Alexa Pilon

Instruments: Bassoon, Cello
Education: Masters of Music (MM), Brandon University; Bachelor of Music (BM), Brandon University; Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT), The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM)
Style: Classical
Languages: English

Alexa completed her Masters degree in Cello Performance and Literature at Brandon University. She also holds an ARCT diploma in Cello Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Alexa is an active chamber musician and has studied intensively at the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute in Toronto. Alexa enjoys teaching students of all ages!

Cathy Macchia

Instruments: Piano, Theory, Violin
Education: Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT), The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM)
Style: Classical, Popular
Languages: English, Romanian

Cathy has been playing the violin and piano for 25 years. She has competed and won first place in numerous competitions around Europe. In addition to her solo playing, Cathy has toured Europe and the United States with several orchestras. In 1996, Cathy had the opportunity to perform at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Cathy understands the individual needs of each student, she has a patient and understanding approach to teaching. She belives a positive approach is needed in order to embrace learning the complexity of music and to enrich each student's musical experiences.

Fion Leung

Instruments: Piano, Violin
Education: Bachelor of Music (BM), York University
Style: Classical, Popular, Blues
Languages: English, Cantonese

Galina Dinina

Instruments: Piano, Viola, Violin
Education: Masters Degree in Viola & Violin, Musical School № 2 (Minsk); Music Teacher Certificate, Glinka Musical College (Minsk)
Style: Classical, Folk, Popular
Languages: English, Russian

Galina has been teaching music since 1982 and preparing students for Royal Conservatory exams in piano, violin and viola since 1996. Galina has performed in many orchestras, quartets, trios and other ensembles in Belarus and in Canada.

Luisa Cornacchia

Instruments: Piano, Viola, Violin
Education: Bachelor of Music (BM), University of Toronto
Style: Classical, Popular, Fiddle
Languages: English, American Sign Language

Luisa Cornacchia holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance and Composition from the University of Toronto. She is a qualified music instructor with six years of experience. Luisa teaches violin and viola, as well as piano and music theory. She is a well-rounded musician and enjoys playing classical, film, popular, jazz and fiddle styles of music on violin and viola. Currently, Luisa works with an opera company, and writes music for short children's animations as well as teaching music to children and adults of all ages and levels. She encourages her students to relate to the music they are making in creative and exciting ways, such as through imaginative story-telling. Luisa is very knowledgeable with the Suzuki method, Royal Conservatory of Music exam syllabi, and alternative "just for fun" methods of enjoying music.

Marie-Andree Gray

Instruments: Violin
Education: Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Music Performance, McGill University
Style: Classical
Languages: English, French

In 2002 as a member of the Savitri String Quartet, Marie-Andrée performed for Queen Elizabeth II during the Royal visit to Victoria, B.C. The group entertained the Queen at a tea held at the prestigious Empress Hotel.

Marie-Andree was born and raised in Montreal and started her musical training on piano at age 5, taking up the violin at age ten. She received a B.A. in performance violin from McGill University having studied with celebrated teacher Sonia Jelinkova. Her summers were spent in Kingston as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, serving as Concert Master one year. Marie-Andree has worked as a violinist with several of Canada’s major orchestras including L’Orchestre Metropolitain, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra London Canada, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Windsor Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Vancouver Island Symphony, and the Regina Symphony.

As a member of the Victoria Symphony, Marie-Andrée played for international music celebrities. She played in a Gala Fundraising event featuring music arranged and conducted by the incomparable David Foster during an evening featuring guests Kenny G, Paul Anka, and Celine Dion. She later played in a Vancouver Tour stop concert for international singing star Josh Groban. As a symphony musician, Marie-Andrée has played with soloists Louis Lorti, Anton Kuerti, André Laplante, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth, and the late Maureen Forrester to name a few.

Marie-Andree began teaching violin students thirty years ago as an apprentice to her teacher at the time. She gained considerable distinction as a private violin teacher in British Columbia. Her students often travelled great distances for weekly lessons, and several of them are now pursuing violin studies in Canadian and U.S. universities. She has always stressed performance as the basis for her teaching; to that end she formed the Oceanside Youth Orchestra in 2003 to ensure a performance venue existed, and saw considerable success in those efforts. Marie-Andree has been a registered Royal Conservatory of Music teacher for several years and uses the format to guide most of her students in their development which includes examinations. She is successful in teaching children, but also enjoys teaching adults of all ages and background.