Teachers
Aleksandra Balaburska BMus
Administrator
Aleksandra has devoted herself teaching music for the past 10 years. She was a full time teacher at the Peel Music Academy and Tan Music Academy in Brampton.
In 1999 Aleksandra graduated from the Faculty of Music at the University Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, Macedonia in the voice department. Driven by the need to expand her experience and knowledge, she moved to London, UK to study singing with Denise Mulholland and Margaret Kingsley from the Royal College of Music. In addition, she completed a non-degree Opera Program at the Morley College with which she performed the productions of La Cambiale di Matrimonio by Rossini and Carmen by Bizet, collaborating with the conductor Alex Ingram of the English National Opera.
Aleksandra's education also includes numerous Master Classes with distinguished professors in England, Italy and Bulgaria. In 2002 she made her debut at the Macedonian Opera and Ballet in Il Barbiere di Seviglia as Rosina. She also performed many leading and supporting roles in the productions of Cavalleria Rusticana, La Traviata, Nabucco, Rigoletto and others. Aleksandra’s repertoire is very wide and includes works from all periods and styles. As a concert singer she has performed in Italy, Poland, England, Macedonia and Canada.
From the many concerts and recitals in Canada the most significant are at St. Lawrence Hall performing for the 175th birthday of the City of Toronto and John Basset Theatre in the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto. She has performed solo recitals in Brampton, Toronto and Cobourg as well as with the Hart House Chamber Strings in Toronto.
In the past two seasons Aleksandra has performed in concert with the Huronia Symphony Orchestra in Barrie.
VOICE
PIANO
THEORY
Oliver Balaburski BMus,BMus, MMus
For the past 13 seasons Oliver Balaburski has been the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Huronia Symphony Orchestra in Barrie and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Orilia Youth Symphony Orchestra and surrounding area contributing to the cultural life in Simcoe County.
Oliver has been teaching students of all ages for 10 years successfully preparing them for attending art schools, faculties of music, youth orchestras, RCM exams and competitions like Peel Music Festival where his students were recipients of high awards. In 2012 he was an adjudicator at Kiwanis Music Festival in Orillia.
His other conducting engagements include concerts with the Hart House Chamber Strings as well as guest conducing with the Macedonian Opera and Ballet.
In 2006, seeing the opportunity to go deeper into the secrets of the broader symphonic repertoire, Oliver started his Masters studies in Performance at the University of Toronto, with his mentor and teacher, the eminent conductor, Prof. Raffi Armenian. He also studied with Prof. Dr. Doreen Rao at the University of Toronto, fulfilling the necessity for the philosophical and practical approach to the extensive vocal- instrumental music.
In 2008 Oliver received a Masters of Music degree, Masters in Performance (conducting) .
In 1999 he was awarded with the Norman Del Mar Junior Fellowship in Conducting at the Royal College of Music in London, UK, specializing in symphonic repertoire and studying with the distinguished conductor and Professor John Carewe.
After Oliver's return from UK, he was appointed as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Opera of the Macedonian National Theater, where he managed to significantly increase the budget, enlarge the repertoire and promote the Macedonian Opera House. Until 2004 he was the Principal Conductor at the same Opera Company.
Oliver has had many successful concerts and performances with distinguished orchestras and ensembles such as Symphony Orchestra of the Royal College of Music, London- UK, the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Opera of Macedonian National Theater, the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Opera of the National Theater in Belgrade, the Nish Symphony Orchestra and the Huronia Symphony Orchestra.
He has had the honour to actively participate in Master Classes with Sir Roger Norrington and Michael Tilson Thomas and with one of the greatest Bach authorities, Helmuth Rilling.
He is the recipient of many awards and recognitions such as:
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Newcomer Recognition Award- Immigrant Artist by County of Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
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Recognition Of Outstanding Service by Hart House, University of Toronto,
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The Arthur Plettner Graduate Fellowship, University of Toronto,
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The University of Toronto Fellowship,
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The Norman Del Mar Junior Fellowship at the Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom,
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A Scholarship from the Macedonian Government for Specialization in Conducting,
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A Macedonian National Scholarship for Talented Students.
ADVANCED PIANO
VIOLIN & VIOLA
ADVANCED VOICE
THEORY
HARMONY
COUNTERPOINT
CONDUCTING
AND ALL THE COURSES
Heather Lentini RCM Certified
Heather is a dedicated piano instructor and enjoys teaching children of all ages. She is known for her patience and calm nature.
Heather ran her own music studio in Barrie for over 20 years, teaching both private lessons and group lessons through the Music For Young Children program.
Heather received her training at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and is certified as an elementary and intermediate specialist in piano and theory. Her students have achieved numerous exam results, with honours, in both piano and theory and have also enjoyed learning the basics of music composing.
PIANO
Adam Crossman RCM Certified
Adam is an award winning solo acoustic guitarist, composer and educator.
He has been performing and teaching professionally for over 10 years, he has toured internationally through Canada, USA, and has successfully performed a solo guitar concert series throughout China in 2019.
In 2015, he won 2nd place at The Canadian Guitar festival (International fingerstyle guitar competition)
Adam has been highly recognized by the progressive guitar community and labels such as (CandyRat Records & FretMonkey Records).
Adam has a strong passion for teaching and sharing guitar concepts and ideas. He is excited to help guide you along on your own guitar journey!
