Since 1967, our camp has nurtured musical growth through expert instruction, meaningful performance, and a supportive family of faculty and staff. Come and learn with us. Develop your skills and grow your confidence within our supportive, and inclusive community.
![[background image] image of serene landscape with river (for a environmental conservation nonprofit)](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/69406d2c273c956c25f282e9/695471d359dc5d1aec0157fe_IMG_1545_Classical-2025.avif)
Our Headquarters
Located above the Comox Valley Art Gallery, CYMC is part of a vibrant arts and culture hub in downtown Courtenay.
Our Playground
Based in the Comox Valley, CYMC integrates music intensives with outdoor activities inspired by the surrounding natural landscape.
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Your Accommodations
This year, accommodations will be located in student housing at NIC, offering a convenient and comfortable stay for participants.
Our faculty brings years of experience, passion, and care to every lesson.
Originally from Windsor, Ontario, Kathryn is an active & versatile freelance violinist and educator on Vancouver Island. Her passionate and intuitive musicianship has brought her the opportunity to perform with distinguished ensembles around Canada and the USA. Currently, she performs with the Victoria Symphony, Music for The Pause, Victoria Baroque Players, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, and Sidney Classical Orchestra.
She was born into a musical family, with both parents educators and string performers, and has many fond early childhood memories of tagging along to with her father, professional cellist and conductor, at his Windsor Symphony rehearsals.
She studied at the University of Toronto and University of Michigan under the tutelage of the late Yehonatan Berick as a merit scholar. Over the years, she has brought her talent various music festivals, including the Vancouver Bach Festival, Berwick Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival, Brott Music Festival, Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, Domaine Forget, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and Interlochen Centre for the Arts.
As a busy entrepreneur, Kathryn is the owner, artistic director, and avid arranger of Cascadia Strings, a highly sought-after, award-winning professional event music company, as well as a concert chamber ensemble, providing live music from Victoria to Whistler and everywhere in between.
Kathryn can also be heard on the album, “La riche canadienne: The Music of Elinor Dunsmuir”, an exciting project which premieres a collection of post-romantic, recently-unearthed chamber works by the fascinating Canadian composer.
Campbell River native, Tyson Doknjas, is an active freelance violinist and private teacher in Victoria. He is a member of the Victoria Symphony and performs with various groups on Vancouver Island, including Pacific Opera Victoria, Victoria Baroque, Pacific Baroque Festival, and Aventa Ensemble.
Tyson studied violin performance at the University of Victoria with Sharon Stanis of the Lafayette String Quartet. Tyson has participated in various orchestral programs across the country, including the National Academy Orchestra in Hamilton, Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute in Toronto, and Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific in Powell River.
As an avid music educator, Tyson worked as a string mentor through the University of Victoria, where he worked at grade schools across the Greater Victoria region. He was also a coach for the Sooke String Academy as well as a teacher for the Harmony Project in Sooke, B.C.
On multiple occasions, he has also served as a string sectional coach for the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra. Tyson enjoys adjudicating at various music festivals, including: the performing arts festivals in Kamloops, Cowichan Valley, the North Island, and Campbell River.
Violist Jessica Pickersgill’s passion for music began at a young age and has since blossomed into a genuine desire to help others fall in love with music through her performance. As a result, she has performed for audiences in Canada and around the world, including Italy, Russia, and America.
Jessica attended the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance under the tutelage of two master violists: Rebecca Albers, the Assistant Principal of the Minnesota Orchestra, and Lawrence Dutton, Violist from the esteemed Emerson String Quartet. She then continued to expand her education and performance practice at the renowned New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston, where she studied under Avery Fischer Grant Recipient and William Primrose Competition winner, Dimitri Murrath.
She graduated Cum Laude with a Master's in Viola Performance. During her extensive educational pursuits, Jessica continued to work and study with world-renowned musicians, including Hsin-Yun Huang, James Ehnes, Richard Aaron and many more. During this time, her enthusiasm for chamber music was fostered through coaching from eminent ensembles, including The Emerson String Quartet, The Borromeo String Quartet, The St Lawrence String Quartet and a host of others.
During her time in school, she often subbed for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra under music director Benjamin Zander, was invited and attended the Rome Chamber Music Festival three times, and was notably selected as a finalist for the Lower String Concerto Competition at NEC.
She is now on the sub list for a variety of orchestras, including the Victoria Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, is performing solo and chamber works around Victoria, and is also dedicating her time back to younger generations, acting as a teacher and head of the string department at the Victoria House of Music.
