Awards Day

On Monday, June 9 we hosted the 47th annual Victoria Conservatory of Music Awards day in Alix Goolden Performance Hall. This special event was a chance to celebrate the successes of our students and the incredible work of our faculty. Our students are presented with scholarships, and the audience is treated to amazing musical performances representing each department, including Classical keyboard, voice, strings, winds and brass, and the Contemporary school.

We are thrilled to say that over $100,000 in scholarships and awards were allocated to 78 deserving students!

Contributions from people who care about opportunities to learn and perform music make a difference in the quality and scope of music programs the Conservatory can offer. We are grateful to the donors whose generous contributions make these scholarships available.

Victoria Conservatory of Music 2025 Awards Day recipients:

• Lauren Abhirosh – The David and Pep Groos Award
• Ella Alton – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Winds Ensemble Scholarship
• Bryn Beatty – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Postsecondary Entrance Scholarship
• Natalie Beilin – Liam Munday Memorial Voice Scholarship
• Em Beilstein – Recording & Production Project Award for Emerging Artists
• Janou Boutilier – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Madison Brecht – The Roy Barnett Scholarship in Advanced Piano
• Eli Cameron-Crone – Vanhall Fund for the Arts – Jazz
• Brianna Cerkiewicz – Garth Gislason Scholarship
• Catalina Chapin-Gauchat – The Henwood Family Prize for Emerging Artists – Best Original Contemporary Song
• Lillian Chen – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Ethan Clark – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Katrice (Katie) Cooper – Luke’s Gift Scholarship
• Amelia Croft – Victoria Musical Art Society Scholarship
• Nicholas Croft – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Postsecondary Entrance Scholarship
• Qing Heng Du – Margaret Hendry Scholarship Fund
• Amani El Oudghiri – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Malak El Oudghiri – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Simon Eskildsen – The Roy Barnett Scholarship in Advanced Piano
• Lucy Fan – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Max Francis – Sydney Humphreys Violin Prize, Mary and Gerald Stanick Strings Scholarship Fund, Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Theory Scholarship
• Sofia Freundlich – Alan Macey Scholarship Fund
• Michelle George – Carol Clark Jesse Piano Scholarship
• Fergus Girvin – Vanhall Fund for the Arts – Jazz
• Madelynne Glover – Vanhall Fund for the Arts – Jazz
• Nicole Glover – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Recording & Production Scholarship
• Ronan Godfrey – Mrs. Pui Jun Wong Memorial Scholarship
• Miranda Godfrey – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Deniz Guliyeva – Margaret Goater Award – Violin
• Bryan Guo – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Audrey Hamilton – Victoria Musical Art Society Scholarship
• Tyler Henderson – The Roy Barnett Scholarship in Advanced Piano
• Angelina Holland – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Postsecondary Entrance Scholarship
• Joanne Jiang – Jamie K. Syer Collegium Scholarship Fund, Robin & Winifred Wood Scholarship
• Xintian (Cindy) Jiang – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Marlo Karakas – Vanhall Fund for the Arts
• Maisha Klette – Alan Macey Scholarship Fund
• Sóley Lapp – The Henwood Family Prize for Emerging Artists – Best Performance of a Contemporary Song
• Hope Lemay – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Recording & Production Scholarship
• Cedar Lopatecki – Vanhall Fund for the Arts – Jazz
• Taeven Lopatecki – Vanhall Fund for the Arts – Jazz
• Felicia Jingru Ma – Aundria Dawn Grieve Memorial Scholarship, Gertrude Durand Memorial Scholarship
• Duncan Macdonald – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Postsecondary Entrance Scholarship
• Aiden Martens – Alan Macey Scholarship Fund
• Katrina McLaughlin – Roberto & Mary Wood Voice Scholarship
• Rhett Palas – Gertrude Durand Memorial Scholarship
• Angela Pan – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Ileine Sophia Puentes Romero – Judith Rockwell Award
• Rachelle Rancier – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Postsecondary Entrance Scholarship
• Walter Rees – The Orval and Blanche Beatty Scholarship for Viola and Chamber Music
• William Rees – Margaret Goater Award – Viola
• Troy Rees – Cardo Smalley Violin Scholarship
• Easton Roy – Margaret Baker Piano Scholarship, The Roy Barnett Scholarship in Advanced Piano
• Elias Skripnitchenko – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Jacob Skripnitchenko – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Eva Sospedra – John Dyck Scholarship
• Madeleine Star – Dr. Lesley Hartford Harp Scholarship, Marnie Lester Harp Award
• Sophie Sun – Carl Weiselberger Scholarship
• Nathan Syyong – David Foster Scholarship
• Hope Syyong – B. E. Scholarship, Catharine Gillespie Memorial Scholarship
• Isidora Uhlman – Nadar Holdings String Award
• Max Wang – Dr. Robin Wood Piano Scholarship
• Carey Wang – The Roy Barnett Scholarship in Advanced Piano
• Aidan Warren – Alan Macey Scholarship Fund
• Natalya Wautier – Marjorie Tebo Piano Scholarship
• Anna Wautier – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship, Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Theory Scholarship
• Sylvan Wilkinson – O. Thomas Webb Memorial Scholarship in Winds & Brass, George Giles Award
• Nate Williams – Vanhall Fund for the Arts
• Brooklyn Wright – Marilyn Wuis Voice Scholarship
• Viviana Xin – Catharine Gillespie Memorial Scholarship
• Noah Xing – Millicent Lavoy Piano Scholarship
• Jack Yang – Mai Gillespie Scholarship & Bursary
• Michaela Yee – The Orval and Blanche Beatty Scholarship for Viola and Chamber Music
• Juhui Yoon – Kay Kaminiski Vancouver Island Services and Treatment Association Award
• Reece Young – Vanhall Fund for the Arts – Jazz
• Filbert Zhang – Nathan Geminiano Memorial Scholarship
• Adrian Zhang – The Annamaria Bamji Award for Emerging Musicians
• Lev Zilber-Shlensky – Prof. Stephen and Dr. Jacquelyn Peitchinis Winds Ensemble Scholarship

