Teachers
MUSIC Teachers
Intro to Music & Voice
Voice, Wind Ensemble, Adult choir
Colin holds degrees in both music and teaching from McGill University where he is currently a graduate researcher. His voice lessons are individually tailored to each student, focusing on healthy vocal production and classical technique in a variety of popular and traditional musical genres. Colin’s pedagogical approach encourages self-sustained learning and is based firmly in the principle that everyone has a voice. Having worked for over a decade in the Montreal area as a music teacher, vocal/instrumental technician, conductor, musical director, and coach, he has drawn on his grounding to create adaptive and engaging musical experiences for his students.
Emmanuelle Lizère is a musician, violinist and cellist. She has a degree in music and musicology and also holds a diploma in art therapy and psychopedagogy from the University of Paris V. Trained in various early-music methods, notably Orff, Willems, Martenot, Dalcroze, and using a multi-sensory approach to music, her interest in childhood and early childhood has led her to develop music and sound environments for babies and children in day cares, schools, museums and festivals for over 25 years.
She created tigouli (https://www.tigouli.com), developing her approach through shows mixing acoustic music and interactive electronic devices for children from 6 months to 4 years. These shows have been presented in several festivals, including Petits bonheurs, both in Quebec and internationally. Since 2011, she has been designing and producing different interactive experiences for toddlers (2-5 years old) mixing paintings, sculptures and music in the context of museums or exhibitions, such as Méli-mélodie at the Musée d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Les petits bruits de la toile, Le chant de verre and Borduas et compagnie at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Schönberg, painting the soul at the Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme in Paris, Deux yeux, deux oreilles quelle merveilles at the Maison de la culture Côte des neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal.
South Shore Children’s Chorus Director
Gabrielle Gaudreault is the Artistic Director of the Saint-Lambert Choral Society and the Ottawa Choral Society. She has been an instructor in the Choral Department at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music and the Theory Department at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
A sought-after conductor, pedagogue and collaborative pianist, Dr. Gaudreault has previously served as Assistant Conductor to Maestro Kent Nagano at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Associate Conductor of the National Children’s Chorus in Washington, D.C., Music Director of the St-Augustine’s Church Choir in St-Bruno, QC, and Apprentice Conductor of the National Youth Choir of Canada.
In 2020, she co-founded CG Music Academy in Arlington, VA with her husband Chris. Gabrielle completed her Doctorate in Choral Conducting at McGill University in Spring 2020 and holds an MA in Music Theory and Choral Conducting from Indiana University. Her research focuses on pedagogical approaches to the choral rehearsal and late-20th-century choral works by Québécois composers.
Voice
Maya Marin-Poulin is a Brazilian and Québécois artist passionate about the voice and the transmission of musical knowledge. She studied singing at Collège Lionel-Groulx and UQAM, as well as cultural enterprise management at HEC Montréal, which allows her to combine her artistic expertise with a strong understanding of the music industry.
As a singer, she participates in various musical projects and performs in a wide range of contexts: corporate events, performances at senior residences, studio recordings, and television appearances. She has notably participated in shows such as Qui sait chanter, En direct de l’Univers, and Info, sexe et mensonges.
She has been teaching singing for ten years, sharing her passion with her students and supporting them in the development of their voices and expressiveness. Since 2022, she has been leading Brazilian music workshops in schools as part of the Culture à l’école program, encouraging young people to broaden their perspectives on the world.
Always seeking improvement, she recently completed Estill Voice Training, based on the latest vocal science research. Her approach is rigorous and compassionate, aiming to adapt her teaching to meet the specific needs of each student.
Nino was born in Georgia. She grew up in a musical family and inherited her deep love of music from her mother who has been a dedicated piano teacher for over 40 years.
Nino began piano studies at age 6. Many years later, after obtaining her music teacher’s diploma she started to build her private piano studio. At the same time she performed in numerous concerts as a piano soloist and singer.
In 2014 she moved to Montreal with her family. In 2020 she successfully completed her Bachelor’s Degree in piano performance from McGill University, where she is currently volunteering as an accompanist in Professor Marina Mdivani’s studio.
As a dedicated piano teacher her goals are to give students a strong foundation, which will serve them for life, suggest appropriate repertoire according to skill level and musical taste, and focus on improving each student’s playing using a tailored, individual approach.
Adult Choir (on leave 2025-2026)
Zoé is a Montreal-based pianist, singer, conductor and composer/arranger. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Masters in Conducting from McGill University. She now works as music director for choirs, orchestras and various theatres.
As a private teacher, Zoé concentrates on Classical and Broadway, which includes pop, rock and jazz. She is well versed in different styles and loves to share that musical diversity. Always one to listen to her students, Zoé adapts the lessons to their needs, whether it is to work on technique, to prepare for an audition, or simply to gain confidence singing or playing piano. She cares about the progress of her students and knows how to have fun while learning.