Originally from Burns Lake, BC, Erin is a freelance cellist, session musician and cello teacher, now settled in beautiful Victoria, BC. As a young artist, she performed her solo set at the “Listen Up” Festival in Vancouver and was selected to record her compositions at CBC Radio 2.
Receiving multiple fine arts scholarships, including an entrance scholarship to Capilano University, she completed her studies at the University of Victoria, earning her Bachelor's of Music degree in 2010 and Master's of Cello Performance in 2012 under the mentorship of Pamela Highbaugh-Aloni.
Erin is a founding member of the two-time award winning “Cascadia Strings”, as well as writing/recording/performing in her band “Auburn Blind.” As a cellist she has played with the Prince George Symphony, the former Galiano Chamber Orchestra, Sooke Philharmonic and the Civic Orchestra.
Erin has had lots of fun recording in music studios all over Vancouver Island with groups such as Current Swell, Fox Glove and Noah Edwards. Session recording has also been an exciting new venture for Erin, recording cello for documentaries The Wild (2018), Walking With Plants (2019) and soon to be released indigenous documentary to be featured on Chek News, Tzouhalem (2021) She has also done session work for Cloudrise Pictures including the animation mini series: Esluna: The First Monolith (2019) and Esluna: The Crown of Babylon (to be released in 2021).
Derek Stanyer grew up in Langley, BC. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria in 2010 and his Master of Music from the University of Ottawa in 2012, supported by a full scholarship.
He has won numerous awards and prizes, including being a finalist in the national Knigge Piano Competition, the University of Victoria Concerto Competition, the University of Ottawa Concerto Competition, and the Sooke Philharmonic Concerto Competition.
He won the top prize in the Johann Strauss Competition, allowing him to study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, in 2012. He has also attended the Vancouver International Song Institute and the Strings and Keys chamber music program in Alberta.
Derek completed a diploma at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris from 2012 to 2014, and is currently in the Doctorate of Musical Arts program at the University of British Columbia on a full Doctoral Fellowship. He has performed extensively both as a soloist and as a collaborative pianist throughout Canada, France, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, USA, and Mexico.
He has worked as a vocal coach for the UBC Summer Opera program since 2014, and is currently working as an opera coach for UBC Opera. Recent notable performances include the NATSAA vocal competition, the Vancouver Fringe Festival, the Silk Purse Gallery concert series, and the Music Friends concert series in Vancouver.
Derek focuses on the art songs of Nikolai Medtner; his doctoral research concerns these works, which are a substantial yet largely ignored part of the art song repertoire.
Lori Mazey teaches Theatre Arts and Dance at G.P. Vanier Secondary School in Courtenay, BC. She has her degree in Theatre, her Master's in Educational Leadership, and is an Associate of Trinity College in London for Speech Arts.
Lori has directed over 50 musical and plays for School District 71, CYMC and companies including Courtenay Little Theatre. She has won numerous awards both regionally and provincially for directing with the ABCDE and Theatre BC Drama Festivals. Award-winning productions include Biloxi Blues, Never Swim Alone, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged, Romeo and Juliet, At the Bottom of Lake Missoula, The Laramie Project, and Torn Rainbow – a show she wrote about homophobia in high schools and which toured Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland over three years.
Lori is the recipient of the Queens Jubilee medal for the arts, ABCDE’s B.C. Drama Teacher of the Year award, the Comox Valley Arts Council’s Mentor of the year award, Rotary’s Paul Harris fellowship, and was named as one of the Comox Valley’s citizens of the century and the Comox Valley Educator of the Year Local Hero.
Lori is also an improv coach whose teams’ accomplishments include 2 National titles with the Canadian Improv Games and a Destination Imagination Global Improv Championship.
Carol Anne Parkinson is a joyful singer, voice teacher and conductor. She earned her Bachelor of Music from UBC in 1995 and continued to study with master teacher Arlene McIntyre from 2000-2005.
As a chorister, she has cherished memories of singing with the Cap Singers at Kathaumixw, with UBC Choral Union under the direction of Diane Loomer, earning first place in the Markdoberdorf choral festival in Germany with the University Singers, recording two CD’s with the Vancouver Cantata Singers, singing with Island Voices.
She has directed the Hellenic Chorus of Vancouver, several church choirs, CYMC Festival choir, was the founding director of the Nova Voce Choral Society, and currently directs the raucous Men of Notes choir!
Carol Anne has been a soloist with the Capilano University Choirs, CYMC, Timbre!, and NICS. When not making music, she can be spotted at the curling rink, Seal Bay, or curled up with a knitting project with her dog by her side.
Dustin is a pianist, accordionist, singer, and, as of late, music director. He grew up in the Comox Valley but now lives on W̱SÁNEĆ land in Victoria.
Much of Dustin’s early love for music came from watching CYMC productions, whether that was the festival choir or the annual musical. He’s performed in several CYMC musicals, served as a camp counsellor for a couple more, and most recently assistant music directed the last two: Legally Blonde and Hadestown.
Now living in Victoria, he’s had the pleasure of playing keyboard in several pit orchestras (Chicago, The Little Mermaid [SLS], The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee [UVic]); conducting while playing in others (Legally Blonde, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [VOS]); music directing (Newsies, Grease [Triple Threat Performers]); and providing live improvised accompaniment for improvised plays (Murder on Paper Street [Paper Street], The End of the Line, Until Forever [Snap! Theatre]).
Dustin is thrilled to be back with CYMC for the stunning musical Come From Away.
Paul Gerritsen began his training at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in Calgary before graduating from the Canadian College of Performing Arts.
His career has taken him around the world, including performances with Norwegian Cruise Lines, Sleeping Beauty in Glasgow, Scotland and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express in Germany.
After over 10 years performing in Germany’s major theatres and at the Komische Oper Berlin.
Paul now teaches at Pantuso Dance and is so excited to work with CYMC on Come From Away!
Originally from Montreal, Greg holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University and a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from McGill University.
Prior to moving to Nanaimo to join the music faculty at Vancouver Island University, Greg was Director of Jazz Studies at Abilene University in Texas.
He has also been a member of the music faculties at McMaster University and Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, and Red Deer College in Red Deer, Alberta.
In addition to his broad teaching experience Greg has also enjoyed a career as a busy freelance jazz trumpet player, arranger, composer and conductor.
He's had the good fortune of playing in big bands and orchestras that have accompanied many fine jazz artists, and as the leader of his own groups has performed his original compositions in jazz clubs, concert halls and jazz festivals in Canada and abroad. Greg has released a CD entitled Cause and Effect, which features his original music.
Steve Wallace is one of Canada’s foremost jazz bassists. He was born in Toronto in 1956. Most of his career took place there and internationally, playing clubs, touring and recording with such American greats as Zoot Sims, Ray Bryant, Scott Hamilton, Rosemary Clooney, Woody Herman and many more, as well as with such Canadian giants as Fraser MacPherson, Rob McConnell, Oscar Peterson, Phil Nimmons, Ed Bickert, Mike Murley and many others. He moved to Courtenay in July 2021, where he now lives with his wife Anna.
Born and raised in Powell River, BC, Adam Robertson is a versatile drummer, percussionist and composer with strong West Coast roots. In 2020, he completed his Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies at Vancouver Island University and remains an active member of the island music scene as both a performer and educator. Adam can be heard in venues across the island with an eclectic mix of artists and ensembles, including Keanu Ienco, Andrew Homzy’s NOLA Nighthawks, free-jazz-noise-rock trio Dry Goods, and modern R&B group Mahogany.
Cayleigh Borsboom is a bookseller by day and a musician by night. She spent two years at Humber College in Toronto studying under the greats of the Canadian music industry before making Courtenay her home. Books, nature, board games, jazz, and friends that are family are what fill her heart with joy.
James holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from VIU and has studied piano with Phil Dwyer, Bob Murphy and Steve Smith.
He has spent a decade working on cruise ships in lounge and show bands.
More recently James has been the keyboardist of the high energy dance band Johnny Inappropriate, the pianist for VIU’s Vocal Jazz Choir directed by Rosemary Lindsay and is the organist with the Duncan Symonds Trio.
Our board members provide leadership, governance, and long-term vision in support of CYMC’s mission.
Born and raised in Niagara Falls Ontario, Myrna has been involved in both music and theatre since she was a teenager. She played flute in the Westlane High School Band, and at the age of 16 she made up her mind to pursue a career as a band teacher.
After graduating from high school with top honours as an ‘Ontario Scholar,’ Myrna attended the University of Western Ontario’s Don Wright Faculty of Music to take her Bachelor’s Degree in Music. She then went on to the Althouse College of Education for her B. Ed. degree, majoring in music with a minor in theatre arts, and graduating on the Dean’s List.
She spent 11 years teaching mostly Band, as well as Choir, Drama, French, English, and Social Studies on the beautiful Queen Charlotte Islands, now known as Haida Gwaii. It was there she met her husband Neil Nahirnick, at the wedding of one of her former trumpet players from the school band.
