Bijan Sepanji is a Canadian-Iranian violinist and educator, with a diverse musical palette that encompasses Western and Iranian classical music, contemporary music, and improvised music.
Bijan holds degrees in violin performance from McGill and Indiana Universities, as well as an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He frequently performs with orchestras such as the Toronto Concert Orchestra, Esprit, Sinfonia Toronto, and Canadian Golha Orchestra.
He has toured across Canada, as well as in China, Turkey, Iran, Italy and the USA. He has performed concerts and presented masterclasses with his string quartet, The Ton Beau, at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, University of Toronto, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee as well as in Chicago, Illinois. Ton Beau's collaboration with composer, Keyan Emami, on the Black Fish album led to a JUNO-nomination in 2023 for Classical Composition of the year.
Bijan also performs violin-piano recitals as part of Rogue Duo, with composer/pianist Saman Shahi. In November 2023, the duo took part in a multi-city tour performing a number of newly commissioned pieces by living composers based in Iran, Ukraine, and Canada.
Bijan holds degrees in violin performance from McGill and Indiana Universities, as well as an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He frequently performs with orchestras such as the Toronto Concert Orchestra, Esprit, Sinfonia Toronto, and Canadian Golha Orchestra.
He has toured across Canada, as well as in China, Turkey, Iran, Italy and the USA. He has performed concerts and presented masterclasses with his string quartet, The Ton Beau, at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, University of Toronto, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee as well as in Chicago, Illinois. Ton Beau's collaboration with composer, Keyan Emami, on the Black Fish album led to a JUNO-nomination in 2023 for Classical Composition of the year.
Bijan also performs violin-piano recitals as part of Rogue Duo, with composer/pianist Saman Shahi. In November 2023, the duo took part in a multi-city tour performing a number of newly commissioned pieces by living composers based in Iran, Ukraine, and Canada.
While at Indiana University, Bijan's interest in string pedagogy led him to study with Mimi Zweig and Brenda Brenner, two well-respected string pedagogues in North America. Bijan's teaching principles are based on the teachings he received at Indiana University Bloomington, as well as a number of Suzuki Training Programs he has attended more recently. This knowledge, and over a decade of teaching strings has allowed Bijan to become an effective and highly sought-after teacher. He is a certified Suzuki teacher and a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) and the Suzuki Association of Ontario (SAO).
Bijan is also the conductor of the Mooredale Youth Orchestra, conducting and working with the junior strings division and preparing them for three diversely-programmed concerts each year.
Bijan's instrument is made by the award-winning Canadian luthier, Mark Schurr.
Bijan's instrument is made by the award-winning Canadian luthier, Mark Schurr.