2022 MUSICIANS

Aaron is a tenor and bass trombonist originally from Toronto, Canada and currently based in Miami, FL. He is a first-year DMA student at the Frost School of Music as well as a Fellow in the Henry Mancini Institute.

He has performed with numerous orchestral ensembles, including the Montreal, Miami, and Punta Gorda symphony orchestras. During his summers, Aaron has been a participant of numerous music festivals and programs such as the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada.

He has obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degree at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music and has completed his Professional Performer’s Certificate at Lynn University Conservatory of Music.”

Aiden Russell, a cellist from Ottawa, Ontario, will join the cello section of Symphony Nova Scotia in September of 2022. Aiden completed his Graduate Performance Diploma and Masters degree at the Peabody Conservatory of Music under the direction of Alan Stepansky. Prior to this, Aiden completed his Bachelors degree at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University under the direction of Matt Haimovitz.

Aiden has had the opportunity to learn from many of the world’s elite artists including Marin Alsop, Astrid Schween, Peter Wiley, Steven Doane, Johannes Moser, and Brannon Cho. In 2021, he competed in the National Arts Centre Bursary Competition and was awarded the Crabtree Foundation Award which supports a candidate in pursuit of an orchestral career. Aiden is an alumnus of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the International Cello Institute, the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra Mentorship Program. His current cello was made in 1908 by Paul Kaul

Alistair Mariz, cello (Toronto, Canada), is currently studying at the McGill Schulich School of Music with cellist Matt Haimovitz, completing his Bachelor of Music in Performance degree. His practice in cello performance has been enriched through years of experience, through festivals such as the Orford Music Academy and the Ontario Music Festivals Association (OMFA) Provincial Finals Competition, where he was awarded second prize. As a student of the Royal Conservatory of Music, he received First-Class Honors with Distinction certificates.

Further, Alistair has studied with established musicians, including Sharon Prater, Jinjoo Cho, Brian Manker, Elizabeth Dolin, Andre Roy, Britten Riley and Eva Ribchinsky, some of whom are also members of faculty at the Schulich School of Music. In ensemble, Alistair has held competitive positions in the York Symphony Orchestra and has recently taken an interest in contemporary performance, having significant involvement with McGill’s Contemporary Music Ensemble. He performs on his cello made by Claudio Morro from Argentina (1966).

Edmonton-born violinist, Allison Lee, began learning the violin at the age of six, studying with Frank Ho. Allison has also had the privilege of studying with Laura Veeze, and currently studies with Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster, Robert Uchida.

Allison is a recent graduate of the University of Alberta, obtaining her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. She has had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with renowned pedagogues Patinka Kopec, Barry Shiffman, and Andrew Wan. Allison is also the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards including the Peace River Pioneer Scholarship in Music, and the Harry Farmer Scholarship in Music Performance.

Allison is an alumna of the Edmonton Youth Orchestra, and has performed as Concertmaster of the University of Alberta’s University Symphony Orchestra. She also plays in the Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton as a part of their student apprentice program

Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, Aviner Hartwick began playing music at a young age. Encouraged by his family, as a child Aviner dabbled in recorder, piano, and accordion before settling on the bassoon. His first teacher, Katie Legere of the Kingston Symphony Orchestra, urged him to pursue music and in 2013 sent him to Montreal where he studied at both McGill University and the Conservatoire de Musique with Martin Mangrum, Stéphane Lévesque, and Michael Sundell of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.

An alumnus of the National Academy Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Aviner completed his studies in 2020 and set his sights on the world of professional music. Currently based in Montreal, he substitutes with orchestras throughout Eastern Canada as well as teaching lessons and seeking out auditions for a permanent orchestra position.

Away from the bassoon, Aviner likes to spend his time watching movies, learning Japanese, and playing ping pong (he served as president of the Table Tennis Club during his time at McGill). See him back on the courts once the pandemic is over!

Carlos Restrepo is a classical double bass player, having studied in Toronto, New York & Montreal. He has participated in summer festivals such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Institute, Orford Music Academy, and Vermont Mozart Festival. He also enjoys playing chamber music, having performed Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale at the Manhattan School of Music, and Schubert’s Trout Quintet at McGill University. His current teachers include Ed Tait and Dylan Palmer.

