Elaine Liang, Piano, Theory

Elaine has been studying piano since she was nine years old. Having completed RCM piano and theory and winning a scholarship for the highest provincial mark for advanced theory in Alberta, she is very familiar with the RCM curriculum. She has played in festivals within the province, winning several awards. Believing in accessibility to the arts, she is also involved in a non-profit organization delivering free music lessons to socially or economically marginalized children and youth. While she loves playing classical music, she also enjoys playing movie soundtracks/pop on the piano.

Elaine aims to create an encouraging atmosphere for her students to confidently explore and expand their musical abilities. She believes in adapting to each child’s unique learning style and is always excited to foster musical creativity in young musicians.

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Eva Pospisilova, Piano

Eva Pospisilova has a Masters degree in teaching and performance from the Conservatory of Brno, Czech Republic, as well as degrees in pedagogy and psychology. Her professional background includes numerous accompanist contracts: Okanagan Symphony, Kiwanis Festival, KCMS Singers, Ontario Music Festivals, and Choir Festivals in Ottawa, Saint John, and at the International School of Prague. Eva has performed across Europe as a solo pianist and accompanist for various instrumentalist and vocalists. She was a teacher and accompanist at the Kelowna Community Music School from 2003 to 2013.

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Gillian Newburn, Flute

Gillian has been playing the flute for over 18 years. She began her studies at the Mount Royal Conservatory, and then completed a degree in flute performance at the University of Victoria. Gillian has had the pleasure of playing for Emmanuel Pahud, Lorna McGhee, William Bennett, Jim Walker, Michael Hasel, and many others over the course of her studies, and is proud to have played with numerous organizations, including the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra, Calgary Wind Symphony, Front Row Centre Players, the Painted Fish Performing Arts Society, the Meridiem Wind Ensemble, and the Cowichan Consort Orchestra. 

As a flute teacher, Gillian's compassionate and patient approach fosters a welcoming environment for students of all ages to learn and grow. A lifelong student herself, Gillian currently studies with Lauren Eselson, and though she has a strong passion for classical repertoire and musical theatre, she loves working with students in whatever genre they are interested in, whether that be pop, jazz, movie tunes, or otherwise. 

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Gringo Villarin, Piano

Gringo Villarin spent most of his life in the Philippines where he started piano lessons at the age of eight. He graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Music Major in Music Education with piano principal from Saint Scholastica’s College Manila, Philippines. Gringo believes that everyone has the right to experience music and discover their own talents. This philosophy motivates him to teach and discover the potential in all of his students.

Gringo Villarin can teach lessons in English and Filipino.

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Heather Henderson, Voice

Heather Henderson B.Mus, M.Mus, Graduate Diploma in Voice Performance

Heather Henderson has been a teacher, soloist, performance coach/director, choral director and clinician, in the Southern Alberta Region for over 30 years. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, a Master of Music degree from the University of Houston and a Graduate Diploma from the Saint Louis Conservatory of Music. She studied voice with W. Stephen Smith, John Glen Paton, Carol Ann Hill, Philip May, Elaine Case, Selena James and vocal pedagogy with Barbara M. Doscher. Performance coaching with preeminent vocal coaches Martin Isepp, Martin Katz, Richard Boldrey and Nico Castel and further studies in Acting, Dance, Alexander Technique, Languages and Martial Arts.

A Lyric soprano, she performed with St. Louis Opera Theatre, Opera East, Boulder Festival, Calgary Opera, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Banff Festival, Folks Opera, Gift of Music Recital Series, Storybook Theatre, Stampede Stage and Calgary Theatre Singers. She was a coach/director for Cow Town Opera Summer Academy for several years and a past facilitator and current faculty for the Mount Royal Vocal Academy. She is an active member of the Calgary NATS Chapter (National Association Teachers of Singing) and a busy adjudicator at music festivals across Canada.

Her students receive positive and experienced preparation for local music festivals, and examinations at all levels, (Royal Conservatory of Music, Conservatory Canada and the London College of Music) as well as auditioning for music schools and theatre companies. Her students have attained several gold medals for their examinations and have attended top schools including Mannes School of Music, Berklee School of Music, Dalhousie, Western University, Randolph College and the University of Toronto. “I am dedicated to helping singers of all ages and levels achieve their goals by building a strong understanding and confidence in their technique, musicianship and interpretation to meet the challenge of performing with authenticity, vitality and creativity”.

