Dr. Patricia Tao | Senior Piano

Dr. Patricia Tao has led an active life as performer, teacher and concert organizer. As pianist of the Guild Trio for ten years, she performed throughout the United States and Europe and was awarded the position of Trio-in-Residence at the Tanglewood Music Center. The Trio also commissioned and premiered numerous works, recorded on the CRI label (reissued on New World Records) and served as Trio-in-Residence at the University of Virginia for two years. She also performed with Trio Voce (Jasmine Lin, violin, Marina Hoover, cello) for ten years, with whom she has recorded the Chopin and Strauss cello and piano sonatas on the Centaur label and two compact discs on the Con Brio label.

As soloist, Patricia has toured the United States for Columbia Artist’s Community Concerts series and as an “Artistic Ambassador” for the USIA, and has performed in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, China and Hong Kong. She has recorded a solo compact disc on the Arktos label, featuring works of Schubert, Liszt, and Corigliano.

As concert organizer, Dr. Tao is the Artistic Director of the Edmonton Chamber Music Society’s Summer Solstice Music Festival for the seventeen years. The series has welcomed chamber musicians from across North America with imaginative programming.

Dr. Tao holds degrees from Harvard University Indiana University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She has given masterclasses in Europe, China, the United States and Canada. She taught at Western Washington University and the University of Virginia, and from 2000-2022, taught piano and chamber music at the University of Alberta, where she was Professor of Music and served as Undergraduate Associate Chair and Interim Chair of the Department of Music. She is Professor Emerita at the University of Alberta and now lives in Kelowna, where she serves as Artistic Director of Chamber Music Kelowna.

Mikolaj Warszynski | Senior Piano

Mikolaj Warszynski has performed in recitals across North America, Europe and Asia, and enjoys a versatile career as a pianist, lecturer, and pedagogue. A Canadian pianist of Polish origin, he performs extensively as a soloist and as a chamber musician, and is equally comfortable playing music of the baroque, classical, and contemporary repertoire.

Invitations to many prominent music festivals and societies have led to recent performances in South Korea at the Woobong Art Hall, in Budapest at the Liszt Museum, in Warsaw at the Royal Łazienki Park under the Chopin monument and at the Iwaszkiewicz Muzeum, in Gdansk at the  Baltic Philharmonic, in the French Alps at the  Flaine Opus74 Summer Music Festival, in Paris at the  Cité Internationale des Arts, in Czech Republic at the  Janacek Hukvaldy Festival, in Sicily at the Falcone Borsellino Hall, in Vienna at the Old Town Hall, in Rotterdam at the Laurenskerk Cathedral. In Canada, Warszynski has made recital appearances at the Place des Arts and the Chapelle historique du bon Pasteur in Montreal, at the Gallery 345 and the ‘Nocturnes in City’ series in Toronto, the Verdun Classical Music Society, New Music Edmonton, the Edmonton Recital Society, The Winspear Centre, Banff Centre for the Arts, and in Calgary at the Steinway Concert Hall. During the Chopin bicentennial, Warszynski performed the Chopin F minor concerto across Canada with the Mazurka String Quintet, and has appeared as soloist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton, and in Poland at the Kielce Philharmonic. He is also a founding member of the Warszynski Trio, dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Canadian composers, whose album Devil’s Dance was released on Clef Records. As part of the ZUMI piano duo, together with his wife, pianist Zuzana Simurdova, Mikolaj gave the Canadian premiere of Disintegration by Claude Vivier, for the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec. The Duo has gone on to perform recitals on tours in Canada, Europe, and has had two national tours of China, in 2015 and 2017. Most recently, the ZUMI duo has been awarded a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts for their recording of contemporary works by Canadian and international composers.

In addition to an active performing career, professor Dr. Warszynski has been invited to present lectures and masterclasses in Canada, Poland, and in the United States for the College of Music Society. He has taught piano in Canada at the Université de Montréal and at the Cégep de Drummondville, in France at the Flaine Opus74 Academy in the French Alps, and in South Korea, where he held a two-year teaching position as Assistant Professor in Piano at the Catholic University of Daegu. In addition to being the Music Liaison for the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the University of Alberta, he is also the Artistic Director of Mazurka Music and Art Society of Alberta & co-founder of the Chopin Piano Studio, in Edmonton. 

