Marina Hasselberg

Marina Hasselberg is a cellist and experimental/electronic musician based in Vancouver, Canada. Cellist Marina Hasselberg’s musical career led her from her birth country of Portugal across the world to Vancouver’s eclectic music scene. Starting as a chamber musician specializing in classical music, her passions have expanded to include baroque music, experimental music, and interdisciplinary works that cross genre boundaries. Marina has played cello for various orchestras, chamber music ensembles, theatre and dance productions, and films. She serves as the principal cellist of the Vancouver Island Symphony, while also performing with groups and organizations such as Vancouver New Music, Early Music Vancouver, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, Turning Point Ensemble, Plastic Acid Orchestra, Redshift Music Society, Vancouver Pro Music, the Okanagan and Kamloops symphonies, and pop stars including Father John Misty, Michael Bublé, Rod Stewart, and Mariah Carey. Marina recently received the City of Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for emerging artist in Music, and a Jessie award for outstanding artistic achievement in music ensemble work for “Onegin” (Arts Club Theatre). She was select as the Feature Artist for Pro Musica’s 2017 Sonic Boom Music Festival. Her own NOVO Ensemble was voted Vancouver Courier’s best classical music ensemble of 2016 alongside the VSO and Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. As the artistic director of NOVO Ensemble she commissions and presents new works, especially by Canadian composers. She has performed premiers of works by Howard Skempton, Michael Oesterle, Veda Hille, Giorgio Magnanensi, Owen Underhill, Peggy Lee, Cameron Wilson, John Oliver, Chris Reiche, Edward Topp, Jordan Nobles, Mark Haney, Rita Ueda, Leslie Uyeda, Luc Martin, Linda Bouchard, Stephen Chatman, John Oswald, and many more. Marina’s musical training began at the age of 11 at a musical academy in Portugal. That led her through her Bachelors degree in Lisbon, and a Masters degree in Literature and Performance from the University of Western Ontario. Her continuing education includes baroque cello master classes, as well as free improv workshops with the NOW Society. Marina’s musical interests are wide-ranging, including experimental, improvised, electronic, creative, baroque, and classical music styles.