Vancouver Staff
Alex is a movement artist currently living and creating on the ancestral lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), and səl̓ilw̓ ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, in the place now commonly known as Vancouver. As a guest practicing Black American vernacular art forms, Alexandra strives to respect the history and maintain the integrity of the traditions of jazz and tap dance. She is a proud alumna of Jacob’s Pillow and returned with her company Soleful Dance to perform on the Inside/Out Stage. She was a member of Tapestry Dance Company and studied dance at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and Simon Fraser University. Her work has been presented at New Works, Feats Festival of Dance, Playhouse, 12 Minutes Max, Eighth and Eight, DOTE, and her film ‘Sedated’ was screened at the Cascadia Dance Film Festival. She continues to express movement by choreographing, teaching, and performing locally and internationally. Alexandra loves working at the Sarah Mclachlan School of Music helping youth explore the relationship between music and movement and fostering spaces that build community and creative expression.
To contact Alexandra, please emailalexandra@sarahschoolofmusic.com or call 604-709-4415 ext 0
A truly well-rounded musician, Alison is equally at home performing on stage, recording in the studio, or writing music and lyrics on her laptop. She has played music in BC, across Canada, and internationally. She has twice been nominated for a Jessie Award (Vancouver’s professional theatre awards), and plays many instruments, including accordion, clarinet, banjo, bass, tin whistle, trumpet and piano. Alison has also been a prolific songwriter for many years, and hopes to record an album of her own material soon. Bands include: Zeellia, The Flying Folk Army, The Rogue Crows, and Something About Reptiles. When she’s not teaching at SOM, you can often find Alison onstage in professional theatre productions in Vancouver and Saskatoon, playing old-time music at the Richmond Country Farms pumpkin patch in the fall, or leading tours with Forbidden Vancouver’s Lost Souls Of Gastown tour.
To contact Alison, please email: ajenkins@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Andrea Unrau is a musician, educator and researcher with 15 years of teaching experience and a passion for bringing high quality arts education to children and adults of all ages and abilities. With a background in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, Andrea spent 5 years studying early musical development in children and the many cognitive and social benefits of music education. Her goal is to find creative methods to share musical joy with young people with unique learning needs. Andrea is also an active keyboardist, collaborative pianist and vocalist, performing regularly around Vancouver and Western Canada. http://www.unlockingmusic.ca
To contact Andrea, please email aunrau@sarahschoolofmusic.com or call 604-709-4415 ext 5
Anna has over 20 years experience as a relationship manager, event planner and administrator, with a background in musical theatre, piano and singing. Anna and her husband try to live life to the fullest. In the past few years, they have lived in a skoolie, truck camper and sailboat. They learned how to ski mountains, worked and lived in the Northwest Territories, rafted down the Nahanni river, travelled to the Yukon and Alaska, motorcycled through the Red Rocks, camped in the Arizona desert, sailed the Salish Sea and are currently living on their converted gill-netter on the Fraser River.
To contact Anna, please email: anna@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Christina Gaspar is a UBC Music and Theatre graduate. She currently performs world music, Portuguese Fado and children’s music under the banner of Gaspar Studios. Christina has been teaching for the past ten years, and focuses on early childhood or youth-at-risk arts programs. She endeavours to equip children and youth with the tools, resources and knowledge to exceed their goals, and develop a lifelong passion for music and the arts. www.gasparstudios.com.
To contact Christina, please email: cgaspar@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Born in the Philippines to a musical family, Francis developed an affinity for music and the guitar at a young age. While he grew up in Metro Manila, his childhood also included living in Kazakhstan and frequently traveling around Central and Southeast Asia until migrating to Vancouver in 2010 — picking up new music at every step of the way. These experiences contributed strongly to his belief in the importance of cultural and community immersion for a well-rounded and meaningful music education. Francis holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Capilano University and has been teaching since 2015. He is also an active session guitarist, published songwriter, and artist, working and performing regularly around Vancouver and Western Canada. https://francishenson.com
To contact Francis, please email: francis@sarahschoolofmusic.com
I’m a Vancouver based composer, songwriter, upright and electric bassist. As a founding member of local indie band, The Boom Booms, I’ve played hundreds of Canadian festivals, toured internationally and shared the stage with Canadian icons such as Sarah McLachlan, Bryan Adams, Serena Ryder and Jessie Reyez. The Boom Booms accolades include six-time winners of The Georgia Straight Best of Vancouver (Indie bands), second prize at the Peak Performance Project, and champions of the Shore Radio’s Best of BC competition. In an alternate musical universe, I play upright bass and compose for the crossover jazz group, Malleus Trio. The trio has performed in Jazz festivals across Canada (Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Halifax) and has notably played support for Joshua Redman in 2019.
