2025 Adjudicators

Canadian cellist Sybil Shanahan can't remember life without a cello in it. A passionate chamber musician, she believes strongly in the power of music to create community and doesn't limit the genres of music she plays. From pirate ships to concert halls, Sybil's enthusiasm for music and travel has taken her from her hometown of Toronto to perform in venues across Europe, South Africa, Canada, USA, and Buenos Aires. Together with violinist Suhashini Arulanandam, Sybil performs frequently as the Tadioli Duo, a genre-expanding classically based duo. She was a founding member of Solidaridad Tango, who has been nationally nominated in two categories for the 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards. From 2010-2020, she recorded and toured with Ensemble Vivant and her debut album with cellist Coenraad Bloemendal featuring French romantic duets was released in 2014. The 2023 season marked her Tapestry Opera debut performing in the on-stage string quartet as part of their critically acclaimed production of "Rocking Horse Winner" and she was delighted to join the team of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 at the Crow's Theatre. She is a published music arranger and contractor for her own event music company, Beaux Strings. As a pedagogue, Sybil maintains a private teaching studio for adult cellists based in Toronto, and she has been on faculty at Lake Field Music Camp since 2012. Sybil completed her postgraduate training in Europe with soloist Patrick Demenga, and her teacher training and undergrad at the Amsterdam Conservatory.