Elie Boissinot
Praised by critics for his “rich and ample tone” (Ludwig van Montréal), cellist Elie Boissinot has distinguished himself by winning major national awards, including the Golden Violin Award, the Hnatyshyn Foundation Developing Artist Grant, the Canadian Music Competition First Prize, the Stingray Rising Star Prize, and the McGill Concerto and Chamber Music Competitions.
Elie has enjoyed an extensive freelance career in Montréal, performing over fifty programs with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, including two commercial recordings of Mahler and Schoenberg (Pentatone), as well as an international tour in Korea. He served as principal cellist of the Pronto Musica chamber orchestra (2019–2024), and also performed with Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre classique de Montréal, Orchestre de l’Agora, and Les Violons du Roy. Before joining the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as Principal Cello, he briefly held the position of Assistant Principal Cello with Symphony Nova Scotia.
A committed chamber musician and string quartet enthusiast, Elie is the founding cellist of the Lorne String Quartet, with which he appeared at the Aspen Music Festival and the McGill International String Quartet Academy, and was selected for the Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition. He has also performed with Musica Camerata Montréal, the OSM chamber series, and at the Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal, collaborating with a wide network of Canadian and international artists.
In parallel with his performing career, Elie pursues research on musicians’ auditory health and models of quartet intonation. His work was published in Frontiers in Psychology (2022) and presented at the International Symposium on Performance Science (2021). He has received scholarships from Quebec and Canada’s research councils (FRQ and SSHRC). He also co-founded and co-directed the Orchestre Philharmonique et Chœur des Mélomanes, reaching audiences of over 60,000 during his tenure (2015–2019).
Elie trained at McGill University with Brian Manker and Elizabeth Dolin, most recently completing his Artist Diploma. He plays on an instrument and bow generously loaned by Canimex Inc. of Drummondville, QC.
