Music Camp: Faculty 2009 (2010 updates to be posted in early March)

Our team of dynamic, professional musicians live on-site, giving participants the opportunity to socialize with as well as learn from our top-notch faculty. Below is the roster of our exceptional faculty waiting to share their musical enthusiasm with you at this summer's camp.

Click on the faculty name to view their bios below.

Faculty Bios (in alphabetical order)

Stacey Boal: Recorder
Stacey Boal, B.Mus. (UBC), studied recorder with Martha Bixler, Kenneth Wollitz, Michel Piguet and James Kennedy. In addition to teaching recorder (and upper strings) at the Victoria Conservatory, Stacey performs in and coaches recorder consorts, plays viola in the Victoria Symphony, and leads a tango band.

Marc Crompton: Wind Ensemble Director, Rhythm Studies, Percussion
Marc is Music Director of the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Director of Bands at St. George's School in Vancouver. He is active as a conductor, adjudicator, clinician and percussionist.

Sophie Dansereau: Bassoon
Sophie is Assistant Principal Bassoon and Contrabassoon of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and a member of the CBC Radio Orchestra. She is on the faculty of the Vancouver Academy of Music and is a founding member of the Ad Mare Wind Quintet.

Karen Epp: Early Music, Recorder
Karen holds a B.Mus. B.Ed. (UBC). She teaches recorder, early music, and Orff. She has performed with the CBC Radio Orchestra, Vancouver Cantata Singers, Vancouver Bach Choir and Early Music Vancouver and conducted workshops across Canada. She presently teaches for the Surrey School District.

Karen Gerbrecht: Violin
Karen is Associate Principal Second Violin with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and past Director of Chamber Music at Davidson College, NC. She taught at the Vancouver Academy of Music for twelve years. She has twice attended the Banff School of the Arts as an Artist in Residence, and in 2008 taught for SFU’s Semester for Dialogue.

Brenda Fedoruk: Flute
Brenda holds a B.Mus. (UBC) and also studied in Zürich, Banff and Toronto. She is currently Principal Flute with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and a member of the CBC Radio Orchestra. She has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, for musical theatre and ballet productions, as well as on television and film recordings. Brenda is a faculty member at UBC, VCC, Capilano University and the Vancouver Academy of Music.

Denise Grieve: Children's Program
Denise is a Montessori pre-school teacher specializing in art and drama. She has also taught drama/movement at a local dance school and trained student teachers. She wrote and co-directed a play for Expo 86 and has written plays and monologues for students aged 6 to 16 years.

Vern Griffiths: Percussion
Holding a B.Mus. (UBC), M.Mus. (Manhattan School of Music), Vern is the Principal Percussionist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, plays in the CBC Radio Orchestra, the new music ensembles Standing Wave and Turning Point Ensemble, and can be heard on soundtracks to movies by Disney, Imax, PBS, and Dreamworks. He teaches at UBC.

David Haskins: Horn
David (B.Mus., Toronto; M.Mus., McGill) joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Horn in 2008. He was previously the Principal Horn of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.

Heather Hay: Cello
Heather holds a M.Mus. (San Francisco Conservatory of Music) and is a former member of the Purcell String Quartet. She is a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, teaches at Capilano University, and has an active private studio for cellists of all ages. She is passionate about the importance of music in the world, and leads workshops in Canada and internationally on this subject.

Heather Haydu: Oboe/English Horn
Heather is a sought-after teacher and performer in Alberta. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and she earned a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University. Heather has held positions in the Victoria Symphony and the Edmonton Symphony. She currently has a private studio in Calgary and performs regularly with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.

Cyrena Huang: Cello
Cyrena (M. Mus, UBC), is a cello instructor at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Vancouver Waldorf School, and a chamber music and cello coach at the Valhalla Suzuki Institute in New Denver. Cyrena has studied Suzuki cello pedagogy since 1991 and has studied jazz with the Turtle Island String Quartet. She is a founding member of the Twelfth Night Trio.

Cris Inguanti: Clarinet
Cris is Assistant Principal and Bass Clarinetist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and has been a member of the Houston Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet orchestras. As a member of the Manhattan Wind Quintet he has won numerous prizes and competitions.

Lars Kaario: Choral Director
Lars teaches at Capilano University where he is Director of Choral and Conducting Studies. He conducts the national and international prize-winning Capilano University Singers, the Capilano University Festival Chorus, and Cecilia Ensemble Women's Choir. He is also founder and director of the professional Laudate Singers. A respected voice teacher, he has also performed leading roles in opera, light opera, and musical theatre.

Sharman King: Low Brass
Sharman is Bass Trombonist with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and a frequent pit performer for musical theatre and ballet. He has performed with many of the jazz greats, including Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald.

David Knight: Camp Director
David recently retired after 40 years in the finance, consulting and hospitality sectors, the last 15 years as Operations Supervisor of Conferences and Housing, Trinity Western University. He is on the Board of The Wellspring Foundation for Education, an NGO that builds schools and upgrades teachers’ level of education in Rwanda. According to David, while he loves music, musical skill is not one of his gifts! WCAMS is thrilled that David will be returning as a Camp Director, to ensure the smooth running of this year’s camp.