Anne-Catherine Vana started piano lessons at the age of four. She was born into a family of musicians. She played many recitals at Western Illinois University and at various retirement homes as a community service in Macomb, IL where she grew up. She has studied piano with Jenny Perron, Yolande Gaudreau, Maurice Laforest and voice with Charolette Megginson. She has worked as a cantor at St. Paul’s Church in Macomb, IL. Anne-Catherine has been teaching piano lessons to young children for the past three years. She recently moved to Montreal to study at McGill University in elementary education.
Anne-Catherine is fluent in both French and English.
Originally from Montréal, Jenny Perron began her piano studies at age four. She has participated as a collaborative artist in prestigious competitions, recordings and recitals in Canada, the United States., France and Taiwan. Her recitals have been broadcast on Radio-Canada FM, CBC Radio-Canada and National Public Radio. Dr. Perron has performed in major recital halls–including Carnegie Hall, and she is also a respected and sought-after collaborative recording artist.
Dr. Perron has received scholarships and prizes from Le Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Canadian Music Competition, McGill University, The Eastman School of Music, le Centre d’Arts Orford, and the Johannessen International School of the Arts. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from McGill University, her Master’s Degree from l’Université de Montréal and her Doctorate from The Eastman School of Music. She worked on the faculty of the School of Music at Western Illinois University for many years, while also building an active private piano studio. Her students have won several young artist competitions and awards. Jenny worked as a church pianist at St. Paul’s Church in Macomb, IL for several years, and she has recently moved back to Montréal with her husband and three children.
Dr. Monica Han is a pianist, accompanist, and conductor, who has dedicated her life to music and arts since she was a young girl. Upon receiving her doctoral degree from Université de Montréal in 2020, she settled in Montreal to share her talents and philosophy with other artists and institutions.
While she was studying in New York for her bachelor’s program, Dr.Monica received honourable mentions from prestigious competitions including Bradshaw and Buono International and the Union City Philharmonic. She also graduated from her program with two bursaries; one for her perfection in music theory and the other for being an outstanding vocal accompanist.
At University of British Columbia, where Dr.Monica completed her master’s degree on a full scholarship, she gave music theory courses to undergraduate students as a teaching assistant. Once again, at the end of her studies, she was awarded a bursary for her excellency in piano performance, which led her to join an Austrian summer music program with the legendary pianist, Paul Badura-Skoda.
Currently, Dr.Monica enjoys spending her time playing for professional ballet dancers, teaching piano to students, and directing a band for a musical theatre team.
She is excited and honoured to embark on a new journey at Préville.
Nino was born in Georgia. She grew up in a musical family and inherited her deep love of music from her mother who has been a dedicated piano teacher for over 40 years.
Nino began piano studies at age 6. Many years later, after obtaining her music teacher’s diploma she started to build her private piano studio. At the same time she performed in numerous concerts as a piano soloist and singer.
In 2014 she moved to Montreal with her family. In 2020 she successfully completed her Bachelor’s Degree in piano performance from McGill University, where she is currently volunteering as an accompanist in Professor Marina Mdivani’s studio.
As a dedicated piano teacher her goals are to give students a strong foundation, which will serve them for life, suggest appropriate repertoire according to skill level and musical taste, and focus on improving each student’s playing using a tailored, individual approach.
A native of the capital region, Suzanne Ozorak studied piano pedagogy with Ms. Cynthia Millman-Floyd, piano with Mr. Jean-Paul Sevilla, and classical organ with Ms. Karen Holmes at the University of Ottawa. She continued her studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal in the organ class of Raymond Daveluy where she was awarded a First Prize. She then went on to study with Bernard Lagaçé at Concordia University where she obtained an Artist’s Diploma in Organ Performance.
She began her musical studies at the age of 5 with the Sisters of Holy Cross. Her teaching career began at an early age, first at the Ottawa Conservatory, then at the University of Ottawa and since 1981, at the Centre d’Art de Préville. She is also an affiliated professor at Vincent d’Indy (University of Montreal).
She has been an accompanist for the Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal, the Cantata Singers of Ottawa, Les Grands Ballets canadiens and she accompanies opera singers. In addition to her teaching career, Ms. Ozorak is a concert organist.
Xiaoni Shen earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Music Education from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. She has extensive experience as an accompanist for choirs and rehearsal pianist for musicals. For several years she was a private piano teacher, and the Assistant to the Dean at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy.
Xiaoni also earned a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Literature from Brandon University, Manitoba, Canada. She taught piano at the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music and was a collaborative pianist for the Brandon University Concert Choir.
In 2016, Xiaoni was a second place winner in the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition, College Students / Professionals category, and was invited to perform at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. In 2017, she won the Canadian Music Scholarship award at the Brandon Festival of the Arts and the Peggy A. Sharpe Piano Scholarship.
A pupil of Claude Létourneau, Anne graduated from the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec in 1984 with a First Prize and went on to study in the United States and France. She has considerable experience as an orchestral musician and has toured extensively around the world.
