Isabelle Douailly-Backman

Isabelle Douailly-Backman (she/her/they/them) is a Montreal-based historical string player. Originally from Chicago, she moved to Montreal to pursue a degree in modern viola at McGill University. There she discovered a love for early music and has since completed a B.Mus in Baroque Viola and a M.Mus in Baroque Violin from McGill University under the tutelage of Hélène Plouffe and Olivier Brault.

Today, Isabelle frequently performs on baroque violin, viola, and medieval vielle with ensembles and festivals in Canada, including Ensemble Caprice, Arion Baroque Orchestra, Tenet Vocal Artists, L’Harmonie des Saisons, Musique Royale, and Montreal Baroque Festival. She is also currently studying medieval vielle at the prestigious Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland, under the tutelage of Baptiste Romain. She is the artistic director and founder of COMTESSA, an historically-informed ensemble who performs 11th to 15th century music on medieval period instruments. Isabelle is the 2023 recipient of the Barbara Thorton Memorial Scholarship, a biennial scholarship awarded by Early Music America and members of Sequentia to “an outstanding and highly motivated young performer of medieval music.” Isabelle also collaborates outside the early music scene with groups like the queer arts collective Sapphonix.