Branch Competitions
The Etobicoke–Mississauga Branch of ORMTA is pleased to hold its annual Branch Competition each May. Students who receive a mark of 84% or higher on any piece(s) at either the Fall or Spring Assessments, within the same academic year, are eligible to participate. Scholarships may be awarded at the discretion of the branch.
Teachers, please complete the Registration Form on behalf of your students. Updated version coming soon.
Please read through the Entry Guidelines (2026). Updated version coming soon.
Please read through the Rules and Regulations. Updated version coming soon.
Saturday, May 15, 2027 (Instrumental) | 10:00am – 9:00pm
Sunday, May 16, 2027 (Instrumental) | 1:30pm – 9:00pm
Sunday, May 16, 2027 (Vocal) | 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Registration Deadline: April 5, 2027
Registration is currently closed. Stay tune for further updates.
Location: Christ First United Church
1700 Mazo Crescent, Mississauga ON L5J 1Y8
Instrumentalists will be in the Sanctuary | Vocalists will be in the Merigold Room
Instrumental Clinician: Elaine Lau
Versatile as both a soloist and collaborative artist, Elaine Lau has performed as keyboardist and soloist with numerous orchestras, and broadcast on CBC Radio 2, National Public Radio (USA) and Rondo Classic (Finland). She has performed with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Array Ensemble and Contact Contemporary Music. As a solo recitalist, Elaine has been featured on the Canadian Opera Company’s Piano Virtuoso concert series, Arts and Letters Series, the Canadian Music Centre’s On the 13th! Piano Series and at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
A founding member of Toronto’s award-winning junctQín keyboard collective, Elaine regularly premieres new works for toy, solo and duo piano. As duo pianist with Joseph Ferretti, Elaine has performed across North America and recorded for Capstone Records. Recordings in the last few years include reTHINK, a CD of contemporary piano music for six hands (Redshift Records) and a recording collaboration with Montreal’s Quatuor Bozzini (2024). Elaine is also featured on composer Alex Eddington’s album, “A Present from a Small Distant World” (2021, Redshift Records), with soprano Kristin Mueller-Heaslip. Recent projects include the premières of six-hand works by Nicole Lizée and Vincent Ho, and the launch of PLAYrePLAY, a listener-interactive platform of 3 new works. In 2025, Elaine also joined musicians from diverse genres in the Exit Points free improv concert series at Arraymusic, recording straight to disc for release in 2026. She was one of the featured artists in Newfoundland’s Sound Symposium XXII evening series this past summer as well.
Elaine was coach/repetiteur for the Opera Theatre of Lucca (Italy) and for several years, a collaborative pianist/instructor for the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts (USA). Active nationally as an adjudicator and Senior Examiner for The Royal Conservatory of Music, she also received the Contribution to Teaching Award from the ORMTA. A member of the piano faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2003, Ms. Lau has served as keyboard faculty at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Young Artist Program at the Southern Ontario Suzuki Institute and teaches at the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Vocal Clinician: Michelyn Wright
Michelyn Wright received her Honours Bachelor of Music Education, and an Artist’s Performance Diploma from the University of Western Ontario then her Master of Music in Voice Performance at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. Through these years she studied with such great teachers as Bernard Diamant, Lois Marshall, Dr. Darryl Edwards and Ruth Falcon. In 1997 she worked with Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge at the Britten Pears School. Michelyn has performed as a soloist with the Guelph Chamber Choir, the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Operetta Theatre, and was a chorister with the Canadian Opera Company Chorus from 1998-2008.
Michelyn has been an active Voice Teacher in Markham since 1997. She has been a member of ORMTA since 2017, and is the Markham Stouffville Branch President. A member of the National Assoc. of Teachers of Singing since 1999, she was on the Ontario Chapter executive board for 15 years. In 2001 she was selected as one of 20 applicants to attend the NATS Intensive Program, a teacher training program for young voice teachers. Michelyn has been an Artist Educator with the Canadian Opera Company Education Department, Vocal Music Director for the Unionville Theatre Company and a Vocal Instructor for the Bach Children’s Chorus.
Currently, Michelyn has a large private voice studio in Markham and is a Sessional Lecturer at the University of Toronto, teaching Voice Education to undergraduate instrumental music education students. In the summer of 2025, she was the Volunteer Chair of the International Congress of Voice Teachers in Toronto.
Michelyn’s students have been finalists at the OMFA Provincials, NATS Regional Auditions, NATS Ontario Vocal Showcase, Pickering GTA Music Festival, Newmarket Lions, Toronto Kiwanis, and North York Music Festivals and as well as 1st Place winner of the 2021 and 2022 ORMTA Vocal Provincials. Her students have been Silver and Gold Medal Royal Conservatory of Music Winners, and many have continued in music after high school at the University level, attending such schools as, McGill University, Sheridan College, University of Toronto, Western University and Wilfrid Laurier University.