DAVID KLASSEN: Executive Director
David Klassen comes to the Steinbach Arts Council with nearly 2 decades of experience as a university educator and professional musician. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Manitoba, and a Master of Music Degree from the University of Minnesota.
David has taught at several universities in Manitoba, most notably the Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba. Throughout his teaching career, his students have been accepted to undergraduate and graduate music programs in both Canada and the United States including University of Victoria, University of Alberta, University of Manitoba, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa, McGill, Boston Conservatory, and the New York Film Institute.
As a soloist, he has been called “Charismatic and Enthralling” (Opera Canada), “Rich” (Minneapolis Star Tribune & Winnipeg Free Press), and “A Vocal Powerhouse” (CBC). He has been engaged by many professional organizations, including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Saskatoon Opera, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra singing Rossini’s Largo al Factotum for a Canada Day audience of thirty thousand.
David has been recognized as a “visionary” (The Carillon) in his home city of Steinbach, and has been acknowledged numerous times as one of the region’s greatest contributors to the arts. His passion lies in providing opportunities for young people, especially those interested in developing their skills through the arts. In 2015, David was nominated for CBC’s “Manitoba Future 40” award for his work throughout the province.
While working at the Steinbach Arts Council as the Executive Director, David continues to direct, perform, teach, and adjudicate across much of western Canada. He also oversees the dedicated piano practice of his two children, Anika and Ezra, and envies their musical skills together with his wife, Tara.
SYDNEY REMPEL: Development Coordinator
Sydney has been part of the Steinbach area her whole life and has been working with the Steinbach Arts Council since 2017. Although she is not musically or artistically gifted herself, her time at the arts council has given her an appreciation of art and music. She enjoys being part of the community through sports, such as spikeball, ultimate frisbee, and hockey, and volunteering at her church. She is currently pursuing an Environmental Studies degree at the University of Manitoba. She is passionate about the environment and shares her reduce and reuse habits with the SAC office. Her other passions include reading, ice cream, and Netflix.
ROXIE HEIDE: Arts Instruction Coordinator
Roxie was born and raised in the Steinbach area and started at the Steinbach Arts Council in 2020. Roxie is creative and loves to experiment with different art forms. In school, she sang in the choir and took art classes. During her college years, Roxie participated in choir and took voice lessons. She also was a part of the cast for the first production of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in Canada. Roxie loves to be involved in her community and frequently volunteers with her church and camp. In her downtime, she enjoys learning new skills such as tie-dye, crocheting, and applying henna. Recently Roxie has started experimenting with acrylic paints and is painting all of her Christmas Cards this year.
TARA SCHELLENBERG: Performing Arts Assistant
Tara Schellenberg has a love of performing arts and a passion for arts administration. After obtaining her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the U of M, Tara spent years working in VFX and film production management at Frantic Films, Prime Focus, and Buffalo Gal Pictures. Tara is thrilled to be giving back to the arts community in her hometown of Steinbach. When she’s not serving in her role at the Steinbach Arts Council, you can find her teaching piano, singing in various vocal ensembles around town, running after her kids, or crocheting with a cat on her lap.
TONYA GODEE: Community Programming Coordinator & Exhibit Coordinator
Tonya has always been drawn to the arts and education fields. She completed her bachelor’s degree with honours in Art History from the University of Manitoba. After university, she taught English abroad in Seoul, South Korea for a couple of years. She has taught every age range from pre-school children to adults. After coming back from South Korea, Tonya pursued a master’s degree in Arts and Society from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She will be finishing her master’s degree by December 2022. Tonya has also participated in an Internship with a company in the Netherlands called “ArteKino.” During her internship, she helped conduct research that was presented at an ICOM (International Council of Museums) conference in Belgium. As well, Tonya has many artistic and creative hobbies such as painting and weaving.
Jemil David: Communication Coordinator & Part Time Office Coordinator
Jemil has always shown his love for crafts since he was 6 years old. He never stopped sketching insects and that’s when his parents discovered that he inherited their talent in art. He has been doing art for the past 22 years. He has never shown fear to explore new ways to create masterpieces. He took Digital Art, Graphic Design, and Advanced Graphic Design back in his senior year. He also represented Steinbach Regional Secondary School and competed in Skills Manitoba for Graphic Arts and Design in 2019. Jemil is drawn to sketching creatures such as dinosaurs, aliens, and animals. He even creates his own beasts using his imagination. During his free time, he likes to spend time with his family or watch tutorial videos to help improve his skills in watercolor and acrylic painting.
Jemil loves communicating with people because he believes that it helps him build his confidence and improve his speaking skills. He grew up very shy, but now he is no longer afraid to face the public. He is very friendly and always makes sure that he gives his best to assist customers and his workmates when they need assistance.
KRISTI NERBAS: Office and Facility Coordinator (Part Time)
Kristi worked for us in the Summer of 2020 doing administration for the Summer Arts Day Camp and has come back to work in our office again. She has a love for music and has been playing piano since she was 5 years old. She completed her grade 10 piano and has won many awards for her piano playing in the Southeast Manitoba Festival. She attends the University of Manitoba pursuing a Biological Science degree with a focus in ecology and environmental science and has a love of science and conservation. Kristi loves kids and has worked for the University of Manitoba teaching K-12 students science and engineering. She also worked for the Steinbach Arts Council teaching science at the Summer Arts Day Camp and Spring Break Out Camps. Kristi has hobbies of creating 3D models out of cardboard and paper and leading worship in her church band.
ANGELICA SAN JUAN: Communication and Outreach Coordinator (Maternity Leave)
Angelica has been living in Steinbach for the last six years, and before that, was raised in a metropolitan city in the Philippines where she studied Communication Arts at the University of the Philippines. She continued her lifelong dream of having a career in the communications and media industry and went to learn Interactive Media Arts in ACC Brandon. When she was younger, she loved writing little novels and eventually explored other forms of story-telling. She considers herself a jack of all trades as she has learnt skills in different media aspects such as filmmaking, photography, graphic and web design, and social media.
During her college years, Angelica independently worked with companies and people like the Brandon Wheat Kings, Manitoba directors and filmmakers, and local small businesses under different roles.
Outside of Steinbach Arts Council, Angelica is a dedicated mom and is a big advocate of gentle parenting and Montessori practices. In her free time she likes to play cozy Nintendo games, watch Netflix, and try different restaurants in the city.
COMMITTEES
Performing Arts Committee
David Klassen
Tara Schellenberg
Karen Peters
Roxanne Klassen
Pearl Barz
Alex Nikkel
Southeast Visual Arts Committee
June Snider
Melanie Penner
Kayla Hiebert
Dawn Schmitt
Arlene Enns