Brent Akins violin

Brent Akins is Principal Second Violin of the Vancouver Symphony and Concertmaster of the CBC Radio Orchestra in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mr. Akins earned his Bachelor of Music/Performance degree at the University of Southern California, under Eudice Shapiro, violin, and Milton Thomas, viola. As a member of the Vuillaume String Quartet, he has performed and worked with the Tokyo String Quartet and Rapheal Hillier.

Before coming to Vancouver, Mr. Akins was a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Sir Neville Mariner, and was Assistant Principal Second Violin of the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin, conductor. He has also served as Guest Concertmaster for the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.

Mr. Akins has performed as soloist with the Vancouver Symphony, CBC Radio Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony and the Oregon East Symphony.

As a member of the Vuillaume Duo with Marka Wilcox, he gives numerous recitals and has recorded violin duo repertoire for CBC Radio Orchestra broadcasts as well as CBC Radio's Westcoast Performances. In 2000, the \"Orpheum Masters\" label released the Vuillaume Duo's first CD, \"Sonatas for Two.\"

As a co-founder of Notes of Compassion: Symphony Musicians Reaching Out, he is involved in numerous benefit concerts throughout the Vancouver area.

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