NORMAN ABBOTT, collaborative pianist (ON), is a freelance keyboardist, cellist, choral/orchestral director and music arranger. Educated in Victoria, BC, Toronto, and London, ON, he holds his ARCT in piano and MM in cello (UWO). Norm is currently music director of Dundas Centre United Church (London), and on the faculty of Young Artists Pre-college Academy (YAPCA, London), which, together with Forest City Violins, has showcased many of his arrangements for 3- or 4-part violin ensemble and piano.
His arranging renown extends to the UK and USA for choral, orchestral and chamber music genres. Recently, he garnered acclaim for choral/orchestral settings of Canadian World War I songs showcased in Victoria, BC, in April 2018. For 21 years, he collaborated with Edward Avey at the Lake Huron Chamber Music Camp, which originated in Muskoka. Norm is also an experienced adjudicator for string/keyboard festivals.
CHLOE AUSTIN, operetta assistant (ON), is a Grade 12 student at JF Ross Secondary School in Guelph, and has a passion for all things “theatre technology”. She has worked in lighting, sound, light design, production, costumes, and props for Royal City Theatre Production, Penny & Pound Theatre Company, Theatre Unmade, and JF Ross Theatre Productions. She has been a member of the crew for such shows as: Adams Family, Urinetown, Lost Girl, Avonlea, The Play That Goes Wrong, as well as several independent original productions such as: Curiouser, Merry Men, Hello Love, and Head In The Game. Chloe is planning to study theatre technology at the post-secondary level in the fall of 2027. Outside of theatre, Chloe loves vintage clothing, steampunk, D&D and her sheepdog George.
PAULE BARSALOU, violin (ON), holds a BM in performance from Laval University and an MM in performance and Suzuki pedagogy from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Paule has been teaching at the Suzuki String School of Guelph since 1989 and was artistic director of the school from 2004 to 2021. She is the coordinator of the SSSG long-term teacher training program. She has been a sanctioned Suzuki teacher trainer since 2003 and trained musicians in the Suzuki approach at institutes and workshops throughout Canada. She is also the co-founder, with Christie Zimmer, of Practice Notes, a reflective note-taking system for fostering independent learning in young musicians. She trains teachers across Canada and the Americas and adjudicates at festivals throughout Ontario. Paule is a former director of the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute, which she led from 1996 to 2009. She is highly committed to Dr. Suzuki's vision that every child can learn a musical instrument and should be taught in a way that nurtures the whole child and allows them to reach their full potential while acquiring healthy playing habits.
ELLEN BERRY, piano (ON), began teaching piano over 50 years ago and has built a thriving private Suzuki studio in Cambridge, Ontario. She has served on the boards of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the Suzuki Association of Ontario, and the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association. Ellen was the Piano Director of the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, for 18 years and also the Director for eight years. In 2024, Ellen was awarded the “ORMTA Contribution to Teaching Award” by the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association. She enjoys learning to play the violin and has two grown Suzuki children and four grandchildren.
Ellen was the Piano Director of the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute for 18 years and also the Director for eight years. In 2024, Ellen was awarded the “ORMTA Contribution to Teaching Award” by ORMTA. She enjoys learning to play the violin, and has two grown Suzuki children and three grandchildren.
JULIA BOWDRING, violin (NS), is originally from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and moved to Nova Scotia in 2017. She is a violinist, fiddler, pianist, and accompanist, and has performed in many locations worldwide, including Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, New York City, Ireland, and London (UK). Julia holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Master’s degree from the University of Limerick, where she specialized in Irish Traditional Music Performance.
As a music teacher, Julia worked with the Suzuki Talent Education Program (STEP) and King’s Bridge Montessori School in St. John's for many years. She has also served as the co-Artistic Director of STEP. She taught and served as Assistant Director at the Scotia Suzuki School of Music in Halifax for four years. She has taught in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Limerick, Ireland. Currently, Julia has a small studio of violin and piano students in her home in the Annapolis Valley.
ANDREA COOK, cello (ON), is a professional cellist and teacher based in Guelph, Ontario. She began her cello studies at the Suzuki String School of Guelph with Sally Gross and later continued her education with John Ehrlich. Andrea holds a Master of Music in performance and pedagogy, as well as a Performer’s Certificate from Northern Illinois University, where she studied under Marc Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet.
Andrea has extensive teaching experience, having held faculty positions in the UK with the Bayswater Suzuki Group, Lauderdale Suzuki Group, and Southbank International School, as well as in Ontario with the Oakville Suzuki Association and Huntsville Suzuki School. In addition to her teaching roles, she was involved in concert organizing as part of the London Suzuki Group’s central committee and served on the board of the Suzuki Association of Ontario.
Andrea currently teaches cello at the Suzuki String School of Guelph and is known for her commitment to music education and lifelong learning. She has also participated in masterclasses and workshops, including opportunities with renowned cellist Alban Gerhardt. Her teaching and playing continue to influence many young musicians in the Guelph area.
IONA CORBER, cello (QC), is a Montreal-based cellist and Suzuki teacher. She studied at McGill University and Boston University, where she earned advanced degrees in cello performance. She has performed with the Orquesta Mexicana de la Juventud in Mexico City, the Orchestre Symphonique de Longueuil since its inception, and as a freelancer with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal. In 1986, she founded Trio Ambiance, which she continues to direct and perform with. She also teaches cello using the Suzuki method.
JOSÉE DESJARDINS, piano (QC), was raised in Kapuskasing, Ontario. She started piano lessons with Mrs. Rita Séguin at the age of 10. In 1986, Josée obtained an Honours Bachelor of Music with Distinction from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, where she studied piano with Marjorie and Garth Beckett. While finishing her Bachelor’s degree, Josée was initiated to the Suzuki Philosophy of music teaching and became engaged in a long-term Suzuki Teacher Training Apprenticeship with Gail Lange of Guelph, Ontario.
