OUR TEACHERS Oxana Ossiptchouk Oxana Ossiptchouk was educated in Russia, where she received a Master’s degree from the Sergey Rachmaninov State Conservatory in Rostov-on-Don in Violin Solo Performance, Orchestral Performance, Chamber Music, and Pedagogy. Oxana was the winner of several competitions in Russia, performing the Mendelssohn concerto with the North Ossetia Republic Symphony Orchestra and the Brahms violin concerto with the Rostov-on-Don Philharmonic Orchestra. In Canada, she won the Saskatchewan Concerto Competition and performed the Szymanowsky concerto with the Saskatoon and Regina Symphonies. She has been an orchestral member of the Regina Symphony and Principal Second Violinist at the Timmins Symphony Orchestra. Presently, Oxana is Principal Second Violinist for the Saskatoon Symphony and performs with the Saskatoon Symphony Chamber Players and Elixir ensemble. Ms. Ossiptchouk taught violin at the University Of Regina Conservatory Of Music and the Timmins Symphony music school. Currently, she teaches violin at the University Of Saskatchewan and Saskatoon Conservatory of Music. c Mayumi Matsumoto Mayumi Matsumoto was educated in Japan, where she received a Bachelor degree in Piano from the Musashino Academia Musicae. While living in Japan, she taught the piano at the Yamaha Music School in Tokyo, where she was also an examiner for the Yamaha Grade Examination. Mayumi was a member of the Asaka City Music Society in Saitama Prefecture where she performed both as a soloist and an accompanist. Mayumi moved to Singapore after her marriage, where she continued to teach the piano and was an accompanist for the Japanese Association's Ladies Chorus. After immigrated to Canada, Mayumi resume teaching the piano in British Columbia, She worked as an official accompanist with Sakura Singers while also performed at the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festivals. In 2015, Mayumi moved to Saskatoon. She began with a performance as an accompanist at the Saskatoon Music Festival and later as an accompanist with Grace Westminster United Church Choir. Mayumi commences her career as a piano instructor with the Saskatoon Conservatory of Music in 2016. Mykola Karnaukh Mykola Karnaukh obtained a Master’s of Arts in Music degree from the M.V.Lysenko Higher State Music Academy in 2003, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Ternopoli College of Music in Lviv, Ukraine, where he majored in percussion and drums and became a Certified Music Teacher, Percussionist and Wind Orchestra Conductor. He has performed percussion in the Leopolis Symphony Orchestra (Paris, France), in the International Symphony Orchestra (Brussels, /Belgium), in the “Harlekin” and “Gasser” Circus Orchestras (Switzerland), in the “Samsung Everland” Big Band Orchestra (South Korea), and has taught and performed at the Ukrainian-German Music Partnership (Bremerhaven, Germany) and at the Lysenko Higher State Music Academy in Lviv. His teaching specialties include marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, timpani, snare drum and drumset, general music and conducting. Andrea Karnaukh Andrea was awarded Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from the Music University in Lviv, Ukraine, and has over twelve years of experience teaching children. From 2001-6 she was Music Education Teacher at the City of Lviv Music School, in Khust, Ukraine, where her duties included directing, promoting and managing choirs at a variety of levels and designing and delivering the music curriculum. Ms. Karnaukh also conducted the Professional Chamber choir “Soli Deo” at the Dominicano Church, Lviv, Ukraine, where she collaborated with composers as well as scoring and transcribing music for the choir. Presently Andrea Karnaukh is Education Director and Teacher at the Saskatoon Russian School, where she directs a Saturday program for children from 3 to 12 years of age, The children are taught language, music education and arts and crafts. She prides herself in the ability to create a fun and educational atmosphere in her classes. Martha Kashap Martha Kashap comes from Michigan, and has lived and worked in Saskatoon for twenty-five years. Her violin studies began at age seven. By age fourteen, she was studying at Michigan State University, and two years later entered the Interlochen Arts Academy, where her serious training in chamber music and orchestral playing began. Following Interlochen, she went to Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, where her mentor for four years was Philippe Naegele, one of the original founders of the Marlboro Music Festival. While at Smith, Martha played in chamber concerts with Mr. Naegele,Mr. Ernst Wallfisch, and in chamber orchestras with the likes of Rudolf Serkin. She also served as concertmaster of the Five College Orchestra and as soloist with I Solisti, based in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was chosen to perform as soloist wirh the Boston Pops in her senior year. Chamber music studies followed with Joseph Gingold, the Guarneri Quartet, the Tokyo Quartet, and Yo-yo Ma at the Aspen School of Music. Following graduation from the Yale