Susanna Heystek, viola

Susanna Heystek began playing violin at age 5 in her hometown of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. She began taking lessons with Louise Stuppard in Red Deer at the age of 13. That same year she joined the Red Deer Youth and Community Orchestra, of which she was principal second violinist for two years and concertmaster for three years. She has won numerous awards at the Kiwanis Festival in Red Deer, including the Red Deer Symphony award, which gave her the opportunity to feature as a soloist with the symphony in 2016. She also placed 2nd at the Louis Sherman Concerto Competition in 2017. In 2016 she began studying with Michael van der Sloot at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and began playing viola in that year. She fell in love with the rich sound of the viola and decided to make the switch in the summer of 2017. Susanna has performed internationally at the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy, as well as at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine. Currently she is continuing her studies in viola performance with Michael van der Sloot at the University of Ottawa.