Young Artists Development Program

Bryn Wiley was born in March of 1994 in Calgary. He began music studies at age 5, and completed his ARCT with the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2009. His past achievements include winning numerous Kiwanis music festival scholarships and awards including the GE Porterfield Memorial Medal for contemporary music and gold medalist at the 2011 Alberta Provincial Music Festival. He was also a winner of the C3 Concerto Competition in 2010 and has played with the Calgary Civic Symphony. He was selected to play in the 2006 Honens Masterclass series and won the RCM Silver medal for his grade 8 RCM exam. He has also recently place second in the Canadian Music Competition in Montreal. Bryn is currently studying with Mr. Dale Jackson and is a senior associate at the Mount Royal Music Conservatory Academy program. He is presently in grade 11 at William Aberhart High School in Calgary.

Claire Yu is 16 years old and began studying piano at the age of 5. She currently studies with Colleen Athparia and is a senior academy student at the Mount Royal Conservatory. She has also worked with world-class musicians such as Anton Kuerti, Stephen Kovacevich, Jean-Paul Sevilla, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and Jon Kimura Parker. Claire completed her ARCT RCM exam in 2009 and received first class honours with distinction and also won the silver medal for the highest mark in Alberta for her grade 8 RCM exam. She has won numerous awards and scholarships at the Kiwanis Music Festival, and has been a finalist for the past four years at the Canadian Music Competition. Claire also excels academically as a student in the International Baccalaureate programme at Sir Winston Churchill High School. This May, Claire will be making her orchestral debut with the Calgary Civic Symphony as one of the winners of the Calgary Concerto Competition.

John Chan, age 16, began his piano studies at the age of 6. He is currently studying with Professor Marilyn Engle of the University of Calgary. He entered the Mount Royal University Conservatory in 2005 as part of the Academy for Gifted Youth. John has been highly successful in numerous local and national competitions, such as the Kiwanis Music Festival, for which he served as a "musical ambassador." In 2009 he won the 16 years-and-under category of the Alberta Provincial Music Festival, and in 2010 his chamber group won the 18-years-and-under category in the same competition. He won in the senior category in 2011. He has taken first place 3 times in the national finals of the annual Concours de Musique du Canada (CMC). In 2010 and 2011, John participated at the Academie de Musique Internationale (ACMUIN). Through this program, he performed frequently in Vaison la Romaine, France.

Born in Canada, raised in Africa and educated in Calgary and Houston, Samantha has been praised for creating truly unique and totally engaging musical experiences. She currently lives in Calgary and is the second trumpet player in the Red Deer Symphony.

As a Teaching Musician for the National Arts Centre of Canada she has performed her trumpet for over 3000 students a year since 2005. In September 2010 Samantha was appointed the position of education advisor for the Calgary Pro Musica society, one of the leading chamber music presenters in Canada.

In February 2010 Samantha joined George Zukerman and Daniel Bolshoy in Nunavut, Canada for an exciting tour of the North. She joined George Zukerman again in April 2011 for a tour of Canada's Northwest Territories.

Her high energy and fun filled performances have made her a crowd favorite for small and large audiences alike.

If you would like to know more about Samantha Whelan Kotkas please visit her website at www.storyfair.com