Valdine Anderson
Artistic Director
An established international artist with over two decades of solo performances and recordings, Valdine Anderson currently serves on the voice staff at the Desautels Faculty of Music, University of Manitoba.
During her concert career as a soprano, Valdine Anderson’s solo performances and tours included the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, Germany’s Ensemble Moderne, France’s Ensemble Intercontemporain where she toured extensively with Pierre Boulez, the Orchestre National de France, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Chicago Symphony with Winton Marsalis and Daniel Baremboim, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and many more. In 2004, Valdine toured the U.S.A. with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle opening Los Angeles’s new Walt Disney Concert Hall. Premieres written for and interpreted by Valdine include works by Kaija Saariaho, Gerard Grisey, Henryk Gorecki, Witold Lutoslawski, Thomas Ades, George Benjamin and Elliot Carter. Valdine has worked with conductors Sir Colin Davis, Seiji Ozawa, David Robertson, Winton Marsalis, Bramwell Tovey, Esa Pekka Salonen, and Edo de Waart among others.
Valdine’s recording of Mahler’s 4th Symphony CD with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra won a Prairie Music Award (now Western Canadian Music Awards), and her recording of the opera Powder Her Face by Thomas Ades received a Grammy Award nomination. Her signature aria from that recording was made into a short music video by Canadian film director Guy Maddin called ‘Fancy, Fancy Being Rich’ in 2002. Other solo recordings include Szymanowski’s Songs of the Fairy-Tale Princess with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Gavin Bryars’ The Adnan Songbook, Eliot Carter’s opera What Next with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, shortlisted for a Grammy Award nomination, and Michael Torke’s Book of Proverbs with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Valdine’s live recording of Witold Lutoslawski’s Chantefleurs et Chantefables with Toronto New Music Concerts Ensemble was conducted by Lutoslawski in his last public performance.
Valdine Anderson has been a frequent juror for the Canada Council for the Arts and is in demand as a voice and choral adjudicator across Canada. In 2011, Valdine founded the women’s choral ensemble, Esprit Singers and in 2017 was appointed Artistic Director of Winnipeg Sonora Voices (formerly Pembina Trails Voices), a Winnipeg youth choir organization. Her choirs have won awards nationally and internationally, toured music festivals overseas, been grant recipients from the Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council, and Canada Council for the Arts grants, and regularly record and commission new works for choral ensembles.
Leanne Regehr Lee
Singers, Cantemus, Potenza
Music has been an integral part of Leanne’s life for as long as she can remember. Graduating with distinction from the University of Manitoba, Leanne earned Bachelor of Music (piano) and Bachelor of Education (senior years choral music), and has taught music and led choirs in Winnipeg and Nottingham, England. She is a Manitoba Registered Music Teacher and a certified teacher with the Royal Conservatory of Music for Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced levels of piano and theory.
Leanne is an in-demand teacher, adjudicator, and collaborative pianist. Enjoying a full teaching studio of motivated and creative students, Leanne strives to create communities where students are supported and challenged to pursue high levels of musical excellence. She has recently expanded her studio to include a pedagogy program for aspiring piano teachers and is a sessional Piano Pedagogy and Studio Teaching Techniques instructor at the Canadian Mennonite University.
Leanne performs regularly with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, as well as many other professional and amateur musicians. She is on faculty at the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy and is the pianist for Winnipeg’s Festival Chorus.
When not teaching or playing piano, Leanne enjoys riding her motorcycle and exploring new places with her husband, Garth, a luthier, and their teenage twins.
Kimberly Lapatha
Chorale
Kimberly Lapatha is a very active collaborative pianist in Manitoba’s music scene. Originally from Kentucky, Kim earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Kentucky (Lexington), her Master of Church Music degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville) and her Master of Collaborative Piano degree at the University of Manitoba. Complementing her graduate education pursuits (where she plays piano with vocalists, instrumentalists, opera students, and musical theatre students), Kim is also the collaborative pianist of Winnipeg community choirs Prairie Voices, Women of Note Chamber and Mass Choir, and the former pianist for ECCO Singers and Winnipeg Sonora Voices Chorale. She has stepped out from behind the piano into the conductor role for Winnipeg Sonora Voices Chorale and Women of Note Chorale. Kim’s other professional community work in Winnipeg has included music planning/programming at Elim Chapel, piano collaboration with The Little Opera Company, and many performances with school and community youth choral programs all over Manitoba.
Amanda Ciavarelli
Choraliers
Amanda Ciavarelli teaches elementary music and choir at École South Pointe School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. École South Pointe School choirs and Orff ensembles perform many times during the school year at school assemblies, community events and concerts, at the Winnipeg Music Festival, and with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Amanda is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and holds a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education. She is a Level III Orff Certification graduate as well as a certified Carl Orff Canada Orff Levels Instructor. She is honoured to be a recipient of the Morna-June Morrow Award for Excellence in Education. Amanda is passionate about music education because of the important role music plays in the development and growth of children; fostering musicianship, teamwork, and communication while creating an opportunity for children to experience emotion and humanism through music. Amanda is excited to be working with the Choraliers this season!
Nathanael Plett
Minnesingers
Nathanael Plett teaches kindergarten to grade 5 general music at École Van Walleghem School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. At École Van Walleghem School, Nathanael loves conducting extracurricular choirs and Orff ensembles. Nathanael graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education. It was at the U of M that he also received his Level II Orff Certification. It is a source of great delight for Nathanael to witness children discovering the joy of making music together and he is looking forward to doing this as part of the Winnipeg Sonora Voices team this year.
Debra Yacheson
Ragazzi
A lifelong Winnipegger, Debra has a been a conductor with the Winnipeg Sonora Voices (formerly PTV) since 2002. She loved being the conductor of Minnesingers for many years and has been the conductor of Ragazzi for the past five years. She considers it a privilege to teach young voices and watch them gain confidence, make friends and flourish both in their singing and academic lives.
Debra has had tremendous opportunities to teach music at many different schools in the public school system where she developed award-winning choirs at the early and middle years levels.
She currently teaches music at Prairie Sunrise School in Pembina Trails School Division, where she has nearly 400 students from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Debra is honoured to have worked as a guest conductor and clinician for various school divisions as well as adjudicating for local festivals.
One of Debra’s most cherished honours is the 2016 Winnipeg Music Festival’s Michael J. Proudfoot Award, which is presented to a conductor exemplifying a passion for excellence in choral work. She and Michael were friends from childhood, and they worked together during her first few years of teaching. Together they shared a passion for teaching music to children.
Besides teaching music and conducting choirs, Debra enjoys hiking, skiing, walking her dogs and spending time with her partner, Geoff, and their four adult children.
Martha Dyck
Nova
Martha has worked as an Elementary Music Specialist in the Pembina Trails School District, and in the Mission School District in BC. She completed her Orff Teacher Certification at the University of Manitoba and her Learning in the Early Years Graduate Diploma at Simon Fraser University in BC. While in BC, she studied choral conducting with master teachers of the BC Choral Federation. She has also trained in voice, piano, and organ. Martha has led training choirs for the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, Virginia, and the Pacific Mennonite Children’s Choir, BC. She has also directed school, community, and church choirs of all ages. Martha has worked as a clinician helping preschool teachers use their own singing voices, and include singing, instruments, and musical games in their teaching practice. Currently, singing with Manitoba’s Faith and Life Women’s Chorus and mentoring beginning music educators brings Martha rich enjoyment. Martha loves bringing the gift of music and song into the hearts of young children.
Leanne Hiebert
Pianist: Singers, Cantemus, Potenza, Ragazzi
Leanne Hiebert teaches students of all ages how to play the piano and also loves collaborating with choirs and other soloists around the city. Leanne has worked as the music director of the Manitoba Underground Opera’s Neighbourhood Opera Tour and has served as president of the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers’ Association where she remains an active member. She is ever grateful to her mentors Dr. Ken Nichols and Lydia Wiebe. Leanne stays active biking and playing tennis when not riding the piano bench!
Héctor J. Pinzón-Arroyo
Pianist: Chorale
Héctor, a Colombian pianist, conductor, and composer, embarked on his musical journey at age 5, hailing from a family deeply rooted in musical tradition. His artistic endeavors have traversed frontiers, exchanging unvaluable experiences with audiences and colleagues across Europe and the Americas with a diverse repertoire and dynamic performances.
With master’s degrees in conducting and piano collaborative from renowned institutions such as Azusa Pacific University, University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of Manitoba, Héctor has honed his craft in instrumental, operatic, symphonic, choral, and vocal repertoire. His accolades include competition triumphs, prestigious scholarships, and international tours spanning Germany, Austria, the United States, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
As a conductor, Héctor has led youth and professional orchestras to musical heights while his compositions, blending classical tradition with Latin folk vibrancy, have resonated across three different continents. Currently, he has been granted the opportunity to expand his collaborative skills by working part time as one of the pianists and coaches at the esteemed Desautels Faculty of Music. His passion for collaboration extends beyond the concert hall, infusing every aspect of his life.
Henry Kelsey
Pianist: Choraliers
Winnipeg-based Collaborative Pianist Henry Kelsey recently graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelor of Music (Honours 23’). He is currently pursuing a MMus in Collaborative Piano Performance at the University of Manitoba studying with Dr. Judith Kehler-Siebert and Dr. Laura Loewen.
Henry began teaching at 15 years old and prides himself on tailoring the lessons to the needs of each student. As a multi-genre pianist, he can instruct students in Pop, Rock, Classical, and Theatre genres. He is also fluent in music theory, history, and ear training techniques (Solfege, Takadimi, Sing & Play).
He recently formed the Dafoe Piano Quartet, winning the St. John’s College Ensemble Competition (2024).
He is also known for his sensitive playing style and constant enthusiasm, with extensive experience in chamber music, choral, theatre, and opera settings.
Rachel Dyck
Pianist: Minnesingers
Rachel Dyck is a pianist who enjoys collaborating with singers, instrumentalists and choirs. She currently plays for the Esprit Singers and the Winnipeg Sonora Voices Minnesingers. She regularly performs with Charmaine Bacon at her Charmaine & Friends chamber music series. Rachel holds Master of Music degrees from the University of Manitoba in collaborative piano and the University of Ottawa in piano performance, where she studied with Drs. Judy Kehler Siebert, Laura Loewen and Stéphane Lemelin. Her accomplishments include winning the “Amour” Competition for voice and piano with Ellen Wieser at the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Conference, the Aikens Memorial trophy at the Winnipeg Music Festival and representing Manitoba at the National Music Festival. When she is not playing the piano Rachel loves running, reading, gardening and spending time with her family.
Jim Barchyn
Guitarist: Nova
As a teenager, guitar lessons led to playing for family and friends. I worked up the courage to host a “Coffee House” at my high school where I gained the confidence to perform in public. Summer jobs as a camp counsellor offered me joyful opportunities to lead kids in sing alongs. Christmas is my favourite musical season where I have been hosting a family and friends sing along since the early 1980’s. Nova director Martha Dyck and her family have been regular participants at this annual event. When Martha Dyck approached me to be the accompanist for Nova I could not wait to get started, working out guitar arrangements for her musical selections. It has been an honour and absolute pleasure to be part of the Winnipeg Senora Voices organization.