Core Members

Joyce Lai, Concertmaster Joyce began her musical studies with her parents. Piano with her mother Aster Lai at age five, and violin with her father, Tak Ng Lai, at age six. However she did not seriously play the violin until she was fourteen, claiming it as her primary instrument over the piano. Since that time, Joyce has performed extensively as guest soloist with such orchestras as the Etobicoke Philharmonic, the Canadian Chamber Academy, the Canadian Sinfonietta, the Glenn Gould School Performing Arts Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra.

In 1994, Joyce made her debut as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as her European debut with the Szeged Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, Hungary.

Besides solo playing, Joyce also performs extensively as a chamber soloist. Aside from being concertmaster and executive director of the Canadian Sinfonietta, she is also the violinist in the Riverdale Ensemble, with whom she has performed in various concert series such as the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, the Huntsville Association for the Performing Arts, and “Music Mondays” at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto.

Joyce holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where she was a student of Lucie Robert, and a Master of Music Degree as well as a Performer Diploma from the Indiana University where she studied with Nelli Shkolnikova and chamber music with Rostislav Dubinsky and Franco Gulli.

Renée London, Principal Second Renée London is an Ottawa-raised violinist who made her first public appearance at the age of seven. A natural performer, Miss London has impressed music lovers with her unique style and interpretation. Her musical inspiration was her grandfather, cellist, James Hunter (Victoria Conservatory), one of Canada’s great pedagogues.

Renée began her studies with Elaine Klimasko, first violinist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra. She earned her Bachelor of Music in 1999 in violin performance at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of William Preucil, concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra. She continued her violin studies with Steven Rose, Principal Second Violinist of the Cleveland Orchestra and received her Master of Music, also from the Cleveland Institute of Music, in 2001.

Miss London was top prize-winner of the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Bursary competitions in 1995 and 1997. She won First Prize at the national finals of the Canadian Music Competition in 1999, was a finalist in the Darius Milhaud Competition in Cleveland (2000), and was a semi-finalist at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition in 2001. Renee has been guest soloist with orchestras throughout Ontario and has performed on the CBC-Ottawa’s noon-hour concert series on two different occasions. She has given recitals throughout Ontario and the United States.

Renée London is a chamber music enthusiast. She has participated in master classes and coachings with North America’s great chamber music genius: such as Peter Salaff, Donald Weilerstein, and William Preucil (Cleveland Quartet); Earl Carlyss , Samuel Rhodes and Ronald Copes (Juilliard Quartet); and Canada’s own St. Lawrence Quartet.

In April 2001, Miss London was appointed to the 1st violin section in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. She subsequently served as Associate Concertmaster in the Midland-Odessa Symphony (Texas), and was violinist in ‘Strings of the West’ string quartet, also in Midland Texas, in 2003-2004. She is currently an active freelance musician, playing frequently with the Toronto Symphony, the National Ballet Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.

Renée has been teaching violin for several years. She has a private violin studio in Toronto and has had private violin studios in Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Midland Texas. She is a regular chamber music coach at the Summertrios Chamber Music Festival in Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Wintergreen Music Festival Orchestra in Virginia. Renée is the proud founder of the Classics in the Tropics music festival in Tobago West Indies.

Alain Bouvier, Violin One of the Canadian Sinfonietta’s youngest members, violinist Alain Bouvier recently graduated with an honours bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the prestigious Glenn Gould School, where he studied with such notable violinists as Mark Fewer (concert master, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra) and Annalee Patipatanakoon (Gryphon Trio). He was also was a mainstay member of The Veritas Piano Quartet (2002-2005). This ensemble-in-residence performed the famous works of Mozart, Brahms, and Schumann in Toronto (CBC Radio two),Guelph (Guelph Spring Festival), Barrie (Colours of Music Festival), as well as various cities in Quebec.

In addition, Mr. Bouvier was a member of The Royal Conservatory Orchestra (2001-2005) where he played first violin for such maestros as Simon Streatfield, Richard Bradshaw (Canadian Opera Company) and Bramwell Tovey (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra). He is also the concert master of Toronto's own Upper Canada Chorus Symphony. Between Mr. Bouvier's busy performing schedule, he also manages his very own ensemble, The Alexsandre Ensemble. This top quality, Toronto based ensemble performs regularly throughout the city for various concerts and events. Alain also keeps a busy teaching schedule at The Music Spot and The Academy of Music, both in downtown Toronto.

Rebekah Wolkstein, violin

Rebekah Wolkstein holds bachelors and masters degrees in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with William Preucil, the concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and Paul Kantor. Rebekah is currently a full scholarship student in the Artist Diploma program at the Glenn Gould School professional school of the Royal Conservatory of Music where she studies with Erika Raum and Felicia Moye.

