Assessments
Sunday, December 8, 2024 (Instrumental) | 1:30 – 8:30 pm
Registration Deadline (December Assessments): October 25, 2024
Christ First (Sanctuary)
1700 Mazo Cres., Mississauga ON L5J 1Y8
Clinician: Vanessa Hsu
Praised for her “natural warmth”, “fine imagination” and “artistic personality”, Canadian pianist Vanessa
Hsu traces her teacher lineage directly back to Tchaikovsky and holds diplomas from Royal Academy of
Music, Trinity College of Music and Royal Conservatory of Music. Having performed as soloist with
orchestras in North America and Europe, given masterclasses and concerts in Australia and Asia, and
performed for international pedagogues including Fanny Waterman, Alexander Satz and Leon Fleisher,
Vanessa brings a wealth of musical experiences to her teaching, adjudicating, examining and
performing. She has served as a senior practical and theory examiner for the RCM and Yamaha for the
past 25 years, and has recorded works by new composers including for the RCM Celebration Series.
Vanessa has also maintained a busy schedule of gifted musicianship instruction of between 60-200
students per week, influencing a generation of music-loving professionals.
Saturday, March 1, 2025 (Instrumental) | 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday, March 2, 2025 (Instrumental) | 1:30 – 9:00 pm
Sunday, March 2, 2025 (Vocal) | 1:30 – 5:00 pm
Registration deadline – January 24, 2025
Christ First (Sanctuary) – Instrumental
Christ First (Merigold Room) – Vocal
1700 Mazo Cres., Mississauga ON L5J 1Y8
Clinicians: Instrumental- Anne Marie Page
Vocal – Denise Williams
DENISE WILLIAMS
Denise Williams is an established professional singer, voice teacher, concert producer
and music facilitator. She is a passionate advocate for the performing arts, leveraging
her extensive professional experience and educational background to promote artistic
expression and education. With a belief in the transformative power of music and the
arts to bridge societal divides, Denise has dedicated her career to nurturing talent,
fostering inclusivity, and promoting cultural understanding.
Denise’s 30+ year international career has put her at home on the concert, opera, and
theatre stages. Highlights of her solo work include appearances with the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale
(Founding Member), and Mirvish Productions (North American premiere of ’The Sound
of Music’). Her stage experience includes the Canadian debuts of Portia White First you
Dream (Eastern Front Theatre, and Theatre Northwest), along with solo concerts in
major venues in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Her most well-loved
self-produced music project is her cross-cultural, Walk Together Children concert
program, uniting African and Jewish diasporic cultures through music which has been
presented for many audiences. Most recently, she has added Muslim cultural music
intersections as a commentary on commonalities of forcibly migrant cultures and
diasporas, musical assimilations, and attempts at bridging social gaps. Denise’s newest
performance project is MELANATTÉ, a fusion of Classical and Romantic hits with a
modern Black context, in collaboration with its brainchild, Rapsodius.
In addition to her achievements as a performer, Denise is also dedicated to arts
education and community engagement. Her community music leadership contributions
have included choral directing, and choral workshops, international community music
symposia, include The Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (Immediate Past President
of the Central Toronto Branch).
Denise is Founding Artistic Director and Producer of No Strings Theatre (NST) which
aids Next Generation emerging artists to practice their stagecraft and encourages the
development of untold Canadian stories. She is currently on the music theatre voice
faculty of Sheridan College, operates her Voices of Colour Music (VCM) music studio,
is a certified advanced voice teacher affiliate and examiner for the Royal Conservatory
of Music, and a national vocal adjudicator.
Denise continues to advocate, through international performance and community
leadership, for addressing cross-cultural sharing of music traditions and equity, diversity,
and inclusion, on performance stages.
