Meet Our Staff
Meet Our Staff
Artistic Staff
Conductors
Brenda Zadorsky
Amabile Youth Singers - Soprano/Alto, Prima
Brenda (B. Mus. Hons., B. Ed, A. Mus W.C.A.M) is the founding Artistic Director of Amabile Youth Singers, Prima: Amabile Women’s Choir, and the Amabile Chamber Choir. She is in demand as a voice teacher, clinician, adjudicator, and consultant. As well as being inducted into the London Music Hall of Fame, Brenda was inducted into Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music Wall of Fame in 2015. Her extensive career as a music consultant and teacher with both the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board spans 35 years. At Western University, Brenda taught music education methodology and received several awards for outstanding teaching. She is currently principal and vocal teacher for the Zadorsky School of Music. Brenda’s passion for choral excellence and joyful mentoring of singers has been integral to the growth of Amabile from 1 choir in 1985 to 9 choirs and 3 ensembles today.
Carol Beynon
Primus
Dr. Carol Beynon is professor emerita from the University of Western Ontario where she served as professor of choral music education and in several senior administrative roles, including Associate Vice Provost of the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Dean of the Faculty of Education, and Associate Dean (Education). She is the founding co-artistic director of the Amabile Boys & Men’s Choirs (ABMC) of London, Canada, and under her direction, the Choirs have toured internationally and have been consistent winners in Canada’s national competition for choirs. The choirs have been invited to perform for national meetings of the International Society for Choral Music (IFCM), the American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA), and Choral Canada. Carol’s research focuses on vocal development, specifically with expanding male-identifying male voices as well as investigating the significant impact of singing on persons with dementia. She is the lead editor/author of The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing, Vol II: Education; Learning to Teach (Pearson), and co-editor/author of Critical Perspectives in Canadian Music Education. Carol’s accomplishments have been recognized with several awards for outstanding university teaching; the Woman of Excellence in Arts, Culture and Heritage in London & Middlesex and as an inductee to the “Alumni Wall of Fame” at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western
Jacquelyn Norman
Junior Amabile Singers, Prima
Jackie is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario Faculty of Music and Faculty of Education. She received her Kodály Certification from the university. In 1991, she joined the Junior Amabile Singers as a vocal coach and assumed the position of conductor the following year; she is the founding conductor of the Amabile Da Capo Choir. This season, Jackie is in her inaugural season as co-conductor of Prima, Amabile’s Women’s Choir. At the most recent Western Alumni Awards of Distinction, Ms. Norman was instated to The Don Wright Faculty of Music Wall of Fame. Jackie is recently retired from the Thames Valley District School Board where she taught for 32 years as an Elementary Teacher and Junior-Intermediate Music Specialist. Her school choirs received numerous awards including first place in the Ontario Provincial Music Festival and the Florine Després Plaque and Scholarship for the top under 12 choir in the National Music Festival.
Jeff Beynon
Amabile Treble Concert Choir, Amabile Youth Singers - Tenor/Bass
Jeffrey Beynon is a founding member of the Amabile Boys & Men’s Choirs and also the co-conductor of the Amabile Treble Concert Choir. Under his leadership, the Amabile Youth Singers - Tenor/Bass have toured internationally and won several competitions, including the Choral Canada National Competition for Equal-Voice Choirs. Jeff holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Western Ontario and is currently the Principal of Montcalm Secondary School in Thames Valley School District. Prior to this position, he served as an administrator in TVDSB, and taught at Medway High School, where he continued the traditions of choral excellence established there by his own high school choral mentor, Ken Fleet.
Mark Payne
Amabile Youth Singers - Tenor/Bass, Primus
Currently living in London, Ontario, Mark is a native Newfoundlander, equally at home on the stage or in the studio, singing, playing, conducting, composing and arranging. In addition to multiple degrees in classical piano performance, he has performed as a soloist and collaborator throughout Canada and the US. Mark was the resident opera coach at Western University for 10 years, and has worked as vocal coach and repetiteur for Pacific Opera Victoria, Calgary Opera and the Merola Opera Program. He has been the resident Musical Director at the Victoria Playhouse Petrolia since 2011, where he arranges the music for the entire 6-show season, rehearses the casts, and performs in most of the shows. His broad vocal and pianistic skills span every conceivable genre – classical, jazz, pop, opera, folk and country, to name but a few. He co-conducts and writes many choral arrangements for Primus Amabile Men’s Choir in London. As an arranger, Mark has orchestrated and performed “The Crooner” with Michael Vanhevel, as well as his own “I Love A Piano” with several Canadian orchestras, and, most recently, with “Encore” the concert band, here in London. Mark is thrilled to have recently had the first two of his own choral arrangements “Fish In The Sea” and “Demain des l’aube” (written for Amabile) published by Cypress Press!
John Vermue
Amabile Treble Training Choir
John is proud to serve as co-conductor of the Treble Training Choir. He is a graduate of Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music, and Griffith University’s Education program. He has taught music in multiple secondary schools, as well as private voice studios, and currently teaches vocal and instrumental music at Saint André Bessette Secondary School in London. John has been singing with the choir since its beginnings in 1990.
Lydia Kendell
Amabile Treble Training Choir
Lydia graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. She is a teacher with the Thames Valley District School Board, starting her career teaching strings at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School in London. She is currently the department head of music at Medway High School where vocal music is her main focus. She loves to be part of a choir and to get others excited about singing. Lydia is honoured to be part of the Amabile family and co-conduct the Treble Concert Choir.
Tammy Rees
Amabile Da Capo Choir, Junior Amabile Singers
Tammy Rees is a founding member of the Amabile Youth Singers. She is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, and Griffith University’s Master of Teaching Program. Tammy also holds a performance certificate from Trinity College, England in Voice. Tammy has collaborated with all of the Amabile choirs over the years in various capacities: singer, manager, executive, and board member. Tammy is currently a Music Educator with TVDSB. She has performed and managed many different choirs, sung with various orchestras, and worked with many wonderful conductors and composers throughout her career. Tammy is also working at the Faculty of Education, U.W.O., as part of the “Master Teacher Mentor” program for new teachers. She is incredibly humbled to continue her musical journey as part of the Amabile artistic staff with the beloved organization that helped shape the person and musician she is today.
Katrina Zadorsky
Amabile Youth Singers - Soprano/Alto
Katrina is a graduate of the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University. She is a music teacher for the Thames Valley District School Board where she is currently teaching vocal and piano keyboarding at Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts. In addition, Katrina has taught private vocal lessons both at the Victoria Academy of Music and her home studio. She was a member of the Amabile Youth Singers, Prima and the Amabile Chamber Choir for many years. Katrina has competed and performed with many choirs both nationally and internationally. One such highlight was being invited to sing for the New World Consort Choir in Italy. Katrina has performed with orchestras and numerous world renowned conductors and composers. She is proud and honoured to serve as the co-conductor of the Amabile Youth Singers.
Danielle Sirek
Amabile Treble Training Choir
An engaging and dynamic music educator, Danielle Sirek (BMus, MMus, PhD) has been working in choral music education for over 20 years. Her diverse international experience as a teacher, singer, and researcher has taken her across Canada and beyond, with extended music education work in the UK and in Grenada, West Indies. Dr. Sirek is Assistant Professor of Arts Education at Western University, where she teaches music and arts education courses in the teacher education program. She believes in the capacity of the arts to build and strengthen community, and is actively engaged in arts in/as activism and community-engaged arts education as a singer, teacher, and scholar. In addition to her teaching and scholarly work, Dr. Sirek also sings professionally with the Juno-nominated Canadian Chamber Choir, locally with Chor Amica, and is Associate Artistic Director of the Windsor Choral Festival.
Rachel Wohlgemut
Amabile Da Capo Choir, Junior Amabile Singers
Rachel is delighted to be the conductor for the Amabile Da Capo Choir and the accompanist for the Junior Amabile Singers. Rachel sang with Amabile for 10 years before heading off to Western University to pursue Music Education. She has an ARCT in Piano Performance and studied piano under the direction of Dr. Stéphan Sylvestre. Rachel completed her Bachelor of Education with specialties in Music and French and is currently working at West Oaks French Immersion where she teaches Grade 3/4 Classroom.
Accompanists
Rosemary Bannerman
Amabile Treble Concert Choir
Rosemary Bannerman is a retired vocal and instrumental music teacher and a two time recipient of the Thames Valley District School Board Award of Distinction. Currently, she is the music director at Caradoc Presbyterian Church and teaches private piano and vocal lessons. She has enjoyed being part of the Amabile team for more than 20 years.
Debbie Grigg
Amabile Youth Singers - TB, Primus
Debbie Grigg is a graduate of Western University with BMus and Masters in Music Performance. Past music teaching placements include Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India, Crofton House School in Vancouver, various schools in the Thames Valley District School Board as well as choral conducting in church and community settings, Debbie is presently working solely as a collaborative pianist in the London area, primarily at Western University.
Tristin Hill
Amabile Treble Training Choir, Amabile Treble Concert Choir
Tristin holds a degree in business from Western University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He was a member of the Amabile Choirs for 14 years and accompanist of the Treble Training Choir for the past nine. He recognizes the importance of a chorister’s first few years within the organization and is grateful for the opportunity to work with Amabile’s youngest and most energetic musicians.
Hayoon Kim
Amabile Youth Singers - SA, Prima
Hayoon holds both a Bachelor and Masters degrees in Music and a Bachelors in Education from Western University. She is currently a DMA candidate at Western University in the Collaborative Piano program, and also works as an occasional teacher with TVDSB. Hayoon shares her love of music by working with choirs and accompanying at music festivals, music exams, and churches. Hayoon joined Amabile in 2015, and has had wonderful opportunities touring Europe in summers of 2016 and 2019 with the Amabile Young Women’s Ensemble.
Rebecca Lubos
Amabile Da Capo Choir
Rebecca welcomes the opportunity to play for the Amabile Da Capo Choir. She is a graduate of Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music and has been involved with the Amabile Choirs organization for over 30 years as a singer, accompanist, and choral assistant. She has been a collaborative pianist in the London area in a wide range of roles, and an accompanist for the choirs at St. Mary Choir & Orchestra school in London for over 20 years.
Administrative Staff
Wade Baillie
Bookkeeper
Wade has been singing with Amabile since he was 15 years old. He has tried his hand at many roles in the organization, from Choir Manager to Board Chair. At present, he is the bookkeeper for the choirs. He would like to thank the Choir Treasurers for their time and efforts and all the volunteers that keep Amabile moving forward. He also spends way too much time sorting and cataloging the boys and men’s music.
Aaron Lee
Executive Coordinator
Aaron has been a member of Amabile Primus for over a decade and holds a PhD in music composition from the University of Western Ontario. In addition to his work as a music educator and freelance composer, Aaron assists with and coordinates various administrative tasks for the Amabile Choirs of London, Canada and manages the choirs’ digital presence and social media.