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James Taylor, Guitar, Piano, Theory

James has a Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Writing & Production from Berklee College of Music and has been teaching and playing professionally for 6 years. James enjoys teaching jazz, rock and indie music.

James teaches students songs they enjoy listening to by ear and through sheet music. He has an array of teaching materials and musical activities that help foster a love of music. James is happy to teach students music for their own personal enjoyment, for bands they play in, or for school.

James teaches guitar for all ages and skill levels as well as beginner and intermediate piano.

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Jennifer Frazer, Violin, Piano

Jennifer Frazer’s appreciation for music began at a very young age while listening to her father play Beethoven sonatas. She began playing piano at age six and later added violin, cello, and viola. She has played violin and viola in several orchestras in both Canada and the United States, and has won awards in various competitions and institutions, including silver medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Music Performance from Bishop’s University as well as an ARCT in piano performance. She also has a teaching diploma from Cordes de l’Estrie and teaches both individual lessons and at music camps. Several of her students have won awards and medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music and local music competitions. Jennifer greatly enjoys teaching and passing on her love of music, and believes that anyone at any age can learn to play and enjoy music.

Jennifer Frazer can teach lessons in English and French.

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Joseph Fernando, Piano, Accordion

Joseph Fernando began studying piano at the age of five. He competed for many years in the Calgary Kiwanis Festival (now the Calgary Performing Arts Festival), winning several classes. He studied in Calgary with Ann Davidson and earned his Performer's ARCT in January 2009, and recently completed the Royal Conservatory's Teaching Elementary Piano course.

He performs at open mic's and music nights around the city, and has been featured as a solo artist at several venues. He has collaborated as a pianist with many local musicians and singer-songwriters, and plays the accordion as a member of the Calgary-based gypsy-punk-folk band Total Gadjos.

Joseph earned a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary in 2009, and an M.Sc. in 2011. He worked as an engineer at a downtown consulting company for over 5 years, and was licensed as a Professional Engineer in Alberta in 2013. He is currently back at university working towards a Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Calgary. Throughout his graduate studies, he has gained educational experience by working as a teaching assistant and tutor.

Joseph believes in adapting teaching methods to the learning styles and personality of each student, and emphasizes creativity and personal interpretation in music performance. He strives to make every lesson enjoyable for his students, and to instill students with a joy for making music.

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John Glanville, Drums

John Glanville is a young, up-and-coming musician from Calgary, Alberta. He grew up playing many instruments from early childhood through high school, and having studied at Ambrose University with renowned drummer Tyler Hornby for more than four years, John has found his home in the percussive arts. Pulling from the likes of Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Brian Blade, and Gregory Hutchinson, he possesses a very dynamic and stylistically diverse skillset, which is complimented by his studies of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian styles. In addition to jazz, he is also experienced in genres such as R&B, fusion, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Funk, Pop, and Rock music. John has played with the Prime Time Big Band as well as a number of dates for JazzYYC festivals, and hopes to expand his reach in the local scene in the coming years.

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Julian Iafelice, Piano, Theory, Drums

At age six, Julian Iafelice began piano lessons at Chinook School of Music and also started lessons on the drumkit shortly after. Julian is currently studying music at the University of Calgary with a concentration in composition and theory. He enjoys performing all genres of music including classical and pop. His teaching style centers around providing an engaging environment for the student, as he believes intrinsic motivation is an important factor when learning to play a musical instrument.

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Juliana Jorge, Piano

Juliana Jorge started her studies at the age of 6 at her birth city, São Pedro, in Brazil. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music – Piano, from the State University of Campinas – UNICAMP, and a Masters in Music degree, focusing on both Collaborative and Solo Piano from The University of New Mexico in the USA. In 2016, Juliana received a full scholarship to deepen her studies at the Bard College in NY, where she attended the Advanced Performance Studies program specializing in Collaborative Piano.

Juliana’s teaching style can be described as fun and productive. She approaches learning the instrument through music, allowing the student to experiment, but also building a firm foundation to grow from. She currently lives in Calgary, where she works as a staff pianist for the Alberta Ballet School and The Youth Singers of Calgary, as well as a chamber music coach and piano teacher. For more info about her work, please visit www.thepianistondemand.com.

Juliana Jorge can teach lessons in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

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Kassandra Schantz, Voice, Music Kids

Kassandra Schantz believes anyone can sing as long as they have passion and perseverance. She grew up in Westlock, AB and from a young age performed in many community theatre productions. Her love of opera led her to Victoria where she completed her Bachelor of Music at the University of Victoria under the guidance of Benjamin Butterfield, and then her Masters of Music at the University of Ottawa under the guidance of Christiane Riel. As a budding mezzo-soprano, she has performed in a number of oratorios and operas, most recently as Dorabella in the University of Ottawa’s production of Cosi fan Tutte. Now she has returned to Alberta and is eager to share her passion, knowledge, and experience.

