Faculty and Staff

Dean of Faculty of Music Office

Cynthia Johnston Turner
Dean, Faculty of Music

Kimberly Barber
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - External Affairs, Partnerships and Graduate Studies
Professor, Voice

Brennan Connolly
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - Planning and Curriculum
Musician in Residence, Percussion
Director, Percussion Ensemble

Jerzy Kaplanek
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - Performance
Professor, Violin, Strings and Chamber Music
Member of the Penderecki String Quartet

Staff

Management

Michelle Corbett
Senior Administrative Officer

Rebekah Jordan-Miller
Director, Laurier Academy of Music and Arts
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Mathew Kensett
Director of Production and Performance Facilities Operations

Justine MacNeil
Administrative Manager

Staff

Emily Carruthers
Graduate Program & Experiential Placements Coordinator
Instructor, Faculty of Music
Music Therapy Supervisor

Alyssa Chong
Auditions Coordinator and Administrative Assistant

Nicole Del Cul
Wardrobe Coordinator

Kathy Gauci
Academic Advisor

Laura Johnson-Sherratt
Technical Director, Performance Facilities

Mieke Kanmacher
Communication, Enrolment and Recruitment Coordinator

Jessica Khan
Operations Coordinator, Laurier Academy of Music and Arts

Matt Knischewsky
Technical Coordinator - Audio

Maria Kouznetsova
Faculty of Music, Events, Concerts, and Performance Coordinator

Heather Lepine
Experiential Placement Administrative Coordinator

Danny McAfee
Piano Technician

Amy Neufeld (on leave)
Facilities and Resources Coordinator

Malinga Perera Maddumage
Financial Analyst

Coach-Accompanists

Beth Ann de Sousa
Coach-Accompanist, Strings and Winds

Guy Few
Instructor, Trumpet
Coach-Accompanist

Elvera Froese
Coach-Accompanist, Voice

Stephanie Mara
Coach-Accompanist, Strings, Winds and Brass

Anna Ronai
Coach-Accompanist, Voice
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Collaboration, Curation and Creative Performance

Kimberly Barber
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - External Affairs, Partnerships and Graduate Studies
Professor, Voice

Jeremy Bell
Artist-in-Residence, Violin, Strings and Chamber Music
Member of the Penderecki String Quartet
Coordinator, QuartetFest

Afarin Mansouri
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Kirsten Yri
Associate Professor, Musicology
Chair: Music Promotions and Appointments
Coordinator, Music History, Theory and Critical Analysis (HTCA)
Coordinator, Master of Music: Collaboration, Curation and Creative Performance (MC3)

Composition

Barbara Assiginaak
Assistant Professor, Composition
Coordinator, Composition

Matthew Emery
Assistant Professor, Composition

Shane Guse
Instructor, Faculty of Music
Director, Improvisation Convergence Ensemble

Community Music

Amy Clements-Cortés
Instructor, Faculty of Music
Music Therapy Supervisor

Brennan Connolly
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - Planning and Curriculum
Musician in Residence, Percussion
Director, Percussion Ensemble

Karen Cyrus
Assistant Professor, Ethnomusicology, Community Music
Director, Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa

Amanda Brunk
Instructor, Contemporary Voice (Community Music)

Brandon Leis
Lecturer, Community Music and Voice
Coordinator, Community Music (undergraduate)
Director, Laurier Singers

Elizabeth Lepock
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Terry Paynter
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Mariette Stephenson
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Jason White
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Lee Willingham
Professor, Music Education
Coordinator, Music Education
Coordinator, Master of Arts in Community Music

Deanna Yerichuk (On sabbatical until July 2025)
Assistant Professor, Community Music
Coordinator, Bachelor of Music in Community Music
Director, Laurier Centre for Music in the Community

Gerard Yun
Assistant Professor, Community Music

Ensembles

Kate Carver
Music Director, Opera
Coordinator, Opera

Brennan Connolly
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - Planning and Curriculum
Musician in Residence, Percussion
Director, Percussion Ensemble

Shane Guse
Instructor, Faculty of Music
Director, Improvisation Convergence Ensemble

Amanda Kind
Director, VOX

Brandon Leis
Lecturer, Community Music and Voice
Coordinator, Community Music (undergraduate)
Director, Laurier Singers

Leah McGray
Assistant Professor
Director, Laurier Wind Orchestra

Carolyn Neumann VanderBurgh
Instructor, Faculty of Music
Director, Laurier Concert Choir

Keyboard (Piano and Harpsichord)

Anya Alexeyev (On sabbatical until January 2025)
Associate Professor, Piano
Coordinator, Keyboard (Winter)

Joseph Ferretti
Instructor, Piano
Coordinator, Keyboard (Fall)

