Artistic Leadership
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Artistic Director | Conductor, Main Choir & Coro
Zimfira Poloz
she/her
Dr. Zimfira Poloz is a passionate musician, educator, award-winning conductor, and internationally-respected adjudicator and clinician. She builds her choristers’ skills and encourages superb artistry, all with boundless positive energy, unleashing the creative and musical potential of every child. Her numerous awards include: Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award at the 2026 World Choir Festival-Hong Kong; Honoured Representative of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan; the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting; and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Zimfira teaches “Vocal Pedagogy for Young Choirs” at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. She is active in many international choral organizations and is a curator/editor for the choral music publisher Cypress Choral Music.
Zimfira established her musical credentials in Kazakhstan, where she was founder and principal of the nation’s first choir school. In Canada she was Artistic Director of Hamilton Children’s Choir and Young Voices Toronto.
Associate Artistic Director & Director of Education | Conductor, Main Choir & Anima
Charissa Bagan
she/her
Charissa Bagan, M.Mus. is a Lecturer in Music at Toronto Metropolitan University. She served as the Artistic Director of the award-winning Bach Children’s Chorus from 2017 to 2024 and was the Junior Choir Conductor at St. Michael’s Choir School from 2011 to 2015.
Charissa has served as Children’s Chorus Master for engagements including GFN Productions’ 2024 performance of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at Meridian Hall and for Opera Atelier's 2022 production of Dido & Aeneas at the Elgin Theatre. She makes appearances as a guest conductor and also adjudicates at various music festivals. She has presented on music literacy at Podium (Choral Canada’s bi-annual national conference), and at the Ontario Music Educators Conference. Charissa also operates a small studio of private students in piano, voice, and musicianship, and enjoys developing innovative tools and techniques to engage young children in music literacy.
Assistant Conductor, Main Choir
Yuan (Alba) Chen
she/her
Yuan Chen is currently in the Doctor of Musical Arts program in Choral Conducting at the University of Toronto and associate conductor of Chorus Niagara.
As a former Assistant Conductor of Orchestra Toronto, Yuan earned wide recognition and praise for her musicianship and leadership. She previously served as Music Director at Nomad Stages in Stephenville, Newfoundland, where she led her choir to win the Best Choir Award at the Stephenville Rotary Music Festival. During her tenure, she took on the role of Music Director for eleven musical theatre productions. Yuan continued to broaden her artistic work as Music Director for the 46th Stephenville Theatre Festival, a role that highlighted her collaborative spirit and clear artistic vision. She brings a diverse artistic background, having worked for five years as a theatre actress, film producer, and director, enriching her approach to storytelling and performance.
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Conductor, Pasio
Judith Bean
she/her
Judith Bean holds an MA in Community Music and an Honours BMus in Piano Performance (Wilfrid Laurier University), a B.Ed. in Vocal Music (University of Western Ontario), and a number of Kodály and Suzuki piano certifications. Her musical studies take her around the globe as she attends conferences and workshops, as well as serving an elementary music clinician throughout Ontario.
A teacher with the Waterloo Region District School Board for more than thirty years, Judith has taught vocal music, drama, and dance to children from grades one to six. She is the former director of Menno Youth Singers, directed the Inter-Mennonite Children’s Choir for seven years, and taught piano and voice in Kitchener-Waterloo for 18 years. In 2019, she was the conductor of the more than 1000 voice mass children’s choir and Teacher’s Orchestra at the Kodály Choral Festival at the Centre in the Square.
Conductor, Spirito
Claudia Ferro
she/her
Claudia Ferro is an experienced music educator with nearly 20 years of teaching music in GTA high schools and over 30 years running a private studio, where she teaches piano, voice, violin, and theory. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Music in Voice from the University of Western Ontario, a Bachelor of Music Education, and an ARCT in Piano Performance.
Claudia began piano at age four and spent 12 years performing and touring internationally with a competitive choir. She has sung professionally in various choirs, as a soloist in the Greater Toronto Area, and currently serves as Music Director at her parish, where she leads the youth choir and sings regularly.
With a strong focus on vocal education, Claudia is passionate about choral singing, vocal pedagogy, and the Kodály approach. She is particularly committed to inclusive teaching, cultivating engaging music, and guiding singers to develop their healthiest voices.
