Ms. Olivia Wan-Ting Yang graduated from Tung Hai University Music Faculty in Taiwan with an honorary bachelor's degree in Violin.  She received her master’s degree from Taipei University of the Arts in Taiwan.  In 2009, she won the Emerging Young Artists Concerto Competition.  In 2011, she was invited to Hawaii to perform various compositions by a Taiwanese composer, Kuo Zhi Yuan's composition. In 2016, she was invited by HoHaiYan Arts located in Germany and performed at Vienna Haus Hofmannsthal, Munich Gasteig Kleiner Konzertsaal, Leipzig Alte Borse, Hamberg Laeiszhalle Studio E, and Konzerthaus Berlin. Locally, in 2018-2019, Olivia was concertmaster for University of Toronto’s Hart House Orchestra and is currently an active member of Orchestra Toronto.

Instruments: Violin, Piano

Studio Location: Ajax, Ontario

Contact Details: 647-766-5525

yangwanting3@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/SeasonMusicStudio/

Ms. Matsunaga obtained her music degree from the University of Toronto.  Karin has spent over 15 years as a professional music and orchestra teacher and has performed and recorded with various bands and artists throughout the GTA and abroad.  Karin has prepared numerous students for RCM examination with 100% success rate.  Currently available for weekday mornings only

Instruments: Violin, Beginner Piano

Studio Location: 3304 Yonge Street, Toronto

Contact Details: 647-889-5274

Kasia Stechly obtained her Master's Degree in Music from the Academy of Music in Cracow.  She has played in various ensembles (string quartet, piano quartet, a piano quintet, and viola duet) and was a member of the Polish Viola Association where she was able to participate in many concerts both as a soloist and as a member of ensembles.  Kasia's orchestral experience is extensive having played in the Lower Silesia Philharmonic, Symphony and Chamber Orchestra in Academy of Music both in Wroclaw and Cracow, Poland’s Małopolska Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Carpathia and very recently Kindred Spirits Orchestra in Markham and Music4Life String Orchestra. 

Instruments: Viola

Contact Details: 647-237-4194, stechlykatarzyna@gmail.com

Vivian (Wen-Hsuan) Su is an active soloist, orchestra cellist, chamber musician, and dedicated music educator. She has performed and attended concerts and festivals in the United States, Poland, Taiwan, China, Canada, and Germany. As a music educator, Vivian taught cello at music schools in Taiwan and the United States. As an experienced chamber musician, she has also been invited to give chamber music master classes in many schools. Vivian received long-term Suzuki Cello Pedagogy training in the United States under Nancy Hair. With a passion for chamber music, she is one of the founding members of the Alpaca Quartet and MuUyas Chamber Music. Vivian owns a Professional Performance Certificate from Pennsylvania State University and a Doctor of Musical Arts, Master in Music, and Graduate Performance Degree from The Hartt School, University of Hartford.

Studio Location: North York, Ontario

Contact: 647 853 7925

Detail: viviansucello@gmail.com

Matthew obtained an Advanced Certificate in Performance in Historical Performance with Joëlle Morton at the University of Toronto. Matthew is involved with chamber, contemporary, and orchestral music as well as Historically Informed Performance. He has performed as principal bass with The Four Seasons Project, Tafelmusik Winter Institute, The Toronto Bach Festival. He has also performed with the American Bach Soloists Academy, The Berwick Academy, Vancouver Symphony Institute at Whistler, Toronto Chamber Choir, and the Scaramella ensemble. He has studied under Edward Tait, Joëlle Morton and Richard Myron.

