Patty Chan, Music Director, Concertmaster, and President 陳慧敏 音樂總監，樂團首席及團長
陳慧敏出生於多倫多，十二歲開始學習二胡。近年一直擔任多倫多中國器樂團的二胡首席，在演奏技巧上受二胡演奏家高韶青的薰陶至深。過去曾與多倫多交響樂團成員，奧菲爾合唱團，黃昏舞蹈，塔比斯爾音樂劇院的音樂家、樂隊以及舞蹈家合作表演。也曾參與加拿大廣播電台的節目，被山葉音樂振興會邀請在華盛頓演出原創作品，為紀錄片《南京大屠殺》作幕後錄音，在2012年的舞台劇《紅雪》中現身等。懷著對中國音樂的熱忱，她遠赴中國大陸，台灣，香港等地尋師學藝，將很多新樂曲帶回多倫多。
陳慧敏曾為鋼琴及二胡導師達十八年，主持過很多學校的音樂研習班，也應約克大學中國古典樂團及頤康中心邀請為二胡導師。2011年初，她出版了名為 “Playing Erhu – Bridging the Gap” 的英語二胡學習課本，讀者來自三十多個國家。她現正編製一本引導兒童了解中國樂器的電子書，準備在互聯網上發售。她的網頁是 www.arcosound.com
Patty Chan was born in Toronto, and began to play the erhu at the age of twelve. She progressed to become the principal erhu player of a Toronto Chinese instrumental ensemble for many years before assuming the position of principal erhu and concertmaster of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra. Patty’s most influential teacher was virtuoso George Gao. She has collaborated with many musicians, ensembles, and dance artists, including the Orpheus Choir, Dusk Dances, Tapestry Music Theatre, and members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Patty has appeared on CBC Radio, and was invited by Yamaha Music to perform an original composition in Washington DC. She has recorded for the docudrama, “IRIS CHANG: The Rape of Nanking”, and has performed in the 2012 theatre production of “Red Snow”. Her passion for Chinese music has brought her to China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, to continue to learn from established musical leaders, as well as bring new works to Toronto.
Patty has taught piano and erhu in her private studio for over 18 years. She has held many school workshops in Toronto and York region. Patty teaches erhu at York University’s Chinese music program and Yee Hong community classes. In the spring of 2011, Patty published a book entitled “Playing Erhu – Bridging the Gap” that teaches the English reader how to play erhu. This book has been sold in over 30 countries. She has designed an educational app for tablets and smart phones that introduces children to Chinese instruments. Her web site is www.arcosound.com
Matthew Poon, Conductor 潘勉晞, 指揮
潘勉唏現為士嘉堡華人浸信會室樂團音樂總監。曾為萬錦市Kindred Spirits樂團、McMaster大學合唱團及McMaster女聲合唱團副指揮，並曾與多倫多大學交響樂團、McMaster大學樂隊、多倫多更美的家鄉合唱團合作為客席指揮。
於多倫多大學獲得管弦樂指揮碩士學位後，潘勉唏現正修讀音樂理論碩士課程。他亦獲得McMaster大學音樂學士及演奏文憑、多倫多皇家音樂學院鋼琴演奏文憑，曾參予多個工作坊，隨陳志昇，Harold Farberman, Gustav Meier, Jorge Mester, Paul Vermel等老師學習。
潘勉唏能操英語及廣東話，亦於工作上使用普通話及德文。他在音樂上的興趣從指揮伸延到作曲及編曲，以至音樂心理學研究、音樂教學，並於Arcadia Academy of Music擁有一私人製作室。
Matthew Poon is currently music director of the Markham Wesley Orchestra and conductor of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra, where he was winner of their 2015 Conducting Competition. Previously he served as assistant conductor of the Kindred Spirits Orchestra in Markham, the McMaster University Choir and Women’s Vocal Ensemble. Matthew’s guest appearances include performances with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Better Homeland Choir and McMaster Concert Band.
Having earned masters degrees in orchestral conducting and music theory, Matthew is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in music theory at the University of Toronto. He earned a bachelor’s degree with a diploma in music performance from McMaster University, and an associate’s diploma (ARCT) in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). Workshops have allowed Matthew to study with conducting teachers such as Chih-Sheng Chen, Harold Farberman, Gustav Meier, Jorge Mester and Paul Vermel, among others.
Matthew speaks English and Cantonese and has a working knowledge of Mandarin and German. Matthew’s musical interests extend beyond conducting into composing and arranging, music cognition research, and teaching, where he maintains a studio both privately in Markham and with Arcadia Academy of Music in Richmond Hill.
