Robin Copas

IN-PERSON & ONLINE LESSONS

Robin Copas holds a Masters Degree in Cello Performance, and maintains an active performance career as both a symphonic and chamber musician. He has been teaching cello for 35 years to a large and loyal class of students that includes children, teens, adults and retirees who started studies with him either as beginner cellists or as more advanced players. (For those who find it preferable, Robin also has the ability to also teach online as an additional asset to his students.)

He has a wealth of orchestral and chamber music experience including recitals, festivals and performances around North America and Europe. A longtime resident of Vancouver, he is currently the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Lions Gate Sinfonia orchestra, and previously held the position of Principal Cellist of the Vancouver Island Symphony. He has also performed with most professional Symphonies in BC including the VSO and the Vancouver Opera, along with major touring shows and productions with celebrity headline performers including Barbra Streisand and Smokey Robinson. Additionally, he is the founder and leader of the Orca String Quartet who actively perform chamber music.

Robin is a dedicated and passionate teacher, and being a part of a student’s discovery of their own potential and the pleasure they get out of this is an exciting and gratifying part of his work. He continually strives to keep teaching material at exactly the right level, such that it stretches and challenges the students without overwhelming them nor discouraging them. It is his goal to not only teach cello students technical skills to make beautiful music, but even more so to develop a love and appreciation of music and apply that insight wherever they see fit. In so doing, he aims to boost a student’s confidence and trust in their own musical abilities, as they grow and develop as a budding cellist.

While he recognizes that not all students participate in graded music events, his students have won music festival classes and achieved Silver Medal status in province-wide RCM exams. As a student himself, Robin also previously sat as Principal Cellist of both the Vancouver Youth and National Youth Orchestras, where he studied with cello teachers from around the globe. He graduated with two Music degrees from both UVic and UBC.

Robin takes pride in discovering creative ways to motivate each individual student, whether adult or youth, discovering what works for them. He helps them set short term goals such as recitals, auditions, music exams and festivals, encourages them to participate in chamber groups and community orchestras, and also teaches them good practice skills and tools to self-motivate at home, which is integral to long-term success with the cello.