Faculty

Department Head

Daniel Lapp

Daniel Lapp is a world-renowned singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, teacher, archivist, band leader, sideman, producer, promoter and – no kidding – the list goes on. And like the true-blue Canadian he is, Daniel does it all with trademark energy and warmth. As a fiddler, jazz trumpeter and singer/songwriter, Daniel Lapp has played on over 100 albums and performed across Canada, United States, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Finland and Germany with some of the world’s most renowned Folk and Jazz musicians. Daniel is the winner of the B.C. Fiddle Championship and has appeared as a soloist with the CBC Chamber Orchestra as well as (…)

Program Instructors

Eli Bender

[ON LEAVE FOR 2021-2022] Eli Bender completed his studies in Music Education at Michigan State University where his growth as a cellist was overseen by Suren Bagratuni. His work in the realm of creative musicianship led him to study with cello masters such as Mike Block, Natalie Haas, and Rushad Eggleston. Current projects include floor-fiddling cello duo Hale & Hearty, BC dance band Compassion Gorilla, and the chamber-folk sextet The Sound Accord.

Cari Burdett

Based on Vancouver Island, Cari Burdett (2016 VIMA Vocalist of the Year) actively performs, tours self-produced works including her own songs, and produces shows. As Director of Lila Music Centre located in Duncan, Cari brings over 20 years of accumulated education and experience in both the Classical and Popular-Contemporary Genres, and since October 2017 teaches voice/vocals for the Victoria Conservatory of Music, as a faculty member in the Chwyl Family School of Contemporary Music, the Ann & George Nation Conservatory of Classical Music (Voice Dept), and the Department of Postsecondary Studies. […]

Stephanie Cadman

Stephanie Cadman joins the VCM Faculty of the Chwyl School of Contemporary Music, as instructor in fiddling and step dance (Rhythm Tap, and Ottawa Valley Step). She is a world-renowned dancer, an accomplished actress of stage and screen, a celebrated violinist, and a great singer. Maintaining a busy touring schedule both as a Canadian Folk Award-nominated solo musician and as a member of the all-female country trio Belle Starr, Stephanie has rocked audiences across North America and beyond. For most artists, that would be enough. Not Stephanie. Between her starring role in the Mirvish Production of Once, her celebrated career as an in-demand […]

Rachel Capon

[ONE LEAVE FOR 2021-2022] Rachel Capon is an innovative and boundary-pushing multi-genre cellist. It is Rachel’s desire to be a lifelong student of the cello that has set her apart from many others. Her ability to adapt and engage in new musical settings is what has made her one of Canada’s most exciting cellists. Her versatility has made her an active session musician working on projects from hip-hop, Cuban, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass and classical. Having recently relocated to Victoria, Rachel is stepping into her new position as Instructor of Contemporary Cello at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. […]

Rob Cheramy

One of the West Coast’s best jazz guitarists, Rob is also Southern Vancouver Island’s busiest guitar teacher. Rob has accompanied such legends as Tommy Banks, Herb Ellis and Paul Horn, and his playing and composing have received acclaim on recordings by Gord Clements and Roy Reynolds.

Issah Contractor

Issah Contractor has joined the Victoria Conservatory of Music Faculty to teach percussion and electric bass for the Chwyl Family School of Contemporary Music. Issah teaches lessons at both the VCM’s main downtown location, and at the Langford location in Westhills. Born in Canada but having grown up in Kenya, Issah’s formative years were unusual, and provided him with great opportunities to learn music and drumming mostly through experience in professional performance settings. After returning to Canada as a teen, and completing high school in BC, Issah attended the Vancouver Community College as a music major on a full scholarship. […]

Louise Deschamps

Louise Deschamps joins the Victoria Conservatory of Music this year, teaching Contemporary Violin, Fiddle, Electric Violin, and viola at the VCM’s Westhills/Langford location, or online. Students will be shown how to study efficiently, how to positively face music challenges and how to stay inspired through it all. Through various approaches and insights such as Sight-reading training, Ear-training and Tactile-training, students will explore and learn the fundamentals of the music language. Louise welcomes students of all ages, of all levels, and of all musical backgrounds, who will expand their technique fundamentals throughout a selection of world music styles. Originally from New Caledonia […]

Emily Dubois

Growing up in a musical household in Langbank, Saskatchewan, Emily Dubois fell in love with the Canadian fiddle scene as a young child. She grew up attending the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party music camp where she learned many styles of fiddling from a multitude of famous Canadian musicians. The connections she made there helped create a love of performance, collaboration, and teaching of this rich tradition. Since then she has moved out to Victoria where she has studied under Ivonne Hernandez, performed for 3 years as a member of Coastline, developed Classical teachings and techniques under Simon MacDonald, and completed […]

