Born and raised on Canada’s East Coast, Maren McLean Persaud was trained in piano, voice and euphonium from a young age. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University and a Masters Degree from the University of Toronto. She has worked as a collaborative pianist with many ensembles and musicians across the country, has extensive performance experience as a soloist and has competed at the national level. Maren also works professionally with children and youth in not-for-profit organizations and is passionate about the creation of programs and opportunities that nurture the healthy development and unique gifts of young people.
Maren works to pass on a deep love of music to those she teaches. In addition to helping her students grow into well trained musicians with a sense of professionalism and skill, she wants them to enjoy what they are doing while discovering their own interests, talents and passions.
Read MoreMarianna has been interested in music since her childhood and started playing the piano at the age of six. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree and eventually with a Master of Music Degree, from the R. Glier Kyiv Academy of Music.
Marianna has experience working with kids and adults with all levels of students (beginner, intermediate, advanced). She has been teaching piano lessons for 6 years.
Marianna adapts lessons to the student's needs, interests, and goals. Also, she combines different types of music to develop all skills and to make your musical pastime more interesting and diverse. Marianna can help you in becoming and developing in a professional way as well as to reveal and improve your piano skills if you play for fun.
Marianna can teach lessons in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.
Read MoreMeaghan Schulz has a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance, and an LLB from the University of Alberta. She is on the roster with Cowtown Opera Company, and is a member of the Calgary Opera Chorus. Meaghan has trained in early childhood music education and she also developed and taught a baby sign language program called Nursery Signs. She is so excited to play and explore at Chinook School of Music with Music Kids!
Read MoreMichael Coburn’s passion and tenacity for piano performance have led him to become an inspiring and in demand educator. Michael has developed his own teaching philosophy that seeks to transform the way his students understand music by focusing on thought first, action second. By allowing students to understand what happens in the brain, Michael is able to evoke more creative and secure performances.
In 2006, Michael was featured as a soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, shortly before receiving his Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Calgary. He furthered his studies at the Académie Musicale Internationale "Barbara Krakauer" in Vaison-la-Romaine, France, and working with internationally acclaimed pianists such as Paul Badura-Skoda and Emanuel Krasovsky.
Michael is currently the Piano Faculty Director at Chinook School of Music, the Artistic Director of Cum Vino Cantus Choir, the Director of Music at Parkdale United Church, and an adjudicator at music festivals across Alberta.
Read MoreNataliia was born in Kiev, Ukraine. She started her violin studies at age six. After completing her studies at school of music, she proceeded to Kiev State Music College, later furthering her education at the Kiev State Conservatory. She supplemented her violin tuition with lessons in musicology and chamber music performance.
Apart from performing as soloist and in chamber ensembles, Natalia has been a member of several orchestras, including Kiev Opera House for Children and Youth, the famous Kiev National Philharmonic Orchestra, and Cairo Opera House and Malta Philharmonic orchestra. She has performed extensively giving concerts in Europe, Far East and United States (including Carnegie Hall and Chicago Symphony Center).
From 2008 till 2022 Natalia was a Lecturer in Violin Performance at the University of Malta and a violin instructor at Johann Strauss School of Music, Malta.
She participated in numerous international festivals as a first violinist of “Yaro” string quartet and “Lakota” piano trio. Nataliia teaches both piano and violin at CSM.
Read MoreRiley Ngo began studying piano at age 6 with Carrie Kalmakoff, completing ARCT in Piano Performance with distinction at age 14 under the tutelage of Colleen Athparia. A regular scholarship and award winner, Riley enjoys playing the piano as a soloist as well as collaborating with fellow musicians. He played harpsichord with the Mount Royal Conservatory Sinfonia at the Winter Fantasia concert in 2013. As an award-winning piano duo, he and his partner placed first at the Canadian Music Competition in 2015 and went on to win first place at the North West International Piano Ensemble Competition in 2016. The piano duo won first place again at the Canadian Music Competition in 2018 and 2019, while Riley’s piano quartet placed 3rd in the same competition that year. Riley debuted as a soloist with the Calgary Civic Symphony in 2022 playing Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 5.
