Violin & Viola
Patrick Burroughs - Founding Music Director
Patrick Burroughs began his study of the violin at the age of nine in Victoria, BC, and later continued his musical studies at the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts under Clayton Hare, Harmon Haakman and Thomas Rolston. He holds an Honour BA (Music) and a Master’s Degree (Music Education) from the University of Toronto, and attended special classes in the United States with Helen Bacchus de la Fuente, Joseph Gingold and John Kendall, and in France with Alfred Loewenguth.
In 1970, in conjunction with his private teaching studio, he founded the Bach Youth Ensemble for gifted string students in Toronto and, with that orchestra, toured Canada and France. Through his pedagogical and administrative pursuits at the University of Western Ontario, the Banff Centre, the Canadian Festival of Youth Orchestras as well as through numerous other musical events and professional organizations, he has become well known in the fields of music education, orchestral development, and is a strong proponent of the Suzuki Talent Education approach to teaching and learning.
During his twenty year tenure with the Woodstock Strings (1977-1997), he conducted concerts with many of Canada’s leading artists including Shauna Rolston, Marueen Forrester, James Campbell, Mark Dubois, Martin Beaver, Scott St. John, Corey Cerovsek, the Yanchus & Hibbaard Piano Duo, the Toronto Children’s Chorus and the Amabile Youth Singers (London).
In 1979, he was presented with the Woodstock Medallion for his cultural contribution to the Woodstock community, and, in 1982, he was awarded a Citation by the American String Teachers’ Association “in recognition of distinguished leadership and service.” In 1987, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Rabin International Consortium on String and Orchestra Education. In 2012, Patrick was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Canada Council.
He is the founding President and Music Director of the Forest City School for Talent Education (since 1987), a private music performance school (violin, viola, cello, harp and guitar) based on the Suzuki pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. Students from this program have distinguished themselves at many levels in Conservatory examination, music festivals, and the Canadian Music Competition.
Professor Emeritus, University of Western Ontario, Patrick Burroughs is well known among teachers for his work in education, in the private studio, as a festival adjudicator, examiner, and for his workshop presentations. Professor Burroughs resides in London, Ontario, with Bonnie, his wife, with family nearby.
Heather Braden
Despite once quitting the violin at the age of 4, Heather Braden has enjoyed a rewarding teaching and performing career that began in Calgary, Alberta over 20 years ago. She picked up the violin again at age 5 and has never looked back. Since then, she has graduated from Mount Royal College with a Diploma in Music Performance and later from the University of Western Ontario with both a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education.
Heather believes strongly in the Suzuki method and has completed numerous training courses with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. For the past two summers, she was on the faculty for the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute in Waterloo. Heather has taught for the London Suzuki Parents’ Association as well as the Children’s Talent Education Centre and the Montessori School. In 1999 she found her niche teaching for the Forest City School for Talent Education.
Although Heather teaches both violin and viola, she is found most frequently performing on the viola. Over the years, she has played with many groups including Orchestra London Canada, the London Concert Players and her string trio, Festivo Strings.
Currently with a studio of over 30 students, Heather has found her passion in teaching music. In working to develop the whole person beyond her studio, she has become certified in Reiki, Healing Touch and Yoga. In her process of living, loving and learning, you may also find her snuggling with her two black cats, Shadow and Sylvester.
Heather Brandon-De Souza
Heather Brandon-De Souza grew up in a Suzuki family with a piano teacher mom, fiddling and performing countless Bach Doubles with her siblings. She studied violin at Western with Dr. Robert Skelton and voice with Alvin Reimer. After completing a BMus (Honors Performance, Voice), Heather obtained a BEd in the Artist in the Community Education program at Queen's University, with a focus on arts education opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting.
She spent two years teaching elementary school music in London, England before relocating to Chicago. In Chicago, Heather appeared onstage with companies such as Haymarket Opera Company, Light Opera Works, and Vox3 Vocal Collective. She taught elementary school music, and ran a full studio of private violin, voice, and piano students. Now back in London, Ontario with her family, she is singing with Chor Amica and musical directing for Original Kids Theatre Company.
Arianna Carlucci
Arianna Carlucci has a Bachelor of Music with Honors in Music Education from the University of Western Ontario.
Her focus was on the violin, and she performed in the UWO Symphony Orchestra as well as the Early Music Studio Ensemble. She participated in the Teaching the Violin to Children workshop at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, led by notable pedagogues Mimi Zweig and Darcy Drexler, and has both observed and participated in Music Together classes, a music and movement program for young children.
Arianna taught at Forest City Talent Education for the past year, working alongside Mary Lou Hunter in the Pre-Twinkle and Twinkle classes, which was a natural fit considering her own musical upbringing was in the Suzuki Method.
She also teaches private students of various ages and has a passion for teaching young children. Arianna assists with and leads musical activities at the Preschool of the Arts, and has volunteered in the public elementary school system doing the same. She believes that every child is capable of learning music, and loves to see her students reap the vast benefits of doing so.
Nic Carlucci
Canadian violinist Nic Carlucci is in demand as both a violinist and pedagogue. With more than a decade of teaching experience and appointments at two distinguished Canadian Universities, he has begun to build a solid reputation as a highly regarded educator in the field of classical music.
