Sharon Prater

Sharon Prater has been seen on many of the major concert stages of the world as former cellist of the internationally acclaimed Colorado Quartet. The group's busy schedule at that time included performances across North America and annual tours of Europe, as well as concert series in South America and parts of Asia.

Ms. Prater is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she earned the Master of Music degree and for two years worked as teaching assistant to Joel Krosnick of the Juilliard Quartet. She also studied at the Aspen Music Festival with Paul Katz and the Cleveland Quartet, the Banif Institute with William Pleeth and Zoltan Szekely, and the Britten Pears School (England) with the Janacek and Vermeer Quartets.

Relocating to Toronto in 1990, Sharon was subsequently a member of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, the Amadeus Ensemble, and the Espirit Orchestra. She has been on the faculty of the New School of Music (Philadelphia) and taught as adjunct chamber music faculty at the University of Toronto, as well as being a guest lecturer and performer at other major universities across Canada and the United States.

A frequent guest artist, Ms. Prater has appeared with the Penderecki Quartet, the Garth Newel Players (USA), the Toronto Virtuosi and the Aldeburgh Connection. For the past four years she has been Principal Cello of the Toronto Philharmonia, and a member of Ensemble Vivant.