COUNCIL MEMBERS
Colin Enright
(he/him)
Director, Principal Conductor, Ph.D. Candidate
Colin Enright (he/him), Director, Principal Conductor, Ph.D. Candidate
Portfolio: Health & Wellness / Music Impact on Community and Society Today
Colin Enright is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education (Interdisciplinary-Psychology) at McGill University, and holds a B.Mus, B.Ed, and M.A. in Music Education. His research is focused on group music in community and educational settings and its effects on mental health and resilience. Currently, Colin works as co-director and conductor for the Montreal New Horizons Band, and as a vocal coach and band director for the Préville Fine Arts Centre. Prior to his graduate studies, he worked as an elementary and high school music teacher and as a conductor and musical director in the Montreal area. Through his work and research, Colin has remained a staunch advocate for accessible music education and building community music organizations as support resources for health and wellbeing. Colin is Co-Editor (with Dr. Andrea Creech) of the upcoming book Pedagogies for Later-Life Music Learning and Participation: Meaningful Music-Making in Later Life.
Tara Llewellyn
(she/her)
Soprano & Music Educator
Tara Llewellyn (she/her), Soprano & Music Educator
Portfolio: Music Impact on Community and Society Today
Tara Llewellyn is an avid music educator and performer living in Stratford, Prince Edward Island. After earning her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Prince Edward Island in 2021, Tara began her career teaching music to students at Montague Consolidated School where she strives to create a wide variety of meaningful musical opportunities and experiences for her students. While at UPEI, Tara studied voice with Professors Sung Ha Shin Bouey and Stephen Bouey. She was chosen to be the soprano representative for PEI in the National Youth Choir of Canada in 2017 and 2018, and also served as president of the UPEI Music Society. Tara is currently working towards her Master of Education in Curriculum Studies with a Focus in Music Education through Acadia University, and serves as the Admin Officer on the PEI Music Educators Association executive team. She is thankful for this opportunity, and is excited to be a part of the Coalition’s NextGen Advisory Council.
Nicholas Ma
(he/him)
Pianist & Composer
Nicholas Ma (he/him), Pianist & Composer
Nicholas Ma is a pianist-composer completing a double major in Piano Performance and Composition in addition to a minor in Music Theory at McGill University. Some of his accolades include a 2022 SOCAN Young Composer Award in the Under 21 Choral Category, the Luba Zuk Piano Duo Composition Competition Prize, and a student composer-in-residence position with McGill’s 2023/24 Schulich Singers. In 2022, Nicholas was selected by the Coalition for Music Education in Canada to compose the celebratory song Music is Our Medicine based on Mimi O’Bonsawin’s lyrics as part of the Music Monday program, a yearly event where a song of celebration is sung by hundreds of thousands of children and youth in schools and communities across Canada. Nicholas also maintains an active role in the music community, serving as the Vice-President of the McGill Association of Student Composers for the 2022-2023 year, in addition to being the Schulich Liaison for the Montréal Heart of the City Piano Program, a volunteer piano teaching initiative.
stevie sulyma
(they/them)
Band Director, Winnipeg MB
stevie sulyma (they/them), Band Director, Winnipeg MB
Portfolio: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility; Music Impact on Community and Society Today
stevie sulyma is acknowledging that we all write our own bios, so i am switching to first person (lower case name and ‘i’, see bell hooks). Hello, reader. My name is stevie and i am a grade 7-12 band director on Treaty 1 territory (Winnipeg, MB). i completed my BMusEd, BEd, and a diploma in arts management at Western University in London, Ontario. i am currently working on my master’s in music education at Acadia University when not fostering cats, teaching, or playing bassoon. i write and arrange music mostly for my learners at school, but you can find my arrangement of Don Macdonald’s Winter Sun on his website and on the MusicFest Canada concert band syllabus. Last year i compiled and created resources for queering the music classroom as well as diversifying your concert band library for my presentation at OMEA 2023 – you are welcome to email me if you’d like access to that Google Drive! Miigwetch.
