Breanne Dietrich is a passionate performer and teacher. She is on the Musical Theatre faculty at Sheridan College and works with theatre, pop and rock singers. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory and a Bachelor of Classical Voice from Western.
Silas Chinsen received his M.Mus and B.Mus in classical guitar performance and voice performance from the University of Ottawa graduating summa cum laude. He has taught music professionally for the past nine years and believes that any student can achieve their musical goals through learning how to “practice properly”. This involves utilizing creative problem solving, mindfulness, and specific mental strategies to create a fun practice routine which accelerates muscle memory development.
Martin studied at the University of Music in Vienna, where he received degrees in piano, piano pedagogy, choral conducting and Master of Music in organ. He further studied at the University of Music “Mozarteum” in Salzburg, where he received a degree in orchestral conducting. Martin teaches students of all levels and ages and prepares candidates for the exams of the Royal Conservatory of Music, including the ARCT (Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto) exam. Many of Martin’s students enjoy learning to improvise, thereby creating their own music. Several of his students are very successful in music writing and composing.
Beth received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Western Ontario with Honours in piano. She owned a private piano studio for many years and graduated from a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario.
Beth completed a Masters of Education from the University of Saskatchewan and published her thesis on students with chronic illness in the classroom. She has also attended many conferences and seminars on topics such as related teaching students with ADHD, special education, social justice, anti-oppressive education, and more.
An accomplished professional musician with over 25 years of teaching experience, Chris holds degrees in vocal performance and music education along with diplomas in organ and piano. Chris is a busy tenor soloist and vocal coach, as well as a member of the acclaimed Elora Singers, and has participated in numerous tours and studio recordings. The Music Director of Guelph’s Knox Presbyterian Church for more than 13 years, Chris became the Accompanist of the Rainbow Chorus of Waterloo-Wellington in 2018, and leads outreach programs at Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home and the Elora Centre for the Arts.
Matthew is a pianist based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where he currently teaches and performs in the Tri-Cities and Guelph. Matthew holds a Masters in Piano Performance at Syracuse University, where he had a full scholarship and TA, in addition to a BMus summa cum laude from McMaster and an ARCT Performers from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Throughout his diverse musical career he has collaborated with many singers and instrumentalists in operas and chamber music. Matthew has performed at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Noon Hour Recital Series as a soloist and in collaboration with the soprano Jennifer Carter.
A passionate and dedicated teacher, Dr. Swinden teaches Flute at Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo, University of Guelph and the Laurier Conservatory of Music. Laurel was Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2017 and has taught at the University of Windsor, Western University and the University of Mississippi. Her recordings of flute music by women composers have been hailed as “”bringing together artistry and artistic leadership” (Whole Note) and have widespread streaming on several major platforms.
Margaret is Assistant Concert Master with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra (GSO), a founding member since its beginnings 18 years ago, and a principle violin with the University of Guelph Choir and chamber orchestra. Four of Margaret’s students have won gold medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), while seven have won silver medals. Educated as a musician and teacher, she was a professional violinist and pianist in both Poland and continues to be in Canada. She has a Masters in the Musical Arts and Pedagogy with a specialization in the violin and piano from the University of Wroclaw, Poland.
Olga Zeidel is an accomplished pianist and highly experienced piano teacher. She has over 25 years of successful teaching experience with children and adults, and over 30 years of performing experience in classical music. Her performances include a series of solo and chamber music concerts in Ukraine, Poland, USA and Canada. She has also collaborated with many other instrumentalists and singers throughout her many years of performing and teaching. She holds an Artist -Teacher Diploma from Lviv Music College and Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from Lysenko Conservatory of Music in Lviv, Ukraine.
Now teaching clarinet, saxophone and beginner flute at the GSM, Bill Rolfe has formerly served as a faculty member at the Oakville Branch of the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto. His music career started while he was still in high school. While a student, Bill began teaching privately and performing for several orchestras and bands in the Hamilton area. These freelance activities also included playing for numerous local theatre companies, Big Bands and smaller combo groups that covered all styles of music. He has continued these activities throughout his career.
