WHO WE ARE
She Plays is an all-female, string focused musical events company based in Toronto, CANADA.
Born out of a necessity for change within the music business, She Plays is committed to supporting women in the arts and beyond. We strive to find quality opportunities for female string players, ensuring that every performance is well organized, respectful and equitable.
Playing across the music spectrum, She Plays artists are in demand for their polished classical repertoire and savvy arrangements of the latest hits in popular music.
She Plays artists perform regularly at formal occasions such as weddings and upscale events and on stage at shows, concerts and festivals.
She Plays artists have also worked in television and film, appearing in music videos, tv shows and commercials.
As session players, She Plays artists add lush, warm string sounds to any project.
If you can dream it, She Plays it.
JANE LEVITT
Jane is a principal with She Plays and is a freelance violinist based in Toronto.
Beginning her musical studies at the age of 5, Jane holds a Bachelor of Music Performance in violin studies and an Advanced Certificate in viola studies from the University of Toronto. She also holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa and is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Jane began her professional career with Symphony Nova Scotia and has played with various orchestras and chamber ensembles. With a strong passion for popular music and the electric violin, Jane has performed live on stage with many well known artists, including Sarah Slean, Holly Cole, Divine Brown and KYGO.
With a love of performing on screen, Jane has appeared in music videos for Gordon Lightfoot and Michelle Wright, and in a national Smarties commercial featuring Canadian musicians. Jane also enjoys performing as part of live theatre shows and has played two seasons with the Toronto Fringe Festival.
Committed to also making a contribution to the world of music education, Jane ran the Young Artists Program for 7 seasons with the Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax and was a faculty member of the National Capital Suzuki in Ottawa. Currently in the process of setting up her new teaching studio in Toronto’s east end, Jane is taking student inquiries at this time.
Jane is also a Certified Human Resources Professional and plays a central role in the business administration of She Plays, including client care and community outreach.
ESME ALLEN-CREIGHTON
Dr. Esme Allen-Creighton is a principal with She Plays and is a freelance violist based in Toronto.
Beginning her viola studies at the age of 7, Esme received both her Bachelor and Masters degree in viola performance from the Julliard School. While living in the US, Esme appeared with Grammy Award-winning Vampire Weekend on Pitchfork TV and with the Grammy-nominated Inscape ensemble on Peter Gregson's latest album 'Touch', available on iTunes and Spotify. She also toured Europe as principal of the Arcos Chamber Orchestra, and premiered works with her string quartet the Serafins at Carnegie Hall.
Esme has held teaching positions as a Philadelphia Orchestra Teaching Artist, as University of Delaware Assistant Professor and as faculty at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Esme believes music education can arrive in many forms. Her TEDx talk “Consonance and Dissonance: Musical Story-Telling at its most instinctual” explored the range of human reactions to harmonic language. Esme now runs her own private violin and viola studio in Toronto. For more information, please visit: esmemusictoronto.com
Esme is a passionate activist for social justice and the environment. Recent independent projects have included "Forest Bathing", an evening of poetry and music narrating the experiences of various 'forests' in our lives, and “Justice Tales”, a multi-media production addressing racism through original music for oral history recordings, viola, and violin, choreography, spoken word, photography and historical essay.
AMBER WALTON-AMAR
Amber is a principal with She Plays and is a freelance cellist based in Toronto.
Born in the North West Territories of the Canadian Arctic to artist parents Maureen Walton and Michael Amar. She spent her youth growing up in rural Eastern Ontario where she began playing cello at age three. During her formative years as a cellist she lived in Holland, and studied in Italy and Germany. Later, she earned her BA at the University of Toronto, and her MA from DePaul University, in cello performance.
Performing on a commissioned cello made by David Wiebe, Amber’s career has included touring Canada, Europe and China with various symphonies and ensembles. She toured Canada with the Thin Edge New Music Collective with whom she released a full length album recorded at Glenn Gould Studios. Her many collaborations include artists and ensembles such as KYGO, SYML, Shawn Mendes, Leif Vollebekk, and Classic Albums Live. Other performance highlights include work with TIFF and TedX. As a freelance cellist, Amber has performed for Prime Ministers, Presidents, dignitaries and movie stars - at storied venues such as Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Amsterdam Paradiso and Berlin’s Kesselhaus.
When not performing, Amber teaches cello to adults and children – holding multiple certifications through the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and the Creative Ability Development method for improvisation. She has held teaching positions at Chicago’s Columbia College, Valparaiso University, Royal Conservatory of Music, the North York Suzuki Conservatory as well as teaching privately at her home studio in Toronto’s St. Clair West neighbourhood.
Launched in Chicago in 2009, Amber is the original founder of the electric cello duo formerly known as Me and Her Cellos. This dynamic project has attracted the attention of clients such as Rogers, BMO, Lamborghini, and Coca-Cola. Re-envisioned in 2019 as CELLA, this electric cello duo is designing new performances and finding new boundaries to cross.