She teaches and coaches students in the pre-college Young Artist Program of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her past and current duties include coaching the first violin sectionals for the Royal Conservatory young artists orchestra, coaching Young Artist chamber ensembles and assisting Kelly Parkins, faculty member of the Royal Conservatory of Music with conducting community school ensembles and working with Suzuki students.

In October 2006, she performed as the solo first violinist in Kurt Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel with the ARC (Artists of the Royal Conservatory) faculty ensemble at the Glenn Gould Studio. She performed as concertmaster of the Royal Conservatory Orchestra at the Glenn Gould Studio in the spring and fall of 2006.

In November, 2006, Rebekah is performing Ravel's Tzigane with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony and is performing with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty.

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Rebekah been performing as a soloist and orchestral musician since high school when she won a job with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. She has performed concerti with several orchestras in Wisconsin including the Fox Valley Symphony, the Sheboygan Symphony, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Symphony and the Wisconsin Youth Symphony. Her violin teacher prior to conservatory were Eugene Purdue and Rictor Noren.

Her recent successes include a prize at the Cleveland Hillel music competition and the Sorkin violin competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Rebekah Wolkstein is fluent in both classical and non-classical genres. She is a frequent guest artist with Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards and has attended the Mancini Institute in Los Angeles, California for two summers.

Aside from her musical studies, Rebekah completed a third degree in English during her five years in Cleveland at Case Western Reserve University. Her interest in journalism led to an internship at the Cleveland Free Times and three of her short stories were published and won prizes through the university.

Aleksandar Gajic, Principal Viola Mr. Gajic graduated in violin at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Serbia, and subsequently received his Masters Degree from the Belgrade Faculty of Music where he studied under Professor Maja Jokanovic.

During his studies he distinguished himself as a member of many chamber ensembles an as Concertmaster of the Academic Symphony Orchestra. In 1992, he was awarded the Amadeus scholarship in London.

While living in Serbia, Mr. Gajic was a member of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, the Belgrade String Quartet and Concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra if Radio Television of Serbia. Hw was a founding member of the Bellotti String Quartet, with whom he recorded and performed in Serbia and abroad for seven years. He has also played and recorded wiht the wolrd-renowned Yugoslav composer Goran Bregovic.

Since immigrating to Canada, Mr.Gajic has performed with the Oshawa Durham Symphony, the Windsor Symphony Orchest

Ian Clarke, Viola Ian Clarke began his musical career as a violinist, as a student of Arkady Yanivker. He served as concertmaster of the Matsumoto Symphony Orchestra in Japan from 1998-2000 and is currently associate concertmaster of the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, and concertmaster of both the York Chamber Ensemble and Unionville Chamber Orchestra.

As a violist, Ian has played most recently in the Music-on-the-Hill Series at St.John's York Mills Anglican Church, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Series, where he performed with the Riverdale Ensemble. Ian shares a successful musical partnership with his wife, violinist Joyce Lai.

Last season, they performed two double concertos with orchestra as well as frequently collaborating on other musical ventures.

Ian is currently violist of the Croydon String Quartet and the Canadian Sinfonietta.

András Weber, Principal Cello András Weber received his musical training in Budapest, Hungary. His mentor, Janos Starker, has been af major influence in his work. He has been principal cellist with orchestras in Hungary,Mexico City and Canda. Has given concerts in North America, Europe and Korea. He was the winner of DEBUT in Montreal where The Gazette called him a "generously gifted" musician who plays with a "nicely coloured and singing tone."

Mr. Weber has recorded in Hungary and Canada and plans to release some CD's: music for cello and organ with his wife Ran Kim,works for harp and cello with the acclaimed Mexican harpist Mercedes Gómez and solo cello works.

Mr. Weber is the founding artistic director of the Toronto series 'Music Alive!' and teaches at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is a member of Sinfonia Toronto and Canadian Sinfonietta chamber orchestras. He has played concertos with many orchestras around the world.

In May 2005 he toured in Hungary, appearing in recitals and chamber music ensembles and giving master classes. Over the summer he played in Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City in chamber music festivals. Mr. Weber plays a 17th century Mariani cello.

Peter Cosbey, Cello Peter Cosbey, a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music's Glenn Gould School as a student of Bryan Epperson, began his cello study in Regina with Cameron Lowe. His orchestral experience with the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra, and the Regina Symphony Orchestra was recently expanded with a one year term as Assistant Principle Cello with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

Peter has been an active chamber musician, and is a regular on the Alicier Arts series in Toronto. His summer music festival experience includes the Scotia Festival of Music, Domaine Forget, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. Peter's chamber music with The Cosbey Trio and Quinsin Nachoff have been heard on CBC radio, and his work with the Artists of The Royal Conservatory has been heard on CBC and WCLV-FM radio.

Peter's awards include the Dr. Howard Leyton-Brown bow award, the Director's Gold Medal from the Conservatory of Performing Arts in Regina and a third prize in the Chamber Music category of the National Music Festival with The Cosbey Trio. As the winner of the Regina Musical Club's Recital Competition for 2006, Peter will be performing a recital in Regina with pianist Mariko Kamachi on January 6, 2007.