What excites me most about the teaching process is how music inspires creativity, which in turn inspires growth. I’m currently enrolled in the Education department at SFU studying developmental psychology in the hopes of creating more inspiration through teaching music.
To contact Geordie, please email: ghart@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Holly Winter is a composer, vocalist, clarinetist, and music educator with a passion for creative music-making. Holly has over 10 years of teaching experience and loves helping students find their creative voices. With a pedagogy background, Holly always looks for new and engaging ways to teach. She has a particular interest in making her classroom accessible to students of all backgrounds and support needs.
Holly’s compositions have been performed internationally and have been described as striking and innovative. Her diverse background is evident in her works, which implement visual art, theatrics, poetry, and improvisation. She is most well known for her graphic and animated scores, which integrate colour and musical gestures in a beautiful synthesis.
Holly holds an MMus from UBC in Music Composition, a BMus in Clarinet from Memorial University and a BA in Creative Writing and Philosophy from Dalhousie. Holly is an avid hobby collector and loves learning new skills; be she to ask her what her current obsession is! hollywintercomposer.com
To contact Holly, please email: hwinter@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Ian Bevis is a singer, songwriter and producer from Vancouver BC. Ian originally began producing and performing music with his band Bear Mountain, when in 2012 a major label record deal profoundly changed the band's trajectory.
Ian spent the next ten years touring and performing at some of North America's largest music festivals, including Sasquatch!, The Governor's Ball, and Austin City Limits, as well as performing as direct support for acts like Bloc Party, Hot Chip, and Chromeo. In addition to producing music, Ian has spent the last ten years honing his craft as a songwriter, co-writing songs with Canadian artists like Nelly Furtado, Jesse Reyez, and Nate Ferraro.
His work reflects his deep fascination with the intersection of acoustic and electronic music, driving his relentless pursuit of innovative songwriting possibilities through technology. While teaching, Ian aims to bring a positive and multi-faceted approach to learning new techniques to produce music, while fostering a supportive environment to inspire students.
To contact Ian, please email: ian@sarahschoolofmusic.com
James Moore is a Vancouver based electronic producer who attended the Sarah McLachlan School of Music and the Nimbus School of Recording Arts where he earned diplomas in Advanced Music Engineering, Advanced Music Production, Live Audio and Post and Game Audio Production. After Nimbus, James' passion for music brought him back to the Sarah School as a teacher.
While James mostly makes EDM, he's also played in rock bands as a guitarist and a bassist. When he isn't teaching or making music, he is working as an independent recording engineer, live sound tech and post audio mixer. Always eager to expand and share his knowledge, james brings a lot of positivity to all the work he does.
To contact James, please email: jmoore@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Julia has been part of the SoM community for the last Thirteen years. Ten of those years as a student at SOM studying Piano and Choir. Julia has now been part of the SoM team for 3 years. After graduating from secondary school and SoM, Julia worked in the transportation and snack program. She is now the Senior Front Desk Assistant. Julia is proud to be a part of the SoM family and feels this is her second home. She believes in the power the school provides for the students in Finding Their Voice and loves having a part to play in their journey through SoM. In the future, Julia wants to pursue a career working with children.
To contact Julia, please email julia@sarahschoolofmusic.com or call 604-709-4415 ext 0
Julia McDougall is a songwriter, musician and music educator based out of Vancouver, BC and is privileged to live and work on the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Stó:lō, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations. A long-time member of both the Vancouver and Saskatchewan music scenes, McDougall is currently working under the moniker Yawn, a solo, synth dream-pop project. Over the years, McDougall has performed and toured across Canada in various projects. In 2020, Julia attended the prestigious International songwriting residency at the Banff centre and released a debut single under Yawn. Julia is also a teacher with the Burnaby School District and works primarily in alternative education; she has degrees in both composition and education from Simon Fraser University and has been an instructor with the Sarah McLachlan School of Music since 2015. Julia believes that art has the power to pave the way for truth, equality and social justice, and is a committed ally to our BIPOC communities.
