Louise Lui completed her B.A. and B.Sc. at the University of Melbourne, Australia. During her time there, she also completed her A. Mus. A (Piano) from the Australian Music Examinations Board. After moving to Canada, she obtained her B.Ed. and M.Ed from York University, Toronto. Louise also holds specialist certificates in Orff, and Vocal Music (P/J), as well as a graduate diploma in Early Childhood Education. 

Louise is an experienced elementary teacher at Denlow Public School with the Toronto District School Board where she teaches Kindergarten to Grade 5 Music. Her ensembles compete regularly at local and provincial music festivals. In June 2023, Louise's choir won First Place at the Ontario Music Festival Association Provincial Finals. Her groups have been featured on all of Toronto’s major stages including Massey Hall, Roy Thomson Hall and Meridian Arts Centre. They have also been showcased at provincial and national conferences hosted by Ontario Music Educators’ Association and Carl Orff Canada. From 2016 -2021, Louise worked as an Associate Conductor with the Toronto Children’s Chorus, teaching KinderNotes and several Training Choirs. Apart from teaching children, Louise also enjoys her role as an Teacher Educator in Orff Additional Qualification courses for Ontario teachers,  in partnership with the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Louise enjoys reading, watching detective shows, and spending time with her family and her two cats.

Linda Song has a B. Music from McGill University, B. Ed. from Tyndale University and specialized certificates in Early Childhood Music Education (ECMA), Musikgarten, Orff Schulwerk, and Kodály Pedagogy from Emory University, University of British Columbia, Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) and Ryerson University, along with Dalcroze training at the RCM.

Linda is a passionate and dedicated music educator. She was an associate conductor with the Toronto Children’s Chorus, Mississauga Children’s Choir, and the Canadian Children’s Opera Company. Linda has been a faculty member at the RCM for over 20 years, teaching in various programs and classes including the Learning Through the Arts programs for all ages. Linda teaches at the Claude Watson School for the Arts as a music and French Specialist. As a consummate music educator, she has presented workshops as a clinician for TDSB, CAMMAC, Suzuki Schools, Junior and Senior Treble Festivals, OMEA and the Early Childhood Association in Hungary.  She is an instructor for the Kodály and Orff teacher training levels courses as part of the Advanced Certification in ECMA in partnership with the RCM and Ryerson University.  Linda is also an instructor for the Vocal Music Additional Qualification (AQ) courses for Ontario teachers in partnership with the RCM, University of Toronto (OISE) and various school boards.

Linda enjoys watching movies with her family and cuddling with Tinkerbell, her little Yorkie.

Chris Mann is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, holds a B. A. Honours in Sociology from York University and a M.A. in Child Study and Education from OISE, University of Toronto.

Chris is an accomplished educator. She recently retired after working with children in the Toronto District School Board for over twenty years. Chris started at TDSB as an Educational Assistant and then became a classroom teacher in the gifted program at Denlow Public School where she taught for seventeen years. During her time at Denlow, Chris headed many extracurricular activities. She facilitated mathematics contests, was part of the coaching team for the Robotics Club and led the Ecoschool committee to Platinum status. She is especially proud of environmental initiatives that have resulted in school-wide waste reduction practises and improvements in the school grounds.

Chris enjoys singing with VOCA Chorus, travelling (especially when it is to visit her family) and curling up with a good book. She is delighted to be a part of the Songbird team.

Sherry Chen holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a specialization in Music Education from the University of Toronto. She is an accomplished collaborative pianist and dedicated educator, currently teaching piano at her home studio and working with a diverse range of musicians.

Inspired by her mother, a choir conductor and collaborative pianist, Sherry began playing the piano at the age of six and developed a deep connection with choral music. Her passion for teaching and nurturing young musicians was ignited during her time as a collaborative pianist and choir assistant at Yip’s Children’s Choir, where she discovered the joy of inspiring children through music.

With a commitment to both her teaching career and collaborative work, Sherry continues to share her love for music with students and colleagues alike. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, working out, and exploring various sports.

Bailey Grineage started studying music at the age of five with piano lessons in her hometown of Dresden, Ontario. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education with Honours (2017) and a Master of Arts in Music Education (2022) from the University of Toronto. Additionally, she holds a diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music and certifications in Suzuki Piano, Kodály, and Orff methods. She is currently working towards an advanced specialization in Early Childhood Music Education at Toronto Metropolitan University and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Bailey teaches on the Early Childhood Music (Smart Start) faculty at the Royal Conservatory of Music and is an active studio teacher, teaching private piano lessons across various neighbourhoods in Toronto. She is dedicated to fostering a lifelong love of music in students through a holistic approach to music education and is excited to be joining the NTS team as an intern.

When she’s not teaching, Bailey enjoys spending time with her cat, making macramé bracelets, and playing the concertina.

Hyunjung Kim started playing the piano when she was only three years old and quickly found a love for the instrument. She spends most of her life surrounded by music. Hyunjung graduated with BMus from Dongduk Women’s University in 2008 and enrolled in the MMus program at Kyunghee University in 2009 (Seoul, Korea). She was an outstanding student and won many in-school competitions. After settling in Canada with her husband and two daughters, Hyunjung continues to share her love of music through teaching and through performances for her community. She is a member of Ensemble VIDA.

