Current Ensemble

Violin 1

Yanet Campbell Secades

Tanya Charles Iveniuk

Aysel Taghi-Zada

Born in Camagüey, Cuba, violinist Yanet Campbell Secades is an accomplished soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Her skilled and sensitive playing has enabled her to perform not just in some of the most important venues in Cuba, but throughout Europe and the Caribbean. In 2015, she won the first prize at Cuba’s prestigious Unión de Artistas y Escritores Cubanos (UNEAC) competition, and in 2019 she was awarded 2nd prize, in the string's category, within the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals’
National Competition.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, with roots in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, violinist, Tanya Charles Iveniuk, has performed across North and South America, and the Caribbean. Recipient of the Women’s Art Associate of Canada – Luella McCleary Award, the Gabriella Dory Prize in Music, and the Hamilton Black History Council’s John C Holland Award, Tanya received a Bachelor of Music (Violin Performance) from the University of Toronto, and an Artist Diploma (Orchestral Performance) from the Glenn Gould School. Currently, she is the concertmaster of the Obiora Ensemble, and violinist with Ensemble du Monde (Guadeloupe), Toronto Mozart Players, Sinfonia Toronto, and the Odin Quartet.

Aysel Taghi-Zada is a passionate violinist devoted to the performance of classical and contemporary music. She has collaborated with some of the most distinguished composers and musicians from North America and Europe such as Philip Glass, Brian Current, Salvatore Sciarrino, Chris Paul Harman, Kevin Lau, Mark Fewer, Pierre Leroux, David Geringas and Pascale Beaudin. She is frequently invited to perform with contemporary ensembles such as Tapestry Opera, New Music Concerts, Freesound Ensemble, Thin Edge New Music Collective and Soundstreams Canada.

Jennifer Burford

Jennifer is in great demand as a violin teacher. Her students range in age from children as young as 3 years old to adults. She is a member of the violin faculty at the JCC Miles Nadal Suzuki Program and Royal Conservatory of Music. Jennifer currently offers online lessons privately, offering preparation for RCM examination and various music festivals. Her teaching style readily adapts
to the needs of the individual student.

Violin 2

Laurel Mascarenhas

Tamara Hrycak

Based in Toronto, Tamara Hrycak is a much sought after violinist and educator. As a performer, her award-winning talent has earned her positions with many orchestras including Hamilton Philharmonic, Toronto Philharmonia and the Windsor Symphony (where she has recorded composers such as Mozart, Haydn, and Chopin) and has toured throughout Europe, Asia and North America with various world renowned conductors. Her diversity as a musician makes her equally comfortable on stage with music of all genres.

Bijan Sepanji

Born in Tehran, Bijan Sepanji is a Canadian-Iranian violinist and educator who is based in
Toronto, Canada. As a member of the Ton Beau String Quartet, Bijan regularly performs brand new works by living composers and has performed concerts in Canada, as well as in China, Turkey, Iran, Italy and the USA.
Bijan has done his formal training at McGill University in Montreal, Glenn Gould School in
Toronto and at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He has performed with Indianapolis and Kitchener-Waterloo symphonies, as well as with Sinfonia Toronto, Espirit Orchestra (Toronto), London Symphonia, Hamilton Philharmonic and the Toronto Concert Orchestra.

Suhashini Arulanandam

Violinist Suhashini Arulanandam is a musical explorer with an intense curiosity and a knack for finding connections between seemingly unrelated elements. Her explorations have included tango, free improvisation, new music, historically informed performance/Baroque violin, and folk music traditions. Suhashini is a member of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and Windsor Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Tadioli Duo with cellist Sybil Shanahan, and Solidaridad Tango Orquesta.
Suhashini can be heard on the Centrediscs release Hymns of Heaven and Earth by Peter Togni, the Aradia Ensemble’s Vivaldi: Sacred Music, Vol. IV , Sarah Slean’s Metaphysics, and Rocking Horse Winner with Tapestry
Opera, all broadcast on CBC Radio. A passionate educator, Suhashini teaches privately and has presented clinics and workshops to string programs in the GTA and classrooms across Halton District. On a quest to facilitate wellness among musicians, Suhashini is a Licensure Trainee for the Association for Body Mapping Educators, dedicated to promoting information that will eliminate and prevent performance-related injuries.

Viola

Laurence Schaufele

Laurence Schaufele is a young professional musician intent on exploring the possibilities of the viola in a wide varieties of genres. He studied with Steven Dann, Nick Pulos, and Michael van der Sloot at the Glenn Gould school, Mount Royal University and the Medicine Hat Collage. Most recently, Laurence toured South America with a chamber orchestra called Sinfonia Toronto. This was for Sinfonia Toronto’s first South American tour with stops in Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay. He has also performed with DJ Scratch Bastid and violinist Drew Jurecka for a hip hop/classical fusion concert this last June. Laurence is an avid teacher, spending time teaching in and around the Greater Toronto Area.

Adriana Arcila Tascón

Originally from Cali, Colombia, Adriana got immersed in the music world at the age of four playing the recorder and singing in a children’s choir. She began violin at the age of eight and basic music training at nine at the Antonio Maria Valencia Conservatory. Then at the University Foundation Juan N. Corpas.
She moved to Canada in 2007 and studied privately with Professor Ralph Aldrich. Adriana has a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto (2012) and a Chamber Music Diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University (2014). Adriana’s passion for the viola led her to study privately with Professor Sharon Wei. In 2017, she graduated from McGill University with a Master’s degree in Viola Performance under the tutelage of Professor Steven Dann. She has also studied privately with Professor Neal Gripp. Adriana has played with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, London Symphonia, Orchestre Classique de Montréal, Orchestre Symphonique de Gatineau, Pronto Musica, Solidaridad Strings, Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra and has led the viola sections of Oakville Chamber Orchestra, Burlington Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Ancaster. Adriana is a proud member of Ensemble Obiora and an opera lover.

Cello

Amahl Arulanandam

With tastes ranging from baroque music to death metal, cellist Amahl Arulanandam is known for his musical versatility and ability to adapt to many different genres. He is currently based in Toronto and has recently finished Artist Diploma studies at the Glenn Gould School with Desmond Hoebig and Andres Diaz. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto with Shauna Rolston, and holds a Master’s Degree from McGill University under Matt Haimovitz. Amahl’s performances have brought him to three different continents, with major performances in Canada, the United States, Austria and India including a performance of Samuel Barber’s Concerto with the McGill Symphony Orchestra.

Mary-Katherine Finch

Cellist Mary-Katherine Finch is a dynamic performer, comfortable with repertoire spanning a wide variety of musical genres. She has appeared with numerous ensembles, both large and small, in concerts, recordings and workshops. As a cellist and teacher Mary-Katherine brings skill, experience, and positive energy to every project.

She received both Bachelor and master’s degrees in music performance from the University of Toronto where her principal teachers were Daniel Domb and Shauna Rolston. She also had the pleasure of attending several summers of intensive masterclasses at the Banff Centre for Fine Arts, studying with Aldot Parisot, Lawrence Lesser, and Paul Katz.

Bass

Natalie Kemerer

A Toronto native, Natalie Kemerer has a Bachelors and Maters degree from Indiana University, and has since built up a busy freelance career. Principal bass in the Mississauga Symphony, she can also be found playing in Espirit Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, Kingston Symphony, and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony among others. She has also played with many choirs, including the Mendhelssohn Choir, Georgetown Bach Chorale, Elora Festival, Pax Christie Choir and other church choir projects. When not making music, she can be found making bread, biking, or being active in the woods in all seasons.