Anne is both patient and demanding. She insists on a good basic technique to then be able to master the subtleties of the musical language. She has the success of her students at heart and challenges herself to see them blossom through their learning.
Anne is interested in philosophy, in Chinese culture and has been practicing Tai Chi for a few years.
Heather Weinreb is a passionate violin and viola teacher with 10 years of experience. She has a Bachelor of Music from McGill University, where she studied viola with Steven Dann and minored in Baroque Performance. She has worked extensively with children. She designed and taught her own Music for Children course at the Montreal Ismaili Center, and has worked as a daycare troubadour (singing, dancing, and playing musical games) in daycares throughout Montreal, and at The Préville Fine Arts Center.
She is delighted to be combining her acute sensitivity to the minds of young children with her passion for violin teaching as a Suzuki teacher. Heather firmly believes that this method is the best way to teach young children violin, and she is very excited to be teaching it at Préville.
In addition, Kenny had the privilege of performing in Cirque du Soleil’s ‘30th Anniversary Concert’, ‘Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses’ with the Vancouver Film Orchestra, Michael Buble’s ‘Crazy Love’ album, as well as in concert with Il Divo. As a soloist, Kenny has performed with the Richmond Orchestra and the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra.
As a violin instructor, Kenny has been teaching for eighteen years and was on the faculty of the Montreal Academy of Music for over a decade. His students have went on to study music at CEGEP, perform concerts around Quebec, or place at the Canadian Music Competition and other regional concerto competitions. Back in Vancouver where he grew up, Kenny worked as the string orchestral coach at
McNair Secondary and was invited to teach master classes at the Richmond Music School. In addition, Kenny was a teacher with the Nuvo School of Music, Resound Music School, and Long & McQuade.
In 2021, Kenny worked as the violin coach and orchestral consultant on the Hallmark movie, ‘Christmas in my Heart’, starring Heather Hemmens.
Lucine is a highly-experienced violin teacher. She combines technical proficiency with an emphasis on musicality and expression.
Lucine can guide students from their first notes to high-level artistry, and everything in between! She is committed to inspiring and cultivating the next generation of violinists and fostering a lifelong love of music.
Violin
Originally from Montreal, Martin began playing the violin at the age of 6. A curious musician, he is interested in music in all its forms and styles. His academic career began at the Vincent-d’Indy School of Music, which led him to complete a Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal, under the tutelage of Uliana Drugova. He then continued his studies at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, where he obtained a Master of Music (M.Mus.) with Marcelle Mallette, followed by a Graduate Diploma in Performance in Early Music with Olivier Brault. He is currently completing a Artist Diploma in Early Music.
His teaching allows him to meet young violinists and accompany them in their musical development, passing on what he has learned. Martin enjoys teaching young children and introducing them to music, just as much as he enjoys working with advanced students in a more rigorous learning environment.
Ophélie recently moved to Montreal to study violin performance at the University of Montreal. She is a young, bilingual musician who is passionate about playing and teaching the violin to students of all ages, particularly young children.
Veronica has had a long career as a professional violinist, sharing the stage with some of the world’s greatest talents, while also maintaining her love of education. She has given masterclasses and has been invited to judge many events, including the Canadian Music Competition, where she traveled across the country listening to and encouraging many of this country’s most talented young musicians.
Emmanuelle Lizère is a musician, violinist and cellist. She has a degree in music and musicology and also holds a diploma in art therapy and psychopedagogy from the University of Paris V. Trained in various early-music methods, notably Orff, Willems, Martenot, Dalcroze, and using a multi-sensory approach to music, her interest in childhood and early childhood has led her to develop music and sound environments for babies and children in day cares, schools, museums and festivals for over 25 years.
She created tigouli (https://www.tigouli.com), developing her approach through shows mixing acoustic music and interactive electronic devices for children from 6 months to 4 years. These shows have been presented in several festivals, including Petits bonheurs, both in Quebec and internationally. Since 2011, she has been designing and producing different interactive experiences for toddlers (2-5 years old) mixing paintings, sculptures and music in the context of museums or exhibitions, such as Méli-mélodie at the Musée d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Les petits bruits de la toile, Le chant de verre and Borduas et compagnie at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Schönberg, painting the soul at the Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme in Paris, Deux yeux, deux oreilles quelle merveilles at the Maison de la culture Côte des neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal.
Olivier Soudin is a dedicated cellist and composer based in Montreal. He studied cello at both the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal and the McGill Conservatory. As a young musician, Olivier performed several concertos with full orchestra, making his solo concerto debut at just ten years old. His passion for music has taken him around the world, performing with youth orchestras and chamber ensembles in numerous countries.
In addition to his work as a cellist, Olivier holds a Master of Music in Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games from Berklee Valencia, Spain. He has composed music for films, animations, and video games, and has recorded and conducted his original scores with the Budapest Art Orchestra and the London Session Orchestra at the renowned AIR Studios. As a cellist, he frequently records cello parts for other composers’ projects as well.