Joanie Koch-Kalanj: Children's Program
Joanie Holds a B.Ed. (U.Vic) and M.Ed. Diploma (SFU) and has over 20 years experience as a classroom and music teacher. She has studied Orff, piano and guitar, and is a singer in the band Streetlite. Joanie has also performed in musical theatres, light opera and vocal jazz ensembles.

Shirley Lecker: Body Tune-up
Shirley is a physiotherapist and kinesiologist with extensive experience as a clinician, educator and fitness instructor. She has a Diploma in Music Education from UBC. By combining her clinical expertise with an understanding from the musician's perspective, Shirley presents an innovative and functionally sound approach to exercise and the prevention and management of musicians' injuries.

Chris Light: Bass
Chris holds a B.Mus. (UBC), Masters Studies (Manhattan School of Music, New York) plays in the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, is Principal Bass with the Abbotsford Symphony Orchestra and often performs with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He currently teaches bass at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Bill Piggott: Children's Program
Holding a B.Mus. (U. Saskatchewan), Bill has also studied jazz (Humber College) and Orff music (UBC). He teaches band and classroom music with the North Vancouver school district.

Alysa Pires: Musical Theatre
Alysa trained extensively in stage, ballet and modern dance at Allegro Performing Arts Centre in Victoria and Dancestreams in Parksville, and is currently attending Ryerson University in Theatre Performance: Dance. For the Victoria Youth Musical Theatre Society, Alysa played "Lucy" in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and choreographed 42nd Street, The Wizard of Oz and Beauty and the Beast.

Patricia Plumley: Accompanist
Patricia studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Victoria Conservatory of Music and in Vancouver with Rena Sharon (piano) and Jacob Hamm and Lynn Williams (voice). She joined Vancouver Community College in 1988 and presently teaches class piano and pedagogy there as well as conducting the Willan Choir and the VCC Concert Choir.

Frances Roberts: Vocal Jazz
Frances is a graduate of the vocal music program at UBC. She has taught choral music at the secondary school level for the past twenty years, and currently directs four concert choirs and two jazz/chamber choirs at Argyle Secondary.

George Roberts: Camp Director, Vocal Technique
George holds a B.Mus. from UBC and a Performing Arts Diploma from the Vancouver Academy of Music. He is Director of Music for Highlands United Church and teaches
voice for both the Bachelor of Music and Jazz Studies programs at Capilano University.

Chris Robertson: Trumpet
Chris, B.Mus. (U.Vic), studied with Vincent Cichowicz in Chicago and with Maurice Murphy in London (UK). He has released two solo CDs, Encores for Trumpet & Organ and Regal & Romantic, and has published a reference book for trumpet, Finding Your Own Voice. He is an active teacher and performer.

Isabelle Roland: Viola
Isabelle holds a B.Mus. (U.Vic.), M.Mus.(Perf.) (Cleveland Institute). She is Principal Viola with Sinfonia and a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and performs with the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. She was Assistant Principal Viola of the Victoria Symphony and the Colorado Music Festival. She has appeared as a soloist with the Victoria Symphony, Sinfonia and West Coast Symphony, is a busy chamber musician, and is on faculty at the Vancouver Academy of Music.

Adam Sakiyama: Musical Theatre
Adam has spent the past year working towards a Bachelor's Degree in Contemporary Music at Humber College in Toronto. He has worked with several community groups in Victoria, including Claremont Secondary, Kaleidoscope Theatre and Victoria Operatic Society, both accompanying and performing on stage. Most recently, Adam played for Victoria Musical Theatre Society's Beauty and the Beast, for which he also conducted a performance.

Jack Stafford: Saxophone, Instrumental Jazz, Music Appreciation
Jack Stafford was a scholarship student at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, and also studied at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva. He has been a professional musician in Vancouver since 1969 as a member of many small groups and big bands, and has played shows for many famous celebrities.

Amy Stephen: Celtic Music, Youth Guitar
Amy holds a B.Mus. and B.Ed. from UBC, is a pianist, harpist, accordionist, vocalist, and penny whistle player. She performs solo, in duo with her husband, Amir Haghighi, and with world music ensemble Jou Tou. Amy directs five choirs, composes, arranges, performs, records and plays with her son Youssof.

Allen Stiles: Accompanist
Allen, M.Mus. (UBC), is a founding director of The Little Chamber Music Series That Could Society and a member of Joe Trio and Standing Wave. He is also the current Music Director for Gateway Theatre’s annual winter musical theatre production.

Rosemary Thomson: Orchestral Director
Rosemary is known for her expressive leadership and innovative audience presentation. Rosemary began her tenure as the Music Director of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra in 2007. She was previously the Resident Conductor for the Calgary Philharmonic and the Winnipeg Symphony, where she was mentored by Bramwell Tovey. Rosemary guest conducts both orchestra and opera across the country.

Rebecca Whitling: Violin
A graduate of McGill and Indiana, Rebecca plays in the First Violin section of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and is Principal Second Violin of the CBC Radio Orchestra. She is a member of the acclaimed new music quintet Standing Wave, and has performed as soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Philharmonic, the Semiahmoo Strings, and the Prince George Symphony Orchestra.