Our Faculty
Adora Wong
Violin
Adora Wong is a violinist, music teacher, and early childhood educator. She was inspired by her years serving as a Violin and Viola Teaching Artist with Sistema New Brunswick, a social-development music program that aims to inspire children and youth to reach their full potential through learning and performing orchestral music. Adora is always looking for innovative ways to inspire learning and has published articles on accessible music and learning environments for the Canadian Journal of Autism Equity, The Plough Magazine, and the Autistic Professional Network.
Danielle Savage
Guitar (beginner to intermediate), piano (beginner to intermediate), composition, songwriting
Danielle Savage is a multi-instrumentalist and composer who writes and performs music in a diverse range of genres, from folk to synth-pop, chamber music to soundscapes, installation art, and more. Her first instrument was the piano; as a teenager she switched to guitar. In 2012 she obtained a BFA in composition and a BFA in Electroacoustics from Concordia University.
Jeff Andrew
Guitar, Fiddle
Jeff Andrew is a guitarist, fiddler and singer-songwriter with 3 albums to date, hundreds of shows performed across Canada and dozens of festival appearances. He began playing guitar at age 13 and spent his high school years playing classic rock, blues and metal in a series of bands before discovering folk music in his early 20s.
Mia Harris
Voice
Mia has a Bachelor of Music in Opera from UBC, an Artist Diploma from the Vancouver Academy of Music and an Opera Diploma from the University of Toronto. She has participated in some of Canada’s most prestigious summer training programs for young singers and worked with top teachers and coaches from Canada and the United States. She has been the recipient of many scholarships and bursaries.
Sandra Wilmot
Violin
Kelowna-based violinist Sandra Wilmot is much in demand as a teacher, performer, and clinician. She has been teaching group and private violin lessons since 2002 and many of her students play regularly with the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra (OSYO), participate in the Kelowna Kiwanis Music Festival, and some have gone on to pursue music at the post-secondary level.
Chantal Ethier
Speech Arts
The craft of acting has always been a passion and a calling for Chantal. After taking drama classes throughout elementary school, Chantal was accepted into the drama programme at Canterbury High School for The Performing Arts in Ottawa, Ontario. She then continued her studies in Theatre at The University of Ottawa, where she graduated with a B.A. with a Concentration in Theatre.
Dave Barber
Guitar, 5 String Banjo, Mandolin, Ukulele, Bass
David Barber has spent the last 15 years being a sideman and has toured with artists including Colin James, The Chieftains, Barney Bentall, Dallas Smith, Chad Brownlee, Aaron Prichett, Aaron Goodvin and many more! He also played banjo on the 4x Platinum hit, Two Heads, by Coleman Hell.
Kelsey Zachary
Violin, Viola, Piano
Kelsey began playing at age 7 and it didn't take long before she realized that her life wouldn't be complete without an instrument in her hands. Performing and teaching for more than 20 years, Kelsey studied music performance and composition at the University of British Columbia. Her teachers have included Jasper Wood, Andrew Dawes and Mary Sokol-Brown (violin), Stephen Chatman, Keith Hamel and Alfredo Santa Ana (composition).
Nicholas Kelly
Composition, Theory
Nicholas Kelly is a Penticton-based composer who draws inspiration from speculative fiction, science, and nature. He has been commended by the Vancouver Sun for his “sophisticated work of such immediate, glittery appeal” and called “a rising star in the constellation of Canadian composers” by Oregon Arts Watch.
Zeena Zaiyouna
Piano, Oboe, Beginner Winds, Beginner Brass
Zeena Zaiyouna is an orchestral conductor, oboist, pianist, clinician and educator. Together with a Master of Lifelong Learning (M.Ed.) from Denmark and a degree in oboe performance from Queen’s University, Zeena has served as the Assistant Conductor of the Ontario Pops Orchestra and has taught music and performance at all levels of the school system. This includes directing the Symphonic Band for the Canadian Independent Music School Festival (2019) at Roy Thomson Hall.
Daniel Cramer
Drums, Bass, Bass Ukulele
Daniel has been a life long musician, studying music in university, performing professionally from a young age, teaching music, and eventually producing records at his own record label. As a composer of electronic music, Daniel runs an educational YouTube channel and has become well known in Europe where he performs at festivals and has recorded several albums.
Donna Meyers
Piano
Specializing in beginner pianists of all ages, Donna is a lifelong learner, loving mother, and brand new grandmother. She has lived across Canada, beginning in the vibrant and cultural metropolis of Montreal, where she earned her music degrees majoring in concert performance at McGill University.
Kirby Barber
Guitar, Bass, Songwriting
Kirby Barber has been teaching Guitar, Bass, Songwriting, and children’s group music classes for the past 15 years. A graduate of the music program at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Kirby teaches a variety of styles including Pop, Rock, Blues, Bluegrass, Folk, and Country and enjoys creating lessons that are fun, diverse, and well suited to fit each student’s musical goals.
Tanya Westby
Violin
Music has been a part of Tanya’s life since she was a young child. Her parents exposed her to all sorts of musical experiences from live symphonies to pop concerts and she began playing music herself from the age of 6. Throughout Tanya’s life she has played many instruments before finally choosing the violin as her main music focus.