Olivier has trained under several distinguished cello teachers, allowing him to draw from a variety of teaching methods tailored to each student’s level and goals. He is committed to sharing his knowledge, experience, and love for the cello with the next generation of musicians. For Olivier, music has opened countless doors — and he is passionate about inspiring his students to discover where music can lead them, too.
Justine Azar is a harpist from Montréal, Québec. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Université de Montréal under Caroline Lizotte in 2017. Under the same tutelage, she received a Diplômes d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées en traits d’orchestre in 2018. In 2020, she completed her Master’s degree at the University of Toronto with Judy Loman.
As an avid orchestral musician, Justine has performed with multiple ensembles such as l’Orchestre du Conservatoire de Montréal, le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, l’Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal, the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Contempory Music Ensemble. In 2016, she participated to the prestigious National Youth Orchestra of Canada under the direction of Perry So. Justine was able to partake in a tour of Portugal where she had the opportunity to perform chamber music concerts as part of the Lisbon International Youth Music Festival.
Her passion for teaching has led her to join the Suzuki Association of the Americas in 2018. In 2019, she completed her book 1 and 2 training with Delaine Leonard Fedson. She obtained part of her training from the Virginia Suzuki summer Institute under the same advisement.
Justine’s interest for chamber music has led her to perform for various talented musicians such as Carolyn Christie, Mark Skazinetsky, Mark Fewer and Nora Shulman. As for solo performances, she participated in masterclasses with Xavier de Maistre, Jennifer Swartz, Mariko Anraku and Emmanuel Ceysson.
Prior to working for Préville Katherine was a band instrument and print music specialist for a Canadian music company and has been performing as a freelance musician for over fifteen years. Katherine majored in Jazz performance at Vanier College and Concordia University, studying saxophone.
After university she worked as a woodwind instrument repair technician in the heart of Montreal. At this time Katherine is a band leader working on personal projects with her jazz quartet playing a variety of saxophones (4) and singing jazz voice. Katherine loves inspiring people to follow what draws them to any form of artistic expression!
Maria Gacesa began her clarinet studies at age 16, in Hamilton, ON with teacher, Stephen Pierre. She earned her Masters of Music Degree in Performance from the University of Toronto in 1998, having studied with Avrahm Galper and Stanley McCartney. Highlights from this period include a concerto appearance with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, concert appearances with the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and Richard Stoltzman and the premiere of Melisma, by Christos Hatzis.
She has taught privately, in schools and at summer festivals in Ontario and Quebec. With her multi-media group, Ensemble Meduse, she commissioned and premiered numerous new works by composers from across Canada and abroad. Maria is also the General Manager at the Préville Fine Arts Centre.
Matthew Souaid is a young multi-wind player and composer emerging in Montreal’s music scene who specializes in Rock, Pop, Funk, Theatre, Jazz and Classical music. He has finished his studies in Jazz Performance at Vanier College and is studying Jazz Performance at McGill University. Capable of playing Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxophones, Flute, Clarinet and Bass Clarinet, Matthew has been breaking into Montreal’s music scene playing in notable venues such as Place-Des-Arts, L’Astral, Club Soda and Metropolis. He has been seen playing and recording as a freelance musician for many Montreal artists while playing regularly with Ska-Punk group The Anti Non-Conformists, Avant-Garde Rock group The Maximum Chill and Bruce Springsteen Tribute, The Last Of The Duke Street Kings. Matthew has toured around Quebec, Ontario and the US with The Last Of The Duke Street Kings. He has also recorded and arranged brass for a ska-punk parody charted #5 for comedy on Billboards.
Alexandre has been working as a guitar teacher for over 9 years now and is not going to stop any time soon. His teaching philosophy is based on the principle that you learn best by having fun. Each course is tailored to the specific needs of the students regardless of their difficulties. Having had students of various ages, Alexandre teaches both musical awakening and solo improvisation.
In addition to having studied music at Cégep Marie-Victorin as well as at UQAM, Alexandre has several other projects. Indeed, when he is not performing on stage, he composes pieces for acoustic guitar, analyzes chord progressions and transcribes songs. Particularly avid of Blues and Folk, he focuses especially on mastering these styles. On the other hand, Alexandre is passionate about guitar making. Even before studying in the field of lutherie at Cégep du Vieux-Montréal, he already had several completed Bernier guitars.
All in all, Alexandre is fascinated by his instrument, both by its structure and by its interpretation. This manifests itself in the passion he shows when he teaches.
Anastasiia Hronych comes from Ukraine. As a self-taught drummer, she’s learned how to make music education simple, natural, and accessible for both children and adults.
To her, playing the drums is more than just mastering technique — it’s a way to cultivate focus, patience, inner calm, and self-confidence. Drumming teaches how to let go, reconnect with oneself, and channel energy in a positive way. Anastasiia truly believes that anyone can play, no matter their level or talent.