Riley is a supervisor at the Calgary Arts Summer School’s piano program. He is also an avid accompanist, having accompanied advanced level RCM string exams. Riley believes every piece of music tells a story. He hopes to inspire students to bring music off the page by developing a balance between good technique and a vivid imagination. He looks forward to sharing his love of music with the next generation of aspiring musicians.
Riley Ngo can teach lessons in English and French.
Read MoreFor nearly half a century, Ryan Aguilar has been immersed in music. At the tender age of six he began tinkering away on the piano and shortly after, picked up guitar, bass, ukulele, and vocals. His naturally gifted ear revealed an almost sixth sense for replicating the tunes he heard on his grandmother’s radio. He was insatiable. Soon, Ryan found himself at college for piano and vocals and then university, majoring in piano performance at Southwest Texas State. Since 1993 he has played in several quintessential Texan rock and country bands (Derringer, Sheila Marshall, The Triumphs) touring the southern US, Canada, and even into Mexico. Then in 2003, he felt nudged to give back all he gained on the stage—he began to teach others how to be rock stars. His personal mantra, ‘practice as joy’, sets the tone for each lesson. Watching students’ faces light up when a piece comes together is what continues to stoke the fires of his musical and teaching passion.
Read MoreSarah is an actor, singer, and emerging playwright born and raised here in Calgary. She is a passionate teacher and artist who strives to inspire compassion and joy through her work in opera, theatre, and even TV (if you’re a fan of The Last of Us, you may have spotted her at the very beginning of Episode 5)! She was recently nominated for a CAT Award for her performance as Mercutio in Full Circle Theatre’s Riverona. Other recent performance credits include Calgary Opera’s Arias and Ales (soloist), as well as The Elixir of Love, The Marriage of Figaro, Macbeth, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Canadian Premiere), and Carmen with Calgary Opera’s Chorus. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in both Theatre and Music from Dalhousie University, and is so excited to begin her second year teaching at Chinook School of Music!
Read MoreSarah was raised in Calgary and from a young age has had a passion for music. She grew up learning to play the piano and eventually expanded her field to include concert band and string orchestra as well as chamber music. She regularly attends festivals, recitals, and musical gatherings such as the Alberta Piano Teachers Association Festival and Calgary Classical Piano meetups. In addition to the work Sarah does throughout the year, she annually attends CASSA Piano Camp and Lethbridge Piano Intensive in the summertime in order to further develop her musical skills.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys travelling and weightlifting. She believes that everybody deserves to experience the joy of music and brings that philosophy to life through her teaching.
Read MoreShannon (Magee) Roy combines both creativity and skill in the lessons she teaches. She has performance training from the Royal Conservatory of Music and received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Ambrose University. Shannon has performed all over the world and she performs locally and nationally with her duo Georgia Sound, who have released two CDs. Shannon believes that every one of her students is unique and requires a unique teaching style. She wishes to instil in all of her students that music is about having fun, being creative, and loving what you are doing.
Read MoreGrowing up in China, Siyan started her piano journey at the age of three. Her passion for music and the piano drove her to achieve the Level 10 certificate from China Conservatory of Music in Grade 5 and win many prizes in national competitions held in China before she came to Canada in 2016. Beyond competitions, with the help of her most respected mentor Mr. Wu Di, Siyan had the privilege of engaging in transformative master classes with acclaimed pianists such as Engle Marilyn, Shen Wenyu, Wang Xiaohan, Yao lan etc. These invaluable experiences enriched Siyan’s musical understanding and further honed her technical skills.
Siyan continued her piano journey after coming to Canada. She achieved first class honours in her Royal Conservatory of Music examinations, and the certificate of RCM Elementary Piano Teacher program. She is currently earning a minor degree in Psychology at the University of Calgary. Siyan possesses a strong passion for music and a deep love for teaching it to others. She thoroughly enjoys working with children and helping them discover the joy of music.
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