Faculty, instructors and staff

Faculty and instructors in the Desautels Faculty of Music are renowned musicians who are committed to student success. Many also teach students one-on-one as major practical study (MPS) instructors.

On this page

Deans

Brass

For questions regarding brass, please contact Brass Area Head Richard Gillis.

Composition

For questions regarding composition, please contact Composition Area Heads Gordon Fitzell and Örjan Sandred.

Conducting

For questions regarding choral conducting, please contact Director of Choral Studies Elroy Friesen.

For questions about instrumental conducting, please contact Director of Bands Jacquie Dawson.

Guitar

For questions regarding guitar, please contact Guitar Area Head, Minna Rose Chung.

Jazz

For questions regarding jazz, please contact Jazz Area Head, Will Bonness.

Music Education

For questions regarding music education, please contact Music Education Area Head, Jody Stark.

Musicianship Skills

Music Research

For questions regarding music research, please contact Music Research Area Head, Rebecca Simpson-Litke.

Percussion/Drums

For questions regarding percussion, please contact Percussion Area Head, Victoria Sparks.

Piano

For questions regarding classical piano, please contact Classical Piano Area Head, David Moroz.

For questions regarding collaborative piano, please contact Collaborative Piano Area Head, Judy Kehler Siebert.

Strings

For questions regarding strings, please contact Strings Area Head, Minna Rose Chung.

Voice

For questions regarding voice, please contact Voice Area Head, Mel Braun.

Woodwinds

For questions regarding woodwinds, please contact Woodwinds Area Head, Allen Harrington.

Ensemble Directors

Sessional Instructors

Brass

  • Chris Fensom, MPS Trumpet
  • Steve Dyer, MPS Trombone
  • Patty Evans, MPS French Horn
  • Aiden Kleer, MPS French Horn
  • Ken MacDonald, MPS French Horn
  • Aaron Eggen, MPS Tuba
  • Stewart Smith, MPS Euphonium

Strings & plucked instruments

  • Gwen Hoebig, MPS Violin, Standard Orchestral Excerpts for Violin and Viola
  • Karl Stobbe, MPS Violin
  • Elise Lavallee, MPS Viola
  • Robert Meredith Johnson, MPS Double Bass
  • Ian Hodges, MPS Guitar
  • Ryszard Tyborowksi, MPS Classical Guitar
  • Patti Kusturok, Fiddling

Piano

  • Paul Williamson, MPS Piano

Jazz & contemporary music

  • Emmanuel Bach, MPS Jazz Guitar, Jazz Improv 3, Discovering Jazz, Jazz Theory 2, Small Jazz Ensemble
  • Joel Green, MPS Jazz Trombone, Small Jazz Ensemble
  • Niall Bakkestad-Legare, Jazz Musicianship 3, Jazz Improv 4, Small Jazz Ensemble
  • Neil Watson, Small Jazz Ensemble
  • Amber Epp, Small Jazz Ensemble
  • Lana Winterhalt, Songwriting 1 - Mechanics of Songwriting

Percussion

  • Ben Reimer, MPS Percussion

Voice

  • Donna Fletcher, MPS Voice, Musical Theatre
  • Lara Ciekiewicz, MPS Voice
  • Valdine Anderson, MPS Voice
  • Sara Schabas, MPS Voice, Advanced Diction, Italian Diction and Repertoire, Song Interpretation
  • Judy Oatway, MPS Voice

Woodwinds

  • Layla Roberts, MPS Flute
  • Laurel Ridd, MPS Flute
  • Robin MacMillan, MPS Oboe
  • Alex Whitehead, MPS Clarinet

Music studies & professional development

  • David Litke, Grad Theory Prep
  • Megan Dufrat, Rudiments of Music, Musicianship 3
  • Stu Anderson, Business of Music
  • Sean McManus, Business of Music
  • Virginia Helmer, Intro to Music Teaching and Learning
  • Lukas Sawatsky, Music Matters

Desautels Faculty of Music collaborative pianists

The Faculty’s collaborative pianists are available to accompany students for recitals, courses, rehearsals, performances and auditions. Collaborative pianists offer reasonable fees for their services. Students who require the services of a collaborative pianist should contact the collaborative pianists directly to make arrangements.

Rachel Dyckracheldyck16@gmail.comPhone number available to students upon request.
Megan Dufratmeganbeth.dufrat@umanitoba.ca204-391-5507
Deena Grierdeena.grier@gmail.com204-998-5590
Hector PinzonPinzonh@myumanitoba.ca431-279-0006
Leanne Regehr Leeinfo@lrleepiano.ca204-250-4437
Lisa Rumpellisa.b.rumpel@gmail.com204-390-5121
Paul WilliamsonPaul.Williamson@umanitoba.ca213-675-4642

Professors and Deans Emeriti

Senior Scholars

Administration and support staff

Admissions & Recruitment Coordinator, Louella Yambot

Louella.Yambot@umanitoba.ca

431-293-5431

The Admissions & Recruitment Coordinator handles matters involving:

  • Admissions and applications to the BMus, BJazz, Post Baccalaureate Diploma, MMus, and Music Research programs
  • Entrance auditions and interviews 
  • Music theory entrance exams
  • MPS re-auditions
  • Recruitment activities and events
  • Facilities tour
  • Scholarships, awards, and bursaries

Business Manager, Melissa Emslie

Business Manager
Room 316 ARTlab
Melissa.Emslie@umanitoba.ca

The Business Manager provides the following services:

