Montreal Cello Ensemble

The Montreal Cello Ensemble is a registered charity that provides intensive cello training to talented children with no financial barriers. Our goal is to ensure that children who show talent, dedication, and a love for music can receive the highest level of music education, regardless of their family’s financial situation. Every admitted student receives a full or partial scholarship covering instruction, the use of a cello, and accessories. Almost all of our students begin the program as complete beginners. EVM is designed as a long-term program, supporting students from their first lessons through years of musical growth, performance, and creative development.

Students study and perform with Montreal Symphony Orchestra cellists Geneviève Guimond, Gary Russell, and San Rim, educators David Evenchick and Josh Fink, and pianist Sandra Hunt. Our Board of Directors is chaired by Hans Jørgen Jensen, whose mentorship, pedagogical ideas, and support have had a formative influence on EVM’s approach to cello teaching and continue to strengthen our programming.

EVM combines private instruction, ensemble playing, improvisation, composition, recording, and performance. Students receive rigorous technical training while also developing their own creative voices. They have written, recorded, and released more than 100 original songs and compositions, and have won prizes in local, provincial, and national competitions in both performance and composition.

A central part of the program is Practice Bubble, an at-home practice app created by Josh Fink and Zunce Wei. Teachers assign each student personalized daily practice using a library of thousands of instructional videos. Practice Bubble records video and audio as students practice, allowing teachers to see what happens between lessons and give daily feedback. This makes practice at home more structured and effective and allows each student to progress at their own pace. We are now developing a public version of Practice Bubble so that other teachers and students can use the app. Learn more at practicebubble.com.

Together, our weekly instruction, daily practice model, creative projects, recordings, and performances give students a unique musical education: one that is rigorous, creative, and accessible.