In December 2023, Joel Quarrington was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the musical life of Canada and to the international music scene.
Over the course of a career spanning nearly fifty years, he has served as principal double bassist with numerous prestigious ensembles, including the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, and the renowned London Symphony Orchestra (LSO).
Originally from Toronto, Joel began formal lessons on the double bass at the age of 13. Following studies at the University of Toronto, he was awarded the Eaton Scholarship, presented to the institution’s most outstanding graduate. He went on to pursue advanced studies in Italy with Franco Petracchi and in Vienna with Ludwig Streicher. A laureate of the Geneva International Music Competition and winner of the CBC Talent Competition, he has appeared as a soloist throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, and China.
His many solo recordings have played an important role in establishing his international reputation. His early recordings of works by Bottesini, released on the NAXOS label, are widely regarded as benchmarks. His album *Garden Scene*, released by Analekta and featuring works by Korngold, Glière, M. Weinberg, J.C. Bach, and Bottesini, received the 2010 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year. Together with the distinguished pianist David Jalbert, he recorded *Brothers in Brahms*, featuring works by Robert Fuchs, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann. The album received a prestigious Opus Award in 2015 for Romantic Music Album of the Year. Joel and David Jalbert subsequently recorded *An die Musik*, an album devoted entirely to works by Schubert. Joel has also recently completed a recording of the complete *Cello Suites* of J. S. Bach, presented as a series of videos for YouTube and filmed in various churches throughout Quebec, as well as at the Belle-Chapelle in Sherbrooke.
A sought-after chamber musician, Joel has performed with many internationally renowned string quartets, including the Orford, Vermeer, Cleveland, Colorado, St. Lawrence, Allegri, Artis, Leipzig, and Tokyo Quartets, as well as with the Pinchas Zukerman Chamber Players.
One of Joel’s most cherished musical experiences was participating, in 1982, in a recording session with the great Glenn Gould for the soundtrack of Timothy Findley’s film *The Wars*. This music for cello and double bass, inspired by Brahms’s *Intermezzi*, was the last work Gould composed before his death.
In April 2005, Joel had the honour of giving the world premiere of John Harbison’s Double Bass Concerto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hugh Wolff.
In 2011, he received a special award from the International Society of Bassists (ISB) for “Outstanding Solo Performance.” In 2015, he received a second ISB distinction, this time recognizing excellence in orchestral performance.
Joel is a professor at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and a visiting artist at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Each summer, he also teaches at Orford Musique, where his master classes attract young double bassists from around the world. He has also served on the juries of the international Sperger and Bottesini competitions.
Joel plays a remarkable Italian double bass made in 1630 by the master luthier Santo Paolo Maggini. He is a passionate advocate of the historical practice of tuning the double bass in fifths, an octave below the cello, rather than in fourths. He plays exclusively on an instrument tuned in this manner, convinced that fifths tuning provides greater clarity and precision across all registers while enriching the instrument’s tonal palette.
Joel Quarrington is married to cellist Carole Sirois. The couple lives in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, enjoying nature with their two cats, Sam and Simon.