Kassandra creates an open and safe space to explore your voice and tailors lessons to suit your specific goals and needs as they arise, whether you’re an absolute beginner, or preparing for the audition process. You will receive a solid foundation in the basics of singing, beginning with a focus on breath support, proper onset (when the vocal cords come together to produce sound), vowel formation, production of resonance, and the overall anatomy of the vocal mechanism. You will learn to release tension and bad habits, and replace them with healthy techniques. Whatever genre you are pursuing Kassandra will help strengthen your performance skills including stage presence and storytelling. Her ultimate goal is to reveal to you your own unique and pure voice, and to give you the tools to feel confident, and even fall in love with that voice. This process is both fun and profound.

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Kathleen van Mourik, Piano

Alberta-born pianist Kathleen van Mourik earned a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Calgary in Piano Performance before moving to the Netherlands, where she studied lied and chamber music at the Hilversum Conservatory under Hans Broekman, receiving the Uitvoerend Musicus degree.

Upon returning to Canada, she received a Master of Music degree in piano performance under the tutelage of Vladimir Levtov at the University of Calgary.

Ms. Van Mourik is the founder and co-artistic director of the Mountain View International Festival of Song, Canada's only summer master class programme and concert festival combining art song and chamber music as well as the Mountain View Connection, Calgary's only concert series devoted to presenting emerging artists in concert.

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Katie Filson-Lau, Voice, Piano

Katie Filson-Lau is a soprano soloist and choral singer from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is a graduate of the University of Calgary and received a Bachelor of Music degree majoring in vocal performance. She has performance and training experience in classical, musical theatre, choral, pop, and jazz singing. As a soloist, Katie has been awarded the WorldStrides OnStage Maestro Award, at a choral competition in Montreal, and the Don Wright Prize from the University of Calgary. She also has been awarded the Anthony G. Petti Memorial Scholarship in Music and the Norman J. Kennedy Memorial Scholarship for Choral Performance, both from the University of Calgary. She has performed as a soloist with Juno award-winning group Rosa Barocca. She has competed as a soloist in the Karaoke World Championships, in which she placed top 20 in Canada and the NATS Southern Alberta Songfest. Katie also has 12 years of experience playing piano as a soloist and accompanist for choirs and accompanying her own performances. She hopes to share her knowledge of these experiences with her students while fostering a passion for music. In the future, Katie plans to pursue a master's in choral conducting and vocal performance. When she isn’t making music, she can be found baking yummy sweets or knitting.

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Kevin Wong, Piano, Theory

Kevin is an accomplished solo and chamber pianist, pedagogue and choir director. This is his fourth year at Chinook School of Music and Kevin has enjoyed every moment working with students of diverse ages, levels and musical interests. His students range from beginner to ARCT diploma level. Kevin nourishes his pupils to use music as a tool to express themselves while gaining appreciation of a wide variety of musical styles and developing problem solving, customized learning strategies and critical thinking techniques that can be applied to areas beyond piano education. Kevin grew up in the BC coastal community of Powell River and began piano lessons at the age of 6. After receiving substantial local and provincial recognition, Kevin received his Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT) diploma at the age of 16 under the tutelage of Dr. Moira Hopfe-Ostensen and was the recipient of a silver medal from the Royal Conservatory of music for achieving the highest mark in British Columbia. Kevin conducted post diploma studies with Mr. Kum Sing Lee, an internationally renowned pedagogue at the Vancouver Academy of Music. Kevin then attained both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in piano performance from the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Dr. Henri-Paul Sicsic, a phenomenal internationally recognized concert pianist and pedagogue who was raised in a musical and cultural environment of teachers, composers and performing artists in the direct lineage of Chopin. During this time, Kevin was provincial and national finalist for the Canadian Music Competition on numerous occasions, received 3rd prize at the 2002 Pacific International Piano Competition, won numerous grants and scholarships at UBC and graduated with a distinction (over 90% average) in all his performance studies for his Masters Degree in 2006.

Kevin has engaged in a full time performance and teaching career since 2007 and has taught piano and music theory to students of all ages and levels. He continues to give solo and chamber recitals and was Music Minister and Choir Director at St. Catherine’s Anglican Church in Port Coquitlam, BC for 9 years. Kevin also teaches music theory and composition including advanced music harmony, analysis, counterpoint and history.

