The Southeast Centre for Music is a gathering place for music professionals to meet the teaching needs of our community, aiming to reach the high level of musical education that has become an expectation in the Southeast.
Instructor List
PIANO
JULIE SIDORCHUK, PIANO
(BM Canadian Mennonite University, ARCT)
Julie Sidorchuk was born and raised in Steinbach, Manitoba. She began playing the piano when she was five years old. Her past instructors include Lauri Plett, Jane Duerksen, Madeline Hildebrand, and Shirley Elias. In 2018 she completed her ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music and recently graduated from Canadian Mennonite University with a Bachelor of Music degree concentration in Piano Performance in 2020.
She has performed in many different festivals and competitions over the years, including the Southeastern Manitoba Festival, Winnipeg Music Festival, AMAF Provincial Music & Arts Festival, Women’s Musical Club Scholarship Competitions, and the Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition. She remains active in the music community by playing piano in church and growing her teaching studio. She looks forward to working with students of all ages to explore their love of music!
CANDACE HAMM, PIANO & MUSIC THEORY
(B. Mus, ARCT, RCM cert.)
Candace Hamm’s instructors have included Dr. Darryl Friesen, Barbara Cornish, and Cameron Friesen (piano), Dr, Karen Sunabacka and Professor Charles Horton (music theory), and David Klassen (voice). With 11 years of teaching experience, Candace maintains a studio of over 50 students each year. She has been heavily involved in music in Southeastern Manitoba with time spent as past president of the Southeastern Manitoba Festival, co-founding the Shoptalk pedagogy series for music teachers through the Southeastern Manitoba Music Teacher’s Association, performing in various venues, and is the current Royal Conservatory of Music representative for the Southeast.
Candace focuses on combining creative, cutting-edge instruction with a high level of classical performance, working with the Southeast’s up-and-coming young pianists to achieve their musical goals in examinations, competition, and university auditions. She is particularly passionate about empowering each of her students to develop a lifelong relationship with music according to their unique gifts and talents!
Candace is looking for students in these levels: beginner students, intermediate/advanced students, those who are interested in learning music theory, church music, and conservatory prep program for pianists preparing for university.
Visit her website: candacehammpiano.weebly.com
STRINGS
KATHARINA FUCHS, VIOLIN
(BM University of Manitoba)
Katharina Fuchs recently completed a Bachelor of Music degree in violin, with a minor practical study in piano, at the University of Manitoba studying with renowned Dr. Oleg Pokhanovski. She is a recipient of multiple scholarships, including the Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music Scholarship and the Allan McKean Memorial Scholarship.
During her studies at the University, Katharina had many performance and collaboration opportunities performing with a number of ensembles, including the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra. She participated in masterclasses with world-renowned violinists such as Taras Gabora and Amy Hillis.Raised in a musical family, Katharina eagerly learned both the violin and piano from a young age. She started her musical education in Germany studying with Virgil Gega in Kaiserslautern and has had many opportunities to perform in competitions and festivals.Katharina has been giving private studio violin lessons for several years teaching students from beginner to advanced. She is dedicated and motivational to each student. Her goal is to bring out the best in each student’s playing and to pass on the love of music and the joy of playing the violin. She has great joy, together with the student, witnessing their growth to a higher level of violin playing.
BERY FILSAIME, CELLO
(B. Mus University of North Florida, M. Mus University of Tennessee)
A Florida native, Mr. Filsaime began playing the violin at age seven before switching to the cello at age nine. He earned his Bachelor of Music in cello performance at the University of North Florida with Dr. Nick Curry. He completed his Master of Music Degree at the University of Tennessee where he served as Professor Wesley Baldwin’s teaching assistant. In 2017, Bery was a member of the National Repertory Orchestra at Breckenridge, Colorado and a finalist with the New World Symphony. He was selected as a winner of the University of Manitoba Concerto Competition the following year. In 2019, Mr. Filsaime graduated with a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in music performance with Dr. Minna Rose Chung at the University of Manitoba. Currently, Bery is actively teaching and performing in Winnipeg with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. He also has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony and Thunder Bay Symphony
VIKTOR ESAU, VIOLIN
(BM University of Manitoba)
Bio coming soon!
VOICE
ALYSSA HILDEBRAND
(BM Canadian Mennonite Univeristy, MM Western University)
Alyssa Hildebrand teaches privately in several communities in Southern Manitoba and loves working with people in Steinbach. She has been teaching for several years, and works with students of many different levels and abilities. While her background is in operatic performance – she enjoys working in a variety of styles with her students, including classical, folk, musical theater, and other contemporary styles.
Alyssa’s teaching history includes a position at Providence University college as a Voice instructor, and the Voice Instructor and Vocal Ensemble director at both Cadenza Summer Music Camp and Ontario Mennonite Music Camp. She became a member of NATS in 2019, and has recently been appointed to the position of Vice President in the Manitoba chapter. Alyssa has a deep love for learning about the vocal mechanism and enjoys discovering how to use this knowledge to help others become better performers!
In addition to her teaching career, Alyssa continues to find performance opportunities wherever possible. In February of 2020, she perfomed with Douglas Kuhl’s School of Music as their guest performer along with the Post Roads String Ensemble. Following this, she helped organize and perform in an online fundraising concert for Mennonite Collegiate Institute titled “How Can I Keep from Singing”. She also had several opportunites to perform operatic roles such as: Oberto in Handel’s Alcina, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Josephine in HMS Pinafore, and Bastienne in Bastien und Bastienne.
For more information about Alyssa or her teaching style – please visit https://www.alyssahildebrand.com/
GUITAR
WILLIE WIEBE, GUITAR
(B. Mus, University of Toronto)
Willie Wiebe graduated as an Eaton scholar at the University of Toronto in 1992, where he studied under Norbert Kraft. He has performed extensively in both solo and chamber settings. His varied performances have been aired nationally on both radio and television.
His solo recording, Time Travel, was received favourably across the country, and was presented in an hour-long feature on CBC’s The Music Room. Also on CBC, he performed a live broadcast on the Sunday noon series Arts Encounters, and was featured in their annual Governor General’s Christmas concert playing his own arrangements for guitar, voice and choir. In 2006, he was a featured soloist in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival. Since that time, he has retired from performing and focused on teaching.
Wiebe has taught guitar at several universities, colleges and studios for 40 years. Since 2012, he has been playing for Artists in Healthcare in their CancerCare program.