TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS

Ellen Annor-Adjei

DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER

The Academy Director and Founder Ellen Annor-Adjei studied piano from the age of five and subsequently attended the Musical College of Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. She has appeared in numerous recitals at the Arts & Letters Club, the Toronto Centre for the Arts, Glenn Gould Studio, and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Ms. Annor-Adjei has extensive teaching experience in Europe and North America. She was on the faculty of University Settlement Music and Arts School from 1996 to 2011 as well as continuing teaching privately and coaching chamber groups

Lesson prices are the same for all instruments.
There are no taxes on the music lessons.One of the important objectives of Musical Arts Academy is to provide students with a more well rounded musical education. We encourage our students to attend group classes which are very beneficial in the development of their musical education. We are also giving students opportunities to perform frequently in front of audiences. This sets goals for the individual students and helps them to develop self-confidence.

Roman Cooperman

MUSIC THEORY/PIANO

Roman Cooperman is a musician with 26 years of experience. He started his journey in music when he was 6 years old studying piano and percussion instruments at Central Music School (College) at Moscow State Conservatory. During that time, he worked in several symphonic orchestras performing high-level classical repertoire. Some of the highest points of his piano performance were Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano concerto, Grieg’s Piano concerto, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Poulenc’s Concerto for 2 pianos.

Early in his career, he started teaching piano and music theory, working with both beginner and advanced students, preparing them for exams.

The deep knowledge of theory and understanding of music, helped him to start making music for films in 2011. Since that time, he worked on several projects, including feature films, documentary movies and TV-series, short films, commercials, which brought him several awards and nominations.

In 2010, he started his acting career. Since that time, he got roles in about 25 projects, as well as dubbed over 200 movies, TV-series and video-games, including dubbing young Al Pacino in movie “Serpico”.

In 2021, he moved to Canada to continue his acting education, and in 2022, he continued working as a music theory and piano teacher.

Dr. Dany Nachman

PIANO

Dr. Dany Nachman holds a Bachelor of Music from McGill University in Montreal, a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the renowned Manhattan School of Music in New York. He has studied with Arkady Aronov, Dorothy Morton and Raymond Lewenthal, and has performed in masterclasses of Menahem Pressler, Anton Kuerti, Gary Graffman and John Browning. He has participated in the summer music festivals of Orford, Quebec and Parry Sound, Ontario. Dr. Nachman has performed numerous solo and chamber music recitals in New York City, Montreal’s Pollack Hall, Northern Ontario, Michigan and Indiana University in Bloomington. He was a featured soloist with the Sault Symphony Orchestra on a number of occasions, including performances of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, conducted by Dr. Elmer Iseler. More recently, as a member of Trio Capriccio, Trionto, as well as a piano quartet, he performed at the Royal Conservatory, the Arts and Letters Club, Women’s Art Association, Living Arts Center, Mississauga Central Library, McMichael Art Gallery, Northern District Library and Glendon College.

From 1991 to 2001, he was an adjunct professor of music at Algoma University College and a full time faculty member of the Algoma Conservatory of Music in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, teaching piano and courses in theory, history and music appreciation. He has given a number of masterclasses and has lectured in Algoma University’s Colloquium Series. He was the piano division coordinator for the Kiwanis Music Festival of Sault Ste. Marie from 1998 to 2001. He has taught at the Kingsway Conservatory and the Euromusic Center, and is an elementary teacher in the Peel District School Board. He has been an examiner for RCM Examinations since 2003.

Nathalie Tsoy

PIANO

Nathalie is a multi-faceted musician with 25 years of experience as apianist, and piano teacher.
Born in Uzbekistan, Nathalie is experienced music teacher steeped in classical traditions of Russian piano pedagogy. After acquiring Masters degree in conducting, Nathalie worked as music/pianoteacher, choir conductor and MC at concert halls introducing classical music performance to the audience.

Nathalie is currently serving as a First Vice-Present of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA) Newmarket and area branch.Her lessons are never solely practiced on technique and musicality. She loves to share her knowledge of classical music history, always tells her students about the composers, their life stories and styles. Nathalie prepares students for music exams, competitions and festivals. She also believes that for young musicians, stage experience and opportunity to perform in public is equally important as daily piano practice.

Nathalie’s students successfully compete in piano competitions (solo and duet categories) and festivals, including the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA), North York Music Festival, Unionville Music festival and many others.

Mark Thornley

GUITAR

While classically trained, Mark is well versed in all styles of the guitar – acoustic or electric, fingerstyle or plectrum, classical, jazz, pop, folk or country. He believes in working collaboratively with students to create learning programs that maximize their sense of engagement, achievement and joyful discovery.

Giorgi Byelov

VIOLIN, PIANO

Giorgi Byelov began studying violin and piano after immigrating from Ukraine at the age of six. After several years of tutelage under Svetlana Filippova, he made his international debut at the age of 11 in Germany.

The winner of several local and regional music competitions, Giorgi has 15 years of orchestra experience and has worked with orchestras and ensembles, premiered works, and given solo concerts across Europe and North America. He currently plays with the Kindred Spirits Orchestra in Markham. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree specializing in violin performance from Wilfred Laurier University, where he studied under Jeremy Bell and received coaching from the members of the Panderecki String Quartet. He also played in the WLSU orchestra and led his string quartet.

