Faculty

Daniel Temnik is an Israeli-born Canadian award-winning violinist, celebrated as one of Canada’s leading musical artists and educators. Acclaimed by both audiences and musicians for his radiant tone, commanding technique, and musical depth, Temnik boasts extensive experience performing as a soloist and chamber musician in North America, Asia, and Europe.

An avid musician, Temnik’s professional engagements stem extensively in violin performance, taking him to various corners of the globe. A recipient of numerous awards, scholarships, and diplomas, Temnik has distinguished himself in national and international violin competitions including the Canadian Music Competition, AFAF Golden Strings of America, Paganini International Violin Competition, Schoenfeld International Music Competition, Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition and the Henri Marteau International Violin Competition. As a soloist, he has concertized in such notable venues as Carnegie Hall, Koerner Hall, Teatro Carlo Felice, Wigmore Hall and the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. In recent years, he has been the honoured recipient of the Catherine Royce Anderson Memorial Grant, John Montague Memorial Grant, Sika & Chris Dafeff Violin Bursary and the Benjamin Steinberg Music Legacy Award. Most recently, he was awarded the 2025 Royal Conservatory of Music Teacher of Distinction Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to music education in Canada.

A frequent recitalist, Temnik’s engagements with sought-after orchestras include the Toronto Sinfonietta, York Symphony Orchestra, Kindred Spirits Orchestra and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra. In addition to his demanding schedule, he is continually featured in masterclasses and workshops, sharing his knowledge with aspiring musicians worldwide. Daniel has collaborated, received tutelage, and worked closely with various prominent musicians including Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, Valery Gergiev, Vadim Gluzman, Ilya Kaler, Miriam Fried, Andres Cardenas, and Donald Weilerstein. On numerous occasions, he appeared as a full scholarship artist and performer at the Keshet Eilon International Violin Mastercourse in Israel, the Banff Centre International Masterclass Seminar, as well as the Young Artist Program in Ottawa.

Deeply committed to music outreach and pedagogy, he has been extended invitations to impart his expertise at numerous universities, festivals, and musical institutions. Most recently, Temnik was requested to serve as a coach for the Canada Youth Chamber Orchestra (CYCO) and adjudicate the Toronto International Music Festival, Prima Star MVP, Unionville Music Competition, and the Outstanding Young Musicians International Festival. His studios were also recently recognized with the Vaughan International Music Festival Award, reflecting his dedication to fostering excellence in young musicians. He serves on the jury panel alongside Toronto Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Jonathan Crow and celebrated pianist James Anagnoson. With an unwavering passion for specialized musical education, Temnik has helped nurture a generation of exceptional young violinists from Canada, the United States, China, and Hong Kong, guiding them to success in prestigious competitions, admission to top music conservatories, and coveted positions within the realm of classical music.

Through his creative and engaging media presence, he continues to connect communities and inspire young audiences, aspiring musicians, and music enthusiasts beyond the concert stage. His frequent collaborations with the Ethnic Channels Group, New Classical 96.3 FM, Bold Journey Magazine, Entertainment One, and The Azrieli Foundation further amplify this influence. Expanding his contributions to the arts, Temnik has woven his dedication to nurturing talent and cultivating a vibrant classical music ecosystem into his role in arts administration. As the artistic director of the inaugural chamber concert series at the Leah Posluns Theatre, he is shaping a dynamic platform that celebrates diverse musical voices and fosters cultural engagement. In the current season, Temnik appeared in performance alongside pianist Roman Rabinovich, the Likht Ensemble, and as part of The Adler Project, continuing to highlight his commitment to collaboration and creative expression within Canada’s thriving chamber music scene.

Daniel Temnik studied with distinguished concert violinists and internationally renowned pedagogues Barry Shiffman and Victor Danchenko at The Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto. His previous instruments include a 1734 Pietro Guarneri of Venice, 1785 Lorenzo Storioni and the 1740 ex-Sándor Végh Guarneri del Gesù on loan from Florian Leonhard. He currently performs on an 1864 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. With his exceptional talent, vast experience, and passion for music, Temnik is sure to continue making significant contributions to the Canadian musical landscape.

Samuel Choi is an award-winning violinist and violist whose work spans teaching, orchestral and chamber music, solo performance, conducting and arts administration. He holds a Master of Music from the Colburn Conservatory of Music, an Artist Diploma from The Glenn Gould School and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto. He is Artistic Director of the OYMI Music Festival and Music Director of the Outstanding Young Musicians Chamber Orchestra. In 2022, he was appointed Principal Viola of the Ontario Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a soloist, Choi has performed with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, PRISMA Festival Orchestra, Chinese Arts Society of Toronto Orchestra and Colburn Baroque Ensemble. He served as concertmaster of Germany’s Collegium Musicum Chamber Orchestra in 2018; a performance by the orchestra was recorded by Bayerischer Rundfunk Nuremberg. His distinctions include the Grand Prize at the Guelph Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, runner-up at the PRISMA Festival Orchestra Concerto Competition, and First Prizes at the Glenn Gould School Chamber Music Competition and Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award Competition. He has also received scholarship awards internationally.

In orchestral and chamber music, Choi has worked and performed with artists including Gustavo Dudamel, Esa Pekka Salonen, Lang Lang, Sir Andrew Davis, Stephane Deneve, Peter Oundjian, Gabor Tackacs Nagy, Leon Fleischer, James Ehnes, Jan Vogler, Andras Keller and Rachel Barton Pine. As co-founder and Music Director of the Outstanding Young Musicians Chamber Orchestra, he has trained young string players since the ensemble was founded in 2019. In 2023, he toured Malaysia with the orchestra and conducted a joint performance with the Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysia International Cultural and Arts United Association recognized him with its International Excellence in Conducting award.

