Mentors

An active teacher, adjudicator, lecturer, recorded artist, and published author, Mary C. J. Byrne (Ph.D) is internationally respected for her wide-ranging work as a flute-in-hand musician and teacher. With the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Camosun College, and her own Piccolino Studio, she boasts thriving studios and classrooms of students at all ages and
stages of musical interest. She is a regular performer with the Victoria Symphony.
Without borders or boundaries, she eagerly performs chamber, solo, and small orchestra music for the full flute family. Mary is in demand as lecturer and writer on topics of music and as leader of music-tourism. She earned B.Mus. in Flute Performance and Music Education and M.Mus. in Flute Performance degrees from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Victoria, specializing in pedagogy and
performance practice of the flutists at the Paris Conservatoire during the 19 th and 20 th
centuries.
stages of musical interest. She is a regular performer with the Victoria Symphony.
Without borders or boundaries, she eagerly performs chamber, solo, and small orchestra music for the full flute family. Mary is in demand as lecturer and writer on topics of music and as leader of music-tourism. She earned B.Mus. in Flute Performance and Music Education and M.Mus. in Flute Performance degrees from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Victoria, specializing in pedagogy and
performance practice of the flutists at the Paris Conservatoire during the 19 th and 20 th
centuries.

Melissa Goodchild is an active teacher and freelance clarinetist and bass clarinetist, in Victoria, British Columbia. She performs music for solo clarinet, chamber groups, and music for large ensembles. She has been a clarinet instructor at the University of Victoria for the 2021-2022 term. In 2019 she joined the faculty of the Victoria Conservatory of Music and enjoys teaching students of all ages in private as well as group settings including chamber music, clinics for schools, and adjudicating for music festivals across Canada.
She received her Bachelors of Music from the University of Windsor and also studied at Western University where she earned her Artist Diploma in Clarinet Performance and Master of Music in Performance and Literature. After completing her studies in London, Ontario in 2008 she moved to Edmonton, Alberta where she taught at the Alberta College Conservatory of Music.
In 2012 she moved to Saskatoon Saskatchewan where she held the position of Second Clarinet with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra until May 2018. While in Saskatchewan Melissa collaborated with percussionist Kevin Grady, and together they continue to perform repertoire including contemporary works with a special interest in, but not limited to, Canadian compositions. As a duo Kevin and Melissa were artists-in-residence for the Prairie Wind & Silver Sage museum in Val Marie, Saskatchewan and at the Banff Centre for the Arts winter residency in 2018. In July 2018 the Duo performed at ClarinetFest in Ostend, Belgium. In Saskatoon she performed in the Strata New Music Festival, was a featured soloist with the Saskatoon Serenade, the Saskatoon Concert Band, and the clarinet choir Reedy, Set, Go!
Students in Melissa’s studio enjoy opportunities to perform in festivals, masterclasses, recitals, and ensembles. They are welcomed into a supportive community where learning through curiosity is encouraged.
She received her Bachelors of Music from the University of Windsor and also studied at Western University where she earned her Artist Diploma in Clarinet Performance and Master of Music in Performance and Literature. After completing her studies in London, Ontario in 2008 she moved to Edmonton, Alberta where she taught at the Alberta College Conservatory of Music.
In 2012 she moved to Saskatoon Saskatchewan where she held the position of Second Clarinet with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra until May 2018. While in Saskatchewan Melissa collaborated with percussionist Kevin Grady, and together they continue to perform repertoire including contemporary works with a special interest in, but not limited to, Canadian compositions. As a duo Kevin and Melissa were artists-in-residence for the Prairie Wind & Silver Sage museum in Val Marie, Saskatchewan and at the Banff Centre for the Arts winter residency in 2018. In July 2018 the Duo performed at ClarinetFest in Ostend, Belgium. In Saskatoon she performed in the Strata New Music Festival, was a featured soloist with the Saskatoon Serenade, the Saskatoon Concert Band, and the clarinet choir Reedy, Set, Go!
Students in Melissa’s studio enjoy opportunities to perform in festivals, masterclasses, recitals, and ensembles. They are welcomed into a supportive community where learning through curiosity is encouraged.

