2026 Adjudicators

Paule Préfontaine has a musical career spanning over 40 years. From 1988 to 1993, she was assistant concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway, a position she held again from 2012 to 2020. She was a guest as second principal violin and associate concertmaster of the Porto Symphony Orchestra in Portugal from 2017 to 2019. She has also been a supernumerary musician with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. From 2004 to 2014, she played regularly with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, participating in numerous tours. During her years living in Gatineau, she was a member of 13 Strings (second principal violin) and guest concertmaster of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2014. She also played concertmaster in the Hull Chamber Orchestra in 2001, a position she held for several seasons. As an educator, Paule was an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa for over 10 years. She also served as string rehearsal director for the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy and as director of its summer academy. Paule taught strings at the Orford Arts Centre Academy in the orchestral program under the tutelage of Jean-François Rivest for three seasons, and also taught in the chamber music program with the National Orchestra of Canada in 2015.

Ms. Préfontaine possesses extensive knowledge in the interpretation of the Baroque repertoire. She was a full-time member of the renowned Tafelmusik, a Toronto-based ensemble. She has performed with the Arion Ensemble in Montreal, Violon du Roy in Quebec City, the Bergen Baroque Ensemble, and the Stavanger Baroque Ensemble in Norway. She was concertmaster of the Musikbarok Ensemble in Winnipeg from 1996 to 2001 and was also a founding member of the Ottawa Baroque Consort.

As a chamber musician, Paule has participated in numerous festivals in Canada and Europe, including Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Germany.

Paule moved to Vancouver Island in July 2020, where she works with Pacific Baroque, Early Music Vancouver, and the Victoria Symphony. She formed a string quartet called Voces Intimae with her husband, violinist David Stewart, violist Yariv Aloni, and cellist Pam Highbaugh Aloni. In August 2022, the Voces Intimae quartet was invited to the Victoria Summer Music Festival to perform their own Scandinavian program, and they joined the Viano Quartet, sharing the stage to perform Mendelssohn's famous octet.

In the summer of 2023, Paule participated in the Kaimerata Chamber Music Festival on Denman Island. Ms. Préfontaine can be heard this summer at the Victoria Summer Music Festival and this fall at Villa Wentworth, Maple Ridge Chamber Series, Whistler Chamber Music Society.