Erica Jacobs-Perkins, a Montreal area violinist, believes in the transformative power of functional beauty in everyday life. An active proponent of new music, she has premiered works by Patrick Walker, Karalyn Schubring, Eliza Brown, and Drew Baker, and (as a member of the Cygnus Trio) commissioned works by Charles Zoll and Arie Verheul-Van de Ven. Her love of new music is rooted in its potential for activism, especially environmentalism, as demonstrated by performances of pieces like what the trees know (Evan Chambers, 2016), Okanagan Vignettes (Anita Perry, 2004), and the upcoming world premiere of Fischschule (Jonathan Stuchbery, 2019). Her enthusiasm for programmatic music and community-driven musical experiences has also led her to seek out historical performance, ranging from a long-term exploration of Bibers Rosary Sonatas as devotional aids from 2016-2019, to performances with Melos Choir and Period Instruments (Kingston, ON), to collaboration with lutenist Jonathan Stuchbery and cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins. The collaborative spirit of the early music community, as well as the rhetorical and embodied understanding gained through historical performance study, offer valuable insights to all areas of art.

Erica has taught privately since 2006 and has also taught at the McGill Conservatory and the Preville Fine Arts Centre, where she led the Suzuki program from 2019-2020. In addition to teaching violin lessons, she has taught in the Sunday school programs at St. James Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago and Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal, and discovered that most of the same teaching principles apply, regardless of age or subject material.

Erica is currently accepting new students in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and across the Laurentian region.