Brock Tinsley
(he/him)
Musician
Brock Tinsley (he/him), Musician
Portfolio: Music Impact on Community & Society
Brock Tinsley founded Colfax Music upon completing high school, propelling him into a career of original music. As a teenager, Tinsley inked a deal with Universal Music Canada’s Jeff Burns, echoing Burn’s previous discoveries of Nickelback and Loverboy. Driven by a passion for mentorship, Tinsley then crafted “The EducaTOUR” program, empowering young creatives across Canada and the UK with SHSM-approved workshops and presentations related to pursuing the arts as a career. Tinsley’s live performances have transcended borders, captivating crowds from Canada to the UK, Western Europe, and the USA. In 2018, Tinsley represented MusicOntario at a Hamburg-based music conference as part of his original band Double Experience. The band are now 6-time Capital Music Award nominees, releasing dozens of songs and totalling millions of streams. In 2022, Double Experience were chosen by Twitch Music staff to launch their artist incubator program known as “The Collective”. Tinsley’s collaborations with acclaimed producers and songwriters, as well as recognition for his songwriting prowess underscore his dedication to music education and artistic excellence.
Harmeet Kaur Virdee
(she/they)
Double Bassist & Arts Administrator
Harmeet Kaur Virdee (she/they), Double Bassist & Arts Administrator
Portfolio: Co-chair
Harmeet Kaur Virdee is a jazz double bassist, music teacher, composer, and arts administrator from Surrey BC. Harmeet is currently studying Arts and Entertainment management at Capilano University and will be graduating in August 2024. Harmeet is also the founder and organizer of Surrey Jazz Nights, which is a monthly music series that focuses on providing mentorship and performance opportunities to young musicians in Surrey, BC.
Sarah Veber
(she/her)
Harpist & Medical Student
Sarah Veber (she/her), Harpist & Medical Student
Portfolio: Co-chair
Sarah Veber balances her time as a classical harpist, music educator, and medical student in her hometown of St. John’s, NL. With a focus on orchestral performance, Sarah toured transcontinentally with various groups before taking on the role of Principal Harpist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. Sarah has been a lifelong advocate for empowering youth through music, which she pursues as a Board Member with the Coalition for Music Education in Canada. She also maintains an active teaching studio as a harp instructor locally in Newfoundland. An individual of many passions, Sarah’s experience in the music industry sparked a realization of the importance of health and wellbeing among musicians. She is currently enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine’s MD program at Memorial University. Additionally, Sarah holds both a Bachelor of Music performance from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Music Performance from the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music. Outside of medicine and music, Sarah loves to spend time outdoors hiking, paddle boarding and traveling.
Kevin Vuong
(he/him)
Music Teacher, Conductor-Educator
Kevin Vuong (he/him), Music Teacher, Conductor-Educator
Portfolio: Music Impact on Community and Society Today/Reimagining and Innovating Professional Practice
Equally comfortable on the podium, in the pit, and in the classroom, Kevin Vuong is a GTA-based conductor-educator whose diverse resumé includes serving as Music Director for numerous musical theatre productions, as a freelance studio, new music, and concert conductor, and as a conductor-clinician working with school and community groups of all ages, including the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, the Oshawa Little Theatre Youth Orchestra, the Metropolitan Winds of Toronto and the Ontario Provincial Honour Band.
Most recently, Kevin co-authored an article titled “Hope for New Horizons: In Response to Building Back Better’” for the Canadian Winds, presented a session on Music and Social Justice at Synergy 2023 – Ontario Music Educators’ Association’s annual conference, and served as Music Director for the critically acclaimed 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival Patron’s Pick production of Nam Nguyen’s A Perfect Bowl of Pho.
Kevin is a recent recipient of the Ontario Band Association Conducting Excellence Award, and currently teaches instrumental music and musical theatre at Alexander Mackenzie High School/ARTS Mackenzie in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Kevin holds a Master of Teaching from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and completed his Bachelor of Music (Music Education) with Honours at the University of Toronto where he studied clarinet with Peter Stoll and conducting with Dr. Gillian Mackay and Ivars Taurins.