Instructors
Instructors
| Alyssa Andreatta | Piano |
| Bronwyn van Vugt | Piano |
| Gillian Epp | Cello |
| Lauren Klein | Violin/Fiddle |
| Jason Corbett | Guitar |
| Neala St.Hilaire | Early Childhood Music |
| Jennifer Yuen | MYC |
| Tamara Schwartzentruber | Piano |
Alyssa Andreatta, Piano
Alyssa Andreatta has taught private piano lessons over the past six years. She is very pleased to have joined Con Brio’s faculty, in fall, 2008. Before arriving at Con Brio, Alyssa has completed her Bachelor of Music at the University of Western Ontario, with an honours degree in Musical Arts. There, her main focus was education and composition. Her major was piano, and she studied classical music with both Cornelius Rodert and Stephan Sylvestre. Currently, she attends the University of Victoria, with plans to complete a Bachelor of Education, specializing in music.
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Bronwyn van Vugt, Piano
Bronwyn began taking piano lessons at age five. She went through the Royal Conservatory examinations and competed in various music festivals before going on to the University of Victoria where she studied piano performance. Although classically trained, Bronwyn enjoys playing music of various genres. Trombone playing increased her love and understanding of jazz, which she consequently enjoys playing on the piano as well. Bronwyn explores improvisation and pop with bands both in her church and in the community. Learning the folk fiddle is Bronwyn's latest endeavor, and, although challenging, it helps her to appreciate another genre of music, and, most importantly, reminds her what it is like to be a beginner! Bronwyn adores teaching and sharing music with others. It has been her dream to bring music into people's lives in a way that is both enriching and enjoyable. She believes this can best be accomplished by exposing individuals to the avenues of music and learning that inspire them most. After teaching privately for 8 years, Bronwyn opened Con Brio Music in the fall of 2004. Since then, Con Brio has grown; the support has been amazing, and Bronwyn only hopes that everyone else is having as much fun as she is! Bronwyn is excited about the expansion of Con Brio and hopes to see it enrich more lives and bring more music to the Fairfield Community.
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Gillian Epp, Cello
Cellist, Gillian Epp, completed her Masters in Music at the University of Toronto in 2002, where she studied with Shauna Rolston. She has participated in many masterclasses with solo cellists as well as with chamber groups including, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Zara Nelsova, the Gryphon Trio, and the St. Lawrence Quartet. Gillian has been performing and teaching in Victoria for the past 2 years, and is currently teaching at both Con Brio Music and the Victoria Conservatory. Since graduating from U of T she has also taken numerous Suzuki teacher training courses. As an accomplished cellist, Gillian has enthusiastically taught beginners through to advanced students and has a strong commitment to them all. Gillian is a creative, insightful educator with a love of children and an appreciation for the character development which music instills.
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Lauren Klein, Violin/Fiddle
Originally from Halifax, Lauren completed her Bachelor of Music in Waterloo, ON and her Master of Music Performance in Victoria, BC. She has been a member of symphony and string orchestras, an East Coast fiddle group and a Baroque and Early Music ensemble. She also completed a Diploma in Chamber Music while in Waterloo and loves to play in string quartets and trios whenever she can. She has attended Quartetfest 2006, Scotia Festival of Music, and the Tafelmusik Summer Baroque Institute. Lauren teaches classical violin and dabbles in East Coast fiddle and folk.
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Jason Corbett, Guitar [Website]
Jason earned his Bachelor in Music Performance at McGill University in
Montreal, Quebec. He then studied with Dr. Alexander Dunn at the
University of Victoria, earning his Masters in Music Performance in classical guitar. After finishing his studies, armed with only his guitar, he set off to Seville, Spain to study flamenco and then to London, UK to study jazz. Happy to have returned to Victoria, celebrating the clean air, amazing fish and chips and teaching at Con Brio, he can be seen regularly performing around town with his partner, singer Kelly Best, in the jazz Duo Sable and with the virtuosic Victoria Guitar Trio. Taking on all ages and levels of students, he has taught guitar for many years emphasizing strong technique, creativity and musicality. All styles are welcome and greatly appreciated! He has taught students from every
conceivable background, from death metal to classical to blues, and many of his students have gone on to play and record in diverse areas of music.
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Neala St.Hilaire, Piano and Early Childhood Specialist
Neala received her Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Victoria in 1994. Since then, she has been active as an accompanist, teacher, vocal coach and early childhood music educator. Neala was first introduced to Kindermusik as a parent in an "Our Time" class in 2001. Since completing her training, she has taught Early Childhood Music and Kodaly to infants through to Grade One. Neala is dedicated to ensuring the best possible music experience for you and your children.
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Jennifer Yuen, Music for Young Children (MYC) teacher [Website]
Jennifer began piano studies at age seven, and went through the Royal Conservatory exams all the way through to completing her ARCT in piano performance in 1999, while taking the two-year Diploma in Music program through the Victoria Conservatory of Music from 1998-2000. She took part in many masterclasses and music festivals through the years, and was also privileged to study with Winifred Wood at the VCM. Jennifer taught private beginner piano lessons for twelve years. She was searching for a program to start her daughter in, found Music for Young Children, and loved it so much that she decided to begin teaching it. Jennifer is thrilled to now be teaching piano in group classes to children as young as two in such a fun and positive way.