Brendan holds a Bachelor of Arts (Music) from Augustana University College and a Master and Doctor of Music degrees in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta. While working on his his doctorate, Brendan was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Graduate scholarship, a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) fellowship and a University of Alberta President's Award. His thesis, entitled Jonathan Dove's The Passing of the Year and other Works for Chorus and Keyboard, was awarded Choral Canada's 2014 National Choral Award for Outstanding Thesis or Dissertation. His principal conducting teachers have included Dr. Marc A. Hafso, Dr. Robert de Frece, Dr. Debra Cairns, and Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff. Artistically, Dr. Lord has worked with choirs of varying ages and abilities including the Sherwood Park Festival Singers, the Edmonton Public School Board's All-City Children's Choir, and Sangkor Women's Ensemble. Since 2006, as a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta, Brendan has taught courses in conducting, music theory and musicianship.
Tania was born in England and is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dancing Teacher Training Program, where she obtained extensive training in Ballet, ISTD Modern, National, Jazz and Character Dance. She gained her extensive knowledge of the classical repertoire from many wonderful dancers of the Royal Ballet. Ms. Brossoit emigrated to Canada in 1985. She owned and operated a highly successful dance studio on Vancouver island from 1991 through 2000 and at the Richmond Academy of Dance, where she taught for 13 years, she trained dancers of all ages, including those in the professional division training program. Tania went on to teach at ProArte for five years and is currently a director with The DANCE conservatory in West Vancouver. Many of her students have gone on to dance in many companies and theatre productions and have continued their training at some of the most respected institutes around the world.
Irene is a passionate dance instructor and has danced since the young age of three. As a student, she trained on Vancouver Island and in 1991 pursued a post-secondary education in Edmonton, Alberta at the Grant MacEwan University. Her training includes Classical Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre, Character Dance and Pointe. Irene is a fully registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance, Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association and Performing Arts Educators of Canada. In 1993 she established Tempo Dance Academy in Nanaimo BC, and continues to run the school as the owner/founder and artistic director. In 2017, Irene and former pupil and studio owner Lina Lewis opened the Elevate Dance Centre in Langford, BC. During the past three years, Irene ventured into something completely different - filming commercials with Chek Six News, local businesses and three seasons on Hallmark (Chesapeake Shores) as a background performer.
Heather Beaty is a multi-faceted performing arts professional based in Vancouver, BC. In 2014 she won the Principal Flute position with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and is currently enjoying her sixth season with the symphony. She also performs as an orchestral flutist with regional British Columbian symphony orchestras such as the Victoria Symphony, the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Beaty is the Suzuki Flute Department Head at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and is the Artistic Director of the Vancouver classical concert series Concerts on Tap. She received her Bachelor of Music '10 and Master of Music '12 degrees in Orchestral Flute Performance at the University of British Columbia under the guidance of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's Principal Flutist Lorna McGhee, Vancouver Opera Orchestra's Principal Flutist Brenda Fedoruk and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's Principal Flutist Christie Reside.
Ildiko Skeldon is a Senior RCM Examiner with over 25 years of examining experience in both Canada and the USA. She is a certified teacher with the Royal Conservatory in both piano and theory, for elementary, intermediate and advanced levels. Ildiko is also a member of the Canadian Music Festivals Adjudicators Association and has adjudicated extensively throughout BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, encompassing junior to senior levels. Ms. Skeldon's influential teachers have been Audrey Mallinson, Kum-Sing Lee, Dale Reubart, Robert Rogers, Robert Silverman, Pawel Checinski, Ivan Moravec, and Anton Kuerti. She participated in summer studies throughout the 1970s at the prestigious Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. Ms. Skeldon runs a successful studio in Richmond, BC, where she focuses on nurturing and inspiring musical growth in all ages and levels of students.
Yvette graduated with distinction from the University of Victoria School of Music and holds diplomas from the Royal Conservatory of Music Toronto (ARCT, Performance), the Victoria Conservatory of Music (AVCM, Performance and Pedagogy), and Camosun College (Associate of Arts Diploma in music). Her tutors have included Dr. Robin Wood, Winifred Scott Wood, Dr. Gordana Lazarevich and Bruce Vogt. Yvette has examined senior levels of piano for The London College of Music and Media (England). Yvette enjoys both leading and participating in Master Classes.
Jennifer Orr lives and works in Calgary. She has been a member of the Mount Royal University Conservatory’s Speech Arts and Drama faculty since 1986, and the coordinator of the program since 1998. Jennifer maintains an active leadership role in the discipline of speech and drama, making contributions as a teacher, administrator, adjudicator, examiner, workshop clinician, and in the area of curriculum development. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Calgary and Associate Diplomas in Speech Arts and Drama from the Mount Royal University Conservatory, Calgary, and the Royal Conservatory, Toronto. She specializes in teaching children and young adults and maintains a busy teaching schedule that includes a busy private studio, group lessons in creative drama, speech arts, public speaking, storytelling, and speech arts theory. She recently developed curriculum for an enhanced communication certificate program designed for internationally educated professionals, and a Speech Arts for Media program.
Brian Yoon is currently the Principal Cello of the Victoria Symphony. Since winning First Prize at the 35th Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, he has been presented in recital from coast to coast, with repertoire ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Shostakovich and Metallica. As a soloist, Brian recently appeared with orchestras in works by Brahms, Dvorak, Haydn, Morawetz, and Schumann. His main teachers include Judith Fraser (Vancouver Academy of Music), Paul Marleyn (University of Ottawa), and Desmond Hoebig (Rice University). Brian has received support from the BC Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation.
Mame Helise Goehner, a lyrical soprano, has been performing and studying music since the age of six. Studying under the expertise of Opera Nuova’s founder Kim Mattice Wanat and Canada’s top baritone Peter Barcza, she has won several major scholarships and festivals throughout Canada and Europe. Mame is currently the President of Choir Alberta and owns and runs two thriving music schools in Victoria, BC and Calgary, AB. She was a prominent figure on many stages in Alberta until she made her move to Vancouver where studying at UBC, she completed her BMus and MMus under the tutelage of Bruce Pullan and Nancy Hermiston. She has toured throughout Europe, personally sang for the Queen of England, and has showcased many private recitals and performances in Canada. She is experienced in lieder, opera, 20th Century art song, musical theatre, pop and jazz.