Chicago-native violinist Bailey Wantuch shares her passion for and knowledge of classical music, both new and old, traditional and unconventional, by giving creative performances and practicing thoughtful pedagogy. Her musicianship and teaching artistry have brought her around the world to Latin America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Wantuch is especially fond of contemporary music. She is a founding member of Collectif Radiance, a Montreal-based group of musicians, artists, and composers that give collaborative productions of today’s music and art. Recent contemporary performances include Kaija Saariaho’s violin concerto, Graal théâtre, with McGill University’s Contemporary Music Ensemble, as well as chamber music at the Arvo Pärt Centre (Estonia), soundSCAPE Festival (Italy), and the Contemporary Performance Institute at the Composers Conference (USA). 

In addition to performing, Wantuch has taught and given masterclasses at schools worldwide including Cuerdas Frotadas Osorno (Chile), La Escuela Superior de Música de la UJED (Mexico), and El Sistema Kenya. Devoted to the intersection of social change and music education, she completed the Global Leaders Program, a year-long certificate program for socially-minded musicians and teaching artists worldwide. She currently teaches chamber music and string techniques at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music.

Wantuch is pursuing a Doctorate of Music in Performance Studies at McGill University, where she studies with Violaine Melançon. Her dissertation research is on the composer Nikolai Roslavets and his involvement with the early-Soviet avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich, a project with which she won McGill’s International Grant Competition. Wantuch holds a Master of Music from McGill, as well as a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where she studied with Blair Milton.