  • Provides overall guidance and strategic direction on all Finance, Administrative and Facilities matters for both the DFOM and the SOA
  • Projects financial commitments for the Faculty/School budgets
  • Manages the financial forecasts for the DFOM and SOA
  • Provides direction and supervision to Financial Assistants
  • Oversees all Desautels Concert Hall Endowment funds within the Desautels Faculty of Music (approximately $2.5M) to ensure projects stay on track and on budget
  • Oversees all financial operations of the SOA Gallery and the Prep studies program for DFOM

Marketing and Communications Officer, Daniel Marquez

Marketing and Communications Officer
Room 306 Taché Hall
Daniel.Marquez@umanitoba.ca

For media inquiries, advertising, and communications information, please email: dfom.music.communications@umanitoba.ca 

 

Communications Assistant, Cailyn Harrison

Communications Assistant
Room 309 Taché Hall
cailyn.harrison@umanitoba.ca
1-431-338-3954

The Communications Coordinator handles matters involving:

  • Changes/additions/corrections to the website
  • News stories
  • SoA Today
  • Social media
  • Events and exhibition promotion

Events Coordinator, Shannon Ralkie

shannon.ralkie@umanitoba.ca

431-293-5436

  • Internal & external event coordination, including exhibitions, student & faculty events

Facilities and Events Coordinator, Sue Stone Scott

Sue.StoneScott@umanitoba.ca

204-474-9408

The Facilities and Events Coordinator handles matters involving:

  • Room bookings (during and after office hours)
  • Midday recital booking
  • Event booking
  • Maintenance and caretaking concerns
  • Swipe card access 
  • 4th floor practice room bookings 
  • Student tech supervisor
  • Key loans and requests
  • Equipment/instrument loans
  • Equipment maintenance
  • Credit recital equipment requests

Financial Administrator, Carlos Dimawala

Financial Administrator
320 ARTlab
soa.financial@umanitoba.ca
204-474-7801

The Financial Administrator handles matters involving:

  • Concur and EPIC
  • providing advice on travel cards, purchasing cards, and financial matters
  • supervision of the Financial Assistant

Financial Assistant, Mel Bautista-Bagnas

Financial Assistant
322 ARTlab
dfom.soa.finance@umanitoba.ca
431-293-5428

The Financial Assistant handles matters involving:

  • supplier payments
  • payroll
  • purchasing and deposits
  • basic travel and expense claims

Front Office Assistant, Helena Quintas Ramaldes

music@umanitoba.ca

204-474-9310

The Front Office Assistant handles matters involving:

  • Meeting requests for the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) 
  • General Inquiries 
  • Competition applications and deadlines
  • Sessional room bookings
  • Student and faculty forms
  • Concert credits
  • Credit Recital programs
  • Ensemble performance tickets
  • Keys
  • Photocopy machine codes/use
  • Internal Student Evaluations
  • Textbook orders
  • Ensemble auditions

Graduate Program Assistant, Amanda Wiebe

Amanda.Wiebe@umanitoba.ca

431-278-1473

The Graduate Program Assistant handles matters involving:

  • Meeting requests for Associate Dean (Graduate Programs and Research)
  • Degree Requirements for M.Mus and MA in Music Research
  • Forms for Faculty of Graduate Studies
  • Credit Recital Exam Process
  • Course Registration for M.Mus and MA in Music Research
  • Graduate Student Orientation
  • Important deadlines: voluntary withdrawal, add/drop deadline etc.
  • Graduation requirements

Executive Assistant to the Dean/HR Officer, Sarah Rout

Sarah.rout@umanitoba.ca

431-335-4852

The HR Officer and Executive Assistant handles:

  • Meeting requests for the Dean
  • Hiring of faculty members
  • Hiring of student technicians
  • Hiring of teaching assistants and grader/markers
  • Hiring of research assistants
  • Promotion and tenure application 
  • Research study leave 

LAN Coordinator, Franc Fernandez

franc.fernandez@umanitoba.ca

431-277-6497

The LAN Coordinator handles matters involving:

  • IT support
  • Questions regarding computer applications and issues

Preparatory Studies Coordinator, Donnalynn Grills

Donnalynn.grills@umanitoba.ca

204-474-9403

The Preparatory Studies Coordinator handles matters involving:

  • Individual lesson registration and information 
  • Group classes registration and information (Art & Music classes)
  • Desautels Faculty of Music Theory Prep Class Registration and information (TEEP Sessions 1 & 2) – required for admission into the Desautels Faculty of Music
  • Student teaching positions – individual lessons (all disciplines) 
  • Questions regarding computer applications and issues applicable to Prep Studies
  • Pembina Trail Voices registration and information 

Recording Studio Technician, Adam Mlodzinski

Kenneth.Mlodzinski@umanitoba.ca

431-373-4371

The Recording Studio Technician handles matters involving:

  • Recording requests in the Desautels Faculty of Music Recording Studio

Undergraduate Student Advisor, Samuel Kidd

For students requiring an advising appointment, please email dfom.advising@umanitoba.ca with the details of your request.

431-293-5435

The Student Advisor handles matters involving:

  • Academic standings
  • Degree requirements for BMus, BJazz Studies, PBD, MMus (What courses you should be registered in this year)
  • Important deadlines: voluntary withdrawal, add/drop deadline, etc.
  • Student registration
  • Independent study information
  • Final exam conflicts
  • Jury exam process
  • Credit recital exam process
  • Major Practical Study requirements
  • Student registration
  • Music Minor program
  • Graduation verification and UM Achieve (degree audit)
  • First-year orientation

Operations Administrator, Desautels Concert Hall, Christopher Johns

DesautelsConcertHall@umanitoba.ca

The Concert Hall Operations Administrator handles matters involving:

  • Booking and overseeing the Desautels Faculty of Music Concert Hall

Research Coordinator, Marieke Gruwel

Research Coordinator
Room 119 ARTlab
marieke.gruwel@umanitoba.ca