Matthew Otto is an innovative leader, educator, and collaborator. With unparalleled dedication to choral music, Matthew strives to develop artistic excellence, vocal integrity, and empowerment in singers of all ages. As the TCC’s Associate Artistic Director, Matthew conducts the Toronto Youth Choir, Chorealis, co-conducts Chorale & Cantarealis, and oversees the Main Choir theory program. He has conducted the Chamber Choir on tour to Russia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, USA, Bahamas, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as at the 2017 World Choral Symposium in Barcelona. In 2013, Matthew co-founded the Toronto Youth Choir and in 2018 led the ensemble on its first international tour, travelling to New York to sing with The King’s Singers in Carnegie Hall. The TCC/TYC has also premiered Matthew’s arrangements and compositions. During the 2021-22 season, Matthew will serve as TCC’s Interim Artistic Director.

Matthew is founder/artistic director of Incontra Vocal Ensemble, a project-based, professional-level chamber choir. Now in its eighth season, Incontra provides high-calibre performance opportunities for emerging singers and conductors. Equally at home in the symphonic chorus realm, he has prepared choruses for appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and conductors Peter Oundjian, Nicholas McGegan, Bramwell Tovey, Donald Runnicles, Tania Miller, and the late Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.

As a strong advocate for the choral arts in Canada, Matthew has been the President of Choirs Ontario, a board member of Choral Canada, and is a founding member of the Bridge Choral Collective, a Canada-wide consortium of youth choirs. He has actively contributed to many choral communities in the Toronto area, including Pax Christi Chorale (Assistant Conductor), Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (Associate Conductor), and several Toronto churches, most recently Christ Church Deer Park.

Matthew holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition and a Master of Music in Conducting. Currently, he is a lecturer and a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education at the University of Toronto. His doctoral dissertation, entitled Towards a Reimagined Choral Pedagogy: A Phenomenological Case Study of Chorister Experience at the Toronto Children’s Chorus, traces the impact of high-level choral singing on youth. He has presented papers at the International Symposium on Singing and Song, and at Podium 2018.

Judith Bean holds a Master of Arts Community Music and an Honours Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University. In addition, she holds a Bachelor of Education in Vocal Music from the University of Western Ontario, as well as a number of Kodály and Suzuki piano certifications. Her musical studies continue to take her around the globe as she attends conferences and workshops, as well as serving an elementary music clinician throughout Ontario.

After attending the Conductors’ Symposium hosted by the Toronto Children’s Chorus in 2005, Judith was invited to join the TCC staff team to teach at the annual Main Choir summer music camp at Appleby College. To date, she has taught sight singing and musical skills at the Main Choir camp for more than fifteen years. In 2012, Judith became the conductor of the Preparatory Choir and is delighted to be celebrating her 10th season as a choral conductor with the TCC.

A teacher with the Waterloo Region District School Board for more than thirty years, Judith teaches vocal music, drama, dance and media to children from Kindergarten to Grade 6 at Ryerson Public School in Cambridge. She is the founder and former director of Menno Youth Singers in Kitchener-Waterloo and the past director of the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Junior Choir in Kitchener. She has also taught piano and voice at The Beckett School of Music in Kitchener for 18 years and directed the Inter-Mennonite Children’s Choir for 7 years. In 2019, she was the conductor of the more than 1000 voice mass children’s choir and Teacher’s Orchestra at the Kodály Choral Festival at the Centre in the Square.

She is delighted to be a member of the Artistic Staff of the Toronto Children’s Chorus and the Associate Conductor of Training Choir I.

An experienced conductor and educator, Nila Rajagopal is passionate about bringing people together through music. She is delighted to join the TCC’s Artistic Team as Conductor of Training Choir II and Assistant Conductor of Training Choir I for the 2021-22 season. 

Nila’s collaborative spirit has granted her various positions within the choral world. Highly sought after for her choral expertise, she was recently appointed Associate Conductor of the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto and spends the summer months working with the Mississauga Summer Chorale as Associate Conductor. She has previously held positions with the St. Lawrence Choir in Montreal and the Oakville Choir for Children and Youth. Increasingly recognized for her promising musical excellence, Nila was the recipient of the 2016 Doreen Rao Choral Award, the 2019 Iwan Edwards Award, the 2019 Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship and most recently, the 2020 Helen Hall Prize.

A passionate lifelong learner, Nila holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from McGill University, where she studied under the tutelage of Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée. She previously earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto, where she studied voice with internationally renowned soprano Nathalie Paulin, and choral conducting with Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, Dr. Lori-Anne Dolloff and Zimfira Poloz. Committed to the future of choral music in Canada, Nila is also Office Coordinator at Choral Canada, Canada’s National Arts Service Organization for choral music.

