Farewell to Aisslinn

by Cristina Zacharias

With sadness (for us) and optimism (for her), I’m writing to say farewell to Aisslinn Nosky, who resigned from Tafelmusik at the end of this season. When Aisslinn joined Tafelmusik in 2005, our audience at home and abroad responded enthusiastically to her exciting and dramatic playing — I recall mob scenes in Seoul and Culiacán, Mexico! Her virtuosic musicality has raised the bar for the last ten years on our stage, and we will miss her immensely. Aisslinn’s dedication to all aspects of our performing life will be irreplaceable — who else will go on tour with a shark costume in their suitcase, for example, or organize our annual musicians’ intermission reception at the Sing-Along Messiah?

Many of you know that Aisslinn was appointed concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston in 2011, and that we have been sharing her with them ever since. Aisslinn’s tremendous talent as a violinist and leader has caught the musical world’s attention, and she is increasingly in demand as a guest soloist and director. Sadly for us, this means that she has decided that she can no longer commit to Tafelmusik’s busy full-time schedule. Before any panic or riots break out, let me assure you that Aisslinn will still be based here in Toronto, which means that she will be seen on the Tafelmusik stage as often as possible. Additionally, you can see her perform with her other local groups, the Eybler Quartet and I Furiosi. Here are some words from Aisslinn:

“Tafelmusik will always be a part of my musical heart. Serving for ten years in the core of this unique group is one of the things I am most proud of in my career. My membership in the group has formed who I am as an artist and as a person. I could never completely say goodbye to people who mean so much to me and I now happily take on a different role in the larger Tafelmusik family.”

Like the Hotel California, we are allowing Aisslinn to check out, but not to leave. I estimate that Aisslinn has played over 1,000 concerts with Tafelmusik over the last ten years — and can tell you that when you play that many concerts with someone, you know them in a way that is a lot like family — intimate, complex, and impossible to fully describe in words. We will miss her, but know that our musical paths will continue to cross for many years to come.