Colleen Eccleston

“Victoria’s Colleen Eccleston is a remarkable singer. She is a gifted songwriter and a very strong rhythm guitarist. Her on-stage ebullience makes her concerts a delight, but she can switch from a carefree song about life on the road to a sobering tale of environmental or interpersonal damage with consummate ease” – The Rogue Folk; “A dangerous blend of skillful song writing and gorgeous vocals makes Colleen an artist whose work is timeless and a must have for any true music aficionado’s collection.” – Naomi De Bruyn, Linear Reflections. After 14 years with The Ecclestons and many adventures on the road (…)

Alfons Fear

Alfons has been performing, writing, recording and teaching music for over twenty years. His passion for improvisation started at the same time he picked up the trumpet. He recently furthered his education in music at the University of Victoria where he completed a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Theory (2014). Alfons teaches trumpet with a focus on improvisation to students of all levels and ages and stresses the importance of being a versatile musician. The lessons, which are individually suited to each student, include ear-training and aural development in conjunction with functional reading skills and technique.

Damian Graham

Having performed all across Canada, USA and Europe, Damian has been busy changing the way people think about the drums. Born in New Zealand and raised on the west coast of Canada, Damian’s musical diversity has led to performances with some of the finest musicians in the country and abroad. Damian maintains a busy live and studio schedule with his own ensemble and as an in demand freelance musician. Performance highlights have included sharing the stage with Joshua Redman, Albert Collins, Cecil McBee, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Holly Cole, The Shuffle Demons, Buddy Guy, Metalwood, The Paladins, Colin James, The Odds, (…)

Nick La Riviere

Nick La Riviere has made a full time living as a musician for the last 12 years. He has toured with award winning bands that play jazz, folk, pop, latin, Celtic, klezmer, classical, ska, and more. He plays trombone, conch shells, bass, and sings. He’s also known for using a programmable harmonizer with his trombone to make one horn sound like a three piece section. Nick plays with many different bands including The Paperboys, Locarno, The HiFi, Adonis Puentes, and Michael Kaeshammer, and more. […]

Anna Lyman

Anna (Acevedo) Lyman, is originally from Detroit, Michigan, and is a working musician, recording artist and educator, based on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Having studied ukulele and Hawaiian music with Ben Chong (Guitar and Ukulele player for Don Ho), among other Hawaiian instructors, Anna is an award-winning ukulele player, and as a now teaching ukulele in both group/ensemble and individual studio lessons at the Victoria Conservatory of Music’s new Westhills location in Langford. […]

Dougal McLean

Born in Nelson B.C, Dougal McLean is a versatile musician who grew into his abilities after a very early start in music. His mother was an elementary school music teacher for 20 years in Prince George, B.C., and bestowed on him a keen interest in many instruments, especially the violin. As a youth he studied at the Prince George Conservatory of Music with various orchestral musicians, and with distinguished Metis fiddler Sandra Flavel. At 17, Dougal took his instruments to UVic and began an entirely new adventure. There he met numerous like-minded musicians and was soon touring the country and […]

Brenda Morie

Brenda Morie is an international recording vocalist who has performed in front of audiences of up to 50,000 people in Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium and Universal Studios, trained in the Bel Canto vocal method, fluent in Latin, Blues, Jazz, Contemporary, Rhythm and Blues to country and folk music. Experienced in voice overs, jingles, narration and radio announcing to theatrical movie releases, Brenda invites you to learn and be inspired to find your “own” voice whether it be as a hobby or to enhance your professionalism. Learn, proper breathing techniques, phrasing, vocal care, approaches to live performances, and recording tips, including […]

Monik Nordine

Born in Karlstad, Sweden in 1966, saxophonist and composer Monik Nordine has lived on the West Coast of Canada for most of her life and spent her formative years on Salt Spring Island. Her first gigs at age 16 were at the Vesuvius Pub backing a local vocalist. In 1984 she moved to Vancouver to attend Vancouver Community College where she studied saxophone with David Branter and met Alan Matheson. Working with Alan’s big band Monik met many of the important jazz players in and around Vancouver. During that time she was also introduced to Campbell Ryga, who became her (…)