She teaches in Ukrainian and Russian, and can also offer lessons in English and French. Because beyond words, there’s a universal language that connects us all — the language of music.
Daniel Verdecchia is a drummer and educator currently based in Montréal, Canada.He was born and raised near Venice, Italy, and from early on his parents witnessed a special kind of love he had for the world of drums and rhythm.
He studied privately throughout his primary and secondary schooling, joining the Venice rock and metal music scene during his teen years. After high school, he fully committed to the study of his instrument, and took weekly private lessons with renowned Italian drummer Walter Calloni.
At the age of 19 he moved to Charlottetown, PEI, to study music at Holland College, a school affiliated with The Berklee College of Music. During these years, Daniel studied with Alan Dowling, and played with the island’s major musicians: Ken Fornetran, Ian Toms, Dan Roswell, Derel Gallant, Sean Ferris, Andrew Waite, Bruce Rooney and Logan Richard, to name a few. He was awarded several achievement scholarships and, being part of the jazz and rock music scene in the area, performed at the East Coast Music Awards, Cavendish Music Festival, Victoria Row Jazz Festival, as well as several jazz and rock venues and corporate events.
After bidding farewell to Prince Edward Island, Daniel started full-time studies in the Jazz Performance program at McGill University. Once there, he had a chance to play with Montreal’s most renowned jazz musicians: Kevin Dean, Adrian Vedady, Al McLean, Colin Hunter, Joe Sealy, Andre White, Remi Bolduc, Gentiane MG, Levi Dover, David Rourke, and many more. He performed at the Jazz Festival of Montréal, Upstairs Jazz Club, Dieze Onze, Resonance, L’Escalier, Société Jazz Drums Saint-Henri, Bootlegger, and other venues. He won multiple scholarships at McGill; was drummer in the first big band McGill Jazz Orchestra I and McGill Chamber Jazz Ensemble I; won the first prize at the Oliver Jones Competition with the Jacob Do Quintet; and recorded the album “Going Down Slow” with Professor Kevin Dean in 2021.
Meehan’s soulful approach to the guitar follows Aaron’s Copland’s philosophy: “Music should be as simple as possible but no simpler.”
Currently enrolled at McGill University in the Music Education program, Meehan has taught guitar privately for 4 years to children and adults. For him, being able to teach his passion to others has always been a blessing and a rewarding experience to help students with their musical ambitions.
Meehan’s methods of teaching can be best described as “an educational jam session.” For him, teaching and playing are great ways of demonstrating both the theory and practical sides of guitar. As a self-taught improvisor before attending music school, Meehan’s love for guitar began at a young age listening to Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, and Frank Zappa. His playing style evokes a mix of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Ed Bickert, and Wes Montgomery. Meehan is interested in teaching like-minded people that share his love for music.
Pierre Goguen has been a music enthusiast since a young age with over 30 years of experience in his field.
He grew up in Joliette, where, under the influence of Fathers Brunelle and Lindsay, he learned to love classical music. He participated in several competitions to earn scholarships in music camps and continued to improve as a percussionist.
He completed his DEC in music and then went on to study for 3 years at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Montreal in percussion. He toured the club circuit in the 80s in Quebec and the Maritimes with various pop-rock bands before completing his BAC in music at UQAM in drum performance. He has worked in several ensembles as a drummer and percussionist and performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival as well as in Europe.
Pierre lived in Los Angeles for 10 years where he contributed to over 400 hours of audiobook recordings as a publisher, ProTools operator and narrator.
Pierre has been teaching drums and percussion for several years in private as well as in several schools. He has also been an instructor for rehearsal of percussion ensembles for the Orchestre Symphonique des Jeunes as well as several harmonies. Now he dedicates most of his time to teaching because that is his greatest passion.
Born in 1996 in Alma, Lac Saint-Jean, Samuel Lechasseur was introduced to music and guitar as a teenager. He then studied at Cégep d’Alma (Technique professionnelle de musique et chanson), at the University of Montreal (Interprétation Jazz) and he is currently completing a Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance at McGill University.
Samuel has played at the Festival Jazz & Blues de Saguenay, the JazzFest des jeunes du Québec and in several jazz clubs of the province with his trio, his quartet or with other musicians groups as well. He is currently working on different music projects as a leader and accompanist.
CDCQ Artistic Director, CDCQ Ballet
Jeremy Raia began his training in Queens, NY. He graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in 1996 and also studied at Boston Ballet School and the Koniklijk Conservatory in the Netherlands.
In 1996, he began his professional career with Ballet Arizona, dancing works by George Balanchine, Michael Uthoff and Daniel Ezralow.
After two seasons, he was invited to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal where he was a Premiere Dancer until retiring in 2018. A dancer of both classical and contemporary works by a multitude of choreographers, including George Balanchine, Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Christian Spuck, Jean-Christope Maillot and Ohad Naharin. He has originated roles in World Premieres by Stijn Celis, Didy Veldman, Mauro Bigonzetti and Stephan Thoss.
In 2017, Jeremy danced as a Guest Artist with Aszure Barton and Artists. Jeremy taught Company class and was an assistant to Ballet Masters at Les Grands Ballets. As a guest teacher, Jeremy has been invited to four continents in such places as Centre National de la Danse (France), Arts Umbrella and Ballet BC (Canada), Saarländisches Staatstheater (Germany), Charlotte Ballet (USA) amongst other Companies and schools.
He has been Artist in Residence at Hamilton College (NY) and Ballet Metropolitano (Colombia) and restaged choreography of Didy Veldman and Christian Spuck on Companies in Europe and USA. From 2018 until 2020, Jeremy was the Ballet Master at Ballet Jazz Montreal and served as Interim Artistic Director for the 2020/21 season. Currently, Jeremy is on faculty at École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec, Les Studios Grands Ballets and Danse a la Carte and is Co-Director of Propulsion, Co-Founder/Director of Festival Charlevoix Danse and Sajedance.
CDCQ Contemporary; Guest Choreographer
Amara Barner is a multidisciplinary artist from Minnesota, who currently resides in Montreal. As a teenager she traveled as an assistant to the choreographers of The Pulse On Tour, Intrigue Dance Intensive, as well as Emma Portner.
Among these opportunities for professional development, Amara was granted opportunities to perform and teach at workshops in Australia, Mexico, England, and Italy. After moving to NYC at 16, Amara trained locally and worked commercially, such as dancing backup for Sia on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.
At 18 years old, Barner was the youngest dancer ever hired for Montreal dance company, RUBBERBAND. She performed and toured internationally with the company from 2016-2021. Amara went on to perform the works of artists such as Anne Plamondon, Dana Gingras/Animals of Distinction, and Elon Höglund/Tentacle Tribe.
Barner’s versatility allows her to work in both the concert dance realm as well as the commercial circuit. She performed in the Quebec version of The Masked Singer in seasons one and two, as well as in music videos such as La Force’s All That I Am, Aisha Bahdru’s Lazy River, Dominique Fils-Aimé’s Mind at Ease, and Make Believe by sickxsense. Amara was featured in Dance Magazine’s July 2020 issue as an artist “On The Rise “. Amara studies Fibres and Material Practices at Concordia University, and through the school, presented her first multidisciplinary solo “mongrel” in 2021 and later adapted it for gallery exhibition in 2022. She officially premiered the solo in March of 2024 at Tangente’s LABdiff 2. Amara was the recipient of the Emerging Artist prize from Festival Quartiers Danses in 2023 for her multidisciplinary work The Songbird Dreams of Singing.
Barner is currently a faculty member at the USA dance conventions, Intrigue Dance Intensive and Luminous. She is also a contemporary dance instructor at Danse à la carte in Montreal, where she shares her personally developed movement practice, Soft Chaos.
CDCQ Ballet; Guest Choreographer
Born in Nîmes, France, Jérémy Galdeano graduated from the École Nationale de Danse de Marseille. He began his career as an apprentice with the Ballet National de Marseille before joining Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in 2001, where he evolved over 19 years to become principal soloist.
Alongside his career as a dancer, Jérémy has also created several works for the company’s choreographic workshops, presented in Montreal, Germany and Mexico.
In 2020, after a busy career with Les Grands Ballets, Jérémy chose to devote himself fully to choreography and teaching.
In collaboration with Vera Kvarkacova, he forms a dynamic choreographic duo. Their creation “DOMA” has met with great success, integrating Les Grands Ballets Canadiens’ mixed program “Parlamid’Amore” in May 2019, and being selected for prestigious events such as Carte Blanche DAC 2019 in Montreal and the Noverre-Young choreographers’ evening at Stuttgart Ballet. They were finalists in the 2020 Hannover International Choreographic Competition and invited to the HANGARTFEST in Italy. Their work was also selected for the Future Dance Festival 92Y in New York, where they presented “DOMA” at the Joyce Theater as part of the Martha Graham Company’s season.
In June 2021, their creation “FOMO” was presented at the Mannheim National Theater in Germany and at the Festival Quartiers Danses in Montreal, where it was awarded the prize for best show. In 2022, “DOMA” was performed in Houston and Austin (USA) with the Ishida Dance Company. In June 2023, their latest creation “BLÍZ” was presented at the Mannheim National Theater in Germany. In January 2024, Jérémy created “You look strange_You look happy” for the Ishida Dance Company in Austin, Texas. In March 2024, they presented their brand-new creation “Nebe” with Les Grands Ballets in the mixed program “Soirée Cantata”.
Ava Acland is a trained street dancer in the technical style of Popping and Hip-Hop. She first learned Hip-Hop in a choreographic setting and later found freestyle from her pursuits in Popping. She dances competitively with State of Motion Studio in Hip-Hop, Popping, and Krump. Her team has won top choreography, performance, showcase, and studio titles on stages: View Dance Challenge, Future Dance Competitions, Hit the Floor, and Candance Competitions. Her team represented Canada at the Monsterz of Hip-Hop in Boston (2025) and won top choreography and performance.
With Majiza Philip as her mentor in Tap for over 5 years, Ava combines steps in Tap to her freestyle to enhance her timing, musicality, and footwork. With Sophie Gilbert- Dechêne as her mentor in Popping, Ava has learnt the importance of technique and proper style representation as a choreo and street dancer.
Ava is under the mentorship of SankChewAir-E, a collective of dancers, artists, creators, and teachers who have experience on major national and international stages and battles of the dance entertainment industry. Their wisdom has given Ava the tools she needs to grow as a dancer, artist, and teacher.
Jazz/Contemporary & competitive groups
Hannah Young is a Montreal-based contemporary dance artist originally from New Brunswick. They are a graduate of the GibneyPRO professional certificate program in New York City and the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, where they earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance. Most recently they attended Springboard Danse 2025, where they performed in the works of Anya Saugstad and Tom Weinberger. Hannah has also performed works by Sidra Bell, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Adam Barruch, Lea Ved, Peter Chu, Oleg Stepanov, Connie Shiau, Jacob Jonas, and Norbert De La Cruz III.
While in school, they supplemented their training with programs at Nuova Officina Della Danza, b12, Perry-Mansfield, and Arts Umbrella. Hannah has worked closely with Arika Yamada, Anne Plamondon, and Kevin Jay Shannon, whose mentorship and creative processes continue to shape their artistic path. Drawn to imaginative creation and landscapes of play, Hannah approaches dance as a way of living curiously- welcoming multiplicity, expanding boundaries, fuelling wonder.
Majiza Philip is a mentor, teacher, performer, choreographer, leader and tap dancer. A home-grown talent hailing from the historical black community of Little Burgundy, she is the granddaughter of Montreal’s very own legendary rhythm tap queen from Harlem, Ethel Bruneau.
Majiza began her dance training at the age of 3 under the strict eye of her grandmother. She and her sister were chosen by Gregory Charles to perform at the Governor General’s awards, becoming the first black minors to appear as part of this event and also performed at the 1998 Montreal Jazz Festival with the Vic Vogel big band. Following this she was a featured talent on Natalie Simard’s show Decibel. Teaching for over 15 years she was also the children’s musical theatre choreographer at the Segal Centre from 2009-2013.
Jazz/Contemporary & competitive groups
Naomi Gwynn is a dance artist and choreographer based in Tiohtiá:ke / Montreal. Naomi has participated in numerous performances and showcased choreographic work across Canada, Europe, and the United States. In 2019 Naomi performed as a Junior company member with Cobos Mika Dance Company and in 2023 she completed GibneyPRO under the direction of Alexandra Wells where she worked closely with Adam Barruch, Hannah Garner, Elia Mrack, Rena Butler, and Laja Field. She was a 2023 choreographic fellow and artist in residency with Danse à la Carte, a 2024 artist in residency with the Margie Gillis Dance Foundation.
Naomi’s choreographic work was awarded for ‘Outstanding Choreography’ by the FRANKIE Awards, and has received the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et lettres du Québec, the City of Ottawa, and the City of Montréal. Her formal dance training includes work with Rubberband Dance Group, Micaela Taylor, Margie Gillis, GALLIM, and Sidra Bell Dance New York.
Naomi’s choreographic work is at the intersection of contemporary dance and theater in an effort to generate humanizing dance-theater works that explore existential questions.
Passionate about both literature and dance, Océane Palardy holds a bachelor’s degree in literary studies from UQAM and is currently pursuing a master’s in the same field. Introduced to dance at a very young age, she grew up with this discipline, which continues to enrich both her personal and professional journey. Since 2020, she has been sharing this passion with enthusiasm and sensitivity by teaching young dancers at the Préville Dance Academy.
Essentrics
Sarah received her training at l’École Supérieure de Ballet du Quebec where she studied with: Christine Clair, Daniel Seillier and Alexandra Wells. After graduating in 1996, she joined the Alberta Ballet for one year. She then came back to Montreal to dance with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.
During her thirteen years with the company she danced in ballets choroegraphed by George Balanchine, Fernand Nault, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin Stjin Celis and Nacho Duato.
Sarah retired from Les Grands Ballets in May 2011 and went on to teach classical ballet to competitive figure skaters. In 2012 Sarah started her teacher training in the Essentrics Method and became a certified Essentrics Instructor .
In March 2019 Sarah was certified to teach The Gaga movement language created by Ohad Naharin from the Batsheva Dance company. Sarah is very happy to return to her passion of dance and to share this language with everyone.
Simon has been dancing since the age of 3 when he joined the Lorraine Walker School of Dance, immediately feeling a connection to the way movement made him feel. Simon began his training at Préville with a choreographic dance intensive in the summer of 2020. From that point on, he gradually began committing more and more time to this art form studying in contemporary, Tap and Jazz, eventually joining the Préville Youth Company, now Compagnie de danse contemporaine du Québec, in 2022.
Simon also competed at a high level in track and field, making it to the provincial championships many times and even competing for Rive-Sud at the Jeux de Québec. This athletic side of him now plays a huge role in how he approaches movement as an artist.
Simon is continuing his dance training at l’École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal under the tutelage of many greats from the Montreal contemporary dance scene including Marc Boivin, Lucy Grégoire, Bernard Martin and Sarah Gibson. He hopes to use this training to pursue a career as a professional dancer after graduating.
Sylvia Berman started her pre-professional training at the Quinte Ballet School of Canada. After graduating from QBSC in 2016, Sylvia was accepted into the B.F.A. program at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase and graduated summa cum laude in May 2020. During her training at Purchase, Sylvia studied ballet, contemporary and modern techniques, as well as improvisation and choreographic composition.
Acting for Film and Television
A fixture on Canadian screens, Lemke has a deep and diverse collection of credits to his name that spans over 20 years as a leading actor in the Canadian film and television industry, in both English and French. He is best known as the cocky, amoral mercenary “Three” on SyFy’s hit series Dark Matter, which aired for three seasons in over 160 countries worldwide. Past projects include the hard-driving Detective Sergeant Brian Becker in CTV’s The Listener; a two-season arc on Bravo’s award-winning cop drama 19-2; as well as numerous multiple-episode arcs and guest star appearances on shows like the absurd college-comedy Blue Mountain State, and the hit action-drama Blindspot. His French language productions include regular and recurring roles in Les hauts et les bas de Sophie Paquin, Toute la Vie, Cerebrum and 30 Vies.
Anthony is currently shooting series-regular roles on The Hardy Boys for Hulu and Autant en emportent les Framboises for Illico, both to be released in 2022.
Anthony holds degrees in both Theatre and in Law. He is a member of the Quebec Bar.
Tracey Schenck has over 25 years of professional experience in the arts, film, and television, including 14 years at Cirque du Soleil. Theatre has greatly influenced her life and now, she works with children of all ages in the classroom and on stage, encouraging them to discover all that theatre may bring: confidence, acceptance, creativity, friendship, teamwork, a sense of community, and of course, fun. Tracey has produced and directed many plays and musical theatre performances for children over the past several years.
Beverly Landry is a working artist specializing in painting. She studied Fine Arts at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and followed up with intense studies of realist painting, drawing and anatomy at the Atelier de Brésoles in Old Montréal. You can often find her in the library poring over books on the old masters and their techniques, or walking the galleries of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts.
Beverly is enthusiastic about guiding her students through the process of painting from beginning to end, demonstrating techniques and helping them discover their own special talents. Her work is displayed in private collections throughout Canada and the United States, and she has been fortunate enough to have had her work purchased by the Ville de Montréal. Beverly looks forward to encouraging artists of all ages to discover and develop their own unique gifts.
Carlos Zauny was born and raised in Peru. He holds degrees from the Fine Arts Academy in Lima, and also studied photography and graphic design at UQAM. He is a multidisciplinary artist –painter, sculptor (he participated in 2004 and 2005 in the ice sculpture contest at Carnaval in Quebec), and theatre designer. He is also an actor in his spare time and enjoys writing. He now lives on the South Shore of Montreal.
Elizabeth was introduced to the world of textile and ceramic arts through the generational expertise of the women around her. Through her grandmothers, aunts and mother, the values of functional art, creativity, and self-expression were instilled. It is with these lessons that Elizabeth approached her own artwork and, later, teachings.
Elizabeth studied at McGill, graduating with a master’s degree in Canadian women’s history and a bachelor’s in education. For over twenty years, Elizabeth has taught in the field of Creative Arts to students of all ages. Her approach blends technique with creative expression, allowing students to learn practical skills while developing their own artistic voice. She has taught English Language Arts, specializing in creative writing, and Fine Arts specializing in watercolour, drawing, ink, weaving, quilting and embroidery. Topics such as climate change, health and wellness, gender and identity are explored through her courses. Elizabeth hopes that in all her teachings students gain the most from the artistic process, the discovery of oneself, and the strength in community.
After graduating with honours from Chambly County High School and working at CN for five years, Sandra decided to follow her passion and enrolled in the Montreal Fashion Arts Academy where she spent three years learning pattern drafting, clothing construction, grading sizes, sketching models and sewing. Soon after she was hired to style and create patterns for several large volume dress manufacturers in Montreal such as Sample Dress, Wendy’s Originals and Matinee Dress to name a few.
Li has been a computer engineer and an educator in the Quebec private school system for the past 10 years. She focuses on Robotics and STEM education. She has coached teams at all levels of the FIRST Robotics and Robocup Competitions. Li teaches in a fun and challenging way because she believes in having kids learn through play to build life skills and a lifelong love of learning. She is passionate about helping students and young engineers to make a crazy idea come true.