She has been teaching piano with the Suzuki Philosophy ever since. After moving to the Montreal area in 1991, Josée became actively involved in the local Suzuki music community. She now directs Institut Suzuki Montreal (ISM), which offers Suzuki piano and string students an exciting music-filled workshop every month of July. Josée currently resides in Ste-Julie, Québec. In 2011 she obtained a Diploma in Advanced Music Performance Studies from Concordia University in Montreal, where she studied piano with Gregory Chaverdian. She continues to study with Mr. Chaverdian.
DRAGAN DJERKIC, violin (QC) is a Serbian-born Canadian violinist and prominent Suzuki violin educator based in Montreal. After immigrating from Serbia, he studied violin with Mauricio Fuks at McGill University in Montreal. Upon graduating, Dragan taught at the McGill Conservatory of Music before co-founding the Institut Suzuki violin school in 1984 with Vera Mirkovic. In 1990, he founded and became the conductor of the Montreal Suzuki String Orchestra, a non-auditioned youth ensemble that has welcomed nearly 1,000 students and performed a wide variety of music, from classical to folk and contemporary works.
Dragan is known for his passion for youth orchestras and music education, inspired by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s philosophy. In addition to leading his school and ensemble, Dragan has organized international tours and served as conductor for broader initiatives such as the Performance Ensemble of Canada. His innovative teaching and commitment to nurturing young musicians have made him a respected figure in the Canadian Suzuki movement.
DAVID EVENCHICK, cello (QC) has been an approved cello teacher trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas since 1999 and has trained hundreds of cellists to teach using The Suzuki Method.
He has studied with Zara Nelsova at The University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Tanya Carey at Western Illinois University, James Hunter at The Victoria Conservatory, and Tony Arnone at The University of Iowa, where he was awarded the Anne T. Clearly Fellowship for International Doctoral Research.
David has headed cello activities in the Preucil School of Music (Iowa City, Iowa) and the Suzuki String School of Guelph (Ontario), and served on the faculty of Grinnell College (Grinnell, Iowa) and the Pré-Conservatoire at the Conservatoire de Quebec à Montreal. Currently, he is faculty for the long-term Suzuki pedagogy at Wilfrid Laurier University and L’Ensemble de Violoncelles de Montréal, and is serving as president of Suzuki Musique Montréal
His students have gone on to study at prestigious music schools such as Juilliard, Rice, Eastman, Michigan, The New England Conservatory and McGill, and his Suzuki pedagogy course participants are now teaching across the Americas and Australia.
David describes his approach to cello pedagogy as “eclectic,” amalgamating the Suzuki Cello School® with other elements, including the cello materials of Rudolf Matz.
Since moving to Montreal in 2020, he has rediscovered his passion for downhill skiing.
CATHERINE FREITAG, collaborative pianist (ON), began her piano studies with Estonian teacher Helgi Fatovic in Ottawa, completed her B. Mus.. in piano performance with Garth Beckett at W.L.U., and studied with Sonjia Behrens at Western University while pursuing a Master’s of Arts in Musicology. She was the winner of the W.L.U. Concerto competition in her first year as a student, and also played with the KWYO in the newly built Centre in the Square in 1982.
Concurrently, she pursued violin studies both at Laurier and then with Jeanne Lamon in Toronto, immersing herself in Baroque performance practice. She played and recorded three Naxos CDs as a violinist with the Aradia Baroque Ensemble and was a founding member of the local Nota Bene Baroque Orchestra. She also freelanced with various other ensembles and orchestras over the years.
Specializing in collaboration with string players, Catherine has enjoyed playing piano for Suzuki String studios, including SSSG and STEW, and for local string teachers’ students in recitals, examinations, and Kiwanis music festivals. Catherine’s accompanying began largely with her own children, who studied Suzuki violin and cello at the SSSG and were lucky to have their own personal collaborator.
SUSAN GAGNON, cello (ON) is a registered teacher trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas, giving courses in Canada and the USA. She is also a core member of the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy for Young Artists at The Royal Conservatory of Music, where she teaches cellists and coaches string quartets.
Ms. Gagnon holds a Bachelor of Music degree with Honours in Performance from the University of Western Ontario. She studied with Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and attended master classes at the Banff School of Fine Arts with Janos Starker and Aldo Parisot.
Susan teaches all levels and ages. She is in demand as a presenter for cello workshops and master classes. She is a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators' Association and has adjudicated festivals across Canada.
Susan played per service with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra from 1983-2023. She enjoys performing chamber music and has been a member of String Quartet Panache, the Toronto Arts Trio, and the Chrysalis Piano Quartet.
Several of the quartets that Susan has coached have won Provincial Finals, CMC finals and been awarded the SOCMI scholarship to participate in events at the Banff String Quartet competition. Susan has been a regular faculty member at Music at Port Milford, an international summer music camp that teaches chamber music to teens, since 1995.
Susan Gagnon has been an examiner for the RCM since 1995, compiled the 1995, 2007 and 2013 Cello Syllabi as well as the 2013 repertoire books for the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. Ms. Gagnon is also a Certified Teacher with the RCM Teacher Certification program.
She has been on the faculty at Suzuki Institutes across Canada and throughout the USA, teaching both teachers and students. She was formerly the Chair of the Suzuki Association of Ontario.
KEN GEE, collaborative pianist (ON), Ken Gee is a Canadian classical pianist based in Guelph, Ontario, originally from Hamilton. He studied music at McMaster University, where he was awarded the McMaster Medal for the Creative and Performing Arts, and pursued further piano studies in Toronto with Boris Berlin.
Ken is an active performer, collaborator, and educator. He is the founder and artistic director of Guelph Musicfest, an annual concert series held at the Guelph Youth Music Centre Recital Hall, where he regularly performs chamber music and solo recitals. He also formed the Festival Trio, collaborating with violinist Sadie Fields and cellist Paul Pulford (and now cellist Katie Schlaikjer, beginning in 2026).