Myrna and Neil moved to the Comox Valley in 1991, and have lived at Saratoga Beach ever since. They have two children, Natasha and James-Amzin, both born and raised in the Comox Valley.
Myrna also taught band, choir, and French at the old Robb Road Junior School in Comox until 2001, when she retired from teaching due to a disabling chemical injury.
In 2008 she picked up her baton again to volunteer as musical director for the Rainbow Youth Theatre Society, and also served on the board of directors and as Vice -President for a number of years.
Currently, Myrna is a member of the Celebration Singers, serving both as a board member and section leader, as well as holding the position of vice-president on the board of CYMC.
Pauline Cote was born and raised in Campbell River. She has lived in France, Great Britain, Burnaby, and Maple Ridge, only to return and to settle in Cumberland with her son Paul, and her daughter Aira.
Pauline’s love for music began with her father, who played guitar and sang with a Country and Western group, and her grandfather who introduced her to a treasure trove of recorded music when she inherited his vast record collection.
When Pauline was 13, she entered a talent contest, winning second place for her rendition of Harper Valley PTA. She has continued to sing as part of a Francophone choir as well as a member of the Just In Time Choir, The Oliver Choir, The Chanting Group, and Celebration Singers. Pauline is happily enjoying her semi-retirement by joining the board of CYMC and being a grandmother to 5 grandchildren.
Shari has been involved with community theatre in the Comox Valley for almost 30 years. Throughout the years Shari has produced over 25 productions, stage managed 20 productions and has been involved with over 20 other productions as a member of the production team. Over the years she has served on the Rainbow Youth Theatre board and she is currently the president for Courtenay Little Theatre. In 2009 she worked as the CYMC Office Assistant Manager and has been actively involved with CYMC ever since.
Shari believes that the key to successfully producing top quality productions is cooperation and collaboration, she is proud of the volunteers who work tirelessly for all of the theatre groups in the community. She enjoys working with the incredible CYMC Musical Theatre faculty and watching the students thrive in a positive environment every summer.
Shari was born and raised in southern Ontario; she studied Business Management at Sheridan College, in Oakville. She moved to Vancouver in 1986 and then moved to the Comox Valley with her husband in 1991 to raise their family. Shari has worked as Support Staff at North Island College since 2010.
Bio to come
Diane Maxted has lived in the Comox Valley for over forty years and has put down deep roots in this community. Training in Early Childhood Education at NIC deepened her appreciation of young people, especially her two sons.
Interest in education led to serving on the board of the Comox Valley Children’s Day Care Society, and local parent advisory councils. She has served on the boards of Area “B” Rural Residents Association, Friends of Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve and the Macdonald Wood Park Society.
She spent thirty-three years at the Courtenay Library, where she was employed as Assistant Circulation Supervisor and was able to share the joys of storytelling. Now retired, she manages her own vacation rental business and sings with the Celebration Singers.
Discovering summer concerts at Vanier High School emboldened her to join the CYMC Festival Choir, and later she joined the board of directors. With CYMC’s rich history of providing so many wonderful opportunities for youth, highly skilled mentors and community to interact, it has been a good fit.
After many years, Diane enjoys working with all the members of the team to ensure that talented young people can continue to enjoy life-changing experiences in music, and take that with them wherever they go.
Diane Maxted has lived in the Comox Valley for over forty years and has put down deep roots in this community. Training in Early Childhood Education at NIC deepened her appreciation of young people, especially her two sons.
Interest in education led to serving on the board of the Comox Valley Children’s Day Care Society, and local parent advisory councils. She has served on the boards of Area “B” Rural Residents Association, Friends of Comox-Lazo Forest Reserve and the Macdonald Wood Park Society.
She spent thirty-three years at the Courtenay Library, where she was employed as Assistant Circulation Supervisor and was able to share the joys of storytelling. Now retired, she manages her own vacation rental business and sings with the Celebration Singers.
Discovering summer concerts at Vanier High School emboldened her to join the CYMC Festival Choir, and later she joined the board of directors. With CYMC’s rich history of providing so many wonderful opportunities for youth, highly skilled mentors and community to interact, it has been a good fit.
After many years, Diane enjoys working with all the members of the team to ensure that talented young people can continue to enjoy life-changing experiences in music, and take that with them wherever they go.
[Bio to come]
Katie Arsenault has been a lover of the Arts since she was very young. For her first 13 years she called Banff Alberta her hometown. It was there she was introduced to the many options of Fine Arts.
From a young age Katie was part of the Arts community and participated in choir, musical theatre, dance, and band. Through her schooling she continued these passions when she lived in Victoria, B.C. In her high school years she was actively involved with Theatre Arts and was a Vic High Player from 1991-1993.
Katie has always worked with young children and in 1998 graduated with her Bachelor of Education. As an educator and parent she has consistently supported youth and the impact that music can have on their well-being and education.
Katie has offered Theatre Arts clubs for each of the schools in which she has taught, and has been a regular volunteer with School District #71 school musicals, Rainbow Youth Theatre, dance recitals, and now CYMC. Both of her children have also been involved in the Arts throughout their schooling.
She is delighted to be part of the process and watching the joy, passion, and intensity that goes into all the behind-the- scenes work. “The power of music carries us through some of our hardest and greatest moments”.
Since moving to the Comox Valley over thirty years ago, Hazel has always been involved in the vibrant Arts community that exists here (although she notes that it’s been struggling somewhat in recent years for many reasons).
CYMC has always been one of the foundational organizations and has done a fabulous job of encouraging the playing of music and participation in musical theatre, choirs and generally supporting the Arts in everyday life, which is where it should be, in Hazel’s opinion.
Young people come from all over Canada and are immersed in their particular discipline and receive stellar instruction and advice from a wealth of professionals. Although she admits that she is far from young, Hazel participated in the Jazz Program one year and found it inspiring.
“Without the arts, my life would be far less interesting. I have been inspired and sustained by music, singing and theatre, and I believe that all humans are richer for participation in those activities,” she explained.
Hazel presently plays in two bands, The Georgia Strait Big Band and the Comox Valley Community Band, and as a talented story-teller, she still tells stories and writes memoirs for people. Hazel feels honoured to be on the Board of CYMC with the other members, all of whom have worked tirelessly in the arts community for many years.
[Bio to come]
[Bio to come]
Our staff ensure programs run smoothly and support participants, families, and faculty throughout the year.
[Bio to come]
[Bio to come]
Tara Dawn Jakubiec is a designer and researcher with a strong focus on inclusive design, accessibility, and visual storytelling. She holds a Master of Design in Inclusive Design from OCAD University, a Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design, and an Associate’s Degree in Digital Communication from North Island College.
Born and raised in the Comox Valley, Tara maintains a deep connection to the region and its arts community. She has worked remotely with the Comox Valley Youth Music Centre since 2020, supporting the organization as Graphic Designer and Registrar. In this role, she contributes to CYMC’s programs through website development, registration systems, marketing and communications, event planning, and digital accessibility.
Tara’s connection to music and theatre runs deep. As a teenager, she was a trumpet player in the 386 Air Cadet Marching Band, and she grew up in a family closely connected to music education, including an older brother who holds a Master of Music Education and teaches internationally.
She has been involved in theatre since young childhood, first performing in His Knights and Their Ladies with Rainbow Youth Theatre in 2000. More recently, she returned to the Comox Valley to assist with Courtenay Little Theatre’s 2025 production of Sleeping Beauty: The Pantomime, working as Props Master, Decorator, Set Painter, Mover, and Backstage Runner. Her work in production design has also been recognized with awards from Theatre BC.
In addition to her work with CYMC, Tara holds a permit in the Toronto film industry as a Scenic Artist and continues to balance design, research, and hands-on production work while pursuing a flexible, location-independent career. She is also an active volunteer within the creative community, including with FanExpo in Toronto and Vancouver, where she works closely with celebrities and high-profile guests. Tara volunteers with the Registered Graphic Designers of Canada on their DEI and Associates Committees, as well as with DesignThinkers Canada. In November 2025, she received RGD’s Volunteer of the Month award.
Through her multidisciplinary background in design, music, theatre, and film, Tara brings a thoughtful, creative, and community-centred approach to her work with the Comox Valley Youth Music Centre.
![[background image] image of serene landscape with river (for a environmental conservation nonprofit)](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/69406d2c273c956c25f282e9/695471d63f784f8418ce1bdc_IMG_1548_Classical-2025.avif)
Classical Programs: Classical programs include; Classical Intensive, Piano Intensive, and String Playhouse.
Summer Festival Choir: Combines singing and learning with a community spirit.
Come sing with us!
Auditions for CYMC Musical Theatre's production of Come From Away will be open soon.
Stay tuned to our Instagram and Facebook for more details.
Please contact us with any questions.
Island Jazz Intensive will return summer 2026.
More information soon.
Stay tuned to our Instagram and Facebook for more details.
Please contact us with any questions.