Jon Lin Chua, Composer-in-Residence 蔡宗玲, 駐團作曲家
Singapore-born composer Jon Lin Chua credits her versatility in traversing musical cultures and genres to her eclectic musical background.
Recent composition awards include the First Prize (large ensemble category) as well as the Young Singaporean Composer award on the 3rd Singapore International Composition Competition for Chinese Chamber Music, “Composium 2018,” organized by the Ding Yi Music Company (Singapore). As composer, she has worked with groups such as the MusicaNova Orchestra based in Phoenix, Arizona, as the orchestra’s composition fellow for the 2015-2016 season. Other groups she has worked with include the Southeastern Ensemble for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Sounds (SETTS), the SingaporeOrchestra, the Guitar Ensemble of the National University of Singapore, the Zen Ensemble, and has had works performed in festivals such as the 18th Biennial Festival of New Music organized by the Florida State University College of Music (2017), the Women in Music Festival (2014), and the National University of Singapore Arts Festival (2012). She is also one of the selected composers in the upcoming 35th Asian Composers League Conference and Festival to be held in Taiwan in October 2018.
Jon Lin studied at the Eastman School of Music, where she graduated with highest distinction as a double major in composition and music theory, and also a recipient of numerous scholarships, including the prestigious Presser Scholar Award and the National Arts Council of Singapore Arts Scholarship. She also received composition awards such as the Wayne Brewster Barlow Award, Louis Lane Award, and the Bernard Rogers Memorial Prize. Jon Lin is a member of the national honor music society Pi Kappa Lambda in the United States, the current treasurer of the Composers Society of Singapore (CSS), as well as a member of the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS).
Her teachers in composition include composers Oliver Schneller, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Robert Morris, David Liptak, and Robert Casteels, and she has participated in composition masterclasses with Moritz Eggert and Louis Karchin. In Eastman, she also studied piano performance under the tutelage of classical/jazz pianist and pedagogue Tony Caramia, and has also received instruction from Vincent Lenti, piano professor at the Eastman School of Music. Apart from being a pianist, she is also an erhu player, and has obtained a performance diploma from the Central Conservatory of Music of China. In addition, Jon Lin has also taken the effort to venture into alternative styles of music, including traditional Nanyin music, various subgenres of traditional Chinese opera, and has collaborated with Flame of the Forest, a contemporary Northern Indian music trio.
Jon Lin was also invited to present her paper A Collapse of Musical Categories? : A Closer Look at Ethnic Chinese Music within the Chinese Conservatory Tradition Today at the Composition in Asia International Symposium and Festival held in the University of Florida (2015). Her recent research interests include analytical approaches to timbre-based works, as well as the music of Helmut Lachenmann. Prior to pursuing her degree in music, Jon Lin obtained a B.A. (Hons) in philosophy from the National University of Singapore.
Her website is: https://www.jonlinchua.com/
Elaine Choi, Outreach and Education Coordinator 蔡亦翎, 外展及敎育統籌
DR. ELAINE CHOI (D.M.A) contributes to Toronto’s vibrant choral community as a conductor, educator, adjudicator, and collaborative pianist. She is currently the Director of Music at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, President of Choirs Ontario and conductor of the University of Toronto Women’s Chorus.
As a music educator, Elaine was a faculty member at the National Music Camp from 2010-2015 and currently serves as a guest coach at various schools throughout the city, including Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, North Toronto Collegiate Institute, and the York School.
Elaine is active as an adjudicator and a clinician for various community events, such as the Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival and Singsation Saturdays.
Elaine is an advocate for Chinese Music as she is also proficient on several traditional instruments such as the Erhu and Zhongruan. She was the conductor of Toronto Chinese Orchestra from 2010-2017. This fall, Elaine has founded a chamber choir Babel, an SATB ensemble founded to bridge choral music between Canada and China. The group supports Canadian composers through international performances and recordings of their work and brings work from contemporary composers in China back to Canada.
Elaine began music studies on piano and violin. She earned her BMus in Music Education (2008) and a MMus in Music Performance specializing in Choral Conducting (2010) at the University of Toronto. She also holds an ATCL (1999), an AmusTCL Diploma (2001) in piano performance from the Trinity College of Music, London, and an Advanced Certificate (2000) from Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music, England.
Elaine is a four time recipient of the Elmer Iseler Fellowship in Choral Conducting (2008, 2009, 2014, 2015) and a finalist in the Sir Ernest MacMillan Foundation Fellowship Award in Choral Conducting (2012). She’s the 2018 recipient of the prestigious William and Waters graduating award.