To contact Julia, please email: jmcdougall@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Justin Gorrie is a performer, composer and music educator within a vast array of musical mediums. As the son of a working musician and an essential member of the highly successful music program at Semiahmoo Secondary, he was exposed to life as a musician early on and began playing professionally at age 15. Justin has been a part of nearly a thousand live engagements over the last 13 years, ranging from weddings and corporate events to club and festival appearances with his current original music projects: Best Night Ever, Last Ark Out & Tiny Havoc.
While teaching, Justin aims to create a positive learning experience that motivates and inspires his students to achieve great things in music and beyond! Over the past 10 years Justin has helped his students successfully audition to post-secondary music programs at institutions including the University of Victoria, Capilano University, Kwantlen University, Concordia University, University of British Columbia & others. Justin is an avid proponent of music technology and is always keen to share his knowledge with both his students and peers.
To contact Justin, please email jgorrie@sarahschoolofmusic.com or call 604-709-4415 ext 7
Katie is fascinated by the variety of sounds and colours possible by the many instruments of the percussion family. An active performer of symphonic and new music, she has performed in concerts presented by Music on Main, Vancouver New Music, Redshift Music Society, and the Canadian Music Centre, both as a freelance musician and with her chamber group the Ethos Collective, of which she is a founding member. Katie is the acting principal percussionist of the Okanagan Symphony and performs as an extra musician with the Vancouver Symphony. A dedicated educator, she also teaches at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Langley Community Music School. Katie holds a Masters of Music and Professional Studies Diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelors of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of British Columbia.
To contact Katie, please email: krife@sarahschoolofmusic.com
In 1997 Liam relocated to the West Coast from Toronto and has been calling Vancouver home for the last 20years . Since Liam has been in Vancouver he has been equally in demand for his Drumset playing as well as his abilities as a Multi-Percussionist.
Due to Liams versatility as a Percussionist and as a Drumset player it has led him to an extremely eclectic mix of projects that he has worked with over the years. Liam is both recorded and/ or performed with the following artists : Harry Manx (World Folk Blues), Steve Dawson (Roots & Blues), Celso Machado (guitarist/composer from Brazil), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), John Boutte (New Orleans singing legend), Gord Grdina's Haram (11 piece Avant-Garde Arabic ensemble), Buckman Coe (RnB, Soul, Reggae).
To contact Liam, please email: lmacdonald@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Marlow is a homegrown Vancouverite and internationally touring bass player, musician and songwriter who has balanced his love of music with a passion for working in the community and non-profit sector. He began his musical career in the 90s as a signed artist on David Foster’s record label, 143 Records, with his band, Mollies Revenge. Later, he entertained crowds alongside artists such as Kinnie Starr, Skip Martin (Kool and the Gang), Mikey Thomas (Starship), and Mike Reno (Loverboy), among many others. For the past 18 years, Marlow has performed with the Vancouver-based tribute act, Nearly Neil. Throughout his musical career, he has also worked with special needs teens and youth in a supervisory, programming and training capacity.
Marlow enjoys connecting with the community and bringing joy and excitement to people’s lives. With over 30 years of experience in both the music and non-profit spheres, he is excited to apply all of the skills required in both fields—musical and administrative—as the SoM Vancouver Operations Manager, merging his skill sets to connect and empower children, youth, and adults alongside the vibrant SoM team.
In his spare time, he enjoys spending quality time with his wife, family, and friends. When he’s not engaged in music or dancing, he likes to walk his Lynx Point Siamese, Ducati.
