OUR TEACHERS

Andriy Tykhonov (MMus, BMus) is a leading jazz pianist from Ukraine, renowned for his captivating performances and innovative compositions. With a career spanning decades, he shares his expertise as a dedicated educator, specializing in the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) method. His students consistently achieve high results on RCM examinations, reflecting his commitment to excellence. Beyond teaching, Andriy continues to push the boundaries of jazz music through his collaborations and compositions. A true virtuoso, he inspires aspiring musicians with his passion, creativity, and unwavering dedication to the art of jazz piano.

Olena Klyucharova (M.Mus, B.Mus) is co-owner of ACCENT PIANO STUDIO. She is

specializing in guiding advanced students from Level 6 to ARCT and LCRM from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her students consistently achieve high marks in exams, a testament to her dedication and expertise in nurturing their talents. Passionate about chamber music, Olena is also a highly respected piano teacher, known for her commitment to student success in festivals and RCM examinations.

Since establishing herself in Canada in 2002, Olena has been a vibrant presence in the music scene, delivering captivating performances at renowned venues such as the K-W Chamber Music Society, Centre in the Square (Kitchener), Maureen Forrester Hall (Waterloo), River Run Centre (Guelph), and Roy Thomson Hall (Toronto).

Alla Lioudvinevitch (MMus) RCM certified teacher. She has over 20 years of experience in teaching. Lessons include music theory, ear training and sight reading. Her students achieved highest results in RCM examinations and KIWANIS. Alla’s goal is to provide quality private piano instruction for students of all ages to embody their full potential as musicians.

Isaac Wilton was born into an incredibly musical family in Saskatchewan, Canada. His talent and passion for piano was discovered at an early age. He has spent much time studying piano and music theory with Olena Klyucharova and Andriy Tykhonov, where he was influenced by the Russian Piano Tradition. During that time, Isaac was inspired to pursue a teaching career by his teachers. He was among the first to be admitted into Wilfrid Laurier University’s faculty of music, and has completed his exams with high grades. He plays for a few different events, such as weddings, accompaniments, and other entertainments. Isaac plans to pursue degrees in Education and Music, knowing that he wants to leave a legacy of education behind him. He is specializing in teaching younger beginners.

Sean Nicholson is currently a student in Wilfrid Laurier University’s music program. He studied piano for two years with Dr. Heather Taves before her retirement and continues to study piano with Anya Alexeyev and harpsichord with Cynthia Hiebert. He is a fervent music lover of many different genres from the classical canon in addition to jazz, blues and rock. Sean is active as a solo performer, chamber musician and accompanist for both singers and instrumentalists.

Born in Owen Sound, he has successfully competed in competitions at local and provincial levels in his 12 years as a pianist. Sean is specializing in the RCM method.  

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Vicky Dvorak earned her degree in music performance from the University of Toronto under Lorand Fenyves and continued her studies at McGill University under Mauricio Fuks.
She has been teaching violin for over 40 years and has prepared students for all 10 levels of  Royal Conservatory Examinations and for performance in the Kiwanis Music Festival. She has experience teaching all ages and levels and has adjudicated at music festivals and taught violin in music camps. 

As a performing violinist, Vicky has been a member of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony for over 30 years and has performed in numerous orchestras and music festivals in Ontario and is also an experienced chamber musician.

Shakoor Henson (BMus), a violinist originally from Kingston, Ontario, now resides in Waterloo. His musical journey commenced at six years old under the tutelage of Denny Williams, co-founder of the Canta Arya School for Strings in Kingston. Transitioning to Deborah McFarlane at age ten after Williams' retirement, Shakoor embraced the Suzuki Method, engaging in private lessons, group classes, and attending the Southern Ontario Suzuki Institute. Pursuing a Bachelor of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University under Jerzy Kaplanek, he delved into music theory, history, musicianship, and composition. Currently, Shakoor teaches violin and guitar while also volunteering at Canta Arya.

Andrew Laughton (BMus) is an emerging young musician from Waterloo, Ontario. He has been playing piano since the age of 5 in the studios of Roselyn Pepper and Jason White. Andrew later started guitar at the age of 10 in the studios of Dave Rogers and Mariette Stephenson. He went on to receive an honours with distinction in his grade 8 RCM practical piano exam before entering Wilfred Laurier University.

Andrew has received high acclaim as a soloist, chamber musician, ensemble player, and composer. He received a Bachelor of Music in Performance with Distinction and was the recipient of the Academic Gold Medal for highest average in an honors program at Wilfrid Laurier University.

He was awarded Finalist in the 2018 “WLU Concerto Competition” and Semi-Finalist in the 2018 “Ken Murray Concerto Competition”, as the first ever guitar player to compete in both competitions. In 2019, he was invited to play as a soloist with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

In August of 2019, Andrew joined the “Ekleipsis Guitar Trio”, taking over the position once held by renowned guitarist Terry McKenna, his studio professor at WLU. He is a founding member of Kitchener-Waterloo indie-folk band “Safe as Houses”.

Andrew is also a trained composer and has studied under Glenn Buhr, Linda Catlin Smith, and Cam McKittrick.

Howard Dyck is the founding Artistic Director and Conductor of Consort Caritatis as well as the Artistic Director Emeritus of the Grand Philharmonic Choir (Kitchener-Waterloo) and Conductor Emeritus of the Bach Elgar Choir (Hamilton), Mr. Dyck is also known across Canada as the former programme host of Choral Concert and Saturday Afternoon at the Opera on CBC Radio.

Liliia Tarnovetska (MMus) an esteemed choir conductor and vocalist, is a graduate of the prestigious Odessa Conservatory (Ukraine), where she earned her master’s degree from the esteemed vocal and choral department. Her extensive teaching experience includes positions at both a music school and a university. Additionally, she has been recognized as a laureate at numerous international choral and vocal competitions.

Eve Farber acquired her B.A. degree in Piano and Music Theory from Tchaikovsky musical college in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan. Since graduation in 1996 she worked for various music schools as a teacher of music literature and solfeggio with children of 6 -13 years old. In 2005 Eve completes her B.D. degree in Fashion Design at Shenkar, College of Engineering and Design in Israel.

Petro Churkin (BMus) is a fantastic saxophone player and a really good teacher. He studied music at a famous "R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music" in Ukraine. Petro started playing saxophone professionally in 1994 with Jazz Big Bands. He's been playing music for a long time and knows a lot about different types like Jazz, Funk, and Smooth Jazz and more. Petro loves musicians like Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Gerry Mulligan, David Sanborn and John Coltrane. He's played in many places around the world and is famous for his saxophone skills. Petro teaches saxophone too, helping lots of people learn to play music.