OUR TEAM
Kai Leung
Artistic Director
Kai Leung (He/Him) holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, where he studied voice and composition. In addition to his role with the MSC, he is the Artistic Director of Concreamus Chamber Choir, the interim conductor of Resonance Youth Choir, the Associate Conductor with the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, the Assistant Conductor with the Toronto Youth Choir, the Assistant conductor with the Toronto Children’s Chorus Main Choir, and the Assistant Conductor and Composer in Residence at St. Clements Church. Kai also sings with Incontra Vocal Ensemble, Octava Vocal Ensemble, and the Toronto Festival Singers.
Kai is the 2020 recipient of the prestigious William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award from the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. This award is presented each year to one graduating student from any stream who is deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of Music. Kai has also been awarded the 2019 Arthur Plettner Scholarship, the 2019 Richard I Thorman Award, and the 2018 Lloyd Bradshaw Prize.
During his undergraduate years, Kai studied composition with Roger Bergs. His works have been performed by the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Resonance Youth Choir, The St. Clements 11:00am choir, Mississauga Tranzzit, Concreamus Chamber Choir, the Vancouver Youth Choir, the Mississauga Summer Chorale, and the Orpheus Choir of Toronto.
Tyrese Walters
Board Co-Chair, Conductor – Frisson & Rocambolesco
Tyrese is in his 8th season with the MSC Choirs organization, singing in Frisson, as well as being an active board member where he is currently serving as one of two co-chairs. Tyrese is super excited to be conducting Rocambolesco as well as working with Frisson as an associate conductor.
Outside of choir, you can find Tyrese immersed in musical theatre or thrifting.
Russell Sweeney
Treasurer
Russell is a recent graduate of the Accounting and Finance program at the University of Waterloo and currently works at Deloitte Canada in the Assurance practice. Russell serves as treasurer on the MSC Board of Directors and is excited to combine the knowledge he has obtained while studying accounting with his passion for choral music through the role. Russell has previously sung in MSC for four years, including MSC’s inaugural season, and has also sung in numerous other choirs including the University of Waterloo Chamber Choir, the Cawthra Park Secondary School Chamber Choir, and the Ontario Youth Choir.
Paige Fitzpatrick
Secretary
Paige Fitzpatrick is a former student of the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University, and serves as the Secretary on MSC’s Board of Directors. While studying at Western, she was an active member of the Faculty of Music Students’ Council and was elected to serve on the council’s executive team as the Vice-President of Events for the 2018/2019 school year. In the fall of 2020, she worked as a Social Media Marketing Intern with Coalition Music, and now engages in freelance work as an independent singer and music artist. Throughout high school, she participated in The Woodlands Secondary School’s Concert, Chamber, and Europe Choirs, as well as Resonance Youth Choir. Paige began her first season with MSC in the summer of 2020, and is excited to be returning to sing for another season and work more closely with the organization.
Vyllana Nguyen
Social Media Director
Vyllana is a recent graduate of the Creative Industries program at Ryerson University with a passion for working in children’s film and television, and currently serves as the Social Media Director on the MSC Board of Directors. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Vyllana has continued to be involved in music, having sung in MSC’s Frisson for two years, Ryerson’s Ryenamics a cappella group, as well as being an alumna of the Ontario Youth Choir. Vyllana is extremely passionate about supporting the choral community, and is looking forward to another exciting season with MSC.
Laura Ferlanti
Frisson Choir Representative
Laura is a second year student at McMaster University studying Psychology. She is a graduate of the Regional Arts Program at Cawthra Park Secondary School where she majored in voice and sang in various groups including Chamber Choir. In the last few years, Laura has also worked as a teaching volunteer within Peel, working alongside teachers in music education for primary students. Laura greatly enjoys representing Frisson, and is passionate about the music and friendships that have come out of her experience through Mississauga Summer Chorale.
Artistic Team
Meredith Wanstall Conductor, Sehnsucht
Meredith Wanstall (she/her) is currently completing an MMus in Choral Conducting at Western University, studying with Dr. Mark Ramsay. In addition to her role with Mississauga Summer Chorale, she is an Assistant Conductor with Les Choristes and an Apprentice Conductor with Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto. She was also an Assistant Conductor with the Bach Children’s Chorus for several years. Beyond her passion for conducting, Meredith also enjoys teaching private lessons in piano, voice, and theory to students of all ages, and performing with Octava Vocal Ensemble, an 8-member a cappella group. Meredith completed her BMus in Music Education at the University of Toronto, where she studied voice with Mark Daboll. In addition, she has earned two ARCT certifications in Piano and Voice Performance.
Nila Rajagopal Conductor, Sehnsucht
Hailing from Ottawa, ON, Nila Rajagopal has quickly established herself as a promising choral conductor. She is currently enrolled in the Master’s program in Choral Conducting at McGill University under the tutelage of Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée and previously studied voice and music education at the University of Toronto.
Nila’s collaborative spirit has granted her various positions with organizations such as the Oakville Choir for Children and Youth, Toronto Children’s Chorus, the St. Lawrence Choir and of course, the Mississauga Summer Chorale. Increasingly recognized for her promising musical excellence, Nila was the recipient of the 2016 Doreen Rao Choral Award, the 2019 Iwan Edwards Award and the 2019 Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship.
Widely known for her accuracy and tone, Nila currently sings with the Ottawa Bach Choir and has previously held professional positions with Pax Christi Chorale, the Toronto Festival Singers, the St. Basil’s Catholic Parish Schola Cantorum and the Choir of Grace Church on-the-Hill. Nila was also selected to perform in highly regarded honour choirs such as the National Youth Choir of Canada, the Ontario Youth Choir and the World Youth Choir.
Nathan Gritter Conductor, Sehnsucht
Nathan Gritter has been a part of the Mississauga Summer Chorale since 2018 and assumed a conductor role with them in 2019. He studied at the University of Toronto, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in 2021. He is returning to UofT in the fall to pursue a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting under the tutelage of Dr. Jamie HIllman. He sings with many choirs in the GTA including the Exultate Chamber Singers, Pax Christi Chorale and Concreamus Chamber Choir. He works as a freelance choral singer and conductor with various professional groups and church groups. Nathan is an alumnus of the Ontario Youth Choir and the National Youth Choir of Canada. Nathan also works in arts administration. He is a member of the PODIUM 2022 planning committee, and is the Program Coordinator for the Ontario Youth Choir. When he’s not singing in choir, you can find him taking a long nap, cooking a good meal, or replaying an old video game.
Emily Parker Conductor, Frisson & Duende
Emily Parker is a Toronto-based conductor, soprano, and pianist. This year she has completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, where she studied voice with Mark Daboll and Monica Whicher and conducting with Ivars Taurins. She was awarded several scholarships over the course of her studies. Emily has also achieved the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Grade 10 level piano and Advanced Rudiments in Theory. Emily is the soprano section lead at Kingsway-Lambton United Church and works as a freelance singer and conductor. Her extensive choral background includes singing with the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, the Ontario Youth Choir, the University of Toronto’s MacMillan Singers, and the Canadian Renaissance Music Summer School. She was accepted into the National Youth Choir in 2020 and will sing with them in 2022, due to COVID-19. Emily has been with MSC for three years as assistant conductor of Frisson and member of Sehnsucht. She is excited to be directing MSC’s first soprano-alto choir.