Beyond music Carlos is interested in strength and conditioning. Carlos has interviewed leading experts on topics related to music and fitness, talking to spine specialist Dr. Stuart McGill, top selling calisthenics author Steve Low, & NBA Sport Psychologist Graham Betchart. Carlos is intrigued at applying concepts that are used in the athletic world to the performing arts, in order to improve performance and wellness.

Chia-ying Lin is a french horn player originally from Taipei, Taiwan and currently base in Montreal, Canada. She is a graduate student studying at the Schulich
School of Music of McGill University in the class of Nadia Côté.

Lin has a lot of passion of chamber music and orchestra playing. She form the wind quintet”Qintessence” with friends and won the 4th prizeat Coltman Chamber Music Competition at 2020.

As a orchestra player, Lin has been touring Europe and USA with Asian youth orchestra as represent active of Taiwan. Before studying in Mcgill, She has also been invited as an extra and substitution Horn to National Symphony Orchestra(Taiwan), Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, and Evergreen Symphony Orchestra.

Christopher Reyes received his Honours Bachelor of Music Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he studied with Guy Few. He is currently completing his Master’s degree in Music Performance and Literature at the University of Western Ontario, studying under Shawn Spicer. During his time at Laurier and Western, Christopher has played with the Laurier Wind Orchestra, Vera Causa Opera, Wilfrid Laurier Symphony Orchestra, Western University Jazz Ensemble, Western University Wind Ensemble, Western Chamber Orchestra, and Western’s Trumpet Ensemble. Christopher was also a finalist for the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Concerto Competition, as well as the Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition.

In the future, Christopher hopes to develop his musicianship through academic or professional programs, and by continuing his involvement in ensembles and groups.

Chris Stork started his career as a homeschooled fiddler in the woods of Vermont. It wasn’t until he began his violinistic training with Miss Sally Thomas in New York City that his violin playing took off. From there he went on to study at McGill University where he received his Undergraduate and Master’s Degree in Violin Performance. It was at McGill that Chris played as Principal Second of the Baroque Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra, as well as Concertmaster of the McGill Opera Orchestra. Chris also has a deep love for the art of chamber music. Specifically the string quartet.

While at McGill he became second violinist of the Iceberg String Quartet. With the ISQ, Chris would win the McGill Chamber Music Competition, get finals in the Chesapeake International Competition and semi-finals in the illustrious Young Artists Award in Manhattan. Chris is now Principal second of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and has survived the pandemic thanks to his incredible students.

Ellis Yuen-Rapati is a Montreal-based violist. He began his musical education on violin at age four under the guidance of Yvonne DeRoller. Through his studies at McGill University, The Glenn Gould School, and various summer programs, including six years as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, he has had the privilege of working with prominent musicians including Professor André Roy, Professor Steven Dann, Maestro Michael Francis, The Gryphon Trio, and Cho-Liang Lin.

Music has taken Yuen-Rapati all across Canada, from his hometown in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, to up north in Iqaluit, Nunavut. He has also had the opportunity to play at the Konzerthaus in Berlin, Usher Hall in Edinburgh, and Ruínas do Carmo in Lisbon. Yuen-Rapati is currently living in Montreal where he is completing his GDP at McGill University.

Born in France, Elsa Barozzi began her violin studies at the age of 3. In 2018, she entered the Conservatoire de musique de Montreal under the tutelage of Anne Robert, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in violin performance in 2021. She is actively pursuing her Artist Diploma as well as chamber music studies with Denis Brott and Richard Raymond, and orchestral excerpts with Marianne Dugal.

In 2021, she won the Montreal Conservatory Concerto Competition and performed the Saint-Saens Violin Concerto no. 3 as soloist with the Montreal Conservatory Orchestra at the Maison Symphonique in Montreal.

From 2009 to 2018, she studied with Alexandre Benderski and Martin Brunschwig at the Conservatoire de Perpignan, and earned her Diplôme d’Études Musicales en Cycle Spécialisé and a Diplôme de Perfectionnement.

Elsa has had the opportunity to perform in masterclasses with renown pedagogues  such as Andrew Wan, Richard Roberts, Olivier Thouin, Sarah Nemtanu, Nemanja Radulovic, Laurent Korcia, and Martin Chalifour.

She has performed with the Orchestre Philharmonic des Chœurs Mélomanes de Montréal, the Orchestre Philharmonique de la Relève du Québec, l’Ensemble Volte, at the Festival Musique en Ré in St-Martin-en-Ré (France) and at the Contemporary Music Festival in Ijevsk (Russia) in 2014.

