Artistic + Admin Team

Now in his twelfth season as the Music Director of the Vancouver Bach Choir, Leslie is also the Associate Conductor and Chorus Director of Vancouver Opera, and the Music Director Emeritus of the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted in France, Italy, Ireland, the Czech Republic, China, Taiwan, and recently at Carnegie Hall leading Mozart’s Sparrow Mass with a combined choir of Canadian and American singers and the New England Symphonic Ensemble. Leslie was Music Director of the Prince George Symphony for eight years and he has worked at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Canadian Opera Company, the Santa Fe Opera, l’Opera National du Rhin, Edmonton Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria and Saskatoon Opera. He is also a frequent guest conductor with the UBC Opera Ensemble, the COSI Program in Sulmona Italy and Soundstreams Canada. 

Highlights of his many seasons with the Vancouver Bach Choir include the Canadian premiere of John Adams’ El Nino, Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion, Berlioz’ The Damnation of Faust, the world premiere of Brian Current’s The RIver of Light, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Rachmaninoff’s The Bells, Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, and Verdi’s Requiem. 

This season he will lead the Mozart Requiem, Britten’s St. Nicolas, the Bach B Minor Mass, and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the VBC; Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice in a new production with Vancouver Opera and The Gondoliers for UBC Opera. As a pianist he will play Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, appear in recital with Soprano Rachel Fenlon and perform a solo recital at the Chan Centre consisting of Etudes by Philip Glass which he recently recorded for the Redshift Label.  www.lesliedala.com

Cathrie Yuen is a Vancouver based choral conductor who serves as the Artistic Director of Delta Choral Society, the Assistant Conductor of Vancouver Bach Choir, the Conductor of Cantabile Choir, Sessional Instructor at the Trinity Western University music department, and the Artistic Director of the MGV Lyra men’s choir.

As both an artist and educator, Cathrie deeply believes in the importance of music education. She developed a workshop program and is co-founder of the annual Inspiro Choral Festival for high school students in the Greater Vancouver area. To further expand her passion towards choral music, Cathrie created the Chorum Podcast, where she connects with other active members of the choral community around the world, and engages in relevant topic-focused discussions as a forum. Shortly after, she co-founded the Inspiro choral consortium with Dr. Joel Tranquilla, a platform that comprises of a choral festival, a professional-level choir, and a choral education resources website that connects choral enthusiasts both nearby and abroad.

Furthermore, She participated as a guest speaker at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, and the Canadian Chamber Choir. She was selected as a Conducting Fellow for the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s Conducting Symposium and was also among the finalists at the 2019 World Choral Conducting Competition. She is also an active adjudicator and clinician for choirs in North America.

Cathrie holds a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of British Columbia and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Trinity Western University. She has prepared major choral works such as Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Bach’s St. John Passion and Orff’s Carmina Burana for renowned conductors, including Maestro Bramwell Tovey, Dr. Graeme Langager, and Maestro Leslie Dala.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Cathrie began her music education at a young age as a percussionist and singer. She remains active in Hong Kong, touring frequently to Asia with various choirs and giving workshops in the region.

Having worked with the VBCC since 1988 under the mentorship of Bruce Pullan, Ms. Gaetanne took over as Music Director of the Vancouver Bach Children’s Chorus family of choirs in 2009. With over 20 years of experience working with the younger levels, Ms. Gaetanne is committed to bringing the discipline, art and joy of singing and musicianship to the children she works with. Her “beautiful lyric coloratura voice” and vivacious personality have shaped her career to include an artistic blend of international solo appearances, chamber music and choral conducting. Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions (Northwest) and prizewinner in the prestigious Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, Ms Gaetanne has sung as a soloist in opera, oratorio and recital in Europe, Canada and the U.S.A.  Her vocal studies have taken her to New York, London, and Florence where she also completed a Degree in Italian literature and history. She completed a M.Mus. in Voice from the UBC School of Music, where she has been a member of the Voice Faculty since 1989. Her students perform in opera houses and choirs around the globe. Ms Gaetanne studied Orff & Kodaly pedagogies and Early Childhood Music Ed at York University and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She was the youngest ever member of the Vancouver Chamber Choir.  Ms. Gaetanne also runs the popular summer Music Theatre program, ChoralStage, annually in July.  Choral singing and working with young children are close to her heart; she has a profound respect for their talent and diverse natures.  ‘Ms. G’ loves to craft curriculum that furthers the musical and vocal development of these fine young singers. She also works to foster the personal and social growth of her students by creating a rehearsal atmosphere that promotes self-esteem, discipline, and a sense of accomplishment and pride. She is known throughout the community for her enlightened enthusiasm in her work with children and her love for both the music and the children is infectious. For Ms Gaetanne’s Full BIO and information on her professional development, please visit her website.

Stephen Smith grew up in rural Nova Scotia, where he sang and played the piano from an early age. After initial studies in his home province in both piano and organ, he attended the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. While there he participated in national and international competitions, and won numerous awards and distinctions. Since 1990, Stephen has lived in Vancouver, obtaining his doctoral degree in piano performance from the University of British Columbia as a student of Jane Coop, and contributing to the musical life of the city as a performer, teacher, lecturer, adjudicator, conductor, and composer. Stephen was Assistant Conductor of the Bach Choir from 2000 until June 2010. Currently, in addition to his work as rehearsal pianist of the Vancouver Bach Choir, Stephen accompanies Elektra Women’s Choir and the Vancouver Men’s Chorus, and directs the male-voice ensemble Synergy.

Shane Raman is a Leo Award winning baritone, choral conductor, composer and  music educator in Vancouver, British Columbia. Most recently, he wrote the score for  the dramatic musical short film, Looking Back which premiered at the 2021 Vancouver  Short Film Festival and garnered a Leo Award for his musical composition.  

Through Shane’s work as a Voice Teacher and Choral Conductor at the Sarah  McLachlan School of Music, Studio 58 at Langara College and the Vancouver Bach  Youth Chorus and Sarabande, Shane is enjoying new opportunities to speak about  diversity and inclusion, focusing on classical choral music culture. He is excited to  participate in ongoing discussions around diversity and inclusion in choral practice,  and overall vocal culture.  

After earning a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from The University of British  Columbia, Shane was a member of the Juno- nominated professional vocal ensemble,  musica intima, for ten seasons. He has also sung with Cor Flammae, Vancouver Cantata  Singers, Vancouver Opera, and the Vancouver Peace Choir.  

Writing and creating music is a growing artery of Shane’s career. His arrangements  and original compositions have been performed by Galakoor (Amsterdam), Central  Bucks High School – West Choir (Pennsylvania), McGill Choral Society Chamber  Choir(Montreal), Pro Coro Canada (Edmonton), Vancouver Cantata Singers, musica intima,  Cor Flammae, Vancouver Bach Youth Chorus and Sarabande, Indiekör, Sarah McLachlan  and the Sarah McLachlan School of Music Choirs, and The Vancouver Pride Society.  

Video recordings of Shane’s pieces can be found in this YouTube playlist. Shane’s  pieces appear on the following recordings: 

UBC’s University Singers recording A Vancouver Christmas (2003)  

Vancouver Cantata Singers’ A Christmas Reprise: 10th Anniversary Album (2012)  musica intima’s EP, song for a winter’s night (2018).

Ms. Catherine Campolin joined the Vancouver Bach Children’s Chorus’ artistic team in 2011.  Like many musicians, her musical beginnings started in choirs in elementary and high school.  She went on to sing with the Gallery Choir of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Toronto. Other musical training includes the BCCF’s conducting workshop Da Capo, Vancouver Opera’s Young Artist Coaching Intensive, Opera NUOVA, the St. Andrew’s Arts Council Opera Workshop in New Brunswick, the Summer Vocal Academy of the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and Toronto Opera Repertoire.  Ms Campolin holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the Vancouver Academy of Music

Trained as an operatic soprano, she is passionate about sharing the art of singing with young people.  For more than a decade, she has conducted children’s choirs in public schools across the city.  In the fall of 2022, she became the Choral Program Director for the Vancouver District PAC Extracurricular Choral Music Program.  The goal is to bring live music making, the love of singing and choir into public schools.

Along with her busy teaching schedule, Ms. Campolin is also an active performer.  She has performed with opera companies and choirs in Toronto, Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver. In particular, she debuted and recorded the role of The Woman in Modern Baroque Opera’s production of Powers of Two by local composer Barry Truax.  She currently sings with the Phoenix Chamber Choir and is the resident soloist for the First Church of Christ Scientist in West Vancouver.

