KINZA TYRRELL

Victoria native Kinza Tyrrell has a Doctorate in piano and vocal coaching. Her musical education began at age four and has been extensive, including study at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Graz, Austria, the International Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg and the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco. In June 2003, Kinza competed in the Opera Coaching division of the International Belvedere Opera Competition in Vienna, winning the Bösendorfer Prize. She recently completed a three year term on the esteemed music faculty at the Canadian Opera Company where Wagner’s Ring Cycle was launched at the new Four Seasons Centre. She is in her second season with Vancouver Opera since winning the positions of Principle Repetiteur of VOA and Music Director of VOIS last fall. In June, she will return to Italy to join the highly acclaimed mentors and teachers at the COSI opera program in Sulmona. Kinza is always in great demand as a vocal/language coach and recitalist, having had the pleasure of working with great Canadian voices such as Isabel Bayrakdarian, John Fanning, Benjamin Butterfield, Laura Whalen, Marc Hervieux, and Daniel Taylor. Dr. Tyrrell also freelances as a solo performer, most recently playing the Grieg Concerto with the Prince George Symphony and the Shostakovich no. 2 with the Calgary and Edmonton Symphonies last spring. This November, she is looking forward to her solo debut with the Vancouver Symphony where she will be performing Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

SALVADOR FERRERAS

Percussionist first and foremost but also a dedicated music educator and producer, Salvador Ferreras has collaborated in almost every musical genre on the Canadian music scene. Over the last few years his touring engagements have taken him to the Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Taiwan, China, Australia and the United States.

He is Artistic Director of the very successful Literary Cabaret at the Vancouver International Writer’s Festival. On the academic front, he is Dean of the Vancouver Community College School of Music and earned a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of British Columbia in 2005. He was a member of the British Columbia Arts Council from 2002 to 2008 and is a regular advisor on cultural policy with various organizations in Canada. In November 2003 he was inducted into the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame. In May 2005, Sal was awarded the Willan Prize, for outstanding contributions to choral music in British Columbia.

Sal is the former Principal Percussionist of the CBC Radio Orchestra, and tours with his Persian based trio Safa, and the Latin American trio The Southern Cross. His solo and collaborative work is heard regularly on national radio as performer, host and commentator on contemporary classical, traditional, and Latin American music. He has performed on a variety of highly acclaimed recordings ranging from rock to classical music with such artists at the CBC Radio Orchestra, Viveza, Chicago, k.d.lang, Veda Hille, Michael Blake, Hedley, Robbie Robertson and Raffi. He has released three solo recordings: To Drive in L.A. (1986), Invisible Minority (1994), Woodcuts (2001) and a well received trio recording with Safa (2002) (See more info on Recordings).

ROBERT JAMES CANNON

Dr. Robert James Cannon BSc, BEdA, MSc, DC 

Over the past 30 years Dr Cannon has designed and facilitated injury prevention programs to an extraordinary variety of industries from entertainment (theatre large stage musical venues in Toronto including CATS, SHOWBOAT, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN, FOSSE, LES MISERABLES and Walt Disney Theatrical Canada production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, dance, television and film) to manufacturing, materials distribution, and the service industry.

Some of the companies that have benefited from his services include Saputo Milk division, Island Farms Dairies Co-op Association, the British Columbian Automobile Association (ERS Fleet Services), Ceres Corp, Kruger Products (pulp and paper), the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (stevedoring services at the Port of Vancouver), Sysco Vancouver Food Services, The Pan Pacific Hotel, The Westin Bayshore Hotel, The Marriott Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver, Honda Canada, Toyota Canada, Volkswagen Canada, Herman Miller Workplace Resource, and Capers Community Markets (Whole Foods), Neptune Terminals, Nisource Inc. His philosophy is that injury reduction programs are successful when the information provided is meaningful to the participant, immediately usable and exciting enough that you want to share what you learned with friends and family.

Stay Fit…Don’t Sit...

As a SafeStart consultant and ergonomic specialist, he successfully bridges the gap between ergonomics and human error as it relates to injury reduction. His participatory sessions combined with his unique sense of humour, create a fun and interactive learning environment. His teaching style is one of audience participation and sharing of experience both good and bad to encourage the attendee to make better decisions to reduce at risk behaviour at home and on the job.

PETER FRIESEN

Peter Friesen began piano lessons at age 6. He paid for his lessons by mowing his piano teacher’s lawn.  At age 12, he decided to become a rock star after seeing pictures of Rick Wakeman and thinking Rick looked like Jesus.  By 14, Peter was playing in bars and restaurants. He has taught piano full time since 1984 and plays piano at weddings and corporate events. 

Peter is a member of the BCRMTA Richmond executive. He is the  author of 3 books. Pop Piano Pro, and Take The Lead level1 and level 2.