Learn more about Roman’s extensive work as a performer, concert producer, and community leader.

For more than three decades, cellist and producer Roman Borys has distinguished himself as one of Canada’s leading artistic voices. A founding member of the three-time Juno Award-winning Gryphon Trio, Roman, violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon and pianist Jamie Parker have released 22 acclaimed recordings on Analekta, Naxos, and other labels; toured internationally since 1993; and broken new artistic ground through cross-genre collaborations and multimedia performances.

During his tenure with the Ottawa Chamber Music Society the organization evolved from a grassroots festival to a year-round arts organization producing a summer festival, a fall-winter concert series and a suite of community engagement and education initiatives.  Borys served as Artistic Director from 2007 to 2015 and as Artistic & Executive Director from 2016 to 2020. 

Honours include three Juno Awards and eleven nominations for Classical Album of the Year. In 2013, Canada Council for the Arts presented Gryphon Trio with the prestigious Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts. That same year the Ukrainian Canadian Congress presented Roman with the Shevchenko Medal Award recognizing his contributions to culture and the arts. In 2015, Roman received an Honorary Doctorate from Carleton University, in Ottawa, as recognition for his contributions to the community.

Deeply committed to classical music outreach and audience development, in 2010 Roman conceived the Gryphon Trio’s Listen Up! arts education program. Taking place over the course of an academic year, the program engages elementary school students in workshops with professional musicians, writers, composers, visual artists and choir leaders and concludes with a rousing public performance. The Listen Up! program has been produced in communities across Canada and as far north as Inuvik. Toronto and Ottawa editions of the program are produced annually in partnership with Ottawa Chamberfest and Music Toronto.

In 2023 Roman was appointed as the Artistic & Executive Director of Music Toronto, one of Canada’s leading presenters of chamber music ensembles and pianists. The Gryphon Trio is ensemble-in-residence at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music and Trinity College.