Shifra Day is an active collaborative pianist, violist and teacher in metro Vancouver. Freelance performance work includes: chamber music (Khimera Trio, Cello-Piano duo, Beledrone Ensemble), orchestral violist (Vancouver Island Symphony, Lions Gate Sinfonia, Kamloops Symphony, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra), collaborative piano (string and vocal studios at VAM, BCCM, UBC, and private studios around the lower mainland) and choral (Jubilate Vocal Ensemble, Frontline Voices). She has also been seen on TV as a violist at the JUNO Awards for Lights’ performance of
“Giants” (2018), and in the orchestra for the Michael Bublé Christmas Special (2013). Shifra is thrilled to continue to be the collaborative pianist for the Vancouver Bach Choir’s Sarabande.

As a member of BC Registered Music Teachers’ Association, and with over 15 years of teaching experience, Shifra enjoys teaching motivated students of all levels. A positive, organized, goal-oriented, and encouraging teacher, she believes in developing strong technical freedom as well as a musical and theoretical understanding and appreciation. Her students have performed well and received high marks in RCM exams and at music festivals. Shifra has also worked as an adjudicator at the BC Conservatory of Music Festival.

Before returning to her west coast roots, Shifra took graduate studies with André Laplante in Montreal (2011-2013), and completed her Masters (UOttawa, 2011) and Bachelor of Music (UVic, 2009) in piano performance with secondary studies in viola. During her Masters at the University of Ottawa, she taught the Piano Proficiency course there, and was also on staff as an accompanist for the woodwind department. Other achievements include live performances on Quebec radio, third prize in the Knigge national piano competition, and being published in the Canadian Music Educator.

Pianist Kin Ming Wong is one of Vancouver’s most sought after musicians and educators. Born and raised in Vancouver, he is equally passionate and dedicated to piano teaching, performing, adjudicating and the art of collaborative piano. He has over twenty years teaching piano privately, ranging from beginner to diploma level while his collaborative work with instrumentalists spans the orchestral spectrum.  Mr. Wong enjoys adjudicating festivals and sharing musical ideas with young musicians.  He is a pianist of diverse musical interests, particularly in the vocal repertoire having worked with many singers over the years.  He has been a pianist for the UBC Opera Ensemble, BC Youth Choir and University Singers.   Mr. Wong also plays for BCCF’s summer music program, Choral Stage, led by Marisa Gaetanne.

Mr. Wong completed his initial musical studies with Rebecca Kelly and David Vandereyk.  Later he studied with a number of celebrated musicians including Jane Coop, Alexander Korsantia, Edward Parker, Dr. Jamie Syer and Bruce Vogt.

Kin holds a Bachelor’s in Piano Performance from the University of British Columbia and a Master’s in Piano Performance from the University of Victoria.  Additionally, he holds LLCM and FLCM performance diplomas from the London College of Music, Thames University, England, and both ARCT Piano Performer and ARCT Piano Teacher (Royal Conservatory of Music) diplomas.

Mr. Wong is a piano faculty member at the Vancouver Academy of Music and also  runs a very busy private teaching practice in Vancouver.

Starting piano at the age of five, Yihan has studied and performed in China, Spain, the United States, and Canada. As a versatile collaborative pianist, Yihan has performed with a diverse range of talented vocalists, instrumentalists, chamber groups, and large ensembles like UBC Symphonic Wind Ensemble and ISU Jazz Band. As a choir pianist, Yihan has worked with ISU Show Choir, West Point Grey Academy Youth Choir and District PAC Extracurricular Choral Program, and so on. She proudly joined the Vancouver Bach Choir family in 2017. 

Yihan graduated from University of British Columbia with an Artist Diploma in Collaborative Piano Studies. With full scholarships, she received her Master’s degrees in Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano from Illinois State University. Yihan’s principal teachers include world-renowned pianists Sayá Sangidorj, Geoffrey Duce, Tuyan Tonnu, and Rena Sharon. As a prize winner for solo and collaborative piano, she has won 1st prizes for both solo piano and collaborative piano in The Yangtze River Cup National Piano Competition, 2nd prize for solo piano in Illinois’ MTNA Piano Competition, etc. Yihan actively participates in international music festivals, such as Vancouver International Song Institute, Music Theater Bavaria, and BEYOND MUSIC International Music Festival. 

