2025 Clinicians
Junior Piano – Maryan Threndyle
Strings – Guillaume Tardif
Brass/Winds – Matthew Howatt
Voice – Jolaine Kerley
Creative Music – Mari Alice Conrad
Senior Piano – Viktoria Reiswich-Dapp
Lauded for her "high-profile skills" (The Frankfurter Neue Presse), pianist Viktoria Reiswich-Dapp has captivated audiences and critics alike. Praised for her "clarity of touch... stylistic sense... [and] breathtaking suppleness" (Pforzheimer Zeitung), she has been hailed as "an impeccable soloist" by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Viktoria's exceptional artistry has earned her numerous national and international prizes, coupled with enthusiastic acclaim wherever she performs. Her extensive performance career spans continents, with appearances as a soloist and chamber musician across Austria, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Gran Canaria, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Turkey, the USA, and Uzbekistan.
Beyond the stage, Viktoria is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians. A recipient of two Steinway & Sons Top Piano Teacher Awards, she shares her expertise teaching piano performance, piano literature, chamber music, and piano pedagogy at the University of Alberta. She is also a sought-after clinician, frequently presenting lectures, masterclasses, and serving as a festival adjudicator. Dedicated to the growth of her local music scene, Viktoria contributes significantly to the Edmonton music community as a board member of the Anne Burrows Music Foundation and as faculty advisor for ARMTA’s collegiate chapter at the UofA.
Born in Uzbekistan, Viktoria's early musical journey began steeped in the rigorous tradition of the Russian piano school. Her exceptional promise was recognized early, leading to her acceptance at just 13 as a pre-student at the University of Music in Karlsruhe, Germany, studying with Sontraud Speidel – a distinguished lineage connected to Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, Branka Musulin, and Géza Anda. She continued her advanced studies at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts with Irina Edelstein (a student of Jacob Milstein) and Joachim Volkmann (a student of Wilhelm Kempff), earning degrees in both piano performance and piano pedagogy. Her arrival in Canada marked a significant milestone, becoming the first performer ever awarded the distinguished Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship to pursue studies at the University of Alberta with Jacques Després (a student of György Sebök and Gilbert Kalish). Constantly seeking artistic growth, Viktoria recently expanded her horizons, receiving the Pamela Farmer Scholarship from the Royal Canadian College of Organists in 2024 to commence organ studies with Marnie Giesbrecht.
Junior Piano – Maryan Threndyle
Maryan Threndyle has a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She completed undergraduate degrees in music and education at Mount Allison University in Sackville New Brunswick.
With an active piano studio in St. Albert since 1983, Maryan has taught at all levels from beginner to ARCT. Her students have often received festival awards and other scholarships. For 13 years she was a teacher with the Yamaha Junior Music Program in Edmonton. Through her community service as coordinator of the St. Albert Rotary Music Festival, she was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow in 2008 and 2012. Through the years, Maryan has valued the opportunity to sing with the Richard Eaton Singers - now called Chorus Inspira, and Kappella Kyrie, Slavic Chamber Choir.
Maryan is inspired by the creativity of our Canadian composers writing pieces for young pianists. She is excited to hear your performances! Bravo to Contemporary Showcase Edmonton for featuring this wonderful repertoire telling our stories with magical sounds.
Strings – Guillaume Tardif
Canadian violinist Guillaume Tardif is Professor and Head of Strings at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He studied at the Eastman School of Music (DMA) with Oleh Krysa and the Conservatoire in Quebec (Premier Prix, MMus) with Jean Angers. An active artist-teacher and researcher, he regularly travels on recital tours, concerto appearances, festivals, and for conference presentations in Canada and abroad. He has been a guest professor at various music institutions, including the Grieg Academy, the Royal College of Stockholm, the Liszt Academy, Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts, Central Conservatory of Music, Zhejiang University, Poznan Academy, Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Kiev, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Michigan, State University of San Francisco, the University of Innsbruck, and several universities in Brazil. He was a guest artist at festivals such as Vols am Schlern (Italy), the VCU Global Summer Institute, and the Beverly Hills Festival (USA). In 2011, he presented with pianist Roger Admiral the US premiere of Paganini’s 24 Caprices by Gallois-Montbrun at Carnegie-Weill Hall. He premiered many new works and produced many CD albums and a video-documentary (‘The Genius of the Violin’, exploring the intersections of folk and classical streams in violin playing). He published chapters for Olms-Verlag, Brepols, Brill, and Ad Parnassum. www.guillaume.tardif.com
Brass/Winds - Matthew Howatt
Matthew Howatt began his studies in Edmonton with Diane Persson before gaining a Bachelor of Music from the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Jesse Read. Other teachers include Christopher Millard, Ivor Rothwell, and Christopher Palmer. He is a former principal bassoonist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra.. A founding member of WindRose Trio, he is featured on the group’s CD. Edmonton composer Joseph Lai's bassoon sonata, composed for Mr. Howatt, was premiered in 2024. He has performed the Concerto in F and the Hungarian Andante and Rondo by Carl Maria von Weber with the Concordia College Orchestra. Matthew Howatt is particularly passionate about teaching and promoting the bassoon to young people. Mr. Howatt teaches privately at his home studio and also at numerous clinics across Edmonton.
