Evan Buckland

Guitar

From a musical family, Evan began playing guitar in 1995, and has been studying privately with jazz guitarist and educator Gary Benson since 2000. Evan received the Departmental Music Award from W.A Porter Collegiate in 2002.  

Evan completed the four year Humber College Jazz Studies program with honors in 2006. He has also completed the Royal Conservatory of Music requirements in Theory Rudiments and Basic Harmony (2009/2010). Evan continues to study, and to perform whenever possible.

Evan has been teaching at Springboard for more than fifteen years and continues to make an impact to this day.

Joseph Hsieh

Piano

Born in Taiwan, Joseph Hsieh began his musical training at an arts high school in Taipei, where he studied piano and voice. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music in Ohio.

Joseph has dedicated many years to teaching piano to children in Taiwan and Canada. He joined Springboard to Music several years ago and finds great joy in helping students grow through music.

Benjamin Stein

Piano, Guitar, Ukulele

Pianist, guitarist, lutenist, composer and singer Benjamin Stein has performed with Tafelmusik Baroque Chamber Choir, Opera Atelier, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Elora Festival Singers, Toronto Masque Theatre and Soundstreams Canada. 

He is currently completing a PhD at York University on the re-emerging art of improvisation in classical music.  

An associate music director at Metropolitan United Church of Toronto, he has written articles on music and culture for the Toronto Star and Wholenote Magazine.

Dianne Ball

Piano, Voice

Dianne is an enthusiastic music educator. She has been involved with Springboard to Music since 2012, teaching Movement to Music, as well as piano and voice lessons. Working with the TDSB, she taught kindergarten to grade 8 students vocal and instrumental music, conducted various choirs and bands, and produced an assortment of seasonal concerts. 

A lifelong singer, Dianne has been a member of Oriana Women’s Choir for over 40 years, and sings with, and has directed her church choir.

Anthony Manongsong

Piano, Drums, Bass

Anthony is a Toronto-based musician who spent his childhood and youth in Scarborough, Ontario. He grew up singing in the TCDSB’s Voce Choir and learning piano, and later chose to further his education by completing Humber College’s Introduction to Commercial Jazz Music graduate certificate on bass.

He is currently studying Jazz Piano and Drums at York University, where he has the privilege of learning from esteemed professors such as Mike Cado, Robi Botos, Barry Romberg, Noam Lemish, Nicole Sinclair-Anderson, and Kelly Jefferson. In recognition of his dedication to music, Anthony has been awarded both the Douglas Menzie Phillips Jazz Scholarship and the Oliver Lower Jazz Piano Prize.

Outside of school, Anthony is active in the music scene, performing with various musicians across the Greater Toronto Area.

Deanna Mann

Piano, Voice, Ukulele, Guitar, Bass

Deanna is a Toronto-based music theatre performer and musician, and a graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Deanna also attended St. Francis Xavier University for Jazz Studies in voice, and has been a recipient of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust Awards. 

Since graduating, she has embarked on countless musical endeavours and teaches for multiple music schools in the Toronto area. Following her graduation, she worked with four Randolph grads to form The Playhouse Collective, an indie musical theatre company for emerging theatre artists in Toronto. 

Gordon Brown

Piano, Voice

Gordon Brown was born in Blind River, Ontario as his parents were living in nearby Iron Bridge. He began piano lessons at age nine, and then continued with studies in piano, organ and voice in Sault Ste. Marie. In 1982 he relocated to Toronto to enrol in the Piano Performance Programme at The Faculty of Music, University of Toronto where he studied with Patricia Parr and Greta Kraus. He graduated in 1986.

Since 2007 he has undertaken many summertime courses at the Austrian International Chamber Music Festival, “Allegro Vivo”, where his mentors have been Roland Batik (piano), Peter Ovtcharov (piano and composition), and Vienna State Opera performer, Wolfgang Bankl (voice). Gordon’s career in Toronto has been as a church organist, a pianist for ballet, a synagogue chorister and a vocal accompanist and coach. He has also presented concerts at The Donauschwaben Club in Scarborough and at Club Loreley in Oshawa. His interest in music composition has led to the creation of several works. Gordon has the fondest memories of his beloved teachers and hopes that he will be remembered by his own students in this way!

Carlo Santo-Domingo

Bass, Guitar

Laying down good vibes one note at a time, Carlo Santo Domingo is a Toronto-based musician who’s basis as a bassist creates bases for other musicians to shine. 

Working through his skills as a multi-instrumentalist, producer and performer, Carlo’s fascination in music began in his childhood, where he was raised amongst a musical family. Carlo learned how to play the ukulele from his father, who himself was also a multi-instrumentalist and singer.

At York University, Carlo focused his studies in the jazz stream, learning from notable professors such as Artie Roth, Sundar Viswanathan and Michael Cado.

Eiji Tay

Drums

Ishmael Fuertes

Piano, Guitar, Ukulele