Malcolm Lowe

Lowe, Malcolm

Lowe, Malcolm. Violinist, b Hamiota, Man, 15 Mar 1953. He had violin lessons from his father starting at three. Moving with his family to Regina at nine, he studied for nine years at the Regina Cons under Howard Leyton-Brown. In the summers 1970-3 he studied with Josef Gingold at the Meadowmount School, New York. He entered the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia in 1971, where his teachers were Ivan Galamian and Jaime Laredo. He won first prize in the CBC Talent Festival in 1972. He was concertmaster of the New York Christmas String Seminar conducted by Alexander Schneider in 1973 and a member of the Casals Festival Orchestra in Puerto Rico in 1974.

Lowe was concertmaster of the Regina Symphony Orchestra 1975-6 and of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra 1977-83. During this period he played recitals and was soloist with a number of Canadian and US orchestras and in 1979 was a laureate of the Montreal International Music Competition. After a season (1983-4) as concertmaster of the Worcester (Mass) SO, he was appointed concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, at the same time joining the Boston Symphony Chamber Players and the faculty of the Tanglewood Music Center. He has continued to appear regularly as soloist, with (among others) the TS (1988, 1991), the NACO (1991), and the Scotia Festival of Music.

Lowe's wife, Nisanne Lowe, is also a professional violinist. Two of his brothers are also professional string players: Darren Lowe was appointed concertmaster of the Quebec SO in 1987 and performs in duo recitals with his wife, the pianist Suzanne Beaubien-Lowe; and Cameron Lowe is a cellist with the Regina SO.