Shireen Abu-Khader is a Palestinian Jordanian artist, composer and educator. She holds a PhD in Music Education from the University of Toronto, a Master’s in Choral Music from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Oberlin College Conservatory. In 2002, Shireen founded Dozan wa Awtar Music Establishment which has been an important venture in her personal development as well as the evolution of choral music in Jordan.

The inspiration for the establishment stemmed from her work with the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine, from 1998 to 2000. Dozan wa Awtar performances were designed to inspire, create, unite and respond to the changing socio-political context. Since then, this vision has been shaping the local musical identity through different compositions and arrangements, allowing room for the exploration of and experimentation with choral sounds and ideas. Her CD Introducing Dozan was released in 2008 showcasing some of her choral works.

In Toronto, Shireen continues to compose and work with choirs while introducing music from the Levant region (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Iraq) and collaborating with artists on various projects. She has recently evolved her company into Dozan World which aims to spread music of her region to the international community through sheet music publishing.

The 2021-22 season marks Allison Luff’s third year with the Toronto Children’s Chorus. With over a decade of experience, Allison is an accomplished pianist and teacher. Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, Allison Luff has pursued her music education all over Canada, the United States, Germany and Hungary. Allison holds a double master’s degree in Music Education and Music Performance from Western University, London, Ontario. In 2018, Allison received a Diploma in Kodály Music Education with specialization in Piano Pedagogy from the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Kesckemét, Hungary. She presented her research on the use of Kodály concepts in the private piano studio at the 2017 International Kodály Symposium in Camrose, Alberta. As an undergraduate at the University of Alberta – where she received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with distinction under the tutelage of Dr. Jacques Després – Allison was the recipient of the prestigious Alberta Foundation for the Arts Project Grant. Allison used this funding for solo piano and chamber music studies in Munich, Germany, and Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA. Allison had the honour of giving a solo piano recital at the University of Regina as the winner of the 2012 Regina Music Club Recital Competition. As well as an accomplished soloist, Allison has performed art song by Hungarian composers Liszt and Kodály and published a thesis on composer Charles Ives. Allison loves to cook, travel, and has an orange tabby-cat named Calcifer.

Kai Leung holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, where he studied classical voice and composition. In addition to his role with the Toronto Youth Choir, he is the Artistic Director of Concreamus Chamber Choir, the Artistic Director of the Mississauga Summer Chorale, the Apprentice Conductor with the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and the Assistant Conductor and Composer in Residence at St. Clements church in Toronto.

Kai is the 2020 recipient of the prestigious William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award from the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. This award is presented each year to one graduating student from any stream who is deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of Music. Kai has also been awarded the 2019 Arthur Plettner Scholarship, the 2019 Richard I Thorman Award, and the 2018 Lloyd Bradshaw Prize.

During his undergraduate years, Kai studied composition with Roger Bergs. His works have been performed by the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Resonance Youth Choir, The St. Clements 11:00am choir, Mississauga Tranzzit, Concreamus Chamber Choir, the Mississauga Summer Chorale, and the Orpheus Choir of Toronto.

Kai also works as an audio engineer and video editor. He enjoys using his multi-disciplinary skills to find creative intersections between musical creation, the choral arts, teaching, and technology.

Nova Scotian pianist Dakota Scott-Digout is quickly establishing himself as one of the brightest upcoming pianists in the country. He holds degrees in piano performance from Université de Montréal, Mount Allison University, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto, where his research examines the performance practice of Gabriel Fauré’s works for voice and piano. Dakota maintains a busy schedule as a collaborative pianist, teacher, and serves as the accompanist for undergraduate voice performance classes at the University of Toronto.

Equally comfortable as a soloist, Dakota has performed in masterclasses for some of the world’s most renowned pianists, including Angela Hewitt, David Jalbert, Roy Howat, and André Laplante. He has further refined his skills at the Orford Music Academy, Barachois Summer Music Festival, and was an Art of Song Fellow as part of the Toronto Summer Music Festival in the summer of 2021. Dakota has achieved success in various competitions, including the Atlantic Young Artist Competition, the NBMRTA Music Competition, the National Music Festival of Canada, and was recently named the winner of the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying, awarded to the top collaborative pianist at the University of Toronto.

Terri Wu is a soloist, collaborator, and pedagogue in all things piano. A native of Vancouver, BC, she obtained her piano performance degree from the University of British Columbia before graduating with a master’s degree in piano performance at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in 2020. At Jacobs, she held a position as an Associate Instructor, teaching group and private classes to both music and non-music majors. Terri also holds a Licentiate diploma in piano performance, as well as ARCT diplomas in both pedagogy and performance, all from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has had the privilege of performing all over Canada, the US, and the United Kingdom.