Cynthia Hiebert
Instructor, Harpsichord

Elaine Lau
Instructor, Piano

Marnie Van Weelden
Instructor, Piano

Music Education

Ari Cohen Mann
Instructor, Oboe

Brennan Connolly
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - Planning and Curriculum
Musician in Residence, Percussion
Director, Percussion Ensemble

Karen Cyrus
Assistant Professor, Ethnomusicology, Community Music
Director, Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa

Cynthia Kinnunen
Instructor, Elementary Techniques

Carolyn Neumann VanderBurgh
Instructor, Introduction to Elementary Music Education
Director, Concert Choir

Daniel Ramjattan
Instructor, Guitar

Lee Willingham
Professor, Music Education
Director, Laurier Centre for Music in the Community
Coordinator, Music Education
Coordinator, Master of Arts in Community Music

Music History, Theory and Critical Analysis

Eva Branda
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Karen Cyrus
Assistant Professor, Ethnomusicology, Community Music
Director, Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa

Anna Ferenc
Associate Professor, Music Theory

Brent Hagerman
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Terry Paynter
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Bradley Spiers
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Kevin Swinden (On sabbatical until July 2025)
Associate Professor, Music Theory

Trevor Wagler
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Katie Walshaw
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Music Therapy

Heidi Ahonen
Professor, Music Therapy
Coordinator, PhD: Music (Music Therapy)

Emily Carruthers
Experiential Placements Coordinator
Instructor, Faculty of Music
Music Therapy Supervisor

Amy Clements-Cortés
Instructor, Faculty of Music
Music Therapy Supervisor

Linda Gambell
Music Therapy Supervisor

Rebekah Jordan-Miller
Director, Laurier Academy of Music and Arts
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Ashley Kurkjian
Instructor, Music Therapy

Taylor Kurta
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Eunice Kang
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Sara Klinck
Instructor, Faculty of Music
Music Therapy Supervisor

Demian Kogutek
Assistant Professor, Music Therapy
Coordinator, Master of Music Therapy
Director, Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research

Andrea Lamont
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Elizabeth Mitchell
Assistant Professor, Music Therapy
Coordinator, Bachelor of Music Therapy

Adrienne Pringle
Music Therapy Supervisor

Daniel Ramjattan
Instructor, Guitar

Christina Weldon
Music Therapy Supervisor

Priya Zalis
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Navigating the Music Industry Ecosystem

Jackie Dean
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Stuart Reed
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Special Topics

Shad Kabango
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Strings

Jeremy Bell
Artist-in-Residence, Violin, Strings and Chamber Music
Member of the Penderecki String Quartet
Coordinator, QuartetFest

Lina Cao
Instructor, Guzheng

Lori Gemmell
Instructor, Harp

Jerzy Kaplanek
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - Performance
Professor, Violin, Strings and Chamber Music
Member of the Penderecki String Quartet

Daniel Ramjattan
Instructor, Guitar

Katie Schlaikjer
Artist-in-Residence, Cello, Strings and Chamber Music
Member of the Penderecki String Quartet
Coordinator, Strings

Christine Vlajk
Artist-in-Residence, Viola, Violin, Strings and Chamber Music
Member of the Penderecki String Quartet
Coordinator, Chamber Music

Sharlene Wallace
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Ian Whitman
Instructor, Double Bass

Woodwinds, Brass and Percussion

Ari Cohen Mann
Instructor, Oboe

Brennan Connolly
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - Planning and Curriculum
Musician in Residence, Percussion
Director, Percussion Ensemble

Derek Conrod
Instructor, French Horn

Ross Edwards
Instructor, Clarinet

Guy Few
Instructor, Trumpet
Coach-Accompanist

Sophie Lanthier
Instructor, Flute

Katherine Robertson
Instructor, French Horn

Jonathan Rowsell
Musician in Residence, Tuba/Euphonium
Coordinator, Winds, Brass and Percussion

Peter Shackleton
Instructor, Clarinet

Laurel Swinden
Instructor, Flute

Rachel Thomas
Instructor, Trombone

Dave Wiffen
Instructor, Saxophone

Voice

Kimberly Barber
Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - External Affairs, Partnerships and Graduate Studies
Professor, Voice

Amanda Brunk
Instructor, Contemporary Voice (Community Music)

Kate Carver
Music Director, Opera
Coordinator, Opera

Leslie Fagan (On sabaatical until July 2025)
Assistant Professor, Voice
Coordinator, Voice

Brandon Leis
Lecturer, Community Music and Voice
Coordinator, Community Music (undergraduate)
Director, Laurier Singers

Elizabeth Lepock
Instructor, Faculty of Music

Allyson McHardy
Instructor, Voice

James McLean
Instructor, Voice

Jennie Such
Instructor, Voice
Coordinator, Voice