Faculty

Julian Fisher holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Viola) from the University of Toronto(1988). He studied viola with Stanley Solomon and Osher Green. For ten years he was a faculty member at The Royal Conservatory of Music, and is a member of the College of Examiners.

As a teacher, Julian has taught violin and viola since 1976. He is a member of the Suzuki Association of Ontario, and he is a long-time member of the Ontario Registered Teachers’ Association. Julian is active as an adjudicator in many music festivals across Canada. He conducts the Adult Orchestra at the Toronto School for Strings and Piano, which Julian and his wife Mary co-founded in 1999. He is Principal Viola in the Hart House Orchestra at the University of Toronto. 

Julian is the Principal, Registrar and CEO at the Toronto School for Strings and Piano.

Mary Fisher co-founded the Toronto School for Strings with her husband Julian in 1999. She has taught cello for over twenty five years, and brings a wealth of experience, instructing at all levels of cello, from young beginners to gifted young people, and to adults.

Mary has extensive pedagogical training in the Suzuki Method, and is equally versed in traditional teaching approaches. Many of her students have gone on to careers as teachers and performers, as well achieving numerous awards in music festivals, Silver Medals in Royal Conservatory Examinations, and successful auditions to arts-based High Schools. Mary studied cello performance at the University of Manitoba, and taught for ten years at the Royal Conservatory of Music. She is an active adjudicator and a member of the RCM College of Examiners.

Jill received her Bachelor of Music from Queen’s University, and attended the Royal Conservatory of Music as part of the Orchestral Training Program and Professional School.

She received her Suzuki teacher training from the Kingston and Ithaca Suzuki Institutes.

Dona Jean Clary, pianist, graduated with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Regina. Scholarship awards enabled her to continue her musical studies in London, England, where she received her Licentiate from the Royal Academy of Music. Subsequently, Ms. Clary taught for the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. …→

Phillip Coonce, violinist and violist, has studied with Leonard Felberg, Hiroko Yajima, Felix Galimir, Blanche Moyse and Raphael Bronstein. He earned a B. Mus. from the University of New Mexico, an M. Mus. from SUNY at Stony Brook, and a DMA from the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, The Hudson Chamber Players and the Martha Graham Ballet.

A member of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and the Right as Rain Bluegrass Trio, Dr. Coonce is on the faculties of the Joiner Academy, Playweek and Summertrios.

He is also the author of Toquemos el Violín, and is the inventor of the Don’t Fret Finger Position Indicator.

Brandon Davis is a Toronto-based bassist, composer, and educator. He holds a Masters in Music from the Manhattan School of Music.

He attended the Jazz Performance program as an upright bass major and was on the Dean’s List for all four semesters of his studies. He primarily plays and teaches upright bass and improvisation, but also offers lessons in electric bass, guitar, and beginner ukulele.

Louise Zacharias Friesen first received an ARCT in Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Church Music in Winnipeg, followed by a Bachelor of Music in Piano from UBC where she studied with Jane Coop.

As a piano duo with her best friend Sandra Joy Friesen, she toured from BC to Manitoba. Choral experiences in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Saskatoon have been a great joy for her, especially her seven seasons as a soprano with Pro Coro Canada.

Susan Greenway holds an ARCT in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory and a Master’s degree in piano performance from University of Toronto. 

Her main teachers were Boris Lysenko and Marietta Orlov.

She has been a Canadian Music Competition finalist and a resident at the Banff Centre for the Arts.  Aside from teaching 40 students per week Susan is also working on her first solo CD.

Joyce Gundy holds an ARCT Diploma in Violin Performance from The Royal Conservatory of Music and also studied chamber music with Henri Temianka.

Ms. Gundy is former conductor of both the RCM Junior Orchestra and the Toronto Settlement Community Music School String Orchestra, and has also taught string classes for the Toronto and North York Boards of Education. She is active as an adjudicator for music festivals in Ontario, the Maritime Provinces, and Newfoundland and for the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto.

Susan Hamblin Dennis maintains a busy schedule of accompanying and teaching in Toronto. She is a past pedagogy and piano faculty member of both the Glenn Gould School and the Community School for the Royal Conservatory of Music. As an examiner for the RCM and an adjudicator of music festivals, she has visited many areas of Canada and the United States. …→

Windsor Johnson graduated from The Hartt School — Masters in Piano Performance/Pedagogy — 2014-2016. Suzuki and traditional piano instructor, The Hartt School Community Division (HCD), University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT — 2008-2016.

He is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

A very personable teacher, Windsor is equally at home with traditional, “Conservatory Style” teaching, and jazz. He is gifted at working with younger students. …→

Double bassist Karen Kabiri holds a Bachelor of Arts in double bass performance from Art and Architecture University in Tehran.

Karen began his music career as a double bass player in the Tehran Symphony Orchestra in 1995. He was principal double bass of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra in 2006-2010, the Parsian String Orchestra in 2008-2010, the Noban String Ensemble in 2005-2007 and the Markham Symphony Orchestra. …→

Eslin McKay picked up her first violin at the age of three, beginning her musical education through the Suzuki Method with Virginia Little in Brantford Ontario. She has graduated with Honours in Violin Performance at the University of Toronto where she studied with Annalee Patipatanikoon. As a student at the University of Toronto Eslin was a member of numerous string quartets both as a violinist and violist, and was named runner up for the Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award. …→

Jennifer Melvin is a professionally trained violinist and Celtic fiddler. Born and raised in the small village of Canning, in Nova Scotia (east coast of Canada), she grew up surrounded with traditional Celtic music, and in a home that nurtured the love of classical music. …→

Kleis Swan began violin at six in Saskatoon and by fourteen had joined the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. A member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for several seasons, she earned the A.R.C.T. from the Royal Conservatory of Music with the Gold Medal for the highest standing in Canada. …→

Joy Tseng holds a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto. She received her Master of Music from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois where she majored in music education and piano pedagogy. She also obtained her ARCT diploma in piano teaching from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her teachers include Susan Hamblin Dennis, William Aide, and Marina Geringas. In her youth, Joy performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra playing the guzheng (Chinese plucked zither). …→