In addition to his concert work, Ken is deeply involved in music education and community music-making. He serves as the pianist for the Suzuki String School of Guelph, was a longtime pianist for the Guelph Youth Singers, and is a regular accompanist at competitions such as the Ontario Music Festivals Association (OMFA) Provincial Finals, Suzuki summer institutes, Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) exams, and local festivals. He is known for his expertise in violin and cello repertoire and is a sought-after piano collaborator for both instrumentalists and choirs.
Ken was very involved with the development of the Guelph Youth Music Centre (GYMC). He was a longtime board member, serving a term as Chair, and his initiatives included the creation of the Guelph Youth Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, which continues today as the Guelph Symphony Youth Orchestra. He is now President of the Guelph Kiwanis Music Festival and a member of the festival’s organizing committee. In 2008, he was the recipient of a City of Guelph Mayor’s Award.
His commitment to working with young musicians and treating their performances with professional care is widely recognized in the community. He is also skilled in music technology and is a music engraver and designer for the Royal Conservatory of Music.
EMMA GRANT-ZYPCHEN, cello (ON), is a cellist and music educator based in Ottawa, Ontario. Her work is grounded in a belief that music education is not only about developing skilled musicians, but also thoughtful, confident and compassionate human beings. She is passionate about creating a learning environment that values imagination, experimentation, ownership, and authentic human connection.
Emma holds a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from McGill University, where she studied with Matt Haimovitz. During her studies, she performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and appeared in venues including Maison Symphonique, Koerner Hall, and the Konzerthaus Berlin. She graduated in 2019 and received the McGill Alumnae Society Prize.
After returning to Ottawa, Emma joined the faculty of the National Capital Suzuki School of Music and began teaching with the El Sistema-inspired program, OrKidstra. She later completed a Master of Music in Cello Performance at the Université de Montréal, studying with Yegor Dyachkov while maintaining an active teaching studio.
Emma has completed Suzuki teacher training with Tanya Carey, Susan Gagnon, Avi Friedlander, and Sally Gross. She is also a certified teacher trainer in Creative Ability Development (CAD), having studied extensively with Alice Kay Kanack in Rochester, New York. Emma co-leads a CAD group for teens with Laura Nerenberg, and improvisation is a core component of her teaching and personal practice.
In 2023, Emma became Artistic Director of the National Capital Suzuki School of Music and served on the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Association of Ontario, working to shape the future of music education in her community.
As a performer, Emma has collaborated with chamber ensembles including Duo Acanthus, Linden Grove Quartet, Emerald String Quartet, Ensemble Passamano, and the Serenade of Strings. She has also recorded on albums such as The Aphelion’s Nascence, Chad Wolff’s Clogs & Jigs & Reels…Oh My! and Rose Andrews’ Magnifica.
Outside of music, Emma can be found gardening, meditating, collaging and spending time in nature with her dog.
MÉLANIE GRENIER, violin (QC), teaches the violin in a private studio and works to develop this method in Quebec City, where she lives. Many years ago, she created a document in French to present and explain the method. She has also been really invested in the last 2 years in the Suzuki Music Musique Canada, and the French development of it throughout Canada.
With a group of Suzuki parents, she organizes a Suzuki Workshop every other year and many pedagogical activities for her students. She founded the group Jeux d’Archets Suzuki and has directed the summer camp “Fa-Do-Sol” for 30 years. Mélanie teaches regularly at workshops and summer institutes in Canada and the United States.
Her device: Transmit to the younger, on the Suzuki path, her passion for music, with varied and rich experiences, and help them develop discipline, perseverance, a pleasure in playing, and a desire for well-done work. Help them develop strong concentration, work with them to make them proud of what they accomplish, and give them good training in music and violin playing.
Mélanie received 3 prestigious prizes: The Prix d’Excellence des Arts et de la Culture from the Société du Palais Montcalm in 2012, the Personnalité culturelle de l’année and the Mise en valeur de la Culture in 2014; these last two prizes were given by Les Étoiles de la Jacques Cartier, MRC de la Jacques Cartier.
Mélanie holds a Bachelor’s in music from Laval University, which she finished at McGill University, and a DESS from the University of Montreal. During those years, she studied violin with Claude Richard, Vladimir Landsman and Gyorgy Terebesy.
After those years, she studied for a master’s degree in violin performance at Hartford University in CT, where she was fortunate to work with the Emerson String Quartet and Katie Landsdale. She also did two great years of Suzuki training with Teri Einfeldt at the Hartt School, a great place to learn and a great Suzuki environment. Since then, she continued her training in summer institutes and workshops with Nancy Lokken, Ed Kreitman, Teri Einfeldt, Linda Fiore, and Thomas Wermuth/
When she came back from her two years in the States, Mélanie studied orchestral excerpts with Darren Lowe at the Music Conservatory in Quebec City; she also did some studies in arts directing at the “Hautes Etudes Commerciales” in Montreal.
In addition to her violin studio, Mélanie subs for the Symphonic Orchestra and other professional groups in Québec, and plays with various chamber ensembles and bands.
She is the mom of 3: Clara 21, Juliette 19 and Alexia 10, whom she taught from age 2.
ASHTON HART, composition (ON), is a Canadian composer and music producer born in 2002 in Port Hope, Ontario. His love for music took root when he began playing the violin at age five and grew as he played with string ensembles and orchestras in both Canada and Australia. Ashton graduated with distinction from Wilfrid Laurier University’s Honours Bachelor of Music program and spent this past year taking part in Sheridan College’s Music Scoring for Screen and Stage postgraduate program. During his time at Sheridan College, Ashton composed and produced soundtracks for 7 different graduating students’ capstone projects across the animation, film, and video game mediums; he also served as the score mixer for an additional soundtrack composed by one of his colleagues, including a live-recorded orchestra. Since 2020, Ashton has been working professionally as a composer for various projects and clients in countries around the world, such as Canada, the United States, Japan, and more, through his online business—VallaStudios. Ashton's compositional work seeks to transport listeners into the narratives of the projects he scores—breathing life and emotion into each story—in the same ways those works have transported him.
