Piccolo

Roma Duncan Kansara

Alene M. Grossman Chair

Roma Duncan Kansara, who joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 2003, made her solo debut here with Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto in C major during Sommerfest 2005. She reprised the work at November/December 2007 subscription concerts conducted by Gilbert Varga.

Kansara has been a featured soloist with several other orchestras, including l’Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the Windsor Symphony.

Prior to her Minnesota appointment, Kansara was a member of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Orchestra London in Canada, and the Ann Arbor, Windsor and Warren Symphony Orchestras. Her first professional position, as second flute and piccolo in the Windsor Symphony, kindled her interest in the piccolo and led her to study with Jeffery Zook, piccolo player of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, Kansara grew up in the province of Newfoundland, where she began playing flute at age 11. At McGill University she earned a bachelor of music performance degree with high distinction in flute; she then earned a master’s degree at the University of Michigan. Kansara’s most influential teachers were Jeffery Zook, Carolyn Christie and Clement Barone. As a student, she participated in various competitions, taking first place in the CIBC National Music Festival, winning the concerto competition of l’Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières and McGill University, and earning the Prix du Club Musical de Québec from l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.

Kansara lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Devanshu (Bobby) Kansara and daughter Anamika Roma.