Kevin Wong can teach lessons in English and Cantonese.

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Laryssa Warne, Violin

Laryssa Warne began playing the violin at age 3. She graduated from the Mount Royal University Conservatory Academy program and has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary. Laryssa was a member of the Calgary Youth Orchestra, University of Calgary Orchestra and the University of Calgary New Music Ensemble. Laryssa has performed across Western Canada and Eastern Europe.

Laryssa completed Suzuki Teacher Training with Elayne Ras in 2018 at the University of Alberta. In 2021, she attended the Japan-Seattle Suzuki Institute and completed further Suzuki Teacher Training with Edmund Sprunger. Laryssa is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and teaches beginner to advanced level students. Her teaching mission is to instill a love of music in her students by developing skills, motion and awareness in their playing.

Laryssa has performed with Symphony of the Kootenays, Prince George Symphony Orchestra, Timepoint Ensemble, Festival Chorus Orchestra, Calgary Civic Symphony and the Wintergreen Duo/Trio. Notable performances include the 2016 Honens Festival, Cirque Musica's Wonderland, and 'A Tribute to John Denver', conducted by Lee Holdridge. In 2019, Laryssa had a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, performing in the World Premiere of Calgary Opera's Ghost Opera. Laryssa is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Calgary Salon Series chamber music concert series.

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Lana Mihajlovic, Piano

Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Lana showed a passion for music from an early age, and began classical training under the Royal Conservatory of Music at the age of 7 under which she has completed extensive training in the piano, music history, and theory programs. In addition, she has been playing trombone for the past seven years during which she has been a part of various wind ensembles, brass ensembles, and jazz bands which have had great success in regional and international festivals. She has worked closely with the Band Program at Western Canada High School for the last four years, bringing a diverse perspective to her teaching practice at Chinook School of Music.

Lana is currently working to complete her Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in the performance, music history, harmony and counterpoint, and analysis areas. In her free time, she is exploring the world of music production to broaden her skillset, and fuse her love of classical music with modern music.

As a teacher, Lana stresses the importance of raising independent, and confident learners. She is passionate about working collaboratively with her students to foster musical experiences that will benefit them both within their musical studies, as well as other facets of their lives.

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Lauren Tivadar, Music Kids

Lauren has a deep passion for music, having started taking lessons at a young age and eventually entering the Performing Visual Arts Program at Central Memorial High School. Through this program, she discovered her love of jazz music, gained a deeper understanding of theory and was introduced to various genres of music. Following high school, Lauren pursued a bachelor's degree in Vocal Jazz Performance from Capilano University.

With over five years of experience teaching piano and singing, Lauren loves exploring different genres of music with her students while helping them to hone their skills. In her lessons, she focuses on technique and theory and how to apply them to songs that her students know and love.

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Lauren Ully, Piano

Lauren graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 2012 with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance. She lived in Lethbridge for ten years teaching piano before moving back to her hometown of Calgary.

Lauren has taught music to children ranging from three to sixteen years of age, as well as adults. Children are her passion; she loves working with them and ultimately ends up learning from them in return. Lauren enjoys helping students achieve their goals of completing piano exams. Her teaching methods include a lot of movement-orientated techniques. She believes that it is important to think about all aspects of the body when playing the piano, and believes that incorporating movement allows for more musical quality.

Lauren’s experience as a musician includes solo performances in recitals and masterclasses, as well as recitals in chamber music with other instrumental musicians. She is an avid accompanist having accompanied opera soloists, musical theatre soloists and musical theatre groups

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Lone Chu, Guitar, Ukulele, Drums

An extremely talented Malaysian-born musician, Lone has taught guitar, ukulele, bass guitar and drums for over 18 years. He has a wide range of experience with a diverse group of students having taught all styles of music to children as young as three years old, and adults up to 75 years old, in two countries – Malaysia and Canada, as well as internationally through online channels.

Over the years, Lone has developed his own distinctive and versatile style of teaching. His lessons are tailor-made for each individual student’s learning style and experience to keep interest and enthusiasm levels up. Lone also encourages his students to push through their comfort zones and improve their skills through performances and various music activities.

Lone is a passionate musician and a well-loved music teacher. He is dedicated to sharing his love of music and cultivating the musical talents and abilities of his students and music lovers everywhere.

Lone Chu can teach lessons in English, Chinese Mandarin, Chinese Cantonese, and Malay.


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