ANNA HUGHES, violin (ON), began playing violin at the age of three in the Suzuki String School of Guelph. Her mother, Daphne Hughes, a founder of the school, was her first teacher, followed by Tom Wermuth for the rest of her time at the school. Anna was a member of the Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo youth orchestras and the senior-level touring string orchestra of the Suzuki String School of Guelph. She also played with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for two summers. After high school, Anna completed the Orchestral Training Programme at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Music Performance degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, along with a year of Suzuki Pedagogy training at that same institution.
As a violinist, Anna has freelanced with various orchestras and ensembles in Ontario, Manitoba, and southern England, including the Winnipeg Symphony, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, and Windsor Symphony. For almost a decade, she was a tenured member of the Niagara Symphony and was also the second violinist of Brock University’s Walker String Quartet for three years.
As a dedicated violin teacher, Anna has enjoyed teaching at Suzuki Institutes and Camps in Newfoundland, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, the Yukon, and Ontario. Currently, she does some private teaching in Guelph and has a private studio in Kitchener-Waterloo at the Laurier Academy of Music and Arts and welcomes students of all ages and levels.
Anna enjoys combining her teaching and playing with arts administration work. She was the Coordinator of the University of Manitoba Suzuki Program and the Event Coordinator for the Suzuki String School of Guelph. She is currently the Personnel and Artist Manager for the Niagara Symphony.
TRACY JEWELL, administrator (ON) (no relation to Margot), has been the Administrator of SOSI for 23 years and thoroughly enjoys the week, hearing beautiful music and seeing students, families and faculty each year. Her daughter Emma Jewell played the violin for many years and also became the office assistant at SOSI, retiring last year. Tracy has her own Business, Jewell Services, that provides financial management support to small organizations/businesses. Although Tracy doesn’t play the violin, viola, cello, piano or bass, she has recently taken up learning to play the guitar; watch out, Neil Young!
SHARON JONES, violin (ON). At age ten, Sharon Jones met Dr. Suzuki and participated in his group classes at ASI in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Three years later, she had the unique opportunity to work with Dr. Suzuki at an ISME (International Society of Music Educators) Conference in her hometown of London, Canada, as part of a small group of North American children. After spending four months in Japan in 1985, her mother, Dorothy Jones, returned home and began work on the Suzuki school she had promised Suzuki she would start. It was at this time that she asked Sharon to begin developing the baby/toddler curriculum, which is now known as Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) and used in SECE classrooms worldwide. Sharon is an SAA-registered Teacher Trainer in SECE. She is the founding director of the Thames Valley Suzuki School in London, Ontario. Sharon has been a clinician in Canada, the USA, Ireland, Japan, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, and Australia.
JERZY KAPLANEK, violin (ON). Internationally renowned violinist Jerzy Kapłanek has established himself as a chamber musician, member of the celebrated Penderecki String Quartet, soloist, dedicated teacher, adjudicator, artistic director of QuartetFest and lately as a jazz violinist
He performs over 80 concerts throughout Europe, Asia, and North and South America each season. His album of works by Karol Szymanowski with pianist Stéphan Sylvestre was highly praised by The Strad magazine as “an outstanding release”. His discography with the Penderecki Quartet comprises over two dozen CD’s (Marquis, Eclectra, CBC, CMC, EMI, Decca labels), including the highly acclaimed recording of the complete string quartets of Béla Bartók.
Mr. Kaplanek has collaborated with such notable musicians as pianists David Braid, Leopoldo Erice, Vladimir Feltsman, Janina Fialkowska, Francine Kay, Lev Natochenny, Jamie Parker, Stéphan Sylvestre, cellists Marc Johnson, Antonio Lysy, Paul Pulford, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and clarinetist James Campbell, amongst others. He is frequently heard on CBC Radio and NPR. He has made solo appearances with the Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, Peterborough and CBC Vancouver Symphonies and was a featured soloist at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Jerzy Kapłanek was born in Poland in 1965. His music education began at age 6 on the piano, and at age 10 he began his violin studies. In 1984, he received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Conservatory in Bytom. In 1990, he graduated with a Master’s Degree in Musical Arts from the prestigious Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. There, he studied with the distinguished teachers Janusz Skramlik, Aureli Błaszczok and Stanisław Lewandowski
In 1987-88, he studied with Efim Boico and the Fine Arts Quartet at the Chamber Music Institute in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1989-90, he was a student of Sylvia Rosenberg in New York City and in 1990-91, he studied with Daniel Heifetz, the Guarneri String Quartet and its violinists, Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley. Pursuing his interest in performance practice, Mr. Kapłanek also worked with the pioneer of baroque violin, Jaap Schroeder.
Jerzy Kapłanek is currently a Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where since 1991 he has been teaching violin and chamber music. He frequently gives master classes in Canada and abroad.
Mr. Kaplanek performs on a 2016 Samuel Zygmuntowicz violin made in New York City.
KAREN-MICHELE KIMMETT, violin (ON), is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and Ithaca College (Master of Music). She has taught in numerous Suzuki schools, including The Royal Conservatory of Music and l’Ecole Suzuki de Lyon, prior to co-founding the Institut Musical Suzuki Paris in Paris, France.
