Amanda Contreras (she/her/they/them)

Sessional Instructor, Aural Skills

Email: ContrerasA@BrandonU.CA

Violinist Amanda Contreras was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Surrounded by music from her early years, she started her musical studies at the age of seven. A Graduate student at Brandon University, Amanda completed a master’s degree in Violin Performance in the Spring of 2022 awarded with the Gold Medal. She is a pupil of Ms. Kerry DuWors and a sought-after performer in the Western Manitoba communities.

Amanda has collaborated and performed with Boca del Rio Philharmonic Orchestra, Regina Symphony Orchestra, Xalapa Early Music Ensemble, Xalapa Philharmonic Orchestra, Brandon Community Orchestra, among others. These collaborations brought her to perform in renowed venues around the world, like Palacio de Bellas Artes and Auditorio Naxional (Mexico city), Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center (Miami, Fl.), Sint-Martinuskerk Church (Overpelt, Belgium). Her music collaborations span different music genres, from classical to pop and folk music.

At her home city, Amanda created two social outreach programs, "Discovering the violin"(2009) and “Sanando Almas” (2021). These were aimed to promote music education for children, and social connection with the marginalized people of her community. These projects were granted financial aid by the local government of Aguascalientes.

Amanda has been an active music educator since 2008; she is a founding member of the Coatzacoalcos Symphony Youth Orchestra. In 2020, she joined the faculty at Crescendi School of Music, in Aguascalientes, teaching violin and beginner cello lessons. As a performer and educator, Amanda strives to motivate communities to keep pursuing their dreams; she encourages people to be hopeful and to find fulfillment as human beings.