About Us

Our Mission

Concordo’s mission is to provide the best in instrumental performance, working with enthusiasm, dedication and co-operation, with the highest artistic principles.

Concordo

Valerie Sylvester, Concordo concertmaster (Baroque and modern violin)

Concordo's lead violinist, Valerie Sylvester, enjoys an eclectic musical career, playing not only violin but also Baroque violin, viola, and bass viola da gamba. She received a Master’s Degree in violin performance from Mannes School of Music in New York after completing undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto. Valerie is concertmaster of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra and Opera York, and is a founding member of several groups including the Cardinal Consort of Viols and Concordo. She also free-lances with orchestras and ensembles throughout Ontario, and is an enthusiastic choral-orchestral collaborator. She has participated in the premieres of many new Canadian works and enjoys interacting with composers and arrangers. Most recently, Valerie joined ‘The Wintergarten Orchestra’, an eleven-piece band specialising in prohibition-era music from the dawn of the jazz age.

Sheila Smyth, Concordo manager (Baroque and modern viola and violin)

Concordo's manager and contractor is Sheila Smyth. She is a busy performer with many ensembles, both Baroque and modern, on violin, viola, and treble viola da gamba. She has performed with many early music ensembles in and around Toronto, including Tafelmusik, Opera Atelier, Aradia and Musicians in Ordinary. As a modern violinist/violist, Sheila has worked with many orchestras throughout Ontario, including Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Windsor Symphony, and Brantford Symphony, and is principal violist of Opera York. As a chamber musician, she has performed on several concert series, including Scaramella, Luminato, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, Primavera Concerts, and Toronto Early Music Centre’s Musically Speaking. Sheila has performed in the backup orchestra for various pop artists, including Led Zeppelin, Smokey Robinson, and Natalie Cole, and was part of the onstage band for Canadian Idol. She is also a founding member of the early music ensemble Harmonie, and plays treble viol in The Cardinal Consort of Viols.