Ms. Kimmett was privileged to study with Dr. Suzuki in Matsumoto, Japan and is a Teacher Trainer for both the SAA and the ESA. Ms. Kimmett has taught in numerous European countries, St. Barthélemy, and the United States, in addition to ESA Teacher Training programs in South Africa and Zimbabwe. An Honorary Member of the European Suzuki Association, Ms. Kimmett has been a member of the SAA Violin Committee, a co-founder of Canta Arya School for Strings in Kingston, ON, and a founding member of the SMMC (Suzuki Music Musique Canada) association.
Karen-Michele’s lifelong interest in community building through music has been, above all, inspired by the many wonderful children, families, and teachers she has had the privilege to collaborate with in numerous settings over the years.
Ms. Kimmett is an avid gardener, tree planter and winter sports enthusiast.
EMILY LaFRENSE, Operetta Set Design (ON)
STEPHANIE MARA, collaborative pianist (Waterloo, ON), received an Associate Diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, where she studied with Garth Beckett.
As a collaborative pianist and coach for Wilfrid Laurier University, Stephanie works with students majoring in brass, bassoon, clarinet and cello and has assisted in master classes with Alain Trudel, Dennis Najoom and James Campbell.
Her festival and series appearances include the Elora Festival, the Festival of the Sound, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Barrie Colours of Music and Quad City Arts (USA).
KIMBERLY MEIER-SIMS, violin (OH), is a registered Violin Teacher Trainer through the Suzuki Association of the Americas. After 22 years, she will end her tenure on the Violin Faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music Conservatory and as Head of the Suzuki Pedagogy Degree Program. From 2004 to 2022, Ms. Meier-Sims was the Director of the CIM Sato Center for Suzuki Studies Preparatory Program. In 2015 Ms. Meier-Sims was awarded the CIM Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition of outstanding teaching, service and continued devotion to the education of young musicians. Ms. Meier-Sims’ CIM Conservatory Suzuki Pedagogy graduates have received full-time positions at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, the University of Arkansas, and the Dallas Suzuki Institute. Other employment includes the Sato Center for Suzuki Studies, the Suzuki-Orff School of Music in Chicago, the Western Springs School of Talent Education, the Levine School of Music, the Cleveland Music Settlement, the Avon School of Music, the Broadway School of Music & Art, and the Interlochen Arts Camp.
Ms. Meier-Sims received a Master’s degree in performance from Western Illinois University, studying violin and Suzuki pedagogy with Almita Vamos. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in performance and education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville under the guidance of her mentor, John Kendall, the first American teacher to travel to Japan to study and observe Shinichi Suzuki’s teachings. In the summer of 1986, Ms. Meier-Sims travelled to Japan for a six-week study with Dr. Suzuki.
Ms. Meier-Sims’ private violin students have been and are members of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Cleveland Contemporary Youth Orchestra. They have included winners of the Lakeland Concerto Competition, the CIM Pre-College Concerto Competition, and the Sigma Alpha Iota Competition. They have performed in the Learning Through Creativity Composer's Guild project, the Suzuki Youth Orchestra of the Americas, and in Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference master classes with Paul Kantor & Scott Conklin.
ELEN MEYER, collaborative pianist (Toronto, ON), is one of Ontario’s most in-demand collaborative pianists. Possessing a large and varied repertoire, she has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Canada and the USA (including Carnegie Hall), multiple times in Germany and most recently, in Italy. Ellen has presented recitals with such notable musicians as Ricardo Morales, principal clarinettist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Julian Bliss, and was the official pianist for master classes conducted by Sabine Meyer and Karl Leister, amongst others. Ellen has been heard on upward of 15 CDs, including Foliage and Twelve by the Moon-dial with Riverdale Ensemble, several with Cantores Celestes Women’s Choir and Mit Ausdruck with Ossia on historical keyboard. Ellen has been broadcast on CBC, CTV, MuchMusic, Bravo, TVO, and WNED, and hopes to perform in Antarctica one day.
DOUG MURPHY, double bass, orchestra assistant (Ottawa, ON), lives in Ottawa, Ontario, and is a bassist and father of three Suzuki-trained musicians (violin, viola and cello). His wife, Marie Kusters, has been a Suzuki violin teacher since 1986. He has led the bass sections of many orchestras for over 40 years and also directs choirs. He has recently retired from a career as a civil engineer and is a promoter of the lifelong benefits of music education across all facets of mental and physical development.
Doug has played with Suzuki ensembles since 1986 with his wife’s violin studio, and since 1990 in Suzuki Association of Ontario ensembles and at summer Institutes. He has been an orchestral assistant and bassist for SOSI since 2002. His formal teacher training in the Suzuki Bass Method began in the fall of 2013, and he has been teaching since 2014. He is fully fluent in French and English.
Doug teaches private lessons and holds group classes from his home studio in Ottawa.
LAURA NERENBERG, violin (ON), is a Suzuki Violin and improvisation teacher and an improvisation pedagogy coach for music teachers. She believes that all musicians should learn to improvise regardless of their previous experience. Laura has taught improvisation to students and teachers from 6 continents. She has also worked with students at the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, and Carleton University. She has been, since 2000, the director of Ottawa's Rideau Falls Violins.
Since graduate and undergraduate studies in violin performance at the University of Ottawa and the Hartt School, Laura has studied complementary modalities like body-mapping and improvisation, which she integrates into her teaching.
An active performer, Laura is a founding member of Gatineau's Ensemble Prisme. She plays modern and Baroque violins in a duo and founded the Triptych Piano Trio. She plays with several jazz ensembles, like the Ottawa Jazz Orchestra and Courage 4.
Laura is committed to teaching her students a wide variety of repertoire beyond. She routinely includes works by living, Canadian, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women composers in her own performances and her student concerts. Her students also regularly perform their own creative improvisations and compositions and have the chance to explore other genres like fiddle, jazz and Blues.