Warszynski has been heard on radio and television broadcasts across Canada on CBC, CKUA, CJSR and OMNI TV, in Czech Republic (Radio Vltava), and in the USA (WPRB). His solo CD, with music by Haydn, Liszt, Szymanowski, and Chopin, has been released on the French label Anima Records in 2015, and has received excellent reviews from Fanfare Magazine (New York), Saisons de Culture (Paris), and the WholeNote (Toronto). His following album entitled Lisztomania, on the Wirth Institute Label, is based on a live piano recital at the University of Alberta from 2018. Most recently in 2023, the ZUMI Piano Duo released an album of the complete Dvorak Legends, also on the Wirth Institute Label. For more information on the artist, reviews, videos & upcoming concerts, please visit www.mikolajwarszynski.net

Everett Hopfner | Intermediate Piano

Everett Hopfner Everett Hopfner is not a harmonium player. However, if you need a harmonium player, you’re in luck: he’ll probably say yes. An enthusiastic explorer of the piano (or whichever keyboard instrument happens to be nearest), Everett’s performances exude joy and intention, qualities he translates to his roles as teacher, administrator, advocate, and life-long learner.

Everett’s reputation as a generous, thoughtful, and brilliantly skilled player continues to grow. His openness and penchant for musical risk-taking has led to many collaborations with composers and artistic peers. Delighted audiences have found him strumming piano strings surrounded by whale skeletons in Frankfurt’s Senckenberg Museum, tinkling away at the jeu de timbres on tour with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, performing on cathedral steps under the stars as a collaborative pianist for Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy, touring across Canada as a winner of the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, and illuminated by a pulsating light installation alongside the Assiniboine River as part of Winnipeg’s Nuit Blanche. He has been praised as "a surreal performer who gives life and flesh to music" (Il Cittadino di Lodi).

Everett is an active piano teacher in high demand for workshops, masterclasses, adjudication, and summer festivals. He facilitates meaningful experiences by asking questions, embracing challenges, and developing goal-oriented, student-centred learning processes. Everett lives for the “lightbulb moments” -- instants where his students find clarity or realise a musical wish -- and works tirelessly to break down barriers to musical participation and understanding still enduring in traditional institutions. Everett has contributed to his artistic community as a board member for the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, Associated Manitoba Arts Festivals, and the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers' Association, and previously served as Director of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music at Brandon University. He is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Jean Brown | Junior Piano, Level 4-6

Jean Brown has been a piano teacher in the Greater Vancouver area for over forty years. She has consistently developed students from a young age who have matured to regularly receive accolades placing first in the province and within the top 3 Nation-wide.

Jean has loved adjudicating for the past 18 years and is a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators’ Association. She has had many call backs to festivals and recently enjoyed the opportunity of adjudicating for the Pacific Youth Music Festival.

Jean Brown has had several profoundly outstanding students throughout her career as a piano teacher. They have represented Vancouver, Coquitlam and the Fraser Valley in the Provincial Festival of the Arts, with several First-Place winners across the province. Her students have also represented Vancouver in the National Finals of the Canadian Music Competitions in various cities across Canada including Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jolliette, and Vancouver.

Jean has twice taught students, in 1991 and 2016, who have received the Gold Medal for the highest ARCT mark in Canada. In 2016, her student was recognized as the “Young Artist for 2017” after placing First in the Registered Music Teachers national competition for ages 25 and under. Many more of Jean’s students have been recognized with other awards and examination results from the Royal Conservatory of Music, including several Gold Medals for various grades.

Jean has had the privilege of having received instruction from the esteemed Jean Lyons, Lorraine Ambrose and Lorne Watson, among others, in regards to teaching, pedagogy and performance for students.

Jean has a rich history of involvement within the musical community, serving on the executive for the Alumni of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto for several years, as well as organizing Master Classes and Workshops for her Registered Music Teacher’s Branch.

In past years, Jean has taught at the Langley Community Music School, and she presently teaches music in Vancouver as well as in her home in Port Moody.

Ms. Brown has recently expanded her expertise to include the instruction of prospective piano teachers, sharing several tools and techniques that have proven successful with her numerous students. For up to date information on Jean’s newest events and material, we invite you to look up and/or follow Jean Brown Piano hosted through Facebook.

Donna Falconer | Junior Piano, Preparatory – Level 3

Donna Falconer has had the pleasure of performing as a respected collaborative and solo pianist across Canada and the United Kingdom. She is a member of the Royal Conservatory College of Examiners, examining piano and voice candidates across North America. Currently, Donna is a head compiler for the RCM New Voice Series set to launch in 2025. She was a faculty pianist and vocal coach at UBC and the Vancouver Academy of Music, and has been a repetiteur for Vancouver Opera, Burnaby Lyric Opera, and Opera Nuova Edmonton. 

Donna maintains a busy voice and piano studio in Nanaimo and frequently collaborates with Vancouver Island musicians and visiting artists.  Her students have received several RCM gold medals, as well as success at provincial and national competitions. She also specializes in practice coaching, helping young musicians build effective practice skills. Donna holds a Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance from UBC, a Licentiate from Trinity College of Music, London, and an ARCT in Voice Performance. 

In her life away from music she enjoys spending time with her family, is an enthusiastic vegetable gardener, and has recently taken up artistic swimming.  

