Nanaimo’s Vancouver Island Symphony names violinist Joan Blackman its new concertmaster

The Vetta Chamber Music artistic director has a long, celebrated career in chamber, orchestral, and solo work

THE VANCOUVER ISLAND Symphony has just announced violinist and Vetta Chamber Music artistic director Joan Blackman as its new concertmaster.

Blackman has a long, respected career as a violinist, orchestral leader, chamber musician, curator, and mentor in B.C. and beyond.

She joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1988, and later served as associate concertmaster there. As a soloist, Blackman has also performed with the Victoria Symphony, Turning Point Ensemble, Elektra, and more. Her chamber-music work has included Music in the Morning, MusicFest Vancouver, and the American String Project in Seattle.

Blackman has headed up Vetta Chamber Music since 2007, championing Canadian music and nurturing emerging artists through Vetta’s mentorship program for young women.

The Vancouver Island Symphony is based in Nanaimo, serving audiences from Duncan to the Comox Valley. Celebrating its 31st season in 2025–26, it is one of only two professional orchestras on Vancouver Island. Its performances take place at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo and the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay.

Blackman is set to step down from her Vetta position at the end of this, the Vancouver-based group’s 40th anniversary season. Its final concert of the season, aptly called Celebration, takes place May 1 at West Point Grey United Church, May 2 at West Vancouver United Church, May 3 at Pyatt Hall, and May 4 at ArtSpring on Salt Spring Island.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Vancouver Island Symphony, an orchestra I have admired for many years—and more recently from my new home in Courtenay,” Blackman said in today’s press announcement. “It feels especially meaningful to begin this new chapter on Vancouver Island. I’m so happy to share my experience as a violinist and leader with this wonderful group of musicians and the team that supports them. I see so much excellence, enthusiasm, and potential in the orchestra, and I look forward to helping that continue to grow.”

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Janet Smith

Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is a Webster Award–winning arts journalist who has spent more than three decades immersed in Vancouver’s performing arts, film, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

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