Branch Competitions
Saturday, May 23, 2026 (Instrumental)
Location: Christ First (Sanctuary) – 1700 Mazo Cres., Mississauga ON L5J 1Y8
Sunday, May 24, 2026 (Instrumental)
Location: Christ First (Sanctuary) – 1700 Mazo Cres., Mississauga ON L5J 1Y8
Sunday, May 24, 2026 (Vocal)
Location: Christ First (Merigold) – 1700 Mazo Cres., Mississauga ON L5J 1Y8
Registration Deadline: April 11, 2026
Clinicians:
Instrumental – Charles Lin
In demand across the country as an educator, lecturer and adjudicator, pianist Charles Lin’s
commitment of excellence in the field of piano pedagogy has led to local and international
recognitions through his students’ performances. In addition to giving workshops and
masterclasses, he is an active member with The Royal Conservatory of Music’s College of
Examiners, instructs Applied Music of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Toronto,
and serves as the Director of the University of Toronto Piano Pedagogy Program (UTPPP). In
his position at the UTPPP, Charles oversees the creation of a well-rounded musical experience
for young beginners and provides graduate students with the opportunity to teach both group
and private lessons. He maintains a successful studio in Toronto with students as young as four
years old.
Charles holds his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from
the University of Toronto, under the tutelage of Marietta Orlov and Midori Koga; further studies
in children’s piano pedagogy with Irina Gorin through The Gorin Institute. His early years studies
were with Alexandra Munn at the Alberta College Conservatory of Music, and Janet Scott-Hoyt
at the University of Alberta. He has worked with world renowned pianists and educators
including Maria João Pires, Lee Kum-Sing, Anton Kuerti, André Laplante, Krzysztof Jablonski,
John Perry, Richard Raymond, Marc Durand, James Anagnoson, and Angela Cheng; chamber
music with Steven Isserlis, Lydia Wong, Martin Beaver (Tokyo String Quartet), Gabriel Le
Magadure (The Ébène Quartet), Annalee Patipatanakoon/Roman Borys/James Parker
(Gryphon Trio), Geoff Nuttal/Scott St. John/Lesley Robertson/Christopher Costanza (St.
Lawrence String Quartet), and Timothy Ying/Janet Ying/Phillip Ying/David Ying (Ying String
Quartet). He is the recipient of The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Grant, The University of
Toronto Fellowship, and The Winspear Fund for Advanced Classical Music Studies.
Performance highlights include appearances at the 14th World Piano Pedagogy Conference in
Phoenix, Arizona, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Academy at Centre d’arts Orford, and
a soloist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Concordia University College
Orchestra. He is a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators’ Association.
Voice- Robert Loewen:
Dr. Loewen holds a Doctorate in Music in Performance and Pedagogy, a Master of Music (McGill), and a Bachelor of Music (University of Toronto). He is a past scholarship student of The Royal Conservatory. Teachers have been William Neill, Daniel Ferro, and Bernard Diamant, and Elma Gislason. As well he has been coached by Dixie Ross Neill, Michael McMahon, Stuart Hamilton, Jacqueline Richard, and Douglas Bodle. Dr. Loewen has attended master classes by Maureen Forrester, Joan Dornemann, Stuart Hamilton, and Joseph Rescigno.
As a soloist, Dr. Loewen has performed with the Edmonton Opera Association, Canadian Opera Company Ensemble, and with choirs across Canada and the United States. He was an enthusiastically received soloist in a tour of Ukraine and also sang as soloist at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center with the McGill Chamber Choir in the Mozart Masses in Concert Series.
Since completing graduate degrees in performance, Dr. Loewen’s career has centred on teaching, having taught at The Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, McGill University, and the choral scholars of Trinity College (University of Toronto) while maintaining a private studio at both The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists and the Oscar Peterson School of Music both of The Royal Conservatory. Dr. Loewen teaches German Diction for the Glenn Gould School Bachelor of Music degree.
Dr. Loewen’s students have been admitted into North America’s leading undergraduate and graduate programs including The Julliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Indiana University, Manhattan School of Music, Eastman School of Music, McGill University, Lamont School of Music – University of Denver, University of Toronto, The Glenn Gould School, and Wilfred Laurier University, winning awards such as George London Foundation Career Grants and admission to the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program. Cantorial students hold significant positions of spiritual leadership in Synagogues.
In 2016 Dr. Loewen co-founded the Oscar Peterson School of Music’s High School summer vocal intensive and continues as Coordinator of the High School Voice Performance Intensive. This annual vocal intensive is for young classical singers ages 14-18, with daily lessons and coaching, as well as classes in acting, movement, diction, and musicianship skills.
More recently, Dr. Loewen has embraced the technical world of online teaching, with online students across North America, coaching singers in China as well.
Dr. Loewen is a member of The Royal Conservatory’s College of Examiners and has served on the RCM faculty since 2004. Currently, Dr. Loewen is the Voice Discipline Specialist for the Royal Conservatory Certificate Program. He has adjudicated and presented for The Royal Conservatory across Canada and the United States. Dr. Loewen is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
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Pictured: 2019 Vocalists with Adjudicator, Loralie Vancourt (left); Level 9 Pianists (right)
Application forms are to be filled out and submitted by teachers only.