Anna Baksheeva is a Russian born Canadian violinist and violin teacher based in Ottawa, Canada. She has been studying and playing the violin since the age of 5. Classically trained in Russia with music degrees from the United States and Canada, Anna has been teaching and performing in Ottawa since 2010. Anna is both a solo performer and a part of larger musical ensembles including duets, trios and quartets, and regularly performs in chamber series, special events, weddings and for retirement communities. Anna is also available to teach violin in her home studio, at the OMS Montessori School and online.
Education
- 35 years of violin experience starting at age of 5
- 10 years of special music school in Vladivostok, Russia
- 4 years Rimsky-Korsakov Music College, St. Petersburg, Russia
- BA degree in Violin Performance, University of Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- MA degree in Violin Performance, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
- Master Classes and private lessons (ongoing) with leading violinists in Ottawa
Performance Experience
- Competitions and festivals in Russia, USA and Canada starting at the age of 5
- Hundreds of concerts in National Capital Region as a solo violinist, and as part of a duo (guitar and piano), trio, quartet, and orchestra
- 50 + concerts a year in the Ottawa/Gatineau region
- Chamber music series, video performances
- Weddings, special occasions and events since in North America since 2006
- Retirement Communities in USA (Georgia) and Canada, Ottawa since 2006
Teaching
Anna welcomes new beginner, intermediate and advanced students into her studio in Ottawa!
Testimonials
Gabrielle and Nick’s Wedding April 2024
Now that we have finally had a chance to slow down and wind down from all things wedding, we would love to take the opportunity to thank you once again for all your work and your beautiful music. We received many compliments on your violin playing and people thought the ceremony was that much more…
Melissa and Juan Josè
Good evening Anna! It was trully wonderful having you play for our ceremony and we received many compliments about the music. The selection and timing of the songs was perfect for us. I was very impressed how quickly you learned the new songs, and how professional and responsive you were. With great pleasure I will…
Yosuke Kawasaki, National Arts Concertmaster, violinist
It was great to work with some of your students! Thank you for all the work that you do and I look forward to the next time.
Robert (Funeral service client)
Deer Anna, Thank you again for being a part of our day. Everyone loved your music, which made the ceremony perfect for us all. Your violin and Vaughan Williams’s piece “Lark Ascending” drew my eyes unconsciously upward, to an imagined bird, hovering in the breeze. A lot of guests commented how beautiful music was and…
Joseph
Thank you so much, Anna, for everything, and our apologies for not having a chance to speak with you in person, it all went by so fast. Our entrance piece was so beautiful, can’t wait to see the video so we can hear the rest of it, the guests were all raving about your talent!…
Mélissa & Juan José
Good evening Anna! It was trully wonderful having you play for our ceremony and we received many compliments about the music. The selection and timing of the songs was perfect for us. I was very impressed how quickly you learned the new songs, and how professional and responsive you were. With great pleasure I will…
Diane, funeral music service customer
“Thanks again for your services. It was so beautiful and professionally presented. We will keep you in mind for future occasions.” Diane
Katherine Luckett ( hired Anna and Andrew for her father’s funeral service, reception)
Thank you Anna for the beautiful music yesterday. It was absolutely beautiful. So many people enjoyed your music.
Karl Smendziuk (Owner of Extreme Entertainment, Ottawa)
Pleasure working with your team again….
Manuel Z. (adult student)
Great soulful Violinist & Superb Teacher I’ve been a student of Anna’s for three years now, and I feel absolutely blessed that I’ve found her and she had space to take me on as a student. While being a great violinist, which I had the pleasure to witness in numerous of her performances, what sets…
Anya Tkalitch (recommendation on google for Duo Pleiades)
“Anna and Andrew made our wedding extra special with their beautiful music. They were incredibly helpful in choosing the right music for our type of event, and accommodating when when we had to make slight adjustments to our timeline. The music was gorgeous – from the classical pieces for the ceremony itself, to the recognizable…
Matthew Edward Volpini (recommendation on google for Duo Pleiades)
“We booked Duo Pleiades to play for our intimate wedding of 20 guests and they were absolutely amazing.They made time prior to the wedding to work out our requested songs list, and were very accommodating in playing our requested music. On the big day, they were prompt and professional, and their music absolutely enhanced our…
Mary Lisa (on google review for Duo Pleiades)
“For my birthday my boyfriend surprised me by inviting the talented violinist Anna Baksheeva to play popular songs live for us under the sunset in Rockliffe park! We were able to dance various social dances to Anna’s creative and beautiful playing even on an unconventional dance floor-the parking lot! We continued dancing all through the…
Michelle Hevey, Algonquin college, community event planner(on google review)
“Lovely duo! They performed for the Algonquin College community. Anna and Andrew are incredibly talented and professional. Highly recommend.”
Kristina Alexander (google review for Duo Pleiades)
“We were so excited to have Duo Pleiades perform at our wedding cocktail hour! Anna and Andrew played even more beautifully than what we had envisioned for our special day-&our guests were absolutely blown away! They have very large repertoire of music-both classical and modern music… “
Susan Toman, PhD in Music, piano, Irish harp
“Excellent musician and kind person! Highly recommended! Professional, unique and original! “ Recommendation on Alignable.com
Géraldine Petit-Gras, Studio GPG
“Anna is a talented violin player and teacher. She is a true professional.” Recommendation in Alignable.
David Ascroft, Dr. Orkestro
“Anna is Ottawa’s best kept secret. There are few violinists around the world at her level of play and she is here in the capital a phone call away. She is an amazing talent and her skillsets are miles above the norm. Book now-you will be glad you did! “
Mike Steinberg, Herb & Spice Shop, Wellington
“I heard this duo recently at a program music for Valentine’s Day, lovely program. Very informative as well as thoroughly ennoble.”
Kazimier Samujlo, retired music public school teacher, piano tuning technician
“They are fantastic performers!” Recommendation on Alignable.com
Louis-Phillippe Legault
Recommendation for Duo Pleiades on Alignable.com : “They are top worldly professional playing with heart and love for their craft. They get the crowd roaring with delight…They are flexible when planning any kind of event. A must see! Display of talent…
Heather Flinn -Summerhill Strings Duo, Trio Harp-Violin-Voice
“Excellent Musicians!” … Recommendation for Anna’s Duo Pleiades on Alignable.com
Olivia Pelling, “Fine Strings” Owner and Luthier in Ottawa
“Anna is a very talented and devoted violinist and teacher. Talented in a wide variety of musical styles, she can play for any occasion. She teaches all ages.
Janice Mah ( Strings teacher at Canterbury High School)
I have known Anna for 2 years as a confident soloist and performer. During this time Anna has been proactive in self-promotion as a performer and a teacher. It was truly inspiring for the students to hear her play with ease and to clearly outline the positives and negatives of pursuing a career as a…
Dr. Danijela Zezelij-Gualdi (violin and viola professor Univ of North Carolina Wilmington)
During her studies with me, Ms. Baksheeva showed a great deal of natural technical ability and an excellent musical instinct. She was a careful listener and absorbed suggestions immediately. Her general music knowledge was comprehensive and this came out in her violin playing. Her sound quality was very expressive and versatile. During our work together…
Frederick Lacroix (Piano professor, University of Ottawa)
Anna has been working on a new pedagogical workbook for the violin teaching. She has also been part of the Montessori school system and has been a regular guest in schools of the mainstream school boards. She seems to possess an endless reserve of energy that allows her to practice, organize all these ideas, teach…
Brian Henry (Quality Entertainment company)
I am honored to provide this reference for Duo Pleiades – Anna and Andrew, incredibly professional individuals who consistently provide exemplary customer service. Each time I have contracted their services, they have been pleasant to deal with and my customers have always been more than happy with the service. Anna and Andrew are always polite,…
Frederick Lacroix (piano professor at Ottawa U)
Anna Baksheeva is a talented and dedicated violinist. She is very enterprising and has many ideas on how to share music with a broader audience. She has been working on getting projects in both schools and retirement residences, with herself, her chamber music groups and her students.
Chantal (parent)
Thanks to Anna and her deep understanding of the instrument and pedagogy, my daughter discovered and developed a dormant gift in music. This gift has flourished into a surprising level of playing and comprehension in music that allowed my daughter to participate in RCM music exams and violin rentals, talent shows at school. We live…
Chantal (parent)
Since the beginning of taking lessons with Anna, my daughter has developed skills, confidence and passion for violin, I have noticed an increase with her ability to focus at school to the point of being as much attentive if not more than the average students. Her motor skills in many areas at school, has also…
Chantal (parent)
My daughter has been a student of Anna Baksheeva since 2015. She has mild form of autism and Anna managed to reach to her level of understanding and her needs. She has developed method of teaching her proper violin technique regardless of her limitation. She saw potential in my daughter and just kept going. …
Larissa (parent)
Anna provides a warm and constructive environment for learning violin. At the core of Anna’s approach is a personal and professional love of music. She seeks to nurture and cultivate a child’s natural curiousity and musicality, all the while providing a solid foundation for mastery of the instrument. I heartedly recommend Anna as a teacher…
Stephan Molitor (Abbot Care company)
Anna created an elegant atmosphere at our event. We enjoyed her live music performance as much as she enjoyed playing music for us!
