Shane Lestideau is an Australian violinist with a passion for historical music and instruments. Renowned for her talents as a baroque and classical violinist, she is also in demand as an artistic director, teacher and music researcher. Shane uses her live concerts and recordings to breathe life into artistic practices from centuries past, enabling them to resonate meaningfully with today’s audiences. She is passionate about Australian music, writing and commissioning new works from local composers as well as playing from 18thC and 19thC Australian music collections.

 

Shane studied modern violin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, baroque violin at the Conservatoire de Boulogne-Billancourt, and is currently undertaking PhD studies in 19thC Scottish-Australian violin performance techniques at the University of Melbourne. Shane’s performing career has taken her across Europe and Australia where she works regularly with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra (Aust), Melbourne Baroque Orchestra (Aust), Adelaide Baroque (Aust), St Johns Bach Orchestra (Aust), Collegium Orpheus (Fr), and L’Ensemble Sarabande (Fr). She works as a violinist and artistic director for the Victorian-based Evergreen Ensemble, known for their virtuosic programs blending folk and art music. The ensemble recorded two albums of Scottish-Australian repertoire for ABC Classics in 2019 and will release three albums in 2023, one for ABC Classics.

 

Currently a tutor in Music History, The Research Process for Musicians, and Baroque Ensemble at the University of Melbourne, Shane is regularly invited to participate in music conferences, workshops and masterclasses in conservatoriums and schools worldwide. She has recently completed a PhD on the performance practice of 19thC Scottish-Australian manuscript music collections at the University of Melbourne.

 

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