Faculty

Meet with our highly qualified, Suzuki-certified music faculty.

We offer violinviolacellobassguitar, flute, piano private lessons and group lessons.

Viktoria Grynenko (Music Director/Violin/ Viola)

Viktoria Grynenko was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2011 she received a scholarship from Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba and came to Canada to study violin performance. A recent graduate with Doctor of Music degree (University of Alberta, 2021), Grynenko’s research explores the idea of ‘metaphoric intersectionality’ between violin and dance. Read More

Jessica Mah (Violin/Viola)

Since the age of five, Jessica has been a proud member of the STE community. During her time as a music student with STE she also studied piano, attended numerous Suzuki Institutes, participated in music festivals, and was a member of the Edmonton Youth Orchestra. Jessica joined the STE faculty in 2017 and has been sharing her passion for music and education ever since. She is a registered teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has taken teacher training in violin units 1-3. Read More

Lydia Metzger (Violin/Viola)

Lydia Metzger is an American violinist and music educator who is currently based in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Music- violin performance from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and in December 2017 graduated with high honors from UW with a Masters degree in violin performance. While in Southern Wisconsin, Lydia taught piano and violin lessons at several schools and performed regularly with area orchestras. She also gave various solo and chamber recitals all across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Read More

Adele Bosse-Morgan (Cello)

Adèle Bossé-Morgan grew up as a Suzuki kid, starting cello at the age of 5 with the Society for Talent Education. She has also been a Suzuki parent, with all 4 of her children having taken lessons through the STE. As a teacher, she is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and is enthusiastic about professional development. She has completed ECC (Every Child Can), SPA (Suzuki Principles in Action), Cello Teacher- Training Units 1 – 10, and most recently Double Bass Unit 1. Read More

Ryan Hoffman (Cello)

Ryan Hoffman is a cellist with over 15 years of teaching experience, who recently moved to Edmonton from the United States. He has been teaching here since Fall of 2020, and has been active with Alberta String Association, Opus@12 Chamber Music Society, and Concordia Symphony.  Ryan’s academic degrees include a Doctor of Musical Arts from James Madison University, a Master of Music from Penn State University, and a BA in Music from Susquehanna University.Read More

Mark Eeles (Cello)

Mark Eeles is a cellist whose playing career has taken him through Canada, United States and Europe. He studied with Harvey Shapiro at the Juilliard School and with Florence Hooton at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. In 1986 he completed his Masters of Music with famed teacher and cellist Claude Kenneson. He returned to New York to compete in the 1986 Naumberg International Cello Competition. Read More

Janet Dougan (Cello)

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Conrad Sobieraj (Improvisation/Cello)

Edmonton born cellist and composer Conrad Sobieraj began playing cello at age 4 under the instruction of his mother Grazyna Sobieraj. In preparation for university he studied with Silvia Buttiglione of the Vaughan String Quartet, and went on to complete his Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Alberta under the instruction of Rafael Hoekman. During the first two years of his degree, the Vertex String Quartet premiered both of his compositions in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Read More

Sheryl Bowhay (Orchestra)

Sheryl Bowhay holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Conducting from the University of Calgary. She specializes in instrumental music education and has taught both bands and orchestras at the middle school and high school levels. Sheryl is active as an adjudicator, guest conductor and clinician. Read More

Ted Tessier (Bass)

Ted Tessier (B.Ed, B.Mus, M.Mus.) has been a Suzuki bass teacher since 2005. He has completed both Education and Music bachelor degrees – specializing in standup bass. Ted has also has a Masters in Music with a focus on Musical Education.Read More

Michael Hunter (Guitar)

Michael Hunter (B. A. Soc) began playing steel string guitar at age six, and has performed solo, as part of a duo, and in bands over the years. He used his musical background to support early childhood education in Taichung, Taiwan, while continuing to perform in the evenings.  After a serious accident, Michael returned to Canada to recover.  He later switched to classical guitar and focused intently on technique, which allowed him to continue to play despite his injuries. Michael first completed Royal Conservatory Level 5 Theory and Level 3 Classical Guitar. Read More

Alexandra Valle (Flute)

A recent graduate of the University of Alberta’s Bachelor of Music degree, Alex Valle has dedicated herself to the flute for over a decade. Under the instruction of former Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Assistant Principal Flute, Shelley Younge, Alex developed a deep-rooted love for all things Baroque and Classical, and now dreams of one day occupying an orchestral chair herself.

Currently studying under ESO Principal Flute Liz Koch, Alex works to further refine her playing as she looks to enter the world of professional auditions and post-graduate education. Read More

Brendan McGrath (Piano)

Brendan McGrath is a pianist and piano instructor based in Edmonton.  As a performer McGrath specializes in piano improvisation (solo and in ensemble), piano composition, and score interpretation.

In 2017, McGrath completed his undergraduate degree in Jazz and Pop Piano performance at MacEwan University. Currently, he is completing his Masters degree in classical piano performance at the University of Alberta. McGrath has had training from a number of great teachers including Dr. Patricia Tao, Dr. Viktoria Reiswich-Dapp, Simone Dinnerstein, and Jean-Michel Pilc. Read More