To contact Marlow, please email marlow@sarahschoolofmusic.com or call 604-709-4415 ext 1
Noah Gotfrit is a double bassist/composer based on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. He is a former performance and composition student at the Vancouver Community College School of Music where he studied with bassists Paul Rushka and Laurence Mollerup. He spent several years working as a musician in New Orleans and has toured extensively across Europe, Western Canada and the United States with a wide variety of musical acts. As a bassist, he has worked with some of Western Canada’s finest players such as Oliver Gannon, PJ Perry, Bill Coon, Miles Black, Brad Shigeta and others and has played Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton’s International Jazz Festivals as well as the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Djangofollies festival in Belgium. As a multi-instrumentalist, Noah worked with local luminaries Jim Byrnes, Margo Kane, Tom Pickett, Kevin McNulty and Sam Bob as part of the band in the 2019 SFU Woodwards production of Bah Humbug! Noah also has a passion for working with youth and has worked at Island Pacific School on Bowen Island, and Directions Youth Services in downtown Vancouver.
To contact Noah, please email: noah@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Growing up in El Salvador and moving to Victoria in the 1990s, Raul Espinoza taught himself to use turntables in the year 2000 and soon after became DJ Su Comandante. Since then, he has opened for acts such as Ozomatli, K-OS, Wyclef Jean of the Fugees, Yellowman, Kinnie Starr, Long Beach Shortbus, The Furios, and Fishbone. He has also been featured at events such as Skafest, Diwali Fest and Under the Volcano, and hosted a radio show of underground hip hop for 5 years at CFUV radio in Victoria. His work with youth started with projects like Hip Hop Hope, the Surrey Urban Youth Project, and Leave Out Violence. Currently he is a youth empowerment workshop facilitator through the Metaphor Crew, an instructor at the Sarah McLachlan School for Music and has been a music consultant at Highlife Records since 2005. He also tours regularly with CR Avery and Curtis Clearsky and the Constellationz.
To contact Raul, please email: respinoza@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Richard Brown is currently based in Vancouver. He has worked in recent years with the popular Canadian band Big Sugar. Richard has also recorded and performed with a number of Canadian and International artists including the iconic musicians Ernest Ranglin, Pee Wee Ellis, The Beach Boys and many other great artists. His television and film credits include work in films with Mariah Cary, Debra Cox, Alanah Myles, Gino Vanelli and others. Richard remains in-demand on the Canadian music and also co-leads his own band, Mad Riddim. A dub project which melds reggae, funk, jazz and other genres into a popular festival band. As a touring musician Richard has travelled across North America, Central America, The Caribbean, as well as Europe, China and other parts of Asia multiple times.
As part of the SoM staff, Richard enjoys sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience with his students, while helping them to develop fun and effective ways to learn and experience music.
To contact Richard, please email: richard@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Over the past eight years Robin has become a regular fixture on the B.C. festival circuit, collaborating with a wide spectrum of folk and world artists. His recent touring engagements have led him to Mexico, Italy, China, the U.S. and Canada. He has followed his love of world music to Cuba, Guinea, Mali, and Mexico studying under master drummers and marimbists of those respective traditions. He currently performs with world music groups Locarno, Tambura Rasa, and Mazacote and is in demand as a freelance percussionist for recordings, performances and tours. Recent highlights include working with Juno Award winning artists Quique Escamilla, The Paperboys, Donne Roberts (African Guitar Summit), Alpha Yaya Diallo, Celso Machado and Silk Road Music.
Equally at home on a festival stage or in a classroom, Robin strongly believes that the gift of music should be accessible to everyone. He is the senior percussion instructor at the Sarah McLachlan School of Music and the Artistic Director of the Britannia World Rhythms for Youth Society. He also recently started the Vancouver World Music Festival in 2015 with Tom Landa. In his spare time, Robin is working on his solo album featuring original compositions for marimba.
To contact Robin, please email: rlayne@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Ronald Nazal, a prolific music producer hailing from Vancouver, BC, has left an indelible mark on the industry with his stellar achievements. As a multi-platinum producer and accomplished recording engineer, Ronald's sonic fingerprints grace numerous chart-topping hits. Beyond the studio, he captivates audiences with his dynamic live performances, having shared the stage with luminaries such as Burna Boy, showcasing his skills as a keyboardist.
In addition to his thriving career in the limelight, Ronald is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of musical talent. Serving as an inspirational figure, he imparts his wealth of knowledge by teaching music production. Ronald Nazal's journey is not just a testament to his musical prowess but also reflects his commitment to shaping the future of the industry.