Kelly Nordstrom

Kelly’s unique and personal approach to music education has a reputation for endearing and inspiring his students. Native to Canada’s West Coast Kelly has travelled internationally as a performer, music creator/writer and session musician. In 2013, Kelly celebrated the award winning debut release entitled “Dimensionaut” with the band “Sound of Contact”, featuring Simon Collins, Dave Kerzner and Matt Dorsey. SoC (Sound of Contact) was mixed by Producer Nick Davis (Genesis, Tony Banks, Mike + the Mechanics, XTC, Marillion…) and received the prestigious “Limelight Award” at the “Progressive Music Awards 2013” held in the UK for “Best New Band” marking an […]

Darcy Phillips

A professional musician for thirty-five years, Darcy’s career has spanned all areas of music, including teaching, composing, performing, and recording. Since 1995 he has been keyboardist for Universal recording artist Jann Arden, accompanying her on stages throughout the world and co-writing songs on several of her recent recordings. Winner of the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association’s Score of the Year award, he has composed original soundtracks for numerous theatre, feature film and television productions. Darcy has years of experience in recording studios, both as session musician and producer, and regularly performs live in blues, jazz, and pop settings. With a […]

Jan Randall

Jan Randall is a pianist, who played entirely by ear from childhood, started working in blues and pop music bands while still in high school, and after receiving formal classical and jazz training as a composer and arranger went on to spend a decade in theatre before moving on to make a career of composing sound tracks for broadcast. Jan has been the head song writer since 2011 for the hit CBC radio series “The Irrelevant Show.” He wrote songs and doubled as musical director for comedy shows with Second City in the early 80′s, where he collaborated with such (…)

Louise Rose

Louise Rose has been called a living Canadian treasure. She studied classical voice in Pennsylvania with John Duddy and Todd Duncan; pipe organ with Catharine Brooke Morgan; piano with Oscar Peterson; conducting with Leonard Bernstein and arranging with Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. Some of her independent studies have been with Carmen McRae, Ella Fitgerald and B.B. King. She has served as artist/mentor in residence at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA and at The Frank DeMiero and Soundsation Vocal Jazz Camps. Louise is a sought after vocal jazz ensemble clinician. She has played and sung with symphony orchestras in Canada (…)

Joey Smith

After touring for two and a half years with the Glenn Miller Orchestra as bassist and arranger, Joey Smith was married in Victoria and moved to Rochester, N.Y. to pursue graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music. For the past 18 years he has been bassist for many local groups and has collaborated with various artists during their stops in Victoria. Joey has written numerous arrangements for such groups as the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Victoria Symphony, also arranging some of the music for the Commonwealth Games in 1994. Currently, several of his arrangements appear on recordings by (…)

Danuel Tate

Danuel Tate is a keyboard player and composer of electronic music. He has been writing electronic music for the past 18 years, and his work with the group “Cobblestone Jazz” has given him international acclaim. He has performed extensively at many of the world’s largest music festivals, including three times at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. In between touring he teaches piano to a range of students. Trained as a jazz pianist, improvising is a large component of his lesson set. He prefers to teach the fundamentals of music theory aurally, and then progresses to reading and writing. Danuel […]

José Vieira

Bringing a modern sound to VCM this year, José has experience with a variety of music styles including jazz, rock, latin, folk, funk, reggae, and more. José is a very patient guitar teacher, who teaches with enthusiasm and friendliness. José is teaching electric guitar for the Chwyl Family School of Contemporary Music, and the VCM’s Westhills location in Langford. He enjoys teaching people of all ages and abilities. José has shared the stage with David Vest, Daniel Lapp, Joey Smith, Daniel Tate, Adam Dobres, Kelby MacNayr, and many other incredible musicians! […]

Aaron Watson

Aaron is a multi-instrumentalist, in demand accompanist, studio musician and teacher. His ability to switch genres has led to performances and recordings on guitar, accordion, clarinet, shakuhachi and sitar to name a few. He has worked with vocal ensembles, accordion orchestras, gypsy jazz, country, punk, indy rock and avant garde groups. He has performed extensively throughout Japan, played in schools in Africa and more locally he can be found regularly in Victoria’s care homes, cafes and concert halls. He is a performs regularly as member of Cold Cut Combo, a Victoria-based acoustic group of improvisational musicians specializing in Gypsy Jazz. (…)

David Yates

David Yates has a B.A. (2001) from The Evergreen State College, with equal time spent studying writing, theatre, music, and dance. Recently joining the Victoria Conservatory of Music, he currently gives lessons in Didgeridoo, and teaches Solo Concert Prep, Solo Concert Presentation, and the class Foundations of Stage Presence for the VCM’s Department of Postsecondary Studies, VCM/Camosun Diploma in Music Performance. David has performed as a dancer with the Vancouver Opera, has danced and choreographed for film, and spent several years performing in local theatre shows with the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret, among others. He has worked in elementary and middle […]