As an active member of the BC Registered Music Teachers’ Association and an Advanced Specialist at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Yihan strives to bring the best out of each student. With more than 10 years of teaching experience, she loves to inspire students to apply the knowledge and skills which they’ve learned in piano lessons to other aspects of their life. Yihan truly believes that learning music can be life-changing and everyone has talents in different ways.

Aslan Aslanov is an energetic performer, who is forever seeking to grow, evolve, and expand his vibrant creativity across his personal and professional life. Born into a snowy Siberian village, Aslan Aslanov, whose Azeri parents moved to Russia in 1991, discovered a keen passion for music when he took his first piano lesson at the age of 6. Three years after this musical origination, Aslan became the 3rd prize winner in a provincial competition in Tyumen. When his parents decided to return to Azerbaijan, Aslan, determined to further develop his artistic talent, was accepted into the “Special Music School” for talented kids in Baku under the instruction of Dilara Mirzakuliyeva. Baku provided Aslan a wealth of musical opportunities, whether that be making his orchestral debut in 2009 with the Academic Symphonic Orchestra of Azerbaijan, winning 2nd prize for the national music competition of Azerbaijan in 2010, or successfully performing in festivals all over the country. In 2011, Aslan began his undergraduate studies in Baku, expanding his competitive education internationally in music festivals across Ukraine, Poland, Italy, Finland, Greece, and Russia. Being infected with a passion to learn and grow as a musician, Aslan was accepted with a scholarship into the Vancouver Academy of Music, successfully completing the Artist Diploma Program under the direction of Amanda Chan. In 2019, aside from winning provincial and local competitions, where he was granted the honour to represent BC in the Canadian National Music Competition, winning 2nd place respectively, Aslan made his debut in Carnegie Hall where he performed with the winners of the “Pacific Rim” International Pianists competition. Aslan continues to study with Amanda Chan as he completes his master’s degree at the UBC school of Music under a scholarship. With the ultimate artistic objective to connect others, whether that be through live performance or teaching, to the transcendent power of music, Aslan continues to seek creative spaces to explore his artistry and share his craft professionally.

Additionally, Demi also brings with her a wealth of knowledge acquired from her days as a career post-secondary student, including a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of British Columbia, and a Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Douglas College.

Outside of work, Demi can be found spending time with her family, volunteering as a career mentor to new settlers in Canada, or dabbling in her latest hobby from writing to dancing to learning new instruments.

Following her education, Gillian worked for many years as an Arts Development Manager with local government in and around Cambridge, England, to develop arts infrastructure, and support and direct a variety of arts programs across South Cambridgeshire. From 2010-2017, Gillian served as the Education Manager for the City of London Sinfonia (CLS), a professional chamber orchestra renowned for its outstanding and innovative educational outreach projects. Under her leadership at CLS, the education program grew exponentially and now holds a strong international reputation for its high quality work with children and communities. Gillian then returned to her native Vancouver in 2017 to work at the VSO School of Music, first as Director of Early Learning, and more recently as Director of the School. During this time, Gillian worked closely with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, presenting children’s concerts and designing collaborative projects.

Throughout her career in arts administration, Gillian has remained a keen performer, as a singer and violist in a variety of groups across the UK and Canada. Gillian has two young children, 7-year-old Ellie and 5-year-old Myles, both budding young artists!

With interests at the intersection of climate justice, decolonization, community-building, feminism, queerness, and the performing arts, Anna is passionate about using whatever medium possible to empower creative, inspiring, resonant communities. 

Anna grew up in Bristol, England, and the Canadian Prairies. She currently works remotely from Lekwungen territory (Victoria BC), where she studies singing with Nancy Argenta. However, you can catch Anna at VBC concerts, taking photos and connecting in person!

Anna has a BMus from Canadian Mennonite University, a Post-baccalaureate Diploma in Performance from the University of Manitoba, and a certificate in social media management.

Prior to their work at VBC, Anna worked in arts administration, and then ran their own social media management business, specializing in digital marketing support for musicians, music therapists, and environmental organizations.

When she’s not switching between her various hats, Anna can be found making friends with neighbourhood cats, going to visit the ocean, and listening to comedy podcasts.