Instruments: Double Bass

Contact Details: 905-441-6966,  matthewgirolami94@gmail.com

Location: Oshawa

Kathryn Knowles is a composer, cellist, conductor, and writer currently based in Toronto, Ontario. Recently appointed one of the Composer Fellows with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, her compositions have been played in workshops by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the New Orford String Quartet, and the Penderecki String Quartet. Her most recent piece, Dreams of Hope, was

commissioned by Joseph Petric and funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. She is currently collaborating with Morgan-Paige Melbourne to write a musical titled Between Fires, also funded by

the CCA. Kathryn has performed and recorded with Juno-nominated singer-songwriter Lindsay Schoolcraft, and she recorded tracks for an upcoming album by the Juno-winning band, OKAN. Her

poetry and short stories received honourable mention in the Writer’s Digest 89th Annual Writing Competition, and her debut fantasy trilogy, The Quiescence Trilogy, is available for purchase now. In addition to her work with Music4Life, Kathryn is also a Centre Director with Sistema Toronto, and the Founder of Mad Endeavour. 

Areas of Instruction: Cello, Composition, Theory
Location: Toronto, Scarborough, Ajax
Contact Details: https://kathryn-knowles.com/contact/

Mr. Wang graduated from Shanghai Music Conservatory in 1982 and has nearly 30 years of violin/viola teaching and performance experience. In 1990, Mr. Wang was offered an exchange scholarship at the Juilliard School of Music in New York to assist with research related to the Suzuki violin teaching methodology. Mr. Wang has performed abroad playing first violin with the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra on Broadway and has also performed across the GTA.

Instruments: Violin, Viola

Studio Location: Richmond Hill

Contact Details: weipingwang815@gmail.com

Michael is currently a Master’s degree student in cello performance and also a teaching assistant (studio apprentice) at the University of Toronto under Professor Shauna Rolston’s guidance. Studied at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) since 2015 and got his diploma and the Bachelor of Music degree (Cello Performance) with the guidance of Professor Ray Wang. Studied with Tung Hiu Lo before the undergraduate programs at HKAPA.

Michael was the awardee of Parsons Music Foundation Scholarships, Marie Ho Memorial Scholarships and Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Scholarships. Michael had experiences to study with well known classical artists such as Steven Isserlis, The Shanghai Quartet, The Orion Quartet, Dr. Alvin Wong, Inbal Megiddo, side-by-side project with The Hong Kong Philharmonic and The Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Michael also performed as a soloist and as part of the cello ensemble in the HKAPA exchange week with Melbourne Conservatory Of Music. Invited as the guess player with Pacific Cello Orchestra Hong Kong. And also served as the department helper in HKAPA. Outside of school, Michael is a cello teacher, both in private and at different schools. Wong is also a freelance orchestral player, joined different orchestras as the principal cellist, substitute player. He is also active in chamber music performances, including coaching and conducting ensembles.

Instruments: Cello

Location: Richmond Hill, Ontario

Contact Details: 647 676 9338

Xinya Zhou is a solo cellist, orchestral cellist, chamber musician, and music educator. She attended high school at The Sichuan Conservatory of Music and later, earned a bachelor’s degree (BM) in cello performance from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. After graduating from college, she joined the cello section of the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most prestigious orchestras in China. One year later, she was offered a full scholarship and a teaching assistantship in the USA from Bowling Green State University, OH, for a master’s degree (MM) in cello performance. At BGSU, she studied with Dr. Alan Smith and became a member of the Graduate String Quartet, with additional duties as the principal cello of the Bowling Green State University Philharmonia. Meanwhile, she was offered the principal cello position of the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra in Ohio. After receiving her MM, Xinya was selected for the “Graduate Incentive Award” and pursued the doctoral degree in cello performance (DMA) studying with Mr. Yehuda Hanani at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. She was a core member and frequently, served as principal cellist in several orchestras throughout Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Xinya moved to Toronto with her family after upon completion of her doctoral degree in cello performance. She joined the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association. She is playing at the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, Casa Loma Symphony Orchestra, Mandle Symphony Orchestra, Kindred Spirits Orchestra, Brantford Symphony Orchestra, and the Music4Life Ensemble, etc.

Instrument: Cello

Studio Location: Markham, Ontario

Contact Details: xinyazhou87@gmail.com419-819-6792