Hojean Yoo | Intermediate and Senior Violin

Hojean Yoo has been recognized as a remarkable musician who enjoys performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher.

She currently plays in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and she serves on the chamber music faculty at Mount Royal University.

As a soloist, Hojean won top prizes back in Korea including the Music Education News Concours, Busan Music Competition, Seoul Chamber Music Competition, and Berlin International Competition and has performed throughout North America and Asia with the Euro Asia Orchestra and Seoul Philharmonia, and her performances were featured on Korean Radio station (KBS Classic FM).

In addition, she has performed in the finest halls, including the Academy Art Museum, American Shakespeare Center, Bella Concert Hall, Friedberg Hall, Jordan Hall, Kennedy Center, Kumho Art Hall, and Seoul Art Center.

Grace Clagett Ranney Prize receiver Hojean is a dedicated passionate chamber music lover. As an alumnus of festivals such as Banff Chamber Music Society, Beethoven Institute, Great Mountains Music Festival, Heifetz Music Institute, La Jolla Music Society, Sarasota Festival, and Verbier Festival, she has collaborated and worked closely with Amit Peled, Anni Kavafian, Christoph Henkel, Daniel Philip, Frans Helmerson, Gil Kalish, James Dunham, Kim Kashkashian, Laurence Lesser, Mark Steinberg, Pamela Frank, Paul Coletti and Philip Setzer. Also She was a member of the Ardor Piano Trio and Huntington Quartet.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hojean commenced studies in Seoul at the age of 8. She graduated from Yewon Art School, Seoul Art High School, and received her Bachelor’s of Music from Seoul National University, Master’s Degree from Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and a Graduate Diploma from New England Conservatory.

Anni Yu | Junior Violin and Viola

Anni Yu Anni Yu is a violinist from Edmonton, Alberta who has quickly emerged as a dynamic force in the music world. Her journey began at the age of 8 when she started taking lessons in violin and piano. While she excelled in both instruments, it was her profound passion for the violin that shaped her path.

Over the years, Anni refined her skills as a violinist, performing as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Edmonton Youth Orchestra, Edmonton Philharmonic Orchestra, and Concordia Symphony Orchestra. Her performances have left an indelible mark on audiences, showcasing her exceptional artistry.

At just 14, Anni embarked on a transformative journey to New York City to pursue her musical aspirations. She earned both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in violin performance from the Mannes School of Music, honing her craft under the guidance of esteemed mentors such as Lewis Kaplan, Dr. Chin Kim, and Yibin Li. Her dedication led her to be appointed concertmaster of the Mannes orchestra, where she demonstrated remarkable leadership in major concerts, including several world and New York premieres of iconic modern classical works.

Anni's career has taken her to some of the most renowned stages in New York City, with  performances at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Sony Hall for New York Fashion Week. Additionally, she has graced concert halls in Salzburg, Austria, while attending the 2019 Internationale Sommerakademie at Universität Mozarteum. After her big move to Vancouver this year, Anni has been regularly performing as a section violinist with the Vancouver Island Symphony as well as appearing in events and concerts throughout the city.

Beyond her on-stage success, Anni finds herself deeply involved in the realm of education. She has been a dedicated music teacher for over 9 years, offering instruction in violin, piano, viola, and music theory. Anni is committed to fostering a lifetime of love and appreciation for music in her students while helping them achieve outstanding results in their musical examinations and endeavors. Her dedication to nurturing the next generation of musicians speaks to her unwavering commitment to the art.

Anni’s influence also extends to the digital realm as @YuAViolin, where she has gained recognition and a substantial following on social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Her captivating videos have resonated with over 500,000 followers, showcasing her ability to connect with music enthusiasts worldwide and inspiring young students to take up the violin themselves.

Currently, Anni is channeling her creativity into composing and recording her debut album, featuring entirely original compositions for violin and piano. This exciting new chapter promises to highlight her unique voice as an artist.

Brian Yoon | Cello, Double Bass

Brian Yoon enjoys a varied career as soloist, chamber musician, adjudicator, teacher, and Principal Cello of the Victoria Symphony. He has performed as guest principal with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in New Zealand. Since winning First Prize at the 35th Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, Brian has been presented in recital from coast to coast, with performances of repertoire ranging from Bach and Beethoven to George Crumb and Metallica. Brian has received generous support from the BC Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation. He currently plays a 1905 cello by Gaetano Sgarabotto of Milan, purchased with the generous support of Dr. Fritz Boehm and the Gail O’Riordan Memorial Fund for Music and Performing Arts at the Victoria Foundation.