To contact Ron, please email: ron@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Sara grew up as a multidisciplinary musician who followed their passion for vocal performance into the Randolph College for the Performing Arts. After graduating with a degree in musical theater, Sara returned to their hometown to begin running classes and workshops for youth in the community, coaching her students as they prepared for a variety of shows and auditions. Sara spent years dabbling in music therapy and music education in search of a way to use their passion for music in a therapeutic way. After moving to BC in 2020, Sara began writing their own music and has loved becoming a part of the music community, here in Vancouver. Sara is thrilled to be part of the team at SoM to continue the pursuit to change lives through music.
To contact Sara, please email: sara@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Shane Raman is a baritone who sings with the juno-nominated vocal ensemble, musica intima, and Cor Flammae. Shane conducts the Youth Choirs, the Vocal Ensemble and teaches private voice at the Sarah McLachlan School of Music. He also conducts the Anvil Community Choir in New Westminster and regularly leads choral workshops with local choirs and other groups of singers and speakers.
After earning a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from The University of British Columbia, Shane has gone on to perform with musica intima, Vancouver Cantata Singers, Cor Flammae, Vancouver Opera, Phoenix Chamber Choir, Vancouver Peace Choir and Vancouver Chamber Choir.
Shane is a composer/arranger/songwriter of choral, broadway and pop music. His pieces have been performed by Vancouver Cantata Singers, musica intima, Cor Flammae, Pro Coro Canada, Indiekör, McGill Choral Society Chamber Choir, and The University of New York at Oneonta Chamber Singers. UBC's University Singers and Vancouver Cantata Singers have recorded Shane's pieces.
More recently Shane has been singing small roles in new operas and vocal works, as well as performing in musicals and performing his own pop music.
To contact Shane, please email: sraman@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Shannon Scott has been teaching, performing, and recording locally and abroad since graduating from Capilano University's BMus in Jazz Studies in 2006. Accolades include feature performances in the Joy in Jiangsu World Music Festival (China), the Jaipur Jazz and Blues Festival (India), as well as at multiple BC Jazz and Folk music festivals. As a teacher, she is passionate about inspiring a love of music in her students, at any age, and in every style.
To contact Shannon, please email: shannon@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Tze Liew is a Malaysian soprano with a love of fantasy and the realm of the heart. A creative songwriter, stage performer and session singer, her music blends the genres of classical, opera, musical theatre, jazz, folk, pop and cinematic soundscape. She is a frequent performer of film and video game soundtrack, an improviser, a harmony whiz, and a diverse artist who can sing in Mandarin, Japanese, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Latin, Malay and even made-up fantasy languages. She is a member of Coin Op. Studios, an international collective of musicians who create video game cover albums as well as original music.
Tze is a Voice major at the Vancouver Academy of Music, studying with Frédérik Robert and Robyn Driedger-Klassen. She also holds a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, with electives in songwriting and composition. Music and words are closely intertwined in her career — she freelanced as a Senior Writer for CBC Music, writing script and programming music for the classical radio shows Backstage with Ben Heppner and In Concert Revival Hour with host Paolo Pietropaolo. She was a librettist for the 2018 Vancouver Opera New Works Project, where she had two original one-act operas premiered.
As the whimsical siren next door, she sings songs and writes stories to heal, uplift and transport her audience to different worlds. As a teacher, she loves working with students to find joy in their singing bodies and unlock their creative voices.
To contact Tze, please email: tliew@sarahschoolofmusic.com
Born in France to artist and flight attendant parents, Boris developed an affinity for the visual arts at a young age, and he was able to travel extensively throughout Europe, Canada and the US, Japan, India, Central America, the Caribbeans, and French Polynesia throughout his childhood and teenage years. As a result of these experiences, he developed a passion for art and culture of all types and this has greatly contributed to his interest and study of various musical instruments and traditions. Coupled with his formal training in piano - A.R.C.T. Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Bachelor of Music Degree from UBC, and Jazz and Commercial Music Diploma from VCC - and his vast performing experience, which includes a decade of international touring as bassist for the Celtic-funk band Mad Pudding, he brings to SoM a rich perspective and colourful approach to music education. Boris is also an accomplished bagpipe maker, whose instruments are played around the globe.
To contact Boris, please email bfavre@sarahschoolofmusic.com or at 604-709-4415 ext 7