Shawn Bennett
Shawn Bennett is a Toronto-based conductor and educator, originally from Newfoundland and Labrador. As a freelancer, Shawn has been privileged to conduct such prestigious ensembles as Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, l’Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Toronto. His career has been guided by numerous legendary conductors, including Alexander Shelley, Yannick Nézet-Seguin, Kensho Watanabe, Daniel Raiskin, Michael Newnham, and Kellie Walsh. In 2024, Shawn was honoured to be named the inaugural Artistic Director of Wilfrid Laurier University’s revolutionary new “NextGen” Youth Orchestra program. He holds a Masters degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Toronto, where he studied with celebrated Canadian conductor Uri Mayer and served as Assistant Conductor for both the UofT Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony. In addition to conducting, Shawn maintains an established career as a music educator on Faculty at the Sterling Hall School in North York, ON.
Yuan (Alba) Chen
Yuan Chen holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Memorial University. She is currently in the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choir Conducting program at the University of Toronto.
Recently, Yuan, as associate conductor of Chorus Niagara, also the former apprentice conductor of Orchestra Toronto, has received unanimous recognition and praise. Previously, Yuan served as the Musical Director at Nomad Stages in Stephenville, Newfoundland, where she led her choir to win the Best Choir award at the Stephenville Rotary Music Festival. Last summer, she also took on the role of Music Director for the 46th Stephenville Theatre Festival, further showcasing her exceptional leadership and communication skills. Additionally, she is a guest conductor for The Atlantic Boy Choir.
With over a decade of experience conducting choirs of all ages—from children to university students and seniors—Yuan has garnered significant accolades. She led the Chorus of the Department of History at Fudan University to a Silver Award in the Annual Chorus Competition and directed the Chorus of East China University of Political Science and Law to a Third Prize,both starting from scratch with no prior music background.
In addition to her choral achievements, Yuan has a rich background in the performing arts as an improvisation theatre actress, film producer, and director for five years.
François Koh
Dr. François Koh is an award-winning conductor and classical guitarist, praised by Jonathan Crow, Concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra:
“His enthusiasm and evident love for the music is inspirational for the orchestra, and his ability to elevate and work with musicians of all levels comes through clearly in the rehearsal process.”
A Heinz Unger Conducting Award nominee, Dr. Koh holds a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from McGill University and a Doctorate from the University of Toronto, earned with a full scholarship. He won the 2023 International Conductors Workshop and Competition (2023, Atlanta, USA) and was a semi-finalist in the Ionel Perlea International Conducting Competition (2023, Slobozia, Romania). In 2022, he was a semi-finalist for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Resident Conductor position and, in 2023, a finalist for the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director position. He has conducted acclaimed performances with the Savaria Symphony Orchestra (2019, Hungary, Bartók Festival), Filarmonica de Stat Târgu Mureș (2014, Romania), Ensemble Paramirabo (2012, Montreal, Canada), and Ensemble Dal Niente (USA).
From 2015 to 2022, Dr. Koh served as Music Director of the Georgian Bay Symphony, where his visionary leadership elevated the orchestra’s artistic profile and community engagement, earning the Ontario Arts Council’s 2017 Vida Peene Orchestra Award for excellence. An international force in orchestral music, he founded the Ensemble Orchestral de Dijon (2004–2006, Dijon, France) and the Vancouver Camerata (2007–2011, Vancouver, Canada), demonstrating a commitment to building vibrant and innovative ensembles. His operatic experience includes work with Opera Appassionata as assistant conductor and his debut with the North Shore Light Opera Society (2007–2009), conducting Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience and Iolanthe.
Currently based in Toronto, Dr. Koh is the Founder and Artistic Director of Salon de Musique Canada (2024–current), a concert series that unites classical tradition with contemporary Canadian artistry. His former professors and mentors include Uri Mayer, Alexis Hauser, Jean Sebastian Béreau, Pierre Cao, Konrad von Abel, Johannes Schlaefli, David Briskin, Zsolt Hamar, Adrian Gnam, Philip Greenberg, and Frank Klassen.
A passionate advocate for Canadian contemporary and Indigenous-inspired music, Dr. Koh’s artistic mission is to bridge cultures and generations through orchestral art, fostering accessibility, inclusivity, and inspiration in every performance.
Brennan Schommer
From Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Brennan began conducting during his first year at the University of Toronto with Skule Choir. Soon after, Brennan became the principal conductor of Skule Orchestra from 2016-2020. Since then, he has been a guest conductor for Hart House Orchestra and Summerhill Orchestra, and a brass instructor for the children’s summer programs at the Oscar Peterson School of Music.
Brennan’s background in trumpet, voice, and piano has led to his involvement in various community orchestras, choirs, and small ensembles throughout Toronto, while working in Rail and Transit Engineering as a Trackwork Designer during the day.
Carlos Vasquez
Originally from Venezuela, Carlos began his musical studies on violin at the age of 10, and later on clarinet under “El Sistema” the world-renowned program of musical immersive training started in 1975 by José Antonio Abreu.
Carlos actively participates in the musical community within Toronto, performing on both clarinet and violin with many orchestras in the GTA including Kindred Spirits Orchestra, Orchestra Toronto, Counterpoint Community Orchestra, Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra, North York Concert Orchestra, Oakville Symphony, among others.
Outside of music, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, a Construction Management Post Graduate Diploma and works full time as a Construction Coordinator.
Suzanne Yeo
Suzanne Yeo is a Toronto-based conductor, pianist and vocal coach known for the intensity and sensitivity of her interpretations. Having graduated from the University of Toronto with an M.Mus. in piano performance (after a stint as a doctoral candidate in the German department at Princeton University), she gravitated towards collaborative piano and conducting, in large part due to a long-standing affinity for opera and Lieder. She is a co-founder and music director of Opera Sustenida (one of whose productions was recently selected as a finalist in the 2023 OPERA America Excellence in Digital Opera Awards), where she serves variously as pianist or conductor, depending on the needs of the production, and has been assistant conductor at Toronto City Opera since 2021, conducting a performance each of Nabucco, Cavalleria rusticana, Don Giovanni and Die Fledermaus in the last 2 seasons.