Elsa is also an active chamber musician and currently performs with the Collectif de la Cité et du Quatuor Lunes, which accompanies artists all around Quebec. She was previously a member of the Perpignan Octet from 2014 to 2018.

When the world of music came to a halt during the pandemic, Elsa pursued volunteer work with residents of the CHSLD, long term care homes for elderly people with significant loss of autonomy.

Elsa Barozzi currently plays on a Carlo Giuseppe Testore violin, ca. 1710-1715, and a Louis Joseph Morizont bow, which was graciously loaned to her by Mr. Roger Dubois from Canimex Inc.

Emily Luo is an oboist from Edmonton, Alberta. She began her studies at the age of 13 with Lidia Khaner and attended Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. There, she studied with Dane Philipsen and received the Fine Arts Award in 2020. She has been part of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, attended Domaine Forget, and the Curtis Summerfest Young Artists Summer Program in Philadelphia where she was the recipient of the Canadian American Relations Cross-Border Scholarship. Emily made her debut as a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton in 2016.

Emily is in her second year of the Bachelor of Music program at The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, studying with Sarah Jeffrey.

Emma Reader-Lee was born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, where she began studying violin at age three with Yasuko Eastman. In 2021 she graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Music in Performance, where she studied with Jean-Hee Lee and the late Yehonatan Berick. She currently studies with Erika Raum at the University of Toronto, where she has just completed her first year of her Masters’ degree in performance.

Emma has received many solo and chamber music awards on the local and provincial level, and represented her home province in the strings category at the National Music Festival in 2017. She has also served as concertmaster of the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra and held the position of concertmaster mentee in the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra’s Student Mentorship Program in partnership with the University of Ottawa in 2019.

Praised for his welcoming personality, trustworthiness and attention to detail, Frédéric-Alexandre Michaud (Maestro FAM) is a versatile artist nationally recognized as a hardworking and talented conductor, violinist and radio cultural commentator. In September 2021 he began doctoral studies in orchestral conducting at McGill University, supported by a scholarship from the Desjardins Foundation and studying with Jean Lesage and Maestro Guillaume Bourgogne. At the same institution, he also completed two Master’s degrees, one in 2019 in violin performance, and a second in 2021 in orchestral conducting. Currently, Frédéric serves as artistic director of the Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Joliette (OSJJ) and of the Brownies Concerto Orchestra (BCO) as well as co-animator of “FAM, a Confined Maestro

Twenty-two-year-old Canadian cellist, Haena Lee, began playing cello in South Korea when she turned ten years old. Soon after, her family moved to Canada and she continued to pursue her cello studies. As a participant in numerous festivals and competitions, she has won various scholarships, prizes and performance opportunities such as the Canadian Music Competition. Ms.Lee began her musical dreams at Mount Royal’s Advanced Performance Program, getting the privilege to work with many world-renowned artists including Frans Helmerson, Lynn Harell, Colin Carr, and more. Notably, she has performed as a soloist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and Calgary Youth Orchestra in 2015. Ms. Lee is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University with Brian Manker

Jacob Valcheff has been seen and heard in venues all across Canada, the United States and Europe – Notably, New York City’s Carnegie Hall, the Konzerthaus Berlin, and Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland. Recently, Jacob has performed as percussionist and timpanist in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Colorado MahlerFest Orchestra, and in recordings with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. In the summer of 2022, he will be performing as a percussionist and timpanist with the National Academy Orchestra.

Jacob is also an avid champion of contemporary music, and has participated in the premieres of several works by up and coming Toronto based composers. Notably, he commissioned and gave the world premiere of a new vibraphone and percussion work titled « Stillness » by Canadian composer Samuel Kerr. Jacob is currently pursuing a Masters of Music in Percussion Performance at the University of Toronto, under the tutelage of Aiyun Huang and Charles Settle.

Jason Halliday is an Oboist from Markham Ontario, and currently Lives and studies in Toronto. He has just completed his third year at the University of Toronto where he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of music in performance.  Originally starting on piano, Jason chose to pick up the oboe at age 12 and has learned from oboists like Hugo Lee and Keith Atkinson. His current primary teacher is Sarah Jeffrey, Principal Oboist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

He had the joy and privilege of being a member of the Toronto Symphony Youth orchestra’s oboe section during the 2019-2020 season, has performed with the Abreu Chamber Orchestra, and he also collaborated with members of the TSO in performing Bach’s Brandenburg concertos. Jason is very excited to be a member of the National Academy Orchestra this summer!

Katrina Johnson recently completed the Advanced Certificate in Performance at the University of Toronto, where she studied with Mark Fewer. She graduated from McGill University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Music – Orchestral Performance degree with Honours, studying with Marcelle Mallette, and a minor in Musical Applications of Science & Technology. Her summer studies have included participation in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Institute and Domaine Forget. Orchestral experience includes performing and touring with the Calgary Youth Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra of Canada, as well as performances with the National Orchestral Institute and Festival, McGill Symphony Orchestra, University of Toronto Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the Calgary Philharmonic. Katrina is an aspiring professional orchestral musician and is continuing her studies in the fall for a Master of Music in Performance at Eastman School of Music, in the studio of Juliana Athayde.

Kimberly Durflinger was born and raised in sunny San Diego, California, and joined the Thunder Bay Symphony  violin section in 2021. Kimberly has substituted with major North American orchestras like the San Diego Symphony, the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, I Musici Orchestre de Chambre de Montréal and the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony. Additionally, in Summer 2022 she will be performing with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa as part of their orchestra mentorship program. She received her Master’s Degree from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University and her Bachelor’s Degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Her major teachers include Andrew Wan, Alexander Read, Jing Yan Bowcott, and Alexandra Keegan. Furthermore, Kimberly loves dancing Argentine tango and playing with her Toronto-based rock band Vaerisa. She currently lives in Thunder Bay, ON with her fiancé Christopher Stork and their four chunky guinea pigs.

Kris Leslie began playing trombone in grade four when his band director offered a donut to anyone that would learn the instrument. Originally from Maine, he earned his B.M. at the Boston Conservatory and is now in the Artist Diploma Program at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Kris has recently performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. He is very passionate about making music with his trombone quartet, Sauce Rocket and the Splatter Tones, who are finalists in the International Trombone Festival Quartet Competition this summer. When avoiding the trombone, Kris can be found in nature playing the alphorn. He is extremely grateful for the mentorship of his teachers: Gordon Wolfe, Norman Bolter, and Larry Isaacson.

Coming soon…

Mesmerized by the sound of the orchestra as a child, Maddie Davis has pursued her love of music from a young age. Maddie is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia where she studied horn with Dr. Valerie Whitney. Her time at UBC allowed her to discover new passions including a love for performing solo recitals. She is an active freelancer in the Vancouver area and has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, Symphony 21 and Vancouver Brass Collective. Maddie is passionate about equity in brass playing and plays in the UBC Women’s Brass Ensemble, which aims to promote women brass players. Maddie loves sharing music with others and always plays from the heart with conviction. 

Maggie Umanetz-Lertprasopsak is a flutist based in Toronto. She is currently pursuing a BM in flute performance from the University of Toronto, where she is the recipient of the UofT Scholars Award, the Howard F. Andrews Memorial Prize and the Percy Faith Award.

As an avid performer of contrasting styles, Maggie has performed with the University of Toronto Contemporary Music Ensemble, Wind Symphony and Wind Ensemble under Wallace Halladay, Jeff Reynolds and Gillian MacKay.

In addition to performing in large ensembles, Maggie has worked in several chamber ensembles including woodwind quintet, flute-guitar duet and flute ensemble as a member of the Star of Sea flute choir.

Maggie currently studies with Leslie Newman and has studied with Stephen Tam and Karen Shakespeare. She has performed with notable musicians such as Measha Brueggergosman, Jackie Richardson, Shakura S’Aida, and Barbra Lica.

As well as playing flute, Maggie enjoys painting, reading and drinking bubble tea!

Coming soon…

Toronto native Matt Moore is a recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and is a sought after percussionist for orchestras across Ontario. During the 2021/22 season, Matt performed regularly in the percussion sections of the National Arts Centre and the Toronto Symphony Orchestras as well as making his debuts with the National Ballet of Canada and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestras. 

Matt’s summers have been spent playing with various summer orchestras including the National Academy Orchestra of Canada (‘20, ‘21, ‘22), National Repertory Orchestra in Breckinridge, CO (‘17), and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (‘15, ‘16) with whom he had the opportunity to tour across Canada and Portugal. Matt has had the privilege of studying with many amazing teachers including Marc Damoulakis, Charles Settle, Aiyun Huang, Paul Yancich, John Rudolph, Beverley Johnston, and Russell Hartenberger.