Congratulations to our Faculty!

The recipients of these awards are from the studios of:

Alex Richards, Annabelle Stanley, Anna Cal, Brian Yoon, Carol MacIsaac, Cathy Fern Lewis, Christine Donkin, Colin Doroschuk, Cory Balzer, Crystal Wiksyk, Daniel Lapp, Danuel Tate, Edwin Gnandt, Ingrid Henderson, Jany Lu, Jennifer Turner, Jon Haek, Kelly Nordstrom, Kyron Basu, Linda Low, Matheus Terra, May Ling Kwok, Melissa Goodchild, Müge Büyükçelen, Nathan McDonald, Raya Fridman, Robert Holliston, Roger Buksa, Sahara Sloan, Tatiana Kostour, Thilo Schaller, Wes Carroll, Yoomi Kim.

Victoria Conservatory of Music/Camosun College Diploma and Certificate Program Graduates

The following students have completed the requirements of the Victoria Conservatory of Music/ Camosun Diploma and Certificate programs in the 2024-25 academic year. We congratulate these students, who received their credentials from Camosun College in June 2025.

CERTIFICATE IN MUSIC CREATIVITY AND PERFORMANCE FOUNDATIONS

• Zamira Beckford
• Anthony Schenk
• Raj Kumar Gaire
• Jude Lemay
• Ileine Puentes Romero – (With Distinction)

DIPLOMA IN MUSIC PERFORMANCE

• Zac Day – (With Distinction)
• Simon Eskildsen – (With Distinction)
• Cale Hernandez – (With Distinction)
• Jude Lemay
• Ileine Puentes Romero – (With Distinction)

Advanced Independent Music Studies (AIMS) program

The AIMS program is offered by the Victoria Conservatory of Music under its designation with the BC Private Training Institutions Branch of the Ministry of Postsecondary Education and Future Skills.

• Sylvan Wilkinson (With Distinction)