In 2024 and 2025, Laura performed her inaugural autobiographical solo play over a dozen times – often to sold-out audiences – from St. John's to Victoria to Whitehorse. She is currently working on several more autobiographical plays. Laura is fascinated by issues of identity and artistic expression and enjoys weaving stories from her past self with insights from the present. Never hiding her musician identity, she interweaves musical performance throughout her plays.
ARUN PAL, percussion (Kitchener, ON), “Arun Pal oozes talent”, “Arun is just as engaging a singer and piano player as he is as a percussionist” (Michael Barclay), “To say Arun Pal is prodigiously talented is an understatement” (Errol Nazareth – CBC Radio 1), “Pal’s evolved melodic content supports David Earle’s intent. It also lends emotional texture to its most lyrical moment” (National Post).
Arun is one of the most diverse artists in Canada. He has produced, recorded and engineered close to 50 albums, including artists like Delaney Jane, Matt Osborne, snack! and many others. Arun has also collaborated with the most revered modern dance choreographers in Canada, composing compelling orchestral works, playing live with his piano-drumming-singing simultaneously, and setting up and workshopping movement and rhythm at Universities and Arts Schools.
Arun's recent Before Now Always music series and Arundisplays Arun’s full multi-instrumental talents featuring his incredible drumming and piano skills, his voice, his prolific compositional skills, whether it be his solo acoustic guitar and singing repertoire, his eclectic full band material, his one-man-band sets (known as “the man with 4 HANDS”) or his rhythmic orchestral pieces.
Arun is grateful to work, perform or open for many talents like Amanda Martinez, Luke Doucet, Bob Egan from Blue Rodeo, Matt Osborne, snack!, Juno-nominated artists Eccodek and Alysha Brilla, the Skydiggers, David Usher/Moist, and he is also honoured to regularly collaborate with Order of Canada winner David Earle. He has also appeared on CTV’s Canada AM, at Ontario Place, Centre in the Square, Festival of Friends, Hillside Festival, The River Run Centre, Nashville, and The Canada Summer Games, and had his music performed throughout France, the USA, and Canada. With a long history of musical excellence, Arun was honoured to receive the KW Arts Award for Music in 2005.
MARGARET PARKIN, violin (UK). Canada native Margaret Parkin began her musical studies as a Suzuki violin student with Richard Lawrence at the age of 4. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Queen's University and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from McGill University, where she studied under the direction of Iwan Edwards and John Baboukis. Having trained within the European Suzuki Association (ESA), she holds Diplomas of Suzuki Teaching for both Violin and Viola, is an ESA Violin Teacher Trainer and a Viola Instructor. She serves as Director of BSMA London Teacher Training and is a member of the ESA Violin Committee.
Margaret is the director of the Oxford Suzuki String Group, where she maintains a private studio of violin and viola students. She has previously taught as director of the Exeter Suzuki String Group, as a member of the faculty at the Suzuki String School of Guelph (ON), and as director of the Guelph Youth Music Centre String Orchestras. Margaret is a regular clinician, conductor, and speaker at workshops and institutes in Canada, the UK, and Europe. She was privileged to be a member of the faculty at the ESA Children’s Convention held earlier this year in Istanbul, Turkey. Her most rewarding role is that of a Suzuki parent to her teenage son.
GRETCHEN PAXSON-ABBERGER, violin (ON), Gretchen Paxson Abberger holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Bennington College, a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and a master’s degree in Historical Performance from the Mannes College of Music in New York City, as well a 2-year Long Term Certificate in Suzuki training from the School for Strings in New York City studying with Louise Behrend. Further teacher development has been short-term training courses with the following: Ronda Cole, Daphne Hughes, Allen Lieb, Carol Smith, Ed Sprunger, Carey Beth Hockett, Brian Lewis, Sera Smolen, Alice Kay Kanack, and Nathan Cole. Gretchen taught at the Manhattan School of Music prep department and Louise Behrend’s School for Strings in NYC before moving to Toronto in 1994. Since then, she has been freelancing, teaching privately, and as a guest teacher at Suzuki workshops throughout the GTA. She has also taught for the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute and Camp Sparrow. As a guest teacher at winter workshops, Gretchen has taught all levels for RCM, Hamilton Suzuki Program, Etobicoke Suzuki Music, and in Ottawa for Suzuki Programs of Laura Nerenberg and Leslie Wade.
She teaches all levels at the North York Suzuki School of Music and was Artistic Director for the Miles Nadal JCC Suzuki Program from 1999 to 2024. For the upcoming 2025-26 season, Gretchen is looking forward to a new role as Emeritus Artistic Director, while continuing to teach group and private lessons in the Suzuki program and overseeing the adult music programming. In 2010, Gretchen founded and directed the MNjcc Suzuki Summer Music and Arts Camp, which she continues to co-direct alongside Kate Shaner.
In 2002, she founded Thanks to Dr. Suzuki Concert Performances, a charitable organization whose mission is to create community among students and teachers of Toronto area Suzuki schools in a yearly collaborative gala concert. Gretchen approaches the Suzuki philosophy from two sides of the Suzuki triangle: as a teacher and as a parent of two adult children who learned the violin through the Suzuki method, studying at the MNjcc Suzuki Program.
ELAYNE RAS, SOSI Director (ON), began Suzuki violin lessons at the age of 11 at the first Suzuki school in Toronto, after taking piano lessons since age 5. She received her Honours Bachelor’s in Music Performance & her BA in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and became a violin Teacher Trainer in 2002. Elayne has been a clinician for numerous Suzuki workshops and institutes in Canada and the US, has adjudicated at music festivals around Ontario and Alberta, and served 10 years on the board of the Suzuki Association of Ontario, including a term as Chair.