Choi previously coached chamber music in the Senior Division of The Royal Conservatory’s Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy. His current and former students have been accepted to the music schools at McGill University, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia, and have won First Prizes at the OMFA Provincial Finals, Toronto Kiwanis Festival, North York Festival, OYMI Music Festival and Unionville Music Competition. He has also adjudicated violin classes at the OMFA Provincial Finals and OYMI Music Festival.

Yoseph Holland is a young Canadian violinist whose musical development combines disciplined classical study with substantial competition and ensemble experience. He has received awards and scholarships at festivals in Ontario and internationally, earning First Place in the violin category at the 2025 Crescendo International Music Competition. His performance experience includes an appearance at Carnegie Hall, alongside participation in the Canadian Music Competition, the Ontario Music Festival Association, the Unionville Music Festival and the Barrie Kiwanis Music Festival.

Following formative training with David McFadden, Yoseph works closely and collaborates with Daniel Temnik in solo and chamber repertoire, continually refining his technique, tonal palette and interpretive discipline. He has also performed alongside musicians including Jonathan Crow, Evan Pyne and Isaac Seo.

At York Region Music Academy, Yoseph works primarily with younger children in their preparatory years. His teaching establishes the habits that support advanced classical study: a natural instrument setup, balanced bow technique, accurate listening, rhythmic stability, fluent reading and an early sense of musical line. Lessons are structured, encouraging and attentive to each child’s pace, giving young violinists a confident foundation for RCM study, ensemble playing and future work with senior faculty.

Mariya Orlenko is a Ukrainian-Canadian pianist described as a distinguished performer and educator, whose playing has been recognized on competition stages in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. She is the Grand Prize winner of the Canadian Music Competition and the recipient of the 2024 Orford Music Award, and has taken accolades at the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition and the OSM Manulife Competition. She has also competed at the Arthur Rubinstein International Youth Piano Competition in Beijing and the Aarhus International Piano Competition in Denmark.

As a soloist she has appeared with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the Virginia Waring Festival Orchestra, the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, the North York Concert Orchestra, the Oakville Chamber Orchestra and Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Recent engagements include the Canadian Opera Company Free Concert Series and the Beethoven Sestercentennial Extravaganza with Concerts@100.

Chamber music is central to her season. She performs regularly with violinist Daniel Temnik as Duo Ineo, with appearances at Jeanne Lamon Hall at Trinity-St. Paul’s and on the Alliance Française de Toronto series at the Spadina Theatre.

Mariya is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance at the University of Toronto under the mentorship of Lydia Wong, where she won the Lilian Goh DMA Piano Recital Competition. She holds a Master of Music from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Music from The Glenn Gould School, where she studied with John Perry and David Louie. Her studies have been supported by The Hnatyshyn Foundation — both the Ukraine Heritage, Spirit and Future Grant in 2023 and the Emerging Artist Scholarship — and by The Ihnatowycz Emerging Artist Scholarship.

Alongside performing she adjudicates at the Unionville and Scarborough music festivals, and is the founder of The Efficient Musician Inc., an initiative dedicated to advancing music education and supporting young artists through the professional side of a musical career. Families here name her most often for the written feedback she gives after every single lesson.

Originally from Harbin, China, Shuman Zhou began playing the piano at the age of three, quickly showing a natural affinity for the instrument. She and her family immigrated to Montreal in 2004, where she continued to refine her artistry under the mentorship of pianist Marina Mdivani before earning a Master's Degree in Piano Performance at the University of Toronto, studying with Professor Lydia Wong.

With over 15 years of teaching experience, Shuman is known for a structured, patient and individualized approach — she treats every student as unique, tailoring each lesson to their learning needs, goals and stage of development. That structure is balanced with warmth and encouragement, helping students thrive whether they are preparing for RCM examinations, entering competitions, or simply playing for the joy of it.

Under her guidance, students have gone on to receive RCM Gold Medals, achieve High Distinction standings in their examinations, and win top prizes such as First Prize at the Crescendo International Music Competition. For Shuman, teaching goes beyond musical skill — she helps students build confidence, discipline and a lifelong love of music.

Andrew Park set out to play the musical saw. Thanks to his mother, he plays the cello instead — and the household he grew up in makes the swap easy to understand: his mother at the piano playing Chopin, his brother improvising on guitar, and his father working with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Between them they gave him both halves of what he does now, performing and making things.

He has performed across Norway, Mexico, the United States and Canada, and his career runs along two tracks that rarely meet in one player. On one, he is a chamber and orchestral musician who has played with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. On the other, he has shared stadium stages with Lauryn Hill, Russ and Charlotte Cardin.

In 2022 he co-founded Strings From Paris, an ensemble that writes string arrangements of hip-hop and contemporary R&B. The group has toured extensively with Charlotte Cardin and Russ to audiences of more than fifteen thousand a night across North America, and has performed at Zoomer Hall, the Stratford Music Festival and Candlelight Concerts. Few teachers can show a teenager both the Haydn concerto and a stadium string arrangement, and mean it about each.

Andrew holds a Master of Music in cello performance from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Music in performance with a composition minor from the University of Calgary, along with a Performance Diploma from the Mount Royal Conservatory. His teachers have included John Kadz, Johanne Perron and Joe Johnson, and he has taken part in Morningside Music Bridge, TICC, the Fischoff Competition, Domaine Forget and the Orford Music Academy.

He works as a performer, arranger, producer, educator and event coordinator. He leads the cello department at the Oakville Suzuki Association and coaches with the Oakville Symphony Youth Orchestra, with masterclasses and chamber coaching across the GTA.