Charles Hobson | Classical Guitar

Charles Hobson American/Canadian guitarist Charles Hobson is an active solo and chamber musician known for his "…thrilling virtuosity…Raul de Gama".  He has performed and toured extensively throughout Canada, the US, Argentina, and Costa Rica.  As a soloist, Charles has won multiple prizes and grants: 1st place QEMA Montreal (' 08), 1st place QEMA Quebec provincial competitions ('08), 2nd place at the Canadian National Music Festival (Edmonton' 08), 3rd place at the Grand Prix de Guitare de Montréal ('10)).  

As a chamber musician, Charles has performed with a variety of ensembles.  With his principal group, Duo Beija-Flor, he has released three albums (Envol 2011, Muzica 2013, Costas Big Round Records 2018).  The duo has performed concerts in Canada and abroad and has received grants and prizes from the Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (2012) from the competition "Mon accès à la scène" (2011), the National Arts Centre (2021), The Banff Centre (2021).  In addition, they have also been awarded grants for performances for the Classic Guitar Society of Vancouver (2016) and performances for the University of Costa Rica (2019).  They were selected as touring artists for Prairie Debut in the 2021-22 season and Debut Atlantic for the 2024-25 season.  During their tour with Debut Atlantic, they premiered "Danza Cubana No.1," written for them by celebrated guitar composer Leo Brouwer.

With the guitar orchestra, Forestare, Mr. Hobson has performed throughout Québec and Ontario.  The ensemble has received several grants and awards, including an ADISQ, several nominations for the Prix Opus, and winning the Bourse Rideau twice.  In 2019, the ensemble was awarded the "Montréal en tournée" tour, which saw the group perform several concerts in halls throughout the island of Montreal during the 2019-20 season.  Charles' playing can be heard on Forestare Baroque, released in 2017 under the label 2xHD.  It was produced by the legendary André Perry, and their newest album, Douze Guitares à Paris, was released by ATMA Classics in July 2022.  

Mr. Hobson began learning the guitar at eight years old.  He studied classical guitar at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in 2002.  While there, he learned under the guidance of Argentinian guitarist Ernesto Bitel and Italian guitarist/composer Nuccio D'Angelo.  After obtaining a BMUS in 2006, Mr. Hobson was invited to continue his studies in Montreal with guitarist Daniel Bolshoy.  In 2008, Charles completed his graduate studies at Concordia University in Montréal.  

Josh Layne | Harp

Josh Layne has been called a 'harp genius' and a 'consummate musician'.  He is a frequent performer around the globe and has been praised for both his virtuosity and the sensitivity of his playing.

Josh has recorded 4 albums of solo harp music, including his 2013 CD "Passage: music for solo harp" which features three of his original compositions for harp. Recent projects include a revival of Bochsa's long dormant "Concerto No. 1 in D minor" with a performance at the World Harp Congress in Wales in July 2022.

"It's Tuesday... It's Harp Tuesday!" Born out of a passion for teaching, Josh's biweekly YouTube series "Harp Tuesday" launched in 2010. Harp Tuesday covers all aspects of playing the harp - from your first lesson to in-depth looks at advanced music. With 280+ episodes and over 3 million views, Harp Tuesday is an amazing resource for harpists all over the world.

Josh's most recent YouTube project is Harpist in the Wild, a new video series combining his love of music and the outdoors. More at www.harpistinthewild.com and www.joshlayne.com

Mary Byrne | Brass and Woodwinds

Mary Byrne is active teacher, adjudicator, lecturer, recorded artist, and published author. She is internationally respected for her wide-ranging work as flutist and teacher of flute, instructor of pedagogy and general musicology, and expert in all levels of repertoire for flute.

After more than a dozen years in music education administration, Mary has set aside fulltime work as Director of Post-secondary Studies at the Victoria Conservatory, and has turned her professional attention to her love of flute performance and music education. With the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Camosun College, and her own Piccolino Studio, she boasts a thriving studio and classrooms of students at all ages and stages of musical interest, and she is justifiably proud of her students’ many musical achievements.

She is a regular performer with the Victoria Symphony on flute, piccolo and alto flute. On a wide range of Vancouver Island, national, and international stages she performs chamber, solo, and small orchestra music including early music on traverso, new and wet-ink music, jazz-crossover, and the classical repertoire for the flute family.

Mary is in demand as lecturer and writer on topics of music for general, novice, and specialist musician groups, and regularly speaks for traditional classrooms, pre-concert lectures, lecture-recitals, and music-tourism.

Through all this music, Mary jealously reserves some measure of time to indulge her loves of travel, church musicianship, cooking, knitting, quilting and other textile arts. She earned her B.Mus. in Flute Performance and Music Education and M.Mus. in Flute Performance degrees from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Victoria, specializing in the pedagogy and performance practice of the flute performer/teachers at the Paris Conservatoire during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Find out more about Mary and her teaching at www.marybyrneflute.ca

Hear selected performances given by Mary on https://soundcloud.com/marybyrneflute