As a musician, Carlucci has experience as both a chamber and orchestral musician. His keen interest in chamber music has led him across North America and parts of the Southern Hemisphere in both his studies and as a performer. Locally, Carlucci performs with several ensembles, most notably Magisterra Soloists International Chamber Players (of which he has also functioned as a core member of the administrative team) and as a violinist with Quartet di Altezza. His orchestral and other ensemble playing includes engagements with London Symphonia (formerly Orchestra London Canada), Windsor Symphony, International Symphony Orchestra, & Kammerchor Baroque, to name a few.
Carlucci prides himself on instilling passion and energy in the playing of budding violinists of all levels, while ensuring they develop a solid technical foundation that will endure the test of time. Starting his career, he spent ten plus years building his private violin studio. After completing a master’s degree in Violin Literature and Performance with acclaimed German Violinist Annette-Barbara Vogel, he was appointed the position of Violin Lecturer at Western University, now cross-listed with roles in both Music Performance and Music Education departments. He was also appointed Violin Instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University’s precollege String Academy of which he is the primary violin and group class instructor. In addition to teaching and building curriculum for several music programs, Carlucci has been known to adjudicate for music festivals, awards and sit on nomination committees. His students have been recognized with many accolades over the years.
Carlucci’s other primary violin instructors include Professor Jerzy Kaplanek and members of the Penderecki String Quartet, Mel Martin, and Mary-Elizabeth Brown.
Jordan Clayton
Jordan Clayton (MMus, B.Ed) is a passionate violinist and violin teacher based out of London, ON. He holds a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Violin Performance from Western University, as well as a French first language Bachelor of Education from Université d'Ottawa. Jordan enjoys freelance work with several local orchestras and performs regularly as a chamber musician with Magisterra Soloists; he currently serves as the ensemble’s Outreach Coordinator.
Jordan is deeply committed to transmitting a love of classical music to the next generation through both his performing and teaching. Alongside his work as a private teacher, Jordan serves as Assistant Director of the Forest City String School, where he continues to lead both the junior violin program and junior orchestra. Jordan served on faculty from 2016-2019 at the Camp musical de Québec (Québec, QC) as a violin instructor and conductor. Jordan has also served since 2019 as the program director of the Magisterra Summer String Institute.
Leah Grandmont
Leah began studying the violin with Professor Patrick Burroughs at age 3 and graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) with a Bachelor of Music – Honours Performance (Violin) in 2018 from the studio of Dr. Jeremy Bell.
Leah was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 2017 for their Canada 150 celebration tour and in 2018’s European tour which included Canada, Germany and Scotland. Her stage credits as a violinist, singer and actress include: Women of Country (Victoria Playhouse Petrolia 2015 (VPP)), The VPP Jamboree (2014, 2015), Fiddler on the Loose 2 (VPP 2014), Mark Payne’s East Coast Kitchen Party (VPP 2018) and Ghost (Drayton Entertainment – St. Jacobs 2018).
She will be on stage in Vigilante at the Grand Theatre in February 2019. As a member of the Stacey Kay band, Leah appeared on America’s Got Talent in Los Angeles and New York (2015). She has been a featured soloist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, London Community Orchestra and the London Youth Symphony and has performed with London Symphonia in several concerts. She attended the FCTE program for 14 years.
Jesse Grandmont
Jesse has been playing the violin since the age of 3 and has been fiddling around ever since. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in music at Western University, Jesse has become an avid performer in the London area, bowing his way through many genres from classical to country, and jazz to rock. Jesse has been a faculty member at the Forest City School For Talent Education since 2008 and also leads string workshops, orchestral clinics and improvisation training sessions in schools and studios across Ontario.
Jesse’s performances have taken him across Canada and internationally, playing with artists such as Ben Vereen, Jann Arden, Ben Harper, Barrage, David Rogers, Eric Ethridge and Jaydee Bixby. Jesse is currently an active member of the Stacey Kay Band with whom he performed on the 2015 season of America's Got Talent. Also an avid theatre performer, Jesse has played for many of Canada’s top theatre companies including The Stratford Festival, Rainbow Stage, Drayton Entertainment, The Grand Theatre and as a recurring cast member at the Victoria Playhouse Petrolia where has performed in over 30 productions as a violinist, singer, actor and dancer.
Anita Louwerse
Violinist and music teacher Anita Louwerse joined the faculty at Forest City Talent Education in 2009 shortly after her family moved to London. She is a creative and passionate teacher who loves to share her joy of playing the violin.
As a child Mrs. Louwerse began her violin studies in the Suzuki Method and progressed into a more traditional approach as she prepared for University. In 2001 she graduated from Sir Wilfred Laurier University with a BA in Honours Performance. She was a student of Dr. Jeremy Bell and the Pendereki String Quartet. She also studied with Jamie Parker of the Gryphon Trio, the Cavani String Quartet and the Ying String Quartet. Mrs. Louwerse is also a trained soprano and studied voice with Patricia Pascoe while at Laurier.