Hyunjung has extensive experience as a solo pianist, as well as a collaborative pianist. She collaborates with choirs and various instrumentalists. She is also the director of a worship band and has arranged a variety of pieces for its performances. She is excited to continue her musical journey and share the joy of music by joining the NTS team this season. In her spare time, Hyunjung loves to watch movies and animations with her daughters. She particularly enjoys playing movie soundtracks on the piano for them.

Coming from a family of music lovers, Helen started taking piano lessons when she was six. She is currently studying at Tyndale University, doing double majors in English and Piano Performance. Her program at Tyndale has given her many performance opportunities, such as playing in the worship band during weekly chapels, and playing at Tyndale community events. This year, she will be joining the Tyndale Community Choir as a singer and a pianist, under the mentorship of Dr. Joy Lee. Helen has worked with children in a variety of settings and is excited to join the NTS team as an Junior Intern Collaborative Pianist for the 2024-2025 season.

Her hobbies are exactly what you would expect of a Music and English major: playing music, listening to music, singing, writing, and reading. She also loves playing volleyball, cuddling with her cats, and playing long board games.

Canadian pianist Joy Lee enjoys a multi-faceted career as a collaborative pianist, teacher, soloist, and scholar. Joy holds a MMus (University of Toronto) in solo piano and her love of the voice and its literature led her to collaborative piano studies at the University of Michigan with Martin Katz (MMus). She is currently in the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) program in Collaborative Piano at the University of Toronto where she works with the MacMillan Singers, holds several TA positions and works with singers as a voice coach.

Serving as a piano faculty at Tyndale University, Joy also performs with the Tyndale Community Choir.  Joy is a winner of the prestigious 2018 Gwendolyn Williams Koldofsky Prize. Soprano Maeve Palmer and Joy Lee, voice-piano duo earned second-prize in the 2017 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition and, under its auspices, were invited to tour four Canadian cities sharing their passion for contemporary music. Their latest performance of Nicole Lizée’s Malfunctionlieder was featured on Press Play, Episode 10 by Continuum Contemporary Music (May 20, 2021).

Joy is very excited to be a part of this team of passionate and excellent teachers and musicians. She looks forward to welcoming songbirds of all ages and flying with them on their musical journey.

Joy is currently on a leave from NTS.

Tony Nguyen completed his B.A. in Music at York University, where he majored in clarinet performance and orchestral conducting. He then received his B.Ed. from York University, and recently obtained his Specialist qualifications in Primary/Junior Vocal music, with an emphasis on Orff pedagogy.

Tony is able to combine his passions for music, teaching, technology, and reading everyday at work. He currently teaches at Westcreek Public School in Pickering, as part of the Durham District School Board. He sees over 500 students a week as the Kindergarten to Grade 8 music teacher, where he is working on creating a new Orff program for the younger students, and rebuilding the instrumental band program for the older students. Tony was formerly a performing member, composer, and instructor with Nagata Shachu, a Japanese taiko drumming ensemble based in Scarborough for 11 years, and has recently joined the North Toronto Community Band as a clarinettist.

During his spare time, Tony enjoys playing video games and learning new recipes to develop his cooking skills. He is so thrilled to join the NTS team as an intern, and looks forward to singing and working with everyone!

Tony is currently on a leave from NTS.

Fletcher Planert completed his B. Music and B. Ed in the Queen’s University Concurrent Education program. While at school, he specialized in Vocal Music & Music Pedagogy. Most recently, he has been inspired by his study of the Orff approach and is excited to continue broadening his Music teaching skill set. 

Fletcher’s career has taken him through a variety of Music teaching adventures. Since 2013 he has taught Music in public, private, and international schools from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. His programs have always focused around the use of the voice and body, but have also included Orff, Guitar, Ukulele, Drumming, Strings, and Wind Instruments. He also runs co-curricular clubs on Music Production, Rock & Roll, and Musical Theatre. Most recently, he has been thrilled to offer an enrichment club where students work on learning the fundamentals of improvisation based on the teachings of Barry Harris. He can be found passionately teaching all of the above at The Rosedale Day School in Toronto. 

When he is not working Fletcher enjoys dabbling with new instruments, writing songs, and studying the Barry Harris Method. He also enjoys cooking, yoga, kettlebells, and comedy. 

Fletcher is thrilled to be joining NTS as an Assistant Conductor, and is honoured to be a part of this community! 

Ruth Wang began her musical journey at the age of six with the violin. She picked up the piano at the age of seven. At the age of nine, Ruth started singing with the Toronto Children’s Chorus and graduated from their Chamber Choir when she was eighteen.

Ruth has a BA Hons. in Educational Studies, and is currently in her final year of her Bachelor of Education at York University. She began working with children in summer camps in 2014. She has worked with children in many contexts such as being a Conductor’s Assistant with the Toronto Children’s Chorus and at North Toronto Songbirds, being a private music instructor, and working at Community Life Christian Summer Camp, as well as the Community Music Schools of Toronto Regent Park Camps. 

In her spare time, Ruth loves to improvise and sing while playing either the piano or the guitar. She also loves to draw and tries to spend as much time as possible going outdoors with her friends.

Ruth is looking forward to being the Junior Intern at NTS and continuing her musical journey with Ms. Lui and Mrs. Song for the 2024-2025 season.