Giorgi graduated from the RCM piano program in 2013 and has been teaching music since 2014. He believes that focusing on developing a strong technical base can provide an optimal foundation for musical freedom and expression.

Simon Gidora

VIOLIN, PIANO, VOICE

Simon Gidora began his musical studies with violin at age 5, followed shortly by piano and voice. He received a BMus in Violin Performance with a minor in Orchestral Conducting from McGill University and is now continuing his studies in opera as a baritone under the tutelage of Jason Howard at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. An accomplished musician in multiple disciplines, Simon has received numerous awards including First Prize Chamber at the 2014 National Music Festival (as a violinist of the Forza Quartet), First Prize at the 2016 Barbara Clague Festival of Song (as a singer), and multiple recommendations to the provincial music festival in all three disciplines.

Simon has studied with some of Canada’s top musical pedagogues, including David Gillham, William van der Sloot, and Axel Strauss (for violin), Alan Corbishley, John mac Master, and Jason Howard (for voice), and Patricia Greenfield (for piano). Having previously trained in the Suzuki and RCM methods, Simon now takes a student-specific approach to teaching, working to help the student find physical freedom in their music making through the reduction of tension and a focus on sound production. Simon also cares deeply about the performance psychology side of music making, and specifically how to work to find efficiency and effectiveness in the practice room.

When not making or listening to music, Simon enjoys cooking, spending time in nature, and biking around Toronto (weather permitting).

Josh Cruddas

VOICE, DRAMA

At age 6, Josh Cruddas was the youngest radio host in Canada. Now, slightly older than 6 years old, he works as an actor, film music composer and teacher. Josh is best known for his role as Alexei in Netflix’s POLAR, opposite Mads Mikkelsen, Vanessa Hudgens and Johnny Knoxville. He was nominated for the ACTRA Award for Best Actor for his starring role in the American Civil War epic COPPERHEAD for Warner Bros alongside the late Peter Fonda. He’s also appeared in various TV shows including CARDINAL, MURDOCH MYSTERIES, PRIVATE EYES and 11/22/63 with James Franco. He popped up alongside Forest Whitaker and Theo James in Netflix’s HOW IT ENDS, and has played leading roles in various musicals and plays across Nova Scotia and Ontario. Upcoming, he’ll be recurring on Hulu’s FUTURE MAN with The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson, and he’ll be playing an iconic literary character in a new family TV show for a major streaming service.

Josh was extremely honoured to be nominated for Best Teacher at a major worldwide performing arts school’s awards in England in 2018, and is an honours graduate of Dalhousie University’s Acting Programme. He loves integrating theatre and music & balancing fun with a respect for the work and for fellow students. He hopes his students can know the same joy in performing and creating that he experienced as a young person.

Mykola Stadnyk

FLUTE, SAXOPHONE, CLARINET, TRUMPET

Mykola has over 25 years of professional experience as a musician and a teacher, as well as work experience in theatre, television and radio. He graduated with a master’s degree in performance from Tchaikovsky Kyiv State Music Academy in 1986. Mykola specializes in playing bass-clarinet, saxophone, recorder, accordion and piano. As orchestra leader and soloist of the Presidential Orchestra of Ukraine he received a title of “Honored Artist of Ukraine” in 1995.
Mykola is a hardworking and dedicated teacher, who loves his profession and cares for students’ needs.

Halyna Voronych

VIOLIN, VOICE, BEGINNER PIANO

Halyna Voronych joins us from Ukraine, with over 15 years of experience teaching students of all ages in several styles of music. From 1993 to 2023, as a Violinist with NAONI (National Academic Orchestra, Ukraine) Halyna performed in countries all over the world. She holds an advanced level Masters Music Degree from the National University of Culture and Art, University of Kyiv, 2000. Halyna is teaching Violin, Voice, and Beginner Piano. Since moving to Toronto Halyna has been teaching students from very young beginners to advanced violin. She still performs in orchestras and is a member of the Celebrity Symphony Orchestra and the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.

Alexandra Beley

GUEST TEACHER, VOICE

Ukrainian-Canadian Alexandra Beley is quickly establishing herself as an up and coming young mezzo-soprano. Alexandra recently completed two years at L’Atelier Lyrique with Opéra de Montréal, where she made her debut with the company singing Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia). The following year, Alexandra sang Second Maid in Strauss’s Elektra under the baton of esteemed conductor and current Music Director of The Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Prior to her time in Montreal, Alexandra completed a year in Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program, where she made her debut singing the title role in The Rape of Lucretia. Other roles include: Dorothée (Cendrillion), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), Flosshilde (Das Rheingold and Das Rheingold), Rossweisse (Die Walküre), and Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette). Alexandra is also incredibly passionate about performing new operatic works. Since 2013, Alexandra has regularly worked with the Bicycle Opera Project. Some of her most notable performances being on the 2017 tour of Sweat and the world premier of Llandovery Castle in 2018. Her most recent performances include the film version of Sweat, which premiered at the Kingston Film Festival in 2023 and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly.