Jenna Richards - University Doctoral Level
Jenna Richards embraces a demanding schedule as a portfolio musician, including performance, public speaking, research, and arts programming. She has performed from Toronto to Salzburg, organized national research projects, been an invited speaker at Harvard, and programmed 1500+ musical events. Currently she is freelancing, serving as a Board member for Xenia Concerts and advisor for the Canadian Music Centre, finalizing her PhD on a SSHRC grant (Interdisciplinary Research in Music, University of Ottawa) and programming as Director of Artistic Planning and Community Engagement (Ottawa Chamberfest). Jenna’s research interests include the relevancy of music performance curriculum to musician’s careers and nontraditional forms of performance such as Adaptive Concerts, which reduce barriers to concert attendance for neurodiverse and disability communities. In her (little) downtime, Jenna enjoys studying Farsi (سلام، من دوست دارم با شما چت کنم!) and spending time travelling or in nature.
Anika-France Forget - University Graduate Level
Franco-Ontarian mezzo-soprano and composer Anika-France Forget has been noted for her passionate scores, lush harmonies, emotional questioning, and deeply felt synergy. Most recently, she completed an Intensive Profile Masters in Composition with a full Arts Merit Scholarship from the University of Ottawa, under the tutelage of Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy. Anika-France’s compositions have been performed throughout Canada, the United States, France, and the UK. In October 2024, she was invited as featured composer in the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Generation Composer’s Program. Her composition will be released on an SPO commercial album in May 2025. Her love for the community has led her to organize “Salon-Concert” composer concerts in her hometown with premieres and performances delivered by the students of the University of Ottawa. Next up, Anika-France’s music will be performed at the upcoming MusCan Conference in May 2025 at the University of Waterloo.
Nicola Cameron - University Undergraduate Level
Africa calls me her child, Europe her nomad, and Canada her settler. I have taught music for over 30 years and now get to upgrade my learning with the rising generation of musicians. I write, narrate and produce audiobooks, and everything I touch turns to art.
Amy Pham - High School
I am a grade 12 student studying in Toronto. I grew up playing piano from the age of 7 while living all over the world. I’ve studied piano in Singapore, Vietnam and Canada, training under many well-known piano mentors. I completed RCM level 8 two years ago and now pursue my own musical endeavors like self-composition. Music is a source of healing for me. It provides me energy for good days and bad. I listen to a diverse selection of music like classical, jazz, hip hop and asian pop. I chose to research this topic as Johannes Brahms has greatly inspired me not just as a composer but as a person. I hope to further analyze compositional techniques and musicians in the future to develop my understanding of music.