LCMS Faculty – Duos, Trios & Jazz!
Sunday, April 7, 2024 – 2:30pm

Concerts Café Classico Series

Duos, Trios & Jazz! with LCMS Faculty Members Ross Curran, saxophone; Monica Kobelt, violin; Judy Lou, cello; Mike Michalkow, drums; Tim Stacey, bass & Scott Meek, Jean-Marc Stacey and Christina Tong, piano

The concert will open with an informal conversation between LCMS’ Artistic Director Elizabeth Bergmann and the artists, followed by complimentary coffee, tea and refreshments before the performance. The performance will take place in the Rose Gellert Hall and will last approximately 60 min, with no intermission.

Commentary & Coffee – 2:30pm, Concert – 3:15pm

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Concerts Café Classico Series
Single Tickets: Adult $25 / Senior $23 / Student $10
Flex Pass (4 concerts of your choice): Adult $90 | Senior $83
Season Subscription (6 concerts): Adult $128 | Senior $118| Student $59

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Biographies

Ross Curran
B. Mus, University of Victoria; B.C.R.M.T.A., Pacific Jazz Workshop; A.P. Diploma, Vancouver Community College; Orff Teacher Certification, University of British Columbia and Hamline University, Minnesota; CBC Radio; film work; freelance musician.

Monica Kobelt, violin
Monica Kobelt has over 30 years teaching experience and is known as a patient and enthusiastic instructor who loves to work with students of all ages. Her goal is to help students to pursue excellence in music and to bring each student to their maximum potential. She has received training through the Suzuki Institute and is well qualified to teach the Suzuki Method for Young Children as well as the Royal Conservatory of Music Program.

Monica Kobelt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from the University of Alberta. She is a member of the BCMTA and the Suzuki Association of Americas.  As well Monica has completed an Orchestra Training Program through the Royal Conservatory of Music. While living in Toronto she worked as an Itinerant Strings Teacher for the Toronto School Board. Monica is a freelance musician and plays in a Piano Trio.

Judy Lou, cello
Judy Lou is a young cellist who recently acquired her Master of Music in University of British Columbia (UBC) under the tutelage of renowned cello performer, Eric Wilson. In University, she performed as a soloist, an accompanist, and a member of orchestra, string ensemble, and chamber group. She served as the principal cellist of UBC Symphony Orchestra in 2011 and 2012 under Dr. Graeme Langager and Norbert Baxa, respectively and won the prestigious award for her chamber group in 2012. She enjoys sharing her passion with her community and performs in many public settings, such as community centers, seniors homes, and hospitals. As well, she participated in multiple international camps and elementary school master classes in Taiwan as cello TA and assistant. Her love for Taiwan also drove her to perform with Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra at Taipei National Theater in 2009. Currently, she is involved in chamber music and solo performance, and performs regularly in Vancouver.

Scott Meek, piano
Described by the Winnipeg Free Press as a “consummate musician” who plays with “near-impossible fluidity” and “total physical involvement and passion,” Canadian pianist Dr. Scott Meek is a highly active and sought-after chamber musician, collaborative pianist, and teacher in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia. Since graduating with a Doctorate of Music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Dr. Meek has been on the faculty of several schools in the greater Vancouver area, including Langley Community Music School. His students have won awards in local festivals and competitions, and have participated in concerto performances with orchestra at the Chan Centre (Mozart School of Music’s Gifted Artist Concerto Gala).

 Dr. Meek performs and records frequently with his wife, pianist Clare Yuan, as part of The Meeks Duo. He has extensive experience with piano duo repertoire, and has created nearly 100 arrangements for piano duet. As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Meek’s repertoire includes over 170 complete concertos and sonatas.

Mike Michalkow, drums
Mike has been playing drums for over 25 years, and is a graduate of the music program at Grant MacEwan University. He currently resides in beautiful White Rock, BC where he performs with John Cameron Entertainment, Supernatural (A Tribute to Santana) and various other musical projects. He also hosts drum clinics in Canada and the USA sponsored by Yamaha Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Evans Drum Heads and Pro Mark Drum Sticks. Mike is the Author of Modern Drummer Award Winning Educational Book “The Total Rock Drummer”, as well as he is the creator of “The Drumming System, The Moeller Method Secrets, The Latin Drumming System, The Jazz Drumming System, and the Drum Tuning System.”

Jean-Marc Stacey, piano
Jean-Marc Stacey has a Bachelor of Applied Music from Vancouver Community College and a Diploma of Performing Arts from Douglas College. Mr. Stacey is a versatile musician with over 15 years of performing experience. He is trained as both a classical and jazz pianist having studied under Ellen Silverman, Eva Solar-Kinderman, Alan Matheson, and Sharon Minemoto. Jean-Marc performs around the lower mainland as a soloist, accompanist, and the junior half of the JMTS duo along with his father Tim.

Timothy Stacey, bass
Timothy Stacey began playing music early on in Trinidad where he played steel pan, cuatro, guitar and bass. After returning to Canada, he studied music at the University of Victoria, York University and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He has played and recorded with numerous orchestral ensembles, musical theatre productions, choirs, jazz groups and solo artists. Stacey teaches bass at the Langley Community Music School where he plays in the Faculty Trio and accompanies the LCMS Fiddlers. He can be heard in and around Vancouver performing with his son Jean-Marc, and others.

Christina Tong, piano 
Christina Tong is an active pianist, chamber musician, adjudicator and educator. She holds a Master’s of Music degree in performance from McGill University, a Bachelor’s of Music performance degree from the University of Victoria and an associate performance diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She is currently a faculty member and resident collaborative pianist at the Langley Community Music School. Christina has competed and performed in solo, collaborative, and orchestral performances across Canada, winning numerous awards from competitions over the years. Her mentors include renowned pianists Bruce Vogt, Ilya Poletaev and Jane Coop. Christina has worked with winners and top finalists at Performing Arts BC, Vancouver Kiwanis Festival, Vancouver Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and Vancouver Area Youth Arts Festival.