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Conductor, Miro
Saloomeh Fassai
she/her
Saloomeh Fassaie is a music educator, pedagogue, pianist, and curriculum developer with experience in music and early childhood education. She studied Piano Pedagogy at the Tehran Conservatory and holds an Early Childhood Education Diploma, a Kodály Certificate, and is an Orff Specialist.
She holds an Advanced Certificate in Early Childhood Music jointly offered by Toronto Metropolitan University and The Royal Conservatory of Music. Saloomeh is a faculty member, teacher trainer, and curriculum developer at The Royal Conservatory of Music, and also elementary school music teacher.
Drawing on Kodály, Orff, and Dalcroze principles, her teaching is rooted in child development, active music-making, and creative exploration. She has particular expertise in music theory and musicianship pedagogy, making musical concepts clear, engaging, and developmentally appropriate while helping young learners build a joyful and lasting connection to music.
KinderNotes Instructor
Ewa Slomowicz
she/her
Ewa Krzatala-Slomowicz was born in Warsaw, Poland, where she studied harp and piano, before receiving her MA in Music Education from the Academy of Music in Gdansk. In Canada, Ewa completed post-graduate courses in Music in Early Childhood, Kodály Pedagogy, and Orff Pedagogy.
Ewa has been on the faculty of the Royal Conservatory Teacher Training and Children’s Department since 1996, teaching music classes for babies and children. Ewa is Programme Coordinator for The Advanced Certificate in Early Childhood Music Education. She is a respected clinician and has presented at international conferences in Hungary, Poland, and Alberta. A tireless advocate for the importance of music in the lives of young children, Ewa served as the President of the Early Childhood Music Association of Ontario for 15 years. She is the recipient of the prestigious International Kátalin Forrai Award (The International Kodály Society, 2017).
KinderNotes Instructor
Danette Dickinson
she/her
Danette brings over 20 years of dedicated experience in music education to her role with TCC. She holds a B.Mus. in Piano Performance and a B.Mus.Ed. from Memorial University, an A.R.C.T. in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, and an M.Ed. in Language, Culture, and Teaching from York University. An Ontario Certified Teacher, Danette has developed inquiry-based music programs, led choral ensembles, and performed at concerts and festivals as both a conductor and collaborative pianist.
Her teaching philosophy integrates Orff, Kodály, and Reggio-inspired approaches with inclusive practices that honour every child’s voice. Danette believes deeply in the power of choral music to connect and uplift young people. She is thrilled to be part of this inspiring community and to help nurture a love of music from the very beginning.
Choreography and Movement Specialist
Joanne Chow
she/her
For the past 40 years, Joanne has worked as a professional dancer, choreographer, director, producer and performing arts educator. In addition to working with the TCC, Joanne also works with the Hamilton Children’s Choir, McMaster University Choir, and various community theatres, including Theatre Unlimited in Mississauga. She enjoys working in community theatres which, through collaboration, bring together many diverse people from different backgrounds, cultures, age, and race. She has also recently returned to New York City to work with her former professional dance company.
Resident Percussionist
Jamie Drake
he/him
Described as “an incredibly musical percussionist” and as having an “impeccable sense of time and feel”, Dr. Jamie Drake is a Toronto-based percussionist, drummer and composer, and is the Assistant Professor of Percussion at Queen's University. He received his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Toronto and his Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He also holds an A.R.C.T. in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. As a member of TorQ Percussion Quartet, he has performed numerous concerts, workshops and educational shows across Canada, the United States and Europe, and has been a soloist with orchestras including the Toronto Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Buffalo Philharmonic and Kitchener Waterloo Symphony. A busy freelance percussionist, he has performed with Evelyn Glennie, NEXUS, Esprit Orchestra, Continuum Contemporary Music, Soundstreams, Amici, Niagara Symphony, Kingston Symphony, Aradia Ensemble, and more.
Collaborative Pianist, Cantare and Chorealis
Monique de Margerie
she/her
Monique de Margerie is a concert pianist, collaborative musician and educator. She trained at the Montreal Conservatory and later at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich. She taught at the Musik Hochschule in Freiburg, Germany, at Laval University in Quebec City, and at the Koenig American Conservatory in Paris. She toured as a soloist or collaborator in China, India, Japan, Cambodia, Germany, France, and Italy. In 2011, Monique moved to Toronto and founded her own music studio. She is also a pianist/collaborator at the University of Toronto.
