Biography
Veda Hingert-McDonald (she/her) is a mixed-race Canadian violinist, composer, and activist based in Toronto, Canada. Drawn to story just as much as sound, Veda aims to balance personal connection with tradition in her performances of both new and standard repertoire. She has been involved in over 100 premieres, including Jessie Marino’s “To The Gates of Hell (Off Course of Course)” in Switzerland, and Che Buford’s “i said…” through the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music where she was a 2021-2022 Performer Fellow. Her recordings include Mable Bailey’s “Elegy” with pianist Indigo Farmer, Derek Charke’s “Tree Rings” with percussionist Gavin Kitchen, and Weathering Steel with Plein Air Sound Collective. Veda holds the positions of Principal Second Violin in Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, and Concertmaster of Whispering River Orchestra. She also performs regularly with Kingston Symphony, Esprit Orchestra, and Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra.
Veda completed her masters of music at University of Colorado Boulder, where she studied with Takács Quartet violinists Harumi Rhodes and Ed Dusinberre. There she was generously supported by the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation, and received honorable mentions in the Bruce Ekstrand Graduate Performance Competition and the Honors Concerto Competition. She also holds a bachelor of music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, where she made her soloist debut with Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 as a winner of the Laurier Concerto Competition. She has additional training from Lucerne Festival Academy, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Music at Port Milford, Icicle Creek Chamber Music, Forum Artium Germany, and Summer Music Vancouver. She has taught violin and coached chamber music at The Linden School, University of Colorado, Sistema Toronto, Anchorage Chamber Music Festival, Lane School of Music, Whispering River Music Camp, and privately for eight years.
Veda’s compositions often draw on narrative and programmatic elements to explore themes of nature and questions she has about the world around her. She has received commissions from organizations such as NUMUS, Waterloo Chamber Players, and Whispering River Orchestra, and her music has been played by performers such as Ligeti Quartet, Peridot Duo, Kathryn Ladano, Clara Warnaar (International Contemporary Ensemble), and Jordan Grantonic. Most recently, her song cycle, “To Bear Witness” was premiered by Whispering River Orchestra and tenor Fabián Arciniegas, for whom it was written. This political work features original text by the composer, and is inspired by global violence and the incredible resilience with which it is met. She has studied composition with Annika Socolofsky, Glenn Buhr, and Linda Catlin Smith, as well as through the Wildflowers Composers program.
When not on stage or in the practice room, Veda can usually be found hiking, cross-country skiing, or in the streets fighting for a better world.
