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
She organizes numerous concerts in collaboration with ballet dancers and explores rare violin repertoire related to ballet music.
Viktoria holds the Beryl Barnes Memorial Graduate Award, Pamela Farmer Graduate Scholarship, Maria Yaworska Scholarship, Barbara newbegin Scholarship, Stephanie Perozak Scholarship, Straus Foundation Award, Kun Scholarship, and others. She appeared as a soloist with Oslo Symphony Orchestra (Norway) and Glier Music Institute Symphony Orchestra (Ukraine), she also performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician throughout Canada, Germany, Austria and Ukraine. She has been serving as a concertmaster and Teaching Assistant for the University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra since 2017 under Petar Dundjerski.
Passionate about education, Viktoria led numerous masterclasses for violin and chamber music students through community organisations and higher education institutions.
Grynenko’s interest in new music encouraged her to commission and premiere pieces by Canadian and American composers, such as Henry J. Ng, Valentin Bibik, Zach Bales, James Wright and others. As a dedicated supporter of El Sistema program of music education for children from low-income families, Viktoria has worked and volunteered with the program in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Edmonton.
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
Besides music, Jessica also has a passion for science and holds a Bachelor of Science, double majoring in Chemistry and Psychology. She is currently studying Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Alberta.
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
She moved with her husband to Alberta in the summer of 2018, where she took Suzuki violin teacher training with Elayne Ras at the Alberta Suzuki Institute. In the Edmonton area, Lydia performs regularly with Symphony Borealis as assistant concertmaster and Edmonton Pops Orchestra as concertmaster. Most recently she has joined the Edmonton-based Vertex Quartet as the second violinist. She freelances as a pianist as well.
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
Mrs. Bossé-Morgan has been teaching with the Society for Talent Education since 1989, regularly teaching private cello lessons, cello group classes, and coaching chamber music, as well as serving as an accompanist for many STE concerts and events, and serving as music director from 2016-2020. In 2010 she also joined the staff of the Suzuki Charter School where she teaches cello, double bass, piano, and mixed-instrument chamber music classes.
Outside the Suzuki world, Mrs. Bossé-Morgan holds a B. Mus. in cello performance from the University of Alberta. She completed examinations with the Western Board of Music in both cello and piano, and upon completing her B.Mus. degree in cello performance served a 10 year term as a strings and piano examiner for Conservatory Canada. She has adjudicated festivals in strings, junior piano, and band since 2009, and also maintains a small private studio in cello, piano, and theory. She has had students compete successfully in local music festivals, as well as provincial festivals, the provincial national class, and the Northern Alberta Concerto Competition. As a performer, Mrs. Bossé-Morgan mostly freelances as her teaching and adjudicating schedule allows, but regularly plays with Quartette des Muses for a variety of functions, and has also been very active over the years playing in pit orchestras for many local musical theatre companies, as well as playing with the Edmonton Metropolitan Orchestra. For several years Mrs. Bossé-Morgan has also been involved with the music ministry at her home church, where she sings alto and plays both cello and piano.
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
Prior to moving, Ryan taught and performed in and around Virginia. He taught both Suzuki and traditional students at several schools, including Eastern Mennonite University and Bridgewater College. He performed in several orchestras, including Altoona Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, Huntington Symphony, and Waynesboro Symphony, and as a chamber musician with Two Rivers Chamber Music and Melodious Strings.
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
Mark enjoys playing a wide variety of musical styles but his specialty is in the performance and interpretation of 20th century music. In 1987 he gave the World Premier performance of John Cage’s Etude Borealis in Detroit. Mark currently teaches Cello at the Society for Talent Education in Edmonton and as an Instructor at the King’s University.
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
He continues composing tunes for his students and peers. Conrad is one of the founding members of the early music group Convivencia Canadá, and a Bossa-nova trio, Rei Rei Rei. Currently he plays in the Vertex String Quartet, and is the principal cellist of the River City Orchestra. When he is not performing, Conrad is teaching, composing, and painting.
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
She has performed in community bands and orchestras throughout her life, and in 2017-2018 had the opportunity to perform with the Banda del Centre de Musical de Xábia in Spain. Sheryl believes that music creates a sense of community and is a passionate advocate for music education in our society.
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
His bass teacher-training is ongoing as he continues to attend various Suzuki conferences and teacher training workshops for additional Suzuki book levels certificates.
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
He was then introduced to the Suzuki method when his daughter was enrolled in STE and Suzuki Charter School, and has been a dedicated Suzuki parent and student since 2015. Michael was a student of Dayle Besler from 2015 to 2017, and has been a student of Tyson Oatway from 2017 to present. He completed his initial Suzuki Teacher Training in Laramie, Wyoming in 2019 with Mychal Gendron, and has since completed levels two and three. Michael continues to take advantage of opportunities for professional development in the Suzuki method.
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
Alex currently occupies Principal Flute positions with the Edmonton Youth Orchestra as well as the River City Chamber Orchestra, where she made her solo debut this past summer.
When she’s not practicing, Alex can be found reading up on historical performance practice and being Mozart’s #1 fan, watching objectively bad movies, and getting overly excited about dinosaurs.
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
He has also had long-term lessons with Deborah Cleaver, training in the Taubman method, an injury-preventative approach to piano technique, made famous for aiding in Leon Fleisher’s recovery (among other things).
McGrath performs solo recitals, both improvised and classical repertoire. He also performs as a sideman in jazz groups around the city, working under players like Aretha Tillotson, Joel Jeschke, Jon Guenter, and more. As a pop/rock keyboardist, McGrath has worked with Calvin Love, Justine Vandergrift, Trevor McNeely, Aladean Kheroufi, Eamon McGrath, Booker Diduck, and many more.
Brendan is excited to bring his versatile expertise into Society for Talent Education.
