Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Orchestra

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Graham Coles was born in London, England and moved to Toronto at the age of three. Originally a violinist, he became interested in composition and conducting in high school. At the University of Toronto, Graham first obtained a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music History and Literature, followed by a Master of Music Degree in Composition. His principal composition teachers were Talivaldis Kenins, Gustav Ciamaga and John Weinzweig. He would return to the University of Toronto first as an administrator and later to complete a Bachelor of Education Degree. While still an undergraduate Graham was accepted into the Ontario Arts Council's Conductor's Workshop Program. His teachers there were Victor Feldbrill, Lawrence Leonard and Ernesto Barbini. He also studied conducting privately with Boyd Neel. In 2004 he was in the first conductor's program with Tafelmusik's Summer Institute, studying with Jeanne Lamon and Ivars Taurins. Graham founded our orchestra in 1985.

Graham Coles
Music Director

Susan began studying the violin in the Waterloo County Public School Board's pilot project string program in 1967. She studied with Ralph Aldrich in London and taught in the public school string program for three years. Susan then continued her violin studies in England, where she received her ABSM Diploma, specializing in violin teaching and Baroque studies. Returning to Canada, she studied with Victor Danchenko, had a successful private teaching career and became a freelance performer. Susan has been with our orchestra for 23 seasons.

Susan Bender, Violin

Yonhee was born in Seoul, Korea where she received her Bachelor and Master of Music from Yonsei University. She also received a Master of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory under Ian Swenson.Yonhee won the Night of Concertos Competition in 1988 and has given solo recitals in San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley and in Olney, Maryland. She was a member of the Maryland Symphony 2003-05, has been a substitute violinist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 2006 and has been playing in our orchestra since that time as well. In 2007 Yonhee gave a solo recital in Waterloo.

Yonhee Chang, Violin

Vicky Dvorak, a native of Toronto, began her violin studies at the age of seven with Noriko Martin. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance from the University of Toronto under Lorand Fenyves and continued her musical studies at McGill University with Mauricio Fuks. Vicky has been playing with our orchestra in various capacities, including Concertmaster, for several years and has been a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra since 1992. She teaches violin in Kitchener and is a member of the Giocoso String Quartet.

Vicky Dvorak
Principal Second Violin

Timpanist David Knight performed in New Zealand and Scotland before moving to North America. For many years he played timpani in symphony, chamber, opera and ballet orchestras in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago. Currently, besides being our timpanist, he plays with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra and the Guelph Concert Band. Each summer he performs in Vermont. His numerous great memories as a timpanist include performing in some great halls, such as Chicago Symphony's Orchestra Hall; performing in a live BBC broadcast to all of Britain and the Commonwealth; playing in his two favourite requiems--Mozart's and Brahms'; receiving the audience's cheers for his part in the Bruckner Te Deum; and, of course, enjoying the thrill of playing Beethoven's 9th.

David Knight, Timpani

Kristine began playing the violin as a child. She played in the Calgary Youth Orchestra throughout high school and into university. She graduated from the University of Calgary with a BSc in Psychology, a Master of Divinity Degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon and a PhD in Education from the University of Alberta. Currently she is the Assistant Principal at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and Associate Professor of Contextual Ministry and Spiritual Care and Counselling. In her spare time she is learning to weave on her Lillstina floor loom.

Kristine Lund, Violin

From an early age, Megan has been involved in many after-school choirs, bands and small ensembles in her hometown of Deep River, Ontario. The daughter of musicians, she began studying the bassoon and the age of 12 and three years later was playing in the Deep River Symphony, the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy and studying privately with Ben Glossop, also in Ottawa. Since then, Megan has worked in a variety of musical situations from chamber music to orchestral groups to wind ensembles, both at home in Deep River, here in Waterloo, and in camps and workshops all across Ontario and Quebec. She is currently studying bassoon with Nadia Mackie Jackson and working towards her BMus in Orchestral Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Megan Morris, Bassoon

Trina has been involved in music and the arts her whole life. She studied under Nancy Wharton and then Marcia Moffet. Involved continuously in various orchestras (KW Youth Symphony, Theatre Ancaster pit orchestras) ensembles (Quest for the Past, weddings and events), independent bands (The Colour Tasters, Micheal Gabriel, Ophelia Syndrome),as well as teaching, her life revolves around music. She has been with us since 2000 and is a graduate of the Mohawk College Applied Music Program. Trina is a firm believer in "life without music would be a mistake".

Trina Nadeau, Cello

Carla began her clarinet studies at the age of ten and quickly began winning music festivals and competitions . Moving from Waterloo to attend the University of Toronto, she studied with Avrahm Galper and received her Bachelor of Music in Performance Degree. Carla completed her Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School with Max Christie. Since graduating, she has peformed with the National Academy Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Mississauga Symphony and maintains her position as Principal Clarinet with us, where she was a featured soloist in 2007. Carla also teaches privately and is a sought after clinician in the greater Toronto area. She is also Co-Artistic Director of Festival Aquarelle, a Chamber Music Festival in Port Credit, Ontario which made its debut in the summer of 2009.

Carla Perrotta-Pyrgos
Principal Clarinet

Margaret plays flute and piccolo throughout Southern Ontario and has performed with the Cathedral Bluffs Orchestra and the Guelph Symphony. Highlights have been performing in the Grand River Baroque Festival under the direction of James Mason and Julie Baumgartel and performing as soloist with the York Chamber Players as well as with local area choirs. Choral music is a strong area of interest and Margaret has been involved with various choral groups including the Guelph Chamber Choir and the Dublin Street United Church Choir. Having studied both at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Toronto, Margaret graduated in 2001 and before joining us was a winner of the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra Student Concerto Competition's Open Class. She continues to grow as a musician and plans to have more involvement with Baroque and Renaissance music.

Margaret Robinson
Flute and Piccolo

Evelyn grew up in the Windsor area and has been playing the French horn since the age of nine. Her teachers have included Fergus McWilliam, Anne Marie Monaco and Eugene Wade, among others. While living in the Toronto area, Evelyn played with several groups, primarily the North York Concert Orchestra and the Northdale Concert Band. Evelyn currenly lives in Kitchener and plays in the Guelph Symphony, Wellington Winds and the Rosewood Wind Quintet.

Evelyn Somer, Horn

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Hector began his musical training at the National Conservatory of his native city with Belgian maestro Leon Roy. He obtained his B.M.Degree at the National Conservatory of Puerto Rico where he studied with Adolfo Odnopossof and Pablo Casals. Hector continued his studies at the Musikhocschule of the Saarland with Claus Kanngiesser, in London with Sir William Pleeth and at Yale University with Aldo Parisot. He has been principal cellist of the Venezuelan Symphony, the Florida Grand Opera, Miami Symphony, Florida Chamber Orchestra, Palm Beach Opera and more recently the Guelph Symphony.

Hector Vasquez
Principal Cello

Andrea Weber Steckly started her studies under the tutelage of Maria Riedstra, then Concertmaster of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. She has a BMus degree in Performance from the University of Toronto and an MMus degree in Performance from the University of Western Ontario. She has also studied in Cincinnati and Vienna. In addition to her concert work, Andrea has also been known to fiddle at square dances and has a Viper 6 string electric violin made by Mark Wood which she uses in celtic rock bands.

Andrea Weber Steckly
Concertmaster