Elayne performed with the Stratford Symphony Orchestra for 5 years, is now Principal 2nd violin of the Guelph Symphony, and freelances around Southwestern Ontario. She conducted a community band of all ages in Goderich for 19 years. Now living in Rockwood, she taught at the Suzuki String School of Guelph for 14 years, including 12 years as conductor of beginning orchestras, after 26 years with Huron String School in Goderich. Currently, Elayne teaches violin and viola privately in Guelph and part-time with the Etobicoke Suzuki School of Music and is the Director of the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute in Waterloo, Ontario. She toured China as a member of the Ontario Festival Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and, in 2018, completed a Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology in Toronto, Ontario, offered by the Flourishing Centre of New York. She is excited to apply the principles of Positive Psychology in her studio and in teacher-training classes.
MARION SAMUEL-STEVENS, operetta director (Rockwood, ON), has been described as an engaging, direct performer and actress. Her performances range from the intimacy of recital performance to the grandeur of opera. Marion has been the Ontario winner of the Natsaa competition and second runner-up in the regional Natsaa competition in Indiana, where her voice was described as "beautiful and rich with evenness and colour throughout". She was also a semi-finalist in the prestigious Eckhardt-Grammatté competition, which gives special attention to new Canadian music. In both competitions, Marion was able to show her well-developed ability to switch between a wide variety of vocal and dramatic styles with efficiency and finesse.
Marion has performed across Canada, the United States, and Europe. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto's Voice Performance program. In addition to her studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, she has attended numerous prestigious enrichment programs across North America and Europe, where she had the pleasure of studying with acclaimed musicians, including Elly Ameling, Rudolph Jansen and Martin Katz.
An avid supporter of new music, she has had the pleasure of debuting several works by Canadian composer Peter Skoggard, as well as performing works by Ronald E. Beckett and Jake Heggie. Ricky Ian Gordon and John Harbison all under the guidance of the composers themselves. Her unique approach to poetry and ability to interpret challenging works with ease has also allowed her to perform in the Bohlen Pierce scale. On her portrayal in Ronald E Beckett's Ruth “Marion Samuel-Stevens was outstanding in the title role. Her warm, full voice floated across the registers, especially to some silvery, shiver-producing high notes. I found I was keenly looking forward to her next solo moment.” Murray Charters
Marion also has the honour of conducting the Village by the Arboretum Singers and Joyful Noise Children's Choir. As a conductor, Marion believes in bringing the beauty of the voice forward through building confidence and skill. Text and attention to dramatic intention are also at the forefront of her preparation, bringing a charismatic and evocative performance to the audience.
Equally comfortable on the operatic and concert stage, Marion is sought after for her subtle interpretations of text and character, as much as for her warm, supple and luminous voice.
GENEVIÈVE SCHIRM-JOYCE, Cello Director (ON), has been teaching cello for over 20 years, nurturing students of all ages and abilities with a deep passion for music and the Suzuki philosophy. She began her musical journey as a Suzuki student at just two years old, studying with Jo-Anne Goyder. She earned a Bachelor of Music (cello performance), a Diploma in Chamber Music and a Bachelor of Arts in French from Wilfrid Laurier University, where she studied under Paul Pulford. She later obtained a Master’s in Suzuki Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Denver, studying under Carol Tarr.
As co-founder of Suzuki Talent Education of Waterloo (STEW), Genevieve leads a robust studio of cellists ranging from ages 2 to 70+ years. She has also been deeply involved in the Suzuki community, serving on the board of the Suzuki Association of Ontario (SAO) since 2018 and acting as treasurer since 2020. Additionally, she is the chair of the newly incorporated Suzuki Music/Musique Canada (SMMC), where she looks forward to fostering connections between teachers and families across the country. Geneviève is the cello director of the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute (SOSI), held annually at Wilfrid Laurier University each August.
Geneviève continues to perform, serving as principal cellist of the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and the Waterloo Chamber players, as well as a member of both the Quinten Quartet and the Harmonium ensemble.
Outside of teaching and performing, Geneviève enjoys teaching Centergy as a volunteer at her local YMCA, where she also participates in various classes. In her free time, she likes to read, take tap dancing classes and spend time at her family cottage. Genevieve lives in Waterloo with her husband, Marc, her three children and her various (many!) pets.
STEPHANIE SCHOLMAN, violin (ON), began studying the violin at age 5 at the Hamilton Suzuki School of Music. Her musical training included performing with the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. She earned her A.R.C.T. in Violin Performance and a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto, where she studied with internationally renowned violin pedagogue Lorand Fenyves, Professor Emeritus. Stephanie has performed with several orchestras throughout the Greater Toronto Area. She served as Co-Concertmaster of the Milton Philharmonic Orchestra for two years and is currently Concertmaster of the Southern Ontario Lyric Opera Company Orchestra. About ten years ago, Stephanie expanded her musical focus to include the viola. She now serves as Principal Violist of the Rose Orchestra Brampton, Oakville Chamber Orchestra, and Masterworks of Oakville. She also enjoys performing viola with her string quartet and is a member of the Burlington-based ensemble Effusion. In addition to performing, Stephanie teaches violin and viola in Burlington, where she lives with her husband, Mike, and their children, Jeffrey, Jordan, and Robyn.
CAROLE SIROIS, cello (QC), has been a dynamic and integral part of the Canadian music scene over the past fifty years, performing with the nation’s finest symphonic and chamber ensembles.
As a member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit for nearly twenty years, she participated in all its concerts, international tours and recordings – more than sixty on the Decca-London label. Subsequently, she performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Les Violons du Roy (Quebec City), and from 2006 until 2016, she was a member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa) under Pinchas Zukerman. In the course of her orchestral career, she has been principal cellist of the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, the McGill Chamber Orchestra and the Société philharmonique de Montréal.
Her gifts as a chamber musician have kept her in constant demand for concerts in Canada, the United States and Europe. She has performed with Musica Camerata de Montréal, Les Chambristes de Montréal, Les Chambristes de Ville-Marie and Trio Hochelaga. In addition, she has been invited to perform at international chamber music festivals with such renowned artists as Alexandre Tharaud, Pascal Rogé, William Preucil, Maurice Bourgues, James Campbell, Robert Silverman and John Perry.
