Sarah Carswell

When I was young, I started my musical education in my hometown, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, with my piano teacher. She gave me and my siblings a solid foundation of piano performance, theory, and ensemble-work. A few years later, I was encouraged by my parents to choose a second instrument. After some consideration, I chose the violin. We travelled weekly to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for lessons with Ed Gartshore. In his studio, his students were given regular lessons, ensemble training, and rehearsals. We were also encouraged to join the youth orchestras and to attend the annual summer music camp.

My musical education with the Gartshore family was full of hard work, personal discovery, lessons beyond the staves, and many lifelong friends. Pioneers and pillars of the musical community in Ontario, the Gartshores’ legacy still lives on in their family and those they trained. Their love of playing music with friends and family helped to foster my extracurricular activities with my mom, siblings, and our friends. We created ensembles of our own, playing weddings and events around our hometown and surrounding areas. We joined the Sault Symphony Orchestra, a volunteer orchestra consisting of musicians from both the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Ontario. Under the direction of our conductor, John Wilkinson, I learned about the joys – frustrations – and intricacies of playing in a symphony. In this unique group, we worked together to create beautiful music, playing simply for the love and joy of music. They gave me my first experience of playing with the symphony as a solo artist. And, through the SSO Young Artists’ Competition, I won the opportunity to perform with the symphony again as a solo artist on the viola.

As I grew older, we decided to find a violin teacher with whom I could train to achieve a level of musicianship good enough to enter university. The Pokhanovski family had recently moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and both of the sons were music teachers. Oleg Pokhanovski agreed to take me on as a student. I still attended youth orchestra and summer camps. With Oleg, though, I learned how to reach beyond my comfort zone. In the process, my musicianship grew leaps and bounds throughout my teenage years. Thanks to the experiences, expertise, and talent of my new teacher, I learned that there was so much more out there for me to discover.

I graduated high school with a General Education Degree in 2002. I completed two years of general study at Lake Superior State University & Algoma University College while I continued my preparations for music school. I auditioned for and gained permission to transfer to the University of Manitoba for the 2004 school year. I studied both violin and viola there for two years, achieving double-major performance student status (violin and viola). Mikhail and Oleg Pokhanovski continued to be my teachers throughout my education at the University of Manitoba, as they had moved their family to Manitoba several years earlier. I was extremely thankful to have the opportunity to continue my education with them.

In November 2007, I married my husband, Michael Carswell, and school went on the backburner while we figured out immigration to Canada, life, and finances. It took roughly 5 years for me to return to school. In order to speed up graduation, I chose to only continue my studies with viola. Mikhail Pokhanovsky graciously agreed to continue working with me until I finished school. I graduated with my Bachelors degree in Viola Performance in 2013, and was offered a scholarship to stay in school to earn a Masters degree. In 2015, I finished my post-secondary education with a Masters degree in Viola Performance. For clarification, I never dropped the violin. I still consider myself to be both a violinist & violist, only my completed education was for the viola.