CLASSICAL GUITAR
Salvatore Di Cerbo BMus
His musical experience began in his Grade 9 music class where he played both the tuba and percussion. He quickly developed an interest in Classical and Jazz music and started learning how to play the trumpet, which eventually became his primary instrument.
In 2016, Salvatore began his post-secondary education at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. His major was music education with a minor in geography. He became fully immersed in the music world by taking a variety of fantastic courses such as conducting, orchestration, wind ensemble, high school music education, elementary music education, and Symphony Orchestra. During his last year of studies, he became the conductor and music director of the WLU Brass ensemble and won the WLU concerto competition, granting him the opportunity to perform his piece with the symphony orchestra.
In his third year of post-secondary education, he decided to deepen his involvement with music and joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a trumpet player. During his first year in the Forces, Salvatore had the honor of playing with the Ceremonial Guard Band in Ottawa, Ontario, performing daily on Parliament Hill for the Changing of The Guard. He then became a member of the Governor General's Horse Guard Band in Toronto, Ontario, and currently he is an assistant conductor and trumpet section leader for the band.
In April 2022, he became an instructor for the Canadian Armed Forces School of Music in Borden, Ontario. Here, he teaches ear training and the RQ Master Corporal Leadership course. The CAF music school trains military musicians from across Canada to master their instruments, play in marching bands, wind ensembles, small ensembles, and develop excellent military drill.
He began his Bachelor of Education in September 2022 at Lakehead University in Orillia, Ontario.
TRUMPET
HORN
TROMBONE
TUBA
EUPHONIUM
PIANO
Paul (or Pj) has been playing guitar since the age of 13. After moving to Canada from the UK, he further pursued his interest and studied to be a musician at Mohawk College. There, he completed his Diploma in Jazz Guitar and has been studying and teaching for all ages for the last 12 years. He then pursued teaching further and studied to become a teacher with the SCDSB. In 2013, Paul met his wife Olivia and formed Pj & Oli, an acoustic wedding duet in Simcoe County. Paul especially enjoys playing in the styles of Jazz Funk, Rock and Blues. He loves to bring his own sense of humor to his work!
GUITAR
UKULELE
Victoria Yudina BMus, MMus
With over 25 years of experience in teaching piano, voice and public performance skills, Ms. Viktoriya Yudina is dedicated to developing the full musical potential and talents of her students. Highly experienced, talented, self-motivated and creative music teacher and song writer with impressive vocal, teaching and leadership abilities, she is skilled in teaching piano and voice to children of various ages, both privately and in a classroom environment. Ms. Yudina has a proven ability to detect and cultivate talent, understand the needs and musical potential of all students using a unique multicultural approach informed with successful teaching strategies from her vast experience working in Kazakhstan and Canada. Throughout her teaching career, Ms. Yudina has prepared hundreds of students for examinations at the Royal Conservatory of Music, as well as for various local, regional, provincial, and national festivals and competitions. Coming from a family of music educators, teaching comes as second nature to Ms. Yudina as she loves sharing her knowledge with others and believes that music has the power to change people's lives.
Ms. Yudina likes most about teaching when her students are in a rush to enter the classroom with excited faces to come and do their homework. She enjoys listening to her students playing the piano. It's a pleasure to get good results from her teaching when students can play new pieces of music by themselves. There are also some touching moments in teaching when little kids hug you, give you drawings, and write in their books that they love you as a person and a teacher... :)
She works hard to teach her students to read notes. Children remember notes when pronounce them aloud. With students' ability to play with understanding they want to practice by themselves. Some technical exercises help children to get into the habit of practicing. Her students' favorite book is "A Dozen a Day". When beginner students get to know a difficult passage, they are happy and feel confident in playing the instrument. Performances in festivals, concerts and competitions, as well as preparing for examinations are the perfect way to inspire students to practice more.
Ms. Viktoriya considers that performance plays a role in a student’s development. Most students like to perform in front of an audience. They want to play perfectly well and share their talent in music. This process will also strengthen their technical skills, make them more confident and experienced.
PIANO
VOICE
Lea Wong RCM Certified
Léa has been playing piano since childhood at Maestro Music Centre and has developed a great love for music. She plays recreationally and actively performs as a volunteer in her community and retirement homes. After receiving her RCM certification, Léa started teaching at Maestro Music Centre and immediately discovered a passion for sharing her knowledge with her students. Léa prioritizes teaching piano in both a fun and productive manner to ensure her student's engagement and learning.
She is considered as our young apprentice with great talent in teaching.
She can also teach music in French as she is fluent and has received music training in French.
PIANO
Maddison Wilkey RCM ARCT
Maddison started playing violin at a young age under the guidance of Mayumi Kumagai. Recently, Maddison began studying with violinist Marie Berard. Maddison previously studied for almost a decade with David McFadden. Maddison earned her level 9 violin certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM). Maddison has also successfully completed advanced, ARCT Level, RCM theory courses in Harmony/Counterpoint, and Analysis, under the direction of Joe Ringhofer. Maddison studies piano with Alison Bell and has completed her Level 8 certificate through the RCM.
Maddison is currently a first violinist with Huronia Symphony Orchestra and is grateful to have had the opportunity to perform under the baton of Oliver Balaburski. She played as part of the youth program for two years before being welcomed as a full-time member in 2022-2023.
Maddison was selected for a curated Young Artists performance at the 2024 Collingwood Music Festival, Spotlight on Youth.
Maddison continues to look for opportunities to share her passion for music on stage and with musicians of all ages!
VIOLIN
PIANO