Carissa Klopoushak has made a name for herself as a curious, creative, and versatile violinist. Based in Ottawa, Carissa is a proud member of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Ironwood Quartet. Laureate of the 2009 Eckhardt-Grammatté Competition and the 2012 Canada Council Instrument Bank Competition, she has toured extensively across Canada, been featured at Ottawa Chamberfest, Montreal Chamber and Toronto Summer Music festivals, and spent three months touring with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Recent collaborators include the Gryphon Trio, Jon Kimura Parker, Branford Marsalis, Lara St. John, and Mark Fewer. She is Artistic Director of the Ritornello Chamber Music Festival in her hometown, Saskatoon. Carissa enjoys performing in many different styles, especially Ukrainian folk music. She is the lead singer, violinist, and arranger in the Ukrainian turbo-folk band Тут і Там (pronounced Toot-ee-tahm). The band has recorded four full-length albums and performed at major Ukrainian festivals across Canada, Sydney, Australia, and in Ukraine. Carissa holds a doctorate in violin performance from McGill University, where she focused on the little-known classical violin repertoire by Ukrainian composers. Her debut recording, SOUNDWORLDS, was released in 2016.
