This is Faculty
Magnetic, easy-going, and delightfully articulate, Canadian pianist/conductor Ian Parker captivates audiences wherever he goes. As a pianist, he has appeared with top Canadian orchestras including the symphonies of Toronto, Quebec, Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Orchestre Métropolitain, and the Calgary Philharmonic. In the U.S., orchestral highlights include the San Francisco, Cincinnati, National, Santa Barbara, Richmond, and… Read more »
Canadian violist Tawnya Popoff enjoys an exciting and versatile international career. In addition to being principal violist with the Vancouver Opera (BC), she is a member of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (TX), the Walden School Players (NH) and a founding member of Microcosmos string quartet/Kessler Academy (BC). Ms. Popoff is in demand as a… Read more »
Eva Lakirovich is a dynamic and accomplished cellist recognized for her artistry, versatility, and commitment to education. She began studying the cello at the age of six with her mother, cellist and professor Julie Ribchinsky, laying the foundation for a lifelong dedication to music. Eva holds a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of… Read more »
Katie Rife is an active educator and performer of symphonic and new music. A fascination with the variety of sounds and instruments in the percussion family drew her to become a percussionist, after growing up playing piano (with a few years on flute before moving to the back of the band, and staying there). She… Read more »
Meet Frédérik Robert: Canada’s Vocal Coach! www.vocalcoachcanada.com For over 20 years, Frédérik has been the coach behind a dazzling array of artists, shaping them into vocal powerhouses in every genre imaginable! Whether they’re belting Broadway showstoppers on cruise ships and national tours, serenading pop fans on Netflix and Spotify, or gracing the opera stage with… Read more »
Isabelle is a native of Canada, but was raised dividing her time between Paris and Vancouver. Isabelle received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria studying with Jaroslav Karlovsky and obtained a Masters in Performance at the Cleveland Institute where she was a student of Heidi Castleman, Lynn Ramsey Irvine, and Robert Vernon…. Read more »
Irene Senent began her violin studies at the age of eight and holds a bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón (Spain). Her performance career has taken her across Spain, touring with ensembles such as the Film Symphony Orchestra and Ara Malikian y la Orquesta en el Tejado, and… Read more »
Chinese violinist Xiaoxue Sunny She appointed Vancouver Symphony Orchestra first violin section in January 2023. Sunny has performed in various prestigious events in Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Canada, USA and of course, China. After moving to Canada in 2013, Sunny played with the National Arts Centre Symphony Orchestra in Ottawa and was invited to join… Read more »
A second-generation settler on Canada (Turtle Island), Taka resides on the unceded, traditional lands of the Tsleil Wau-tuth, Musqueam, and Sto:lo people. A mostly self-taught musician, Taka’s love for the musical arts began at a young age of 3. Singing from an early age, he also picked up piano around age 6, and began exhibiting… Read more »
Djina Stojkov is a graduate of the University of Arts, Belgrade, Serbia with a Bachelor of Music in Pedagogy and a Diploma in Piano Performance and Music Theory. Miss Stojkovic completed her Suzuki Teacher Training with Susan Magnusson, and has been a member of the VAM faculty since 2009.
