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-Assisted Learning (PAL), an at-home practice system created by Josh Fink and Zunce Wei. Practicing music at home can be isolating, and students and parents are often unsure whether they are practicing correctly. PAL addresses this by giving each student a personalized daily practice playlist drawn from thousands of interactive teacher videos. Students practice with guidance, their playing is recorded as they work, and teachers review their submissions and give daily feedback. This makes at-home practice more structured, less lonely, and more effective, while allowing each student to progress at their own pace and giving teachers a clear view of their daily effort.

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.