Our Faculty

Adora Wong is a violinist, music teacher, and early childhood educator. She was inspired by her years serving as a Violin and Viola Teaching Artist with Sistema New Brunswick, a social-development music program that aims to inspire children and youth to reach their full potential through learning and performing orchestral music. Adora is always looking for innovative ways to inspire learning and has published articles on accessible music and learning environments for the Canadian Journal of Autism Equity, The Plough Magazine, and the Autistic Professional Network.

David Barber has spent the last 15 years being a sideman and has toured with artists including Colin James, The Chieftains, Barney Bentall, Dallas Smith, Chad Brownlee, Aaron Prichett, Aaron Goodvin and many more! He also played banjo on the 4x Platinum hit, Two Heads, by Coleman Hell.

Jeff Andrew is a guitarist, fiddler and singer-songwriter with 3 albums to date, hundreds of shows performed across Canada and dozens of festival appearances. He began playing guitar at age 13 and spent his high school years playing classic rock, blues and metal in a series of bands before discovering folk music in his early 20s.

Kirby Barber has been teaching Guitar, Bass, Songwriting, and children’s group music classes for the past 15 years. A graduate of the music program at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Kirby teaches a variety of styles including Pop, Rock, Blues, Bluegrass, Folk, and Country and enjoys creating lessons that are fun, diverse, and well suited to fit each student’s musical goals.

Megan has been playing the piano ever since the age of 5, and her passion for performing and discovering other aspects of music has grown ever since.

Olivia Walsh began her cello studies at the age of 4 with the Society for Talent Education in Edmonton, Alberta. After years of study in the Suzuki Method, she went on to pursue a degree in performance at the University of Alberta, studying with Tanya Prochazka.

Yanti received her Bachelor of Arts & Psychology from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, on a music scholarship. Since then, she has performed locally in many different combos and venues, from jazz standards to rock ballads.

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Specializing in beginner pianists of all ages, Donna is a lifelong learner, loving mother, and brand new grandmother. She has lived across Canada, beginning in the vibrant and cultural metropolis of Montreal, where she earned her music degrees majoring in concert performance at McGill University.

Joe Wadden is excited to return to the faculty at PAMDA!

An alumnus of the local Pen Hi Music Program, the Grant MacEwan Jazz Studies program, and the prestigious St.F.X. Jazz program, Joe has played in all styles of bands over the years and brings a wealth of top-tier academic and real-world experience to his students. He covers a wide range of musical styles, including contemporary rock drumming and traditional Pipe Band styles.

An experienced educator, Joe has taught army cadets and high school band students who have gone on to achieve scholarships for higher education. He also loves working with adult students who have always wanted to play the drums and are finally ready to pick up the sticks. Joe focuses on building solid foundational rudiments and technique while keeping lessons engaging, encouraging, and fun.

Whether working with absolute beginners or experienced players of any age, Joe is dedicated to helping every student find their groove and is looking forward to welcoming both new and returning students back for the upcoming year.

Lucy’s musical journey spans more than 40 years and is as diverse as it is rewarding. A multi-instrumentalist specializing in clarinet, saxophone, and flute, she has performed and recorded with an array of ensembles—from orchestras and big bands to musical theatre companies.

Music instruction has been a focus since 2009, from sharing the gift of music making for fun at any age through to preparing students for college and orchestra auditions/concerto performances, and examinations with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Now based in West Kelowna, Lucy and her family moved to the valley from the UK in 2011. Since then she has been an active performer with many groups including the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, BC Interior Jazz Festival Band, Windjammers Woodwind Quintet, and Aleluia Ringers Handbell choir to name a few. In addition to private lessons, she has spent time with groups through school band clinics, section workshops with the clarinet sections of the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Kelowna City Concert Band.

Lucy also understands firsthand the joys and challenges of learning something new, most recently through her studies of the cello, and (as a nod to her Scottish heritage) the bagpipes.

Mia has a Bachelor of Music in Opera from UBC, an Artist Diploma from the Vancouver Academy of Music and an Opera Diploma from the University of Toronto. She has participated in some of Canada’s most prestigious summer training programs for young singers and worked with top teachers and coaches from Canada and the United States. She has been the recipient of many scholarships and bursaries.

Kelowna-based violinist Sandra Wilmot is much in demand as a teacher, performer, and clinician. She has been teaching group and private violin lessons since 2002 and many of her students play regularly with the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra (OSYO), participate in the Kelowna Kiwanis Music Festival, and some have gone on to pursue music at the post-secondary level.

Zeena Zaiyouna is an orchestral conductor, oboist, pianist, clinician and educator. Together with a Master of Lifelong Learning (M.Ed.) from Denmark and a degree in oboe performance from Queen’s University, Zeena has served as the Assistant Conductor of the Ontario Pops Orchestra and has taught music and performance at all levels of the school system. This includes directing the Symphonic Band for the Canadian Independent Music School Festival (2019) at Roy Thomson Hall.

The craft of acting has always been a passion and a calling for Chantal. After taking drama classes throughout elementary school, Chantal was accepted into the drama programme at Canterbury High School for The Performing Arts in Ottawa, Ontario. She then continued her studies in Theatre at The University of Ottawa, where she graduated with a B.A. with a Concentration in Theatre.

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Marlene is a distinguished music educator, musician, and music studio owner. Marlene has been teaching for over 40 years. The language of music has always been a part of her being, and it is a passion that she loves to impart to others.

Nicholas Kelly is a Penticton-based composer who draws inspiration from speculative fiction, science, and nature. He has been commended by the Vancouver Sun for his “sophisticated work of such immediate, glittery appeal” and called “a rising star in the constellation of Canadian composers” by Oregon Arts Watch.

Music has been a part of Tanya’s life since she was a young child. Her parents exposed her to all sorts of musical experiences from live symphonies to pop concerts and she began playing music herself from the age of 6. Throughout Tanya’s life she has played many instruments before finally choosing the violin as her main music focus.