Coming soon…

Originally from Winnipeg, Micah Kroeker started his classical trombone studies at the Conservatoire d’Orléans (France) in 2014 and recently finished a bachelor’s degree at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University under the tutelage of James Box. He was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Symphonique de Montréal Competition and twice a finalist in the McGill Woodwinds/Brass/Percussion Concerto Competition (2020,2022). He placed second in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition (2016) and won third place in the Winnipeg Youth Orchestra’s annual Scholarship Competition both in 2016 and 2017. He has participated in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (2021), the National Youth Band of Canada (2018), and is excited for his third summer with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada.

Michael Quigley is a passionate, Montreal-born bassoonist currently studying toward his Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM). He began learning the bassoon in high school, and was eventually inspired by his band director, Brian Vincent, to continue with the instrument after graduation. He started his undergraduate degree in 2016 at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University, studying with Eric Hall, principal bassoon of the Canadian Opera Company; he transferred to the University of Toronto in 2018 to continue his studies with the same teacher. In 2021, Michael began his Master’s degree at MSM in New York, and currently studies with the principal bassoon of the Metropolitan Opera, William Short. He has freelanced with a number of orchestras in the Greater Toronto Area and has done studio recordings at Loud Mouse Studios and Revolution Studios, both based in Toronto.

Noah Schuster was born in Denver, Colorado. He started playing the Cello at age 3 as a Suzuki student. In 2000 Noah moved to Cambridge Ontario pursuing studies, first with Sally Gross and later with David Evenchick. He has received many music awards in his youth, (eg.) Bernice Adams Award, Alice Sloan Memorial Award and Kiwanis Provincials. Noah decided to pursue a career in Cello performance after high school, studying and obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Music from McGill University in 2020. In 2018 he was the winner of the Canadian Music Competition in his Category and as a result was awarded a Canadian Instrument Bank Cello from Quebec. His Cello is an instrument produced by Ivo Johannes in 2006 and Bow by Emanuel Bégin. Currently Noah freelances as an Orchestral Player and also is pursuing further music education in competitions. He received his certification in long term Suzuki teacher training for Pre-Twinkle and Books 1-8 in 2020.

Paolo Rosselli is a French hornist based in Toronto, ON and Boston, USA. Currently, Paolo is working to obtain a Masters of Music in Horn Performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston where he studies with BSO’s third horn, Michael Winter. Prior to his time in Boston, Paolo graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music in Horn Performance and Advanced Certificate in Horn Performance. Outside of academic pursuits, Paolo has been a member of different orchestral ensembles, such as the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Paolo has been recognized for his performance abilities and leadership experience by being awarded the Winspear Community Grant, Anne Burrows Foundation Scholarship, Jean A. Chalmers Performance Award, Alberta Arts Council Grant and University of Toronto CRESSY Award. Altogether, Paolo is passionate about performing and teaching music, leadership in the community and creating multi-media art project.

Born and raised in Victoria, BC, Rae is a violist currently based out of Toronto. Throughout North America, Rae shares her passion for performance and education. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory and the Victoria Conservatory of Music through Camosun College.

While studying, Rae found a love for engaging with her surrounding communities. As a Community, Performances and Partnerships at NEC and as a Morse and GLUCK fellow at Juilliard, she brought performance and education to public schools, hospitals and retirement homes. Currently, Rae is a teaching artist for Sistema Toronto as well as a private violin&viola teacher.

Outside of music, Rae enjoys the thrills of creative writing and riding around the city on her bike, stopping in at a local cafe for a warm coffee and baked good!

American violist Rebecca Miller began her studies at the age of 9. Currently based in Toronto, she maintains an active freelance career, performing in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings across a variety of genres. She has played with many symphony orchestras, including multiple years as a member of the Boston Philharmonic, and is also enthusiastic about performing with opera and ballet orchestras. An avid chamber musician, she has recently appeared in concerts throughout Toronto with the Highwood String Quartet. Rebecca is currently studying with Steve Dann at the Glenn Gould School as an Artist Diploma candidate. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory, where she studied with Rictor Noren, and has also studied with Nicholas Cords and Lewis Rosove.

Venezualan born, Canadian double bassist, Ricardo Marzoratti, is currently finishing his Master of Music at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music with Ali Yazdanfar, and Eric Chappell. Prior to completing his Bachelor of Music at the same university with Brian Robinson, while simultaneously doing a Minor in Jazz Performance with Adrian Vedady, Ricardo also completed studies at the Cégep de Saint-Laurent, Cégep de Rimouski and Université de Montréal. He has a background in performing classical, jazz, pop and afro-caribbean music.

Ricardo Marzoratti is the co-founder and musical director of Marzos’ Latin Big Band, an ensemble created as a fundraiser to support the fight against cancer. It has performed at Place des Arts for the festival Pause Estivale à l’Esplanade, as well as local venues around Montréal.

Ricardo has performed with ensembles ranging from Symphony Orchestras to Jazz Big Bands to Pop, including concerts with the McGill Symphony Orchestra, McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble, Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, Opera McGill, Marzos’ Latin Big Band, McGill Jazz Combos, Ensemble Jazz de Montréal, Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal, Orchestre à Chambre du Cégep de Saint-Laurent, singer Marie Denise Pelletier and singer Marc Hervieux.

Canadian flutist Sarah Pollard is an active freelance performer and teacher based in Toronto. She held the position of second flute and piccolo with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra during their 2021/2022 season. Sarah is an alumna of the 2021 Orchestra of the Americas, the 2021 National Repertory Orchestra, Colorado (unable to attend in-person due to COVID-19 restrictions) and the 2021 National Academy Orchestra of Canada. Previous orchestral memberships include the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, the McGill Symphony Orchestra, the Pronto Musica Orchestra, the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute at Whistler and the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician Sarah has performed with numerous ensembles, a highlight of which was performing Boulez’s infamous Le marteau sans maître in the 2018 Ottawa Chamberfest’s New Music Now Festival.

Sarah is a recent graduate of The Glenn Gould School’s Artist Diploma program, where she studied with full scholarship under the direction of Susan Hoeppner. Sarah previously studied with Carolyn Christie (McGill University, MMus Performance), Nora Shulman and Peg Albrecht (University of Toronto, BMus Performance).

Shaun Rogers, is a Double Bass player currently studying music performance at Michigan State University. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Toronto while performing alongside several competitive orchestras like: Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra (side by side performance), National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the National Academy Orchestra.

Shaun has also shown a huge interest in Music writing. He received private lessons from Juno Awards nominated Canadian composer Larysa Kuzmenko and primarily enjoys writing in a more traditional style for orchestra and chamber music but has also shown immense creativity in electronic music. Within this past year he has completed 10 duets for two basses, one of them premiered for the Toronto Star Newspaper while another was performed at the Toronto Zoo by two bass players from the Toronto Symphony (Paul Rogers and Timothy Dawson) for a special program called “Zoophony” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y8yfKDThNk), where specific works are performed to represent the different animals.

To this day, Shaun continues to expand his compositions in the hopes of one day having a major work performed.

Canadian Korean violinist, Sienna MinKyong Cho, was born in South Korea and raised in Canada. In 2019, she was the recipient of the Salsinger Tani Gold Medal at the time of her graduation from McGill University. Sienna is the prize winner of Peter Mendell Award Competition, and 1st place in the category of strings (18-20 years old) in 2017. She had the opportunity to attend world class academy festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Kneisel Hall, Colorado College Music Festival, New York String Orchestra Seminar, Toronto Summer Music, Zodiac Music Festival, Orford Musique, and Domaine Forget. She obtained her bachelor’s degree at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University with Andrew Wan and master’s degree at the Shepherd School of Music of Rice University under the tutelage of Cho-Liang Lin. Sienna will return to McGill University in the fall for a Graduate Diploma in Performance program. 

From the famous Alhambra in Granada Spain, to the Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, and the Koerner Hall in Toronto, violinist Talia Sinclair has toured the world successfully with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the Calgary Youth Orchestra. As a member of the Calgary Youth Orchestra and the Amici string program from 2013-2017, her devotion to orchestral and chamber playing was born. In 2021 she graduated with distinction from the University of Victoria with her Bachelors in Violin Performance, under the tutelage of Ann Elliott-Goldschmid. During her Bachelors, Talia gained extensive training as a chamber musician under the Lafayette String Quartet, and in early 2021, she was named as the first place prize winner in the Annual Solo Bach Competition at the University of Victoria. Talia is pursuing her Masters in Violin Performance at the University of Toronto with Erika Raum.