Currently settled in Toronto, Terri maintains a busy teaching studio on top of many other projects: her interests are anything interdisciplinary, with a main focus on mental and physical health in the arts. Holding fond memories as both a chorister and collaborative pianist in the past, she is excited to be a part of Toronto’s music scene and honoured to be joining TCC this season.

Born in 1999 in Toronto, Ontario, Nicholas Wanstall began taking piano lessons at a very young age with his grandmother, Arden Broadhurst. He started to sing in the Bach Children’s Chorus during grade school, and this sparked his passion for choral music. In Grade 7 Nicholas began his studies at St. Michael’s Choir School in downtown Toronto where he developed a love for and knowledge of sacred choral repertoire. During his time at the Choir School, Nicholas also learned to play the pipe organ under the direction of his first organ teacher, Peter Daly.

After high school, Nicholas continued his studies at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Organ Performance with a minor in Composition. He studied organ with John Tuttle and composition with Roger Bergs, two fantastic musicians and educators. Over the past several years, Nicholas has worked professionally as a pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, arranger, conductor, piano tuner, A/V editor, and much more! He continues to seek out new and challenging musical experiences within the Toronto music scene.

Hungarian-Canadian pianist Gergely Szokolay enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician and vocal coach, and has performed across Europe, North America and Japan. He has worked with renowned artists Josef Gingold, Agnes Grossmann, Marcel Moyse, Aurèle Nicolet, János Starker, Zoltán Székely and Paul Tortelier, and appeared at festivals such as the Bartók Festival in Hungary, Domaine Forget, Festival of the Sound, Orford, Ravinia, and the Toronto Summer Music Festival.

As a rehearsal pianist, Gergely prepared over 30 fully staged operas, including world premieres of newly-commissioned works. He previously held faculty positions at The Banff Centre’s Advanced Music Program and McGill University’s Opera Studio, and was principal collaborative pianist with the Canadian Children’s Opera Company and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Last year, Gergely was visiting artist faculty at Bard College Conservatory, overseeing Bard’s 2020 Contemporary Festival Celebrating the Music of György Kurtág and hosting a panel discussion with the composer.

A dedicated pedagogue, Gergely maintains a private piano studio and is a piano and theory instructor at Upper Canada College and Havergal College. In 2019 he was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in recognition of his outstanding commitment to music education and his students’ achievements at Crescendo International Competition at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Gergely is excited to join the Toronto Children’s Chorus as collaborative pianist this year.

Mezzo soprano Julia Barber is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto under Professor Lorna MacDonald. An avid performer of contemporary works, she has been a featured vocalist in the University of Toronto New Music Festival, premiering new works by Canadian composers and, most recently, performing Steve Reich’s minimalist masterpiece Music for 18 Musicians with the University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble. On the operatic stage, she has performed Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette), Paquette (Candide), and Jo (Little Women). As a soloist, she has been featured in choral and oratorio works with The Elora Singers, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and Mississauga Symphony Orchestra; art song with the Arts and Letters Club, Aldeburgh Discovery Series and Bayfield Festival; and music theatre and popular classics with Jewish Music Week and the Elora Festival.

Jennifer Swan is on the training/choreography team of Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (Ice Dancing). Since 2008 she has been the bodywork specialist for the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (COSI), working with singers, pianists and instrumentalists regarding their practice and performance of such repertoire as Puccini’s La Bohéme, Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

The International Symposium for Performance Science, Voice Studies at the University of Toronto, and the American Scottish Teachers Dance Alliance (Philadelphia) are among the many organizations in Jennifer’s busy schedule as a clinician. She also teaches the “Bodywork for Singers” workshop series for Voice Studies at the University of Toronto.

Swan is the founder of the Swan Studio Dance and the Children’s Dance Project. As an Artistic Director the SOHO Joyce Theatre of New York City was the venue for Swan’s world premiere production of Rakuen as reviewed by the New York Times – “Children’s Dance Project captured on stage “the pristine sweetness of youth”.

A central pillar of Swan’s philosophy is exposing students to dance through the medium of professional artists sharing their skills, success, joy and energy.

Swan is also a Stott’s Pilates Instructor, certified through the Cleveland Clinic Sports Medical Institute. Jennifer has a B.A. (Hons) graduate in dance from the University of Waterloo and is Associate of the royal Academy of Dance (ARAD), the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (AISTD) and the Scottish Teachers Dance Association (ASTDA).

The London Pilates Centre was founded by Swan in 1998. It featured customized instruction from Instructors trained at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Stott’s Pilates. The philosophy of the Centre is a skill-mastery progression model wherein students receive training based on their pace and ability. She has trained physiotherapists at the Fowler Kennedy Sports Injuries Clinic at the University of Western Ontario. She is also an international clinician and guest lecturer to medical professionals regarding theory and practice instruction, injury prevention and body alignment.