School of Music, where she studied with Syzmon Goldberg, Martha became a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. In 1986, following the birth of her first child, she and her husband, violinist Philip Kashap, moved to Saskatoon to teach music and to perform on the University of Saskatchewan's Amati instruments.Since 1994 Martha has been the associate concertmaster of the Saskatoon Symphony, and performs locally with Saskatoon Opera, Saskatchewan Chamber Orchestra, and teaches violin. She has five wonderful children. Michael Zdravko Besermenji Michael Zdravko Besermenji completed a primary and Bachelor education in classical guitar end received a European diploma . He participated in guitar clinics for several years in Munich Germany .He have had many solo performances as a guitarist bat also performed duets and quartets in Germany, Holland , Switzerland, Hungary ,Yugoslavia .... Zdravko start playing guitar at age 10 and have plaid new for 35 years .He is familiar with all forms of classical guitar music and theory , different stiles such Spanish , renaissance , baroque etc. He finish and study technique university - Master Degree in Engineering and he is a Civil Engineer . Zdravko have a professional Recording Studio at his home and producing a recording with another musicians. Cassandra Warner Hailed by critics as a “powerful mezzo” and “sensory epiphany”, opera singer Cassandra Warner is the recent 3rd place winner of international competition, the Chants de Marmande of France. Miss Warner is quickly launching into an International career having appeared this December in the lead role of Rose Maurrant in Kurt Weill's Street Scene with Opera Toulon, France. Cassandra is also Calgary Opera Company Ensemble’s newest alumni performing this past season the roles of Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Frauh Viehmann, The Witch and The Wolf in Burry’s Brothers Grimm, and the Saloon Singer in the world premier of The Inventor by Tovey and Murrell all with Calgary Opera. Miss Warner recently performed the role of Cendrillon in Massenet's Cendrillon, the premier opera at Toronto's Koerner Hall with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra. Cassandra also recently made her prinicipal stage debut with Toronto's Opera Atelier as First Priestess, Iphigenie en Tauride. Other recent roles include Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus with Highlands Opera Studio, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra also with the Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar, Germany as well as Hansel, Hansel und Gretel with Opera Nuova. Cassandra is the recipient of the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s highest award for voice, the 2010 Lily Kertes Rolin International Prize in Vocal Studies and was finalist in this year's Royal Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition. Cassandra has toured China, performed on CBC television & radio, Toronto's Classical 96.3FM, Chinese television and radio. Miss Warner is also an alumnus of Vancouver Opera's Young Artist Coaching Intensive, Richard Margison’s Highlands Opera Studio, Joan Dornemann’s International Vocal Arts Institute, and is also a laureate of Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques. Armine Frangulyan From the age of six Armine Frangulyan studies the piano in her native Armenia at the Chaikovsky Music school for gifted children (1978-1989). After finishing the Music School she continues her education in the Yerevan National State Conservatory (Armenia) in the faculty of piano where she receives her Master’s degree(1989-1994).She qualified as a Piano Soloist of Chamber Ensemble,Concertmaster,Accompanist and Piano teacher.Later Armine teaches piano lesson in the Art school in Armenia She has about 20 years of teaching experience . Miron Strutinski Miron Strutinski has over 1500 cello performances in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Isreal, Poland, France and Italy to his credit. He was the Principal Cellist for two major orchestras over a 26-year period, including the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. He gave over 180 performances with the heroic String Quartet “KT’55” during the siege of Sarajevo and was a member of the Piano Trio “Sarajevo’s Soloists”. Miron has performed for numerous radio and television recordings. Since his arrival in Canada in 1996, he has played with the Saskatoon Symphony and has volunteered and performed in several other chamber groups and orchestras in Saskatoon, in addition to teaching cello and repairing stringed instruments. Zeljko Bilandzic Zeljko was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the war in Bosnia 1992-1995, he moved Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He plays guitar in a band at the Roman Catholic Parish of Lady of Guadalupe in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 2008 he released his first CD titled "Christmas music for the classical guitar" and is completing a second one, titled "The Longing of the Bride" (El Anhelo de la Novia). Zeljko is an author of choral mass and solo compositions for piano and guitar.