Tristan began his musical studies on the violin at the Thurman White Academy of the Arts in Las
Vegas, Nevada. At the age of 16, he began studying privately with Dmitri Kourka and made the
switch to the viola. Tristan has placed in numerous competitions, such as the Carol Jackson
concerto competition and the Susan D. Barton competition. He has also won the grand prize for
the Henderson Symphony orchestra competition and first prize for the solo and chamber music
division of the NMEA AllState Command competition. He has also played in masterclasses for
world class artists, such as Krysztof Chorzelski, Karen Dreyfus, and Juan Miguel Hernandez.
Tristan has sat principal viola in the Green Valley HS Symphony strings, CCSD Honor orchestra,
and the Dr. Shirley Lindsey Young Artist Orchestra. Tristan is currently pursuing his
Undergraduate degree at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory, under the tutelage
of Steven Dann.

Tyler Song is a Chinese-Canadian clarinetist praised for his “enormous sensitivity” as well as “beauty of tone production and timbre”. He has performed under the batons of prominent conductors such as Otto Tausk and Bramwell Tovey and appeared as a soloist with the McGill Symphony Orchestra in early 2020.
Having received a Bachelor of Music and Graduate Diploma in Performance from the McGill University Schulich School of Music, he credits Jenny Jonquil and Todd Cope as his most influential teachers. Tyler has been the recipient of numerous honours, such as the Brunold Award for Classical Music Making, the J. Wesley Foster memorial Scholarship and inclusion in the 2020 edition of CBC radio’s Top 30 Classical Musicians Under 30. In the fall, Tyler will be beginning a Masters in Music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with Ixi Chen

Native of Rouen in France, William began his studies in the conservatoire de Rouen of the age of five. As he was pursuing his studies at the Conservatoire de Rouen, he won first place at the Vatelot Rampal Competition in Paris at the age of ten, and again at the age of twelve. At fifteen, he earned his Diplôme Musicale, and entered the Conservatoire of Boulogne-Billancourt in Paris under to the tutelage of Christophe Poiget. After three years of studies in Paris he earned his second Diplôme Musicale.

To further his musical education, he moved to Montreal, where he earned three university degrees at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal while studying with Johanne Arel. After receiving his Licentiate of Music in 2017 and Masters with Distinction in 2019, he completed his final university diploma in 2020 with a Diplôme de Perfectionnement, the equivalent of an Artist Diploma with a specialization in orchestral excerpts under the direction of Anne Robert and Marianne Dugal.

During his years in Montréal, William had the opportunity to accompany Robert Charlebois in the orchestra and Coeur de Pirate, and to perform to under the baton of multiple conductors such as Jean-Marie Zeitouni, Jean-Michel Malouf, Alexandre Bloch, Alexander Shelley, Adam Johnson, Jacques Lacombe, Alain Trudel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Vasily Petrenko and Yoav Talmi. He attended various festivals where he studied with violinists such as Olivier Thouin, Andrew Wan, Richard Roberts, Jean-Sébastien Roy, Martin Chalifour, Raymond Dessaints, Marcelle Mallette, Paul Zafer and David Stewart.

William currently performs with the Collectif de la cité, l’ensemble Volte, la Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, l’orchestre de l’estuaire and l’orchestre du Saguenay.

A native of China, Xueao Yang began studying the violin at the age of four. At the age of twelve, she was accepted into the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Xueao has served as guest Principal Second Violin at Regina Symphony Orchestra and as Concertmaster of the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra. She has also played as a substitute violinist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra . Xueao was a member of Les Jeunes Virtuoses de Montréal at the Montréal Chamber Music Festival in 2021.

Xueao has participated in music festivals such as Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, Zodiac Music Festival, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, Brott Music Festival and the mentorship program of Orchestre Classique de Montréal. She has performed recitals and chamber music in China, USA, Japan, France and Canada.

Xueao received her Performance Certificate in violin from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as well as her Bachelor’s degree with outstanding achievement, and Master’s degree from McGill University’s Schulich School of music.

Xueao studied with Kevin Lawrence, Violaine Melançon, Denise Lupien and Felicia Moye.

Yen-Han Chen was born and raised in Taiwan. He is currently a Master of Music student at the University of British Columbia, studying with clarinetist Jose Franch-Ballester. He finished his Bachelor of Music degree back in Taiwan. During his study in Taiwan, he won the university concerto competition and preformed Louis Spohr’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2 with the university orchestra, and was one of the finalists of 2018 Buffet Crampon Asia Pacific Clarinet Competition in Taiwan. Beside music, Yen-Han enjoys cooking, playing badminton, visiting parks and observing small animals.