About Armand Carnelian Fortin

Armand is originally from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  A classically trained violinist of over 18 years, Armand is an alumnus of Old Dominion University’s F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music and Norfolk, Virginia’s Governor’s School for the Arts.  Armand’s principal teachers were Jeannie Dedominick and Amy Danielson. During Armand’s time at ODU where they minored in Music Performance, they were concertmaster of the ODU Symphony Orchestra and a violinist with the esteemed Russell Stanger String Quartet before fully pursuing the baroque violin and regularly performing with ODU’s Collegium Musicum early music ensemble.  An early music enthusiast, Armand has had the pleasure of appearing in several early music masterclasses, including classes with The Baltimore Consort and Three Notch’d Road: The Charlottesville Baroque Ensemble.  Though violin is their primary instrument, Armand is also a multi-instrumentalist who plays viola, bass viola da gamba, synth, bass guitar, and more.  Moreover, Armand pursues other genres of music and is a recording musician who has put out three LPs and toured the east coast. In addition to their emphasis in the technical aspects of playing violin, Armand’s teaching philosophy always encourages their students to follow their musical muses.