Peter began teaching at the Conservatory of Performing Arts in Regina at 17 years of age. As well as teaching children and adult beginners, Peter has had experience coaching chamber groups at summer courses at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and the Regina Summer String Workshop.

Tim FitzGerald, Double Bass Tim FitzGerald was a member of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra for over 15 years and formerly played with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra London.

Over the past several years Tim has composed and performed vocal settings, in various styles, of Bahá'í Sacred text. Other performing interests include jazz bass, traditional Irish music and singing: in chorus and as soloist, often for groups of children. His own two daughters, Julie and Zoë, have reached the ages of 20 and 30 in spite of being subjected to many of these performances early on.

This is Tim's fourth season with Canadian Sinfonietta.

Stephen Tam, flute Canadian flautist Stephen Tam is the First-Prize Winner of the 2003 CBC/Radio-Canada National Competition for Young Performers. He has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic, the Banff Festival Orchestra, the University of Toronto Symphony, the Toronto Senior Strings and the Etobicoke Philharmonic, and has been heard as a soloist and chamber musician on numerous occasions nationwide on CBC Radio.

As an orchestral flautist, Stephen currently serves as principal flute with the Canadian Sinfonietta and the Toronto Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, and has served as principal flute in the Manhattan School of Music Symphony and Chamber Sinfonia. As a member of the Asian Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, he toured Canada, United States, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Japan. Also active as a chamber musician, Stephen has been a guest performer with the Duke Trio, the Riverdale Ensemble and the contemporary music group Toca Loca. He has also been invited to participate at the University of Toronto's New Music Festival, the Ottawa Valley Music Festival, and the Northern Lights Music Festival in Ajijic, Mexico.

Before moving to Toronto from his native Hong Kong, Stephen swept virtually every prize awarded to a flautist in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, including the Commercial Radio Prize. He was also the winner of the 1992 South China Morning Post Student Musician of the Year. While in his teens, Stephen was chosen to record for RTHK Radio 4's Young Music Makers series and to perform in the inaugural public concert held at the Hong Kong Government House.

Stephen holds the Master of Music in Orchestral Performance degree and the Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music, where he was a student of Jeanne Baxtresser and Michael Parloff. He also studied with Douglas Stewart at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music in Performance with Honours. In the past years, Stephen was awarded numerous scholarships including The Chalmers Award, The Women's Musical Club of Toronto Centennial Scholarship and the Manhattan School of Music's President's Award.

Kaye Royer, clarinet Kaye Royer was born in Canada and has performed in orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout Canada, the United States, England and Italy, and as a soloist in concertos by composers such as Mozart, Weber, R. Strauss, Finzi, Dubois and Ronald Royer.

Kaye currently holds the position of principal clarinet with the Toronto Sinfonietta, Brantford Symphony, Canadian Sinfonietta and the Scarborough Philharmonic. She also performs regularly with Niagara Symphony, Oshawa-Durham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestras Mississauga and Niagara-on-the-Lake Sinfonia.

Also active as a chamber musician, Kaye has enjoyed performances on the Les AMIS concert series, the Chamber Music Society of Mississauga, and the Niagara International Chamber Music Series. Her principal teachers include Avrahm Galper, Toronto; Stephen Pierce, London, England; James Kanter, Los Angeles; John Bruce Yeh and Larry Combs, Chicago.

Kaye also enjoys an active recording career, having worked on the soundtracks of such films as "Prisma", "The Dog", and "The Happy Couple" as well as the Compact Discs, "The Storyteller's Bag" and Toronto Sinfonietta's "Romancing Chopin" on which she performed as a soloist. She has also been heard on radio broadcasts on stations CJRT, CFMX, and throughout Canada on CBC 1 and 2.

Thomas Cosbey, violin Canadian violinist Thomas Cosbey began his career in Regina as a member of the Regina Symphony Orchestra and later served as Principal Second Violin of Sinfonia Toronto. Mr. Cosbey has been featured as soloist with the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, and Sinfonia Toronto, and has collaborated in concert with Gwen Hoebig, Paul Katz, Marc Durand, Steve Dann, and others.

He has been broadcast often on CBC Radio, most recently with bassoonist Stéphane Lévesque. Prize-winner at the National Music Festival, Mr. Cosbey has also claimed top prizes at numerous other competitions, including the Saskatchewan Concerto Competition, the Saskatchewan Provincial Music Festival, and the Dr. Howard Leyton-Brown Bow Competition. Mr. Cosbey holds a Performance Diploma from the Glenn Gould School, where he studied with Erika Raum; he has also worked with, among others, Pinchas Zukerman, Lorand Fenyves, Mark Fewer, Claude Richard, and Yehonatan Berick.

Mr. Cosbey is currently Concert Master of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra.