes, after publication, are also available in video form on YouTube and Spotify Channels. All are hosted by Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bowman.
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