Monique conducted women's and children's choirs in Freiburg, Germany, and in Quebec City and, more recently, she has collaborated with conductors such as François Ouimet, Robert Filion, and Mitchell Pady. Her CDs are available on Galley Records: Freiburg 1994, a solo recording; and a duo recording, Home Suite Home, with her husband, TSO bassoonist Fraser Jackson.
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Collaborative Pianist and Arranger, Coro
Sheldon Rose
he/him
Sheldon began piano lessons at age 10 and, a year later, enrolled at St. Michael’s Choir School in Toronto. Upon graduation he went on to earn a B.Mus. (Theory and Composition) from the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto with later supplementary studies at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton and the Juilliard School in New York. Sheldon also has extensive choral experience, serving as Director of Music and Organist for more than a decade at St. Clare’s Church (Toronto), as Choirmaster for the Appleby College Chapel Choir (Oakville) and as piano accompanist to the Oakville Children’s Choir for seven seasons, and then for Young Voices Toronto for 16 years.
Sheldon is also an accomplished and award-winning composer, arranger and orchestrator. Many of his choral works have been published by Cypress Choral Music, Rhythmic Trident, and Alliance Music and are available world-wide.
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Collaborative Pianist, Pasio
Gergely Szokolay
he/him
Hungarian-Canadian pianist Gergely Szokolay enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician and vocal coach, and has performed across Europe, North America and Japan. He has worked with renowned artists and appeared at festivals such as the Bartók Festival in Hungary, Domaine Forget, Festival of the Sound, Orford, Ravinia, and the Toronto Summer Music Festival.
Gergely previously held faculty positions at The Banff Centre’s Advanced Music Program and McGill University’s Opera Studio, and was principal collaborative pianist with the Canadian Children’s Opera Company and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. In 2020, Gergely was visiting artist faculty at Bard College Conservatory, overseeing Bard’s 2020 Contemporary Festival Celebrating the Music of György Kurtág.
A dedicated pedagogue, Gergely maintains a private piano studio and is a piano and theory instructor at Upper Canada College and Havergal College.
Collaborative Pianist, Spirito
Sabina Rzazade
she/her
Sabina Rzazade is a pianist from Manitoba and recently received her Masters in Collaborative Piano from the University of Toronto. She has performed internationally, including at the 2014 “Future Stars” competition in Azerbaijan, the 2015 Frederic Chopin Competition in
Estonia, and the 2016 Konstantin Igumnov International Competition in Russia. From 2014 to 2017, she appeared as a soloist with both the Azerbaijan State Chamber Orchestra and the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra.
Sabina has earned numerous awards at provincial and national competitions and festivals. In 2018, she was selected to perform at the opening of Lara St. John and Matt Herskowitz’s concert as part of the Virtuosi Concert Series. That same year, she won the Western Financial Group Tudor Bowl and Encore Competition, followed by another win at the 2019 Encore Competition at the Brandon Festival of the Arts. In 2019, she appeared as a soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Collaborative Pianist, Anima
Christiana Zhu
she/her
Christiana is an accomplished teacher and performer. She completed her B.Mus in Piano Performance at Western University and her Master's in Piano Performance & Literature. Recently, she completed two Postgraduate degrees at Royal Conservatory Antwerp in Belgium: Concert Soloist Piano and Chamber Music. Christiana also has her ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music and has been teaching for over 10 years.
Administrative Team
Aynur Shaikh
(She/her)
Graphic and Web Designer
Board of Directors
Shelly Lowe, ICD.D
CHAIR
Maria McDonald
VICE CHAIR
Leeanne Smart
SECRETARY
Judith Ma
TREASURER
Nina Bilimoria Angelo
Naomi Dangelo
Courtney Flanagan
Pam Greenstein
Julie Hansen
Jake Hishon
Alexandra Koch
Matthew Macdonald
Leslie Stewart Rose
Zimfira Poloz
EX-OFFICIO
Charlotte Burrage
EX-OFFICIO