Elizabeth Clarke  - Piano Performance and Performance Outreach

Pianist Elizabeth Clarke is active as a performer, collaborator, and teacher. Her lessons combine
theory and practice to help students become well-rounded, capable musicians.
Elizabeth has performed numerous solo and collaborative recitals in Canada and the United
States, and in 2014 was featured as a concerto soloist with the University of Victoria orchestra.
She has also worked as an accompanist for singers and instrumentalists of all skill levels, and has
extensive experience as a church pianist, organist, and choir accompanist.
Most recently, Elizabeth held the position of Assistant Professor in Residence at Bradley
University in Peoria, IL, where she taught piano, aural skills, and music history. She has also
held teaching assistantships at the University of Victoria and Michigan State University, and has
taught private students from young children to adults.
Originally from Fort McMurray, AB, Elizabeth studied at the University of Alberta, Augustana
Campus (B.M. in piano performance), University of Victoria (M.M. in piano performance), and
Michigan State University (DMA in piano performance and M.M. in music theory). After many
years away, she is excited to return to Alberta and join Calgary’s thriving music community.










Qiana Lau - Piano Performance, Accompanying, and Voice

Qiana started to learn piano at a very young age and had been active in different musical programs growing up, such as choir, orchestra (piano and French horn), dance (Chinese traditional dance, drum dance, Latin dance and hip-hop), and musical theatre. She completed the equivalence of RCM LEVEL 10 after only seven years of piano study, won many awards in piano competitions and gained numerous performance opportunities in China and overseas. She received formal voice training when she was a teenager and in university. Qiana has been teaching music lessons in fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin for many years even before she came to Canada.

Holding a bachelor's degree in music education from one of the top-notch Chinese conservatories, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, a Chinese Teacher License, Qiana also received training of Early Childhood Education, training of Business and Leadership in Canada. She started her music teaching career since 2009 to students of all ages and all ethnicities, in one-on-one or group settings. Qiana inspires to bring confidence, self-belief and profound memories to her students when she teaches and also enjoys creating innovative programs to meet the latest market needs. She never stops learning and improving her skills in order to provide her students with the best learning experience possible.

Outside her teaching life, Qiana is a loving mother to three young children. She loves to indulge herself in fitness, cooking, fine dining and spending quality time with family and friends.





Iryna Zayarny - Piano Performance and Performance Outreach Program

Iryna Zayarny immigrated to Canada from Ukraine in 1998. She was a student of Victoria Lozova, the great Ukrainian Romantic pianist, at the Kharkiv Kotlyarevsky University of Arts. There, Iryna received her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees of Music and specialized in pedagogy as well as chamber, vocal and instrumental accompaniment. She has taught piano to students of all ages, from beginners to advanced students, for over 30 years in both Canada and Ukraine.

Iryna is known for her perfectionist methods and her demanding attitude toward her students. Iryna gladly works with students of all ages and always manages to uncover and develop their musical talent. Her goal is to integrate the commitment and excellence of the Russian School into her teaching platform, and she expects and provides high standards for her students. Because of this, her students are ever-present as award and scholarship winners at Kiwanis Festival and frequently achieve Honours with Distinction grades at examinations.

Iryna has been much sought after as an accompanist since she moved to Calgary. She has played extensively for such organizations as the University of Calgary, Mount Royal Conservatory, Canadian Music Competitions, C3 Competition, and the Calgary Performing Arts Festival.

For the past 10 years, Iryna has pursued a spectacular second career as a visual artist. Her paintings have been exhibited at such high-class events as the Calgary Stampede and Canadian Institute of Portrait Artists, as well as having been chosen for prestigious international competitions throughout North America. Her works reside in private collections as far as China, Ukraine, and the United States.​




Christine Williams 
- Cello Performance, Buskin POPS, and Summer Music Camp

Christine’s professional career began 25 years ago after graduating from University of Victoria
under the direction of Pam Highbaugh Aloni, cellist of the Layfayette String Quartet . Following
the completion of her degree in cello performance, she made her way back to Calgary where in
addition to her love of performing she discovered a passion for teaching. It was at this time she
began to pursue, develop, and refine her pedagogical skills while performing as a soloist and as
a member of duets, trios at various events and weddings with her group Cadence.
Christine is a committed and passionate teacher who engages in continuing education to refine
and expand her pedagogical skills. In the early years of her teaching career she received
teacher training from the Suzuki Associations of America program and travelled to Utah and
California to study with Suzuki trainers for a number of years. She attended pedagogy classes
at Rick Mooney’s National Cello Institute (author of the distinguished Position Pieces Series)
where she also had the pleasure studying under Carey Cheney (author of Solos for Young
Cellists Series) as well as the opportunity to observe and study under Phyllis Young (author of
Playing the String Game) a pioneer in string pedagogy. Phyllis Young’s advice was invaluable
to Christine and continues to inspire her teaching to this day.
After teaching for a few years in Calgary, Christine founded the Lydian Studio of Music in 2002
and in 2018 because of increasing demand for her cello teaching program, she began
developing an online platform which launched in 2021. The platform includes a blog and an
online cello academy.  "The Cello Girl," blog has articles outlining techniques and song tutorials
for cello and “ I LUV Cello ” is a site that provides online cello lessons with Christine as your
instructor.
Thrilled to join the Calgary Music Academy in 2022, Christine is a passionate, experienced
teacher and performer and works to continually foster her students musical capabilities and their love of music.





Mari Coetze - Cello Performance, Baroque Cello and Chamber Music

Cellist Mari Coetzee received her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from The Juilliard
School in New York City, studying with Richard Aaron. During her time there she also studied
Baroque Cello with Phoebe Carrai in Juilliard’s Historical Performance department, received
music pedagogy training under conductor Virginia Allen, and took an Honors Music Theory
track, taking part in doctoral level theory courses and seminars.
A frequent recitalist and chamber musician, Mari has performed across the USA, Canada,
France, Switzerland, and South Africa at some of the top music venues including Carnegie Hall,
as soloist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Symphonique de Quebec,
and at music festivals such as Aspen, Tanglewood, Fontainebleau, and Lucerne.
Mari has been teaching and mentoring young cello players for the past 12 years. She maintains
an active online studio, working with students of all ages and levels across the world, and is
excited to join CMAC to work with in-person students in Calgary. As a teacher, Mari’s goal is to
help her students become proficient musicians, with a solid technical background that gives them
the freedom to express themselves musically. Through this process, they can learn new repertoire
efficiently and effectively through practice strategies that are explored in every lesson.
Ultimately, her hope is that the problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity that they will
develop through lessons will have a direct impact on all their fields of interest, even beyond
music.
Mari currently makes her home in Calgary with her husband, their 2-year old daughter and dog
Teddy. To learn more, visit www.maricoetzee.com