She has appeared as a guest soloist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and her recitals have been broadcast regularly on Radio-Canada’s music channel.
Her dedication to teaching has nurtured new generations of musicians at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, the Université de Montréal, Bishop’s University, the Université de Sherbrooke, Toronto’s Glenn Gould School, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Pinchas Zukerman’s Young Artists Program and the Domaine Forget’s Music Academy.
Carole Sirois studied cello with Thérèse Motard, Hélène Gagné, Walter Joachim, Guy Fallot and Philippe Muller. She is married to the renowned double bass player Joel Quarrington.
JENNIFER STACEY, pre-reading (ON), has been teaching Orff and Preparatory Children’s Music Classes for over 30 years. She holds her Orff Post Level III Certificate, Advanced Certificate in Early Childhood Music, and Diploma in Child Studies, and is currently working on her Master of Community Music at Laurier.
Jennifer has been teaching the Early Childhood Music Classes at the Beckett School of Music at Laurier since 2017. She has been teaching the Primary/Jr. Vocal Music Teacher Additional Qualification courses for York University for the past eight years.
Jennifer has been a clinician for music workshops covering such topics as Music and Literacy, Music and Kindergarten, Montessori Music, Music and Science, and Ukulele and Orff, and has written curriculum lessons for the Ontario Music Educators’ Association (OMEA), York University, and York Region School Board. In 2007, Jennifer was part of the Ministry of Education's writing team for the Elementary Arts Curriculum.
Jennifer is also co-founder of Music at Green Gables in Kitchener, which focuses on community music.
WITOLD SWOBODA, violin (ON), is a Polish-Canadian violinist and educator based in Ontario. He was trained at the High Schools of Music in Bielsko-Biala and Krakow, Poland, and graduated in 1980 from the Krakow Academy of Music with a master's degree in violin performance. Before moving to Canada in 1981, he performed as a member of the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra, Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, and as a violinist and violist with the Ewa Demarczyk Ensemble.
In Canada, Witold has performed widely as a member of the Canadian String Quartet and served as concertmaster of the Sault Symphony, Toronto Sinfonietta, Peterborough Symphony, Etobicoke Symphony, and Orchestra da Camera Toronto. With his wife, pianist Ewa Swoboda, he has given numerous solo and chamber recitals in Europe and North America.
A prominent teacher, he has taught violin and viola at Algoma University, Mohawk College, and numerous summer music programs. He is the founder and artistic director of the International Chamber Music Workshop in Puławy, Poland, and co-founder of Accademia Musica, a successful Suzuki program in Peterborough, Ontario. Witold is also active as a clinician and adjudicator across North America.
LORI TERSIGNI, crafts (ON), along with her husband Frank, has four crafty kids of her own. She enjoys all types of handwork: knitting, crocheting, sewing, weaving and bookbinding. As well, Lori happens to be the proud sister of our administrator Tracy Jewell.
MARNIE VAN WEELDEN, piano (ON), enjoys a versatile career as a solo and collaborative pianist and devoted pedagogue based in the Kitchener–Waterloo region. She completed her Associate Diploma in Piano Performance (ARCT) with the Royal Conservatory of Music while still in her teens, began teaching at fourteen, and went on to earn an undergraduate degree in music from Western University, followed by Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in piano performance and pedagogy on full scholarship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbour. Her principal teachers there included Louis Nagel and her mentor Logan Skelton, and she pursued further intensive study in Prague and at London’s Guildhall School of Music with Nelly Ben‑Or, focusing on the Alexander Technique and healthy, expressive technique at the piano.
A member of the Royal Conservatory College of Examiners and an RCM Certified specialist from elementary through advanced levels, Dr. Van Weelden is in regular demand across Canada as an examiner, adjudicator, workshop clinician, and guest speaker for teacher organizations, festivals, and university pedagogy programs. Since 2007 she has taught piano and co‑taught piano pedagogy at Wilfrid Laurier University and also serves on faculty at the Beckett School at Laurier, where she mentors emerging pianists while maintaining a select private studio.
Her workshop “Music in Motion” reflects her doctoral research on the Alexander Technique, offering pianists practical tools for dynamic choreography, injury prevention, and whole‑body awareness at the keyboard. Dr. Van Weelden’s students have gone on to pursue graduate study and careers as performers, educators, therapists, and composers, earning scholarships and top prizes at provincial and national competitions and concerto contests. She is widely recognized for her engaging artistry and deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of pianists.
She is a former SOSI YAP teacher and performed Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals with the SOSI faculty orchestra. Deeply grateful to be part of the vibrant Kitchener-Waterloo musical community, she performs regularly in noon-hour concert series and other local events.
Dr. Van Weelden received her ARCT diploma in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory while still in high school. Having begun teaching piano at the age of 14, she quickly realized that music education was her true calling. She completed her undergraduate studies at Western University before earning both her Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in piano performance and pedagogy on full scholarship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbour, where she studied with Louis Nagel and her mentor, Logan Skelton.
During her studies, Dr. Van Weelden performed in the Prague International Masterclass Series in the Czech Republic and took part in a course integrating the Alexander Technique and piano performance with Nelly Ben-Or of the Guildhall School of Music in London, England. A lifelong learner, she continues to refine her artistry through summer programs at the Adamant Music School in Vermont, where she has performed in solo and duo recitals, masterclasses, and studied with distinguished artist teachers, including the renowned Menahem Pressler.
Since 2007, Dr. Van Weelden has been a member of the piano faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she also co-teaches the piano pedagogy course with Professor Kroetch. Prior to her appointment at Laurier, she served as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Piano Pedagogy Laboratory Program at the University of Michigan.