What is your name?
Tony Kastelic
Where are you from?
Lethbridge, AB
Where do you live now?
Vancouver, BC
What instruments do you play?
Viola and violin
How long have you played your instruments?
19 years
What made you pick those instruments?
I was born into a musical family, and I took lessons from a young age. By the end of high school I realized that I was enjoying performance, particularly orchestral performance so much that I wanted to do it for a living. I went and studied viola in university, and in the meantime I joined some bands and I now play and sing in a number of pop and folk groups besides my classical engagements.
Where did you study?
I went to UBC for my undergraduate degree. Before that, I studied viola privately and attended retreats and festivals mostly in southern alberta.
Please list any awards, accomplishments, etc.
I won first place awards twice at the Alberta Provincial Kiwanis festival for composition in high school. In 2013 I went to Bali with Gamelan Gita Asmara to perform in a historic tour there. I created and recorded music in a number of different album releases between 2014 and 2017 including my band No Mothers.
If you could have dinner with any composer (living or dead) who would it be and why?
I would probably want to have dinner with Sibelius and try and convince him to come out of his decades-long retirement and finish that 8th symphony.
What is your favourite genre of music, other than classical music?
I love folk music festivals and 80's euro-synth
What is your favourite band?
David Bowie is a perennial classic, but I'm also very fond of the Talking Heads.
Other than the KSO, who do you perform with?
I sometimes perform in Vancouver's electrified Plastic Acid Orchestra, and I am frequently playing shows with my band No Mothers.
What are some interesting places you have traveled to?
Brazil, Bali, Australia, and the Maritimes.
What are your hobbies outside of music?
Right now I am spending way too much time playing Dungeons & Dragons, which means my hobbies are math and role-playing.
What is your favourite flavour of ice cream?
Vanilla
What is your guilty pleasure?
Right now, I am quite guilty of enjoying good and bad 90's cult horror films.
Do you get nervous? And how do you calm your nerves before a performance?
I rarely get nervous about orchestra performances, but I find that the best way to get over nerves is to PRACTICE well in advance of a show.
Please add anything that you'd like to share with our audience
I just want to share that I'm deeply appreciative of our audience's support and enthusiasm. When you clap between the movements I am secretly delighted.