Amaya Sydor (they/them) is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Victoria studying classical bass trombone performance. They moved to Victoria in 2021 to study under Scott MacInnes, and has been busy establishing themself as a member of the island’s musical community.
Amaya has played with groups such as the Vancouver Island Symphony and the Palm Court Light Orchestra, as well as with the Festive Brass quartet at the Butchart Gardens through December. They are also an active member of the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra and mentors younger trombone students within the ensemble.
Amaya was pleased to be a selected winner of the 2022 UVic concerto competition, and performed Elizabeth Raum’s bass trombone concerto with the UVic Wind Symphony and Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy in February of 2022. Amaya is from Brandon, Manitoba, and they studied bass trombone with Dr. Aaron Wilson at Brandon University throughout high school, and hopes to pass on that invaluable experience to younger musicians through teaching and mentoring whenever the opportunity arises.
Amaya has played with groups such as the Vancouver Island Symphony and the Palm Court Light Orchestra, as well as with the Festive Brass quartet at the Butchart Gardens through December. They are also an active member of the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra and mentors younger trombone students within the ensemble.
Amaya was pleased to be a selected winner of the 2022 UVic concerto competition, and performed Elizabeth Raum’s bass trombone concerto with the UVic Wind Symphony and Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy in February of 2022. Amaya is from Brandon, Manitoba, and they studied bass trombone with Dr. Aaron Wilson at Brandon University throughout high school, and hopes to pass on that invaluable experience to younger musicians through teaching and mentoring whenever the opportunity arises.

Samuel He He was born in 1994 in Victoria BC and began piano at age 6 and clarinet at age 11. He is the winner of the 2017 BC Provincial Festival for senior woodwinds, a prize winner with the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society, and has been awarded a number of honors and scholarships, most notably the prestigious British Columbia Graduate Scholarship. A full-time professional musician, Samuel is a member of the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy.
As a diverse musician, Samuel has attended festivals such as Domaine Forget, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute, and the Beijing International Music Festival Academy, and has performed in masterclasses for such musicians as Yehuda Gilad, Keith Adam Lipson, and Carlos Ferreira.
An alumni of the Harry Ainlay high school music program, Samuel continued with music into university and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Victoria and a masters degree from the University of British Columbia. His primary teachers include Patricia Kostek, Jose Franch-Ballester, Eric Abramovitz, and Sam Boutris.
In his free time Samuel enjoys playing video games, and between 2013-2015 was signed as a professional gamer for the premier American organization compLexity Gaming, a subsidiary of the Dallas Cowboys football team. In 2018, he was one of 12 North Americans to qualify to attend the Blade and Soul world championship qualifiers at ESL studios in Leicester, England, and in 2021 was awarded from hundreds of applicants a $10,000 USD esports scholarship+apprenticeship by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and YESports Hong Kong esports company.
As a diverse musician, Samuel has attended festivals such as Domaine Forget, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute, and the Beijing International Music Festival Academy, and has performed in masterclasses for such musicians as Yehuda Gilad, Keith Adam Lipson, and Carlos Ferreira.
An alumni of the Harry Ainlay high school music program, Samuel continued with music into university and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Victoria and a masters degree from the University of British Columbia. His primary teachers include Patricia Kostek, Jose Franch-Ballester, Eric Abramovitz, and Sam Boutris.
In his free time Samuel enjoys playing video games, and between 2013-2015 was signed as a professional gamer for the premier American organization compLexity Gaming, a subsidiary of the Dallas Cowboys football team. In 2018, he was one of 12 North Americans to qualify to attend the Blade and Soul world championship qualifiers at ESL studios in Leicester, England, and in 2021 was awarded from hundreds of applicants a $10,000 USD esports scholarship+apprenticeship by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and YESports Hong Kong esports company.