Voice – Jolaine Kerley
Edmonton based soprano and conductor, Jolaine Kerley is active as a soloist, voice instructor, choral conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. She is currently Associate Professor of Music at Concordia University of Edmonton as well as artistic director of Ariose Choir and conductor of the Archbishop Jordan Choirs. Jolaine holds degrees in Voice and Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta and Indiana University. Jolaine has performed numerous times locally, nationally and internationally as a professional soloist and chorister with multiple choruses, orchestras, and organizations including the Stuttgart Kammerkor, Musica Ficta, Carmel Bach Festival, Portland Symphony Chorus, RES, Pro Coro Canada, ABE, Early Music Alberta, Westminster Choir, and was heard as soprano soloist in Allan Bevan’s Nou Goth Sonne Under Wode at Carnegie Hall. Jolaine performs solo recitals throughout the Edmonton area and is frequently heard performing events with the Health Arts Society of Alberta. Upcoming solo engagements include concerts with Early Music Alberta in Edmonton and Luminous Voices in Calgary.
Creative Music – Mari Alice Conrad
Mari Alice Conrad is an award-winning, emerging composer in Alberta, Canada completing her doctorate in composition at the University of Alberta. She specializes in concert works for soloists, chamber ensembles, choirs, and large ensembles. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Mari Alice travelled to the Canadian High Arctic and Greenland (2022) in the creation of a large-scale, interactive composition project for youth exploring the effects of climate change. Her current doctoral SSHRC research-creation project examines the perception and expression of place, personal history, and the intersection of sound and geography by exploring objects, light, staging, movement, and space alongside acoustic instruments to create innovative musical contexts.
Recently, her works have been performed by the Okanagan Symphony (BC), Allegra Chamber Orchestra (BC), the Vancouver Chamber Choir (BC), the BBC Singers (UK), the Canadian Chamber Choir, Standing Wave (BC), Edmonton Winds (AB and Czech Republic), University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble ArtChoral (Québec), Amadeus Choir (ON), Luminous Voices (AB), UltraViolet (AB), Exultate Chamber Singers (ON), The University of Alberta Madrigal Singers, and the SHHH!! Ensemble (ON).
Mari Alice’s compositional practice shines an exceptional light on the human condition, finding meaning in the mundane by fostering curiosity, authenticity, connection, and collaboration. Her choral music is published by Hinshaw Music (USA), musica printima (Canada), and Cypress Choral Music (Canada) with upcoming and recent recording projects with the MacEwan University Generations Big Band, violinist Dr. Erin James, Edmonton Winds Ensemble, Exultate Chamber Singers, Ensemble ArtChoral, and the SHHH!! Ensemble.
Guitar - Trevor Sanders
Since 2000, Trevor Sanders has been an active teacher, adjudicator and performer in the Edmonton area and throughout Alberta. He began teaching, and is currently on faculty at MacEwan University’s Alberta College Conservatory of Music since 2001 (now the Winspear Conservatory), the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta since 2008, and at Concordia University of Edmonton since 2023. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta (MMus) and Augustana University College (BA specialized in Music). As an active performer, his appearances as a chamber musician and as a soloist have been heard in numerous concert series and on radio. Trevor has been involved with a number of guitar ensembles, and is a founding member of the University of Alberta guitar quartet and the Edmonton Guitar Trio. He has also performed as a soloist with the Alberta Baroque Orchestra. Trevor currently teaches music theory and guitar for Winspear Conservatory; music theory, jazz guitar, and classical guitar for the University of Alberta at its Augustana Campus; classical guitar for Concordia University of Edmonton; and guitar (classical, jazz, contemporary) for the Purple Door Music Academy.