Toronto-based violist Rory McLeod enjoys an exciting and varied career as a chamber musician, orchestral player, artistic director, and teacher. He believes strongly in the connective power of music, and makes it his mission to use music to create real personal connections among people. Combining his passion for chamber music with a knack for getting people together to enjoy it, Rory is the founder and Artistic Director of Pocket Concerts, an exciting new series that presents top-quality concerts in homes and other intimate spaces in the Toronto area. Outside of his own series Rory has performed with the Smithsonian Chamber Players in Washington, D.C., and at the SweetWater Festival in Owen Sound, The Toronto Summer Music Festival, The Mendelssohn on Mull Festival, and Le Domaine Forget. This past summer, Rory pursued his passion for chamber music across the continent, performing in California with The Kensington Piano Quartet, the Archipelago Collective on San Juan Island, WA and the Synapse Ensemble in Nelson, BC. Rory frequently plays as an extra with The Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, and The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. He served as assistant principal viola of Symphony Nova Scotia from 2010-12, during which time The Chronicle Herald chose him as one of Halifax’s Top 20 20-Somethings. He is a member of “Toronto’s all-star classical band,” the Group of 27 Chamber Orchestra, with whom he has played principal viola. Rory holds a B.A. in English Literature from McGill University and a Performance Diploma from the Glenn Gould School, where he studied with Steven Dann. He has recently discovered the joy making Indian food at home, and can often be found at his local grocery stores trying to fit as much food as possible into his bike pannier.