While living in Vancouver, she played with the Burnaby Symphony Orchestra as well as the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra. In Montreal, she played with the Musicians of the World symphony Orchestra and co-founded the Arco con Alito ensemble. Here in London, Mrs. Louwerse enjoys being a community musician, a private teacher and a stay at home Mom.
Edgar Suski
Edgar Suski completed his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in piano performance at Western University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Composition and Theory. Edgar has participated in music workshops in Canada and abroad, holding a diploma from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland. While a student, Edgar was frequently asked to participate in piano and composition masterclasses, most notably for Dang Thai Son, laureate of the first prize in the Xth International Chopin Competition.
Edgar has held the position of Composer in Residence for the Niagara Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Camp from 2018-2020 and is the Music Director at Kintore United Church since 2019. Edgar was selected to present his compositions at the MusCan conference in Edmonton in 2018, and in 2019, was commissioned to write a string quintet for Magisterra Soloists, which was performed in a tour across Ontario and Quebec. Edgar has a passion for teaching music, and maintains a studio in London Ontario.
Jeffrey Komar
Jeffrey Komar is a dedicated music educator based in London, Ontario. In addition coaching chamber music and senior orchestra with FCSS, he is a faculty member with El Sistema Aeolian, an organization which provides free music instruction to underprivileged children in the London area. He also operates a private teaching studio, offering one-on-one instruction in violin and viola to students of all ages.
With his background in the life sciences, Jeffrey Komar is not your typical classical performer. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and Music from Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, where he studied under violinist and noted pedagogue Philippe Djokic. In 2017, he completed his Master’s of Music in Literature and Performance (Viola) at Western University, studying under Sharon Wei. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at Western, where his research will examine collaborations between indigenous and non-indigenous musicians.
Jeffrey is a founding member of London-based chamber music groups Quartet Di Altezza and Trio Moyen. He is also a roster musician with Magisterra Soloists, with whom he has participated in the international premieres of works by Canadian and German composers. Jeffrey has performed as a young artist in numerous festivals across Canada, including the Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax, NS and the Domaine Forget International Music festival in Saint Irenée, QC. In December of 2020, he was featured as part of the Canadian Viola Society’s Young Artist Concert Series. Over the years, he has shared the stage with such esteemed musicians as Scott St. John, Simon Docking, Thomas Wiebe, and Ensemble Made in Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys drinking coffee, cooking, and listening to podcasts.
Jillian Yang
Prizewinner of the Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition and London Music Scholarship Competition, she has obtained her Master’s of Music in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario, studying under Professor Annette-Barbara Vogel.
In her time at Western, Jillian performed the Paganini Violin Concerto with the Western Symphony Orchestra. In recent summers, she participated in the National Academy Orchestra based in Hamilton where she sat as associate concertmaster, Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute where she served as associate concertmaster, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Round Top Festival Institute, and the Marrowstone Music Festival.
In addition to her extensive performance experience, Jillian is a passionate, dedicated and enthusiastic teacher. She has taught at music summer camp in Toronto, London Academy of School, London Youth Orchestra and Western University. She enjoys working with students from all ages and backgrounds. She has helped many students to prepare for Royal conservatory exams and auditions for youth orchestras.
Currently, she is working towards a doctoral degree in music at Western University under Professor Annette-Barbara Vogel.
Mikela Witjes
Emerging Canadian violinist Mikela Witjes hails from Kingston, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Masters Degree in Violin Performance from Western University where she studied with Prof. Annette-Barbara Vogel. A freelance violinist and teacher, Mikela has performed in a variety of orchestral and chamber ensembles across Southwestern Ontario on both modern and baroque violin. She has twice toured the country with the National Youth Orchestra and has attended summer music festivals including Orford Arts Academy, Scotia Music Festival and Domaine Forget.
She is a founding member of local chamber ensemble Magisterra Soloists both as a violinist and administrative coordinator. Mikela is passionate about teaching and keeps an active private studio while continuing to perform regularly.
Paul Baek
Paul Baek is a violinist and graduate from Western University. He began playing the violin at the age of four, taking a four year break from lessons along the way, reigniting a passion for music at age fourteen after being introduced to the famous Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.
Paul was a featured soloist with the London Youth Symphony, playing the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, and was a finalist in the Don Wright Faculty of Music Concerto Competition.
Paul resides in London, Ontario and is currently in his Masters Degree in Violin Performance and Literature this Fall in the studio of Annette-Barbara Vogel.
Theodore Chow
Theodore Chow is a pianist from Edmonton, Alberta. Having varied interests, Theodore holds a BSc. in Engineering Physics from the University of Alberta, but is currently pursuing music as a full-time career and is working toward a MMus. in Piano Performance at Western University, where he studies with Stéphan Sylvestre.
While his primary interest is in chamber music, he is a versatile performer, having performed as a soloist with the University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra, and also as the orchestral keyboardist with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada during their 2019 tour of Canada and Spain. Theodore is also an experienced violinist, having previously served as concertmaster of the Edmonton Youth Orchestra, and associate concertmaster of the University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra. His past teachers include Dr. Patricia Tao and Wolfram Linnebach.
Outside of music, Theodore enjoys playing chess and speedsolving Rubik's cubes.
