Winnipeg (Pembina) - Theory Lessons

Kevin Curtis (Composition, Guitar, Piano, Theory)

Online Lessons:

Kevin has a 30 year history as a professional musician and composer, and has been a dedicated teacher for over 15 years. He has also appeared broadly as a clinician and as a guest lecturer. Kevin was recently honoured (in 2023) by The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning at the University of Manitoba, “For Significant Contribution To Excellence In Teaching”.

Kevin is highly adaptable to the individual needs and interests of his many students, beginner to advanced, and welcomes students of all ages and abilities. Lessons are focused, not just on technique and the learning of pieces, but also on the psychology of performance. Consequently, his students tend to perform at a high level, and some have gone on to pursue careers in music themselves. For those students interested in composing, improvising, or songwriting, Kevin is particularly adept at stoking individual creativity. (Some of his students have performed their own original pieces on recitals, even at very young ages.) He also takes a rigorous approach with students wishing to pursue a course involving theory and practical examinations through the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Prior to becoming a teacher Kevin spent many years touring as a professional musician, and is known locally for performing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Papa Mambo, Marco Castillo’s Brazilian Beats, and many, many other ensembles. He regularly performs as a soloist, with his own trio and quartet, and with his 7-member classic jazz ensemble Sunny Roseland.

Kevin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition from the University of Manitoba and a certificate in Teacher Professional Development from the Royal Conservatory. Kevin teaches at our Winnipeg (Pembina) lesson centre. His rate is $30 per half hour.

Liudmyla Boukhanets (Piano, Theory)

Online Lessons:

Liudmyla Boukhanets, a piano instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the field, was born in small town Kirovograd in Central Ukraine, where she attended music school, which she completed with distinction. While studying, she won a piano competition between all students from different music schools in honour of H.H. NeuHaus. Later on, she went to Music College and graduated with distinction in Piano and Concert Meister. Additionally, she graduated from Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian State Pedagogical University.

Upon completion of her education, she migrated to the United Arab Emirates with her family where she began her teaching career. She helped students prepare for ABRSM, Trinity and RCM exams. Numerous former students that she taught in the past have graduated with excellence and achieved performer diplomas. Additionally, those students participated in many international piano competitions.

Liudmyla has been invited many times to be an examiner on behalf of London Academy of Music and Art (LAMA). In UAE, she was a director of her own Music Studio “Music Theory and Practical Support”.

In summer of 2022, she moved to Winnipeg, Canada, where she continues her pedagogical career as a piano and music theory teacher. Liudmyla teaches piano and theory at our Winnipeg (Pembina) location. Her rate is $33.00 per half hour.

Marco Castillo (Guitar, Bass Guitar, Percussion, Drums, Theory)

Online Lessons:

Marco Castillo was born in the capital of Samba, and after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Estácio de Sá University in Rio de Janeiro in 1994, he instantly began touring South America with Brazil’s hottest bands; since moving to Canada, Marco has performed in festivals around the globe, and has recorded and produced many musical projects. Whether it’s his work as a solo artist, his full 8 piece "Brazilian Beats" band, or collaborations with the Winnipeg Jazz and Symphony Orchestras and Ron Paley’s Big Band, Castillo brings a one of a kind show. Castillo’s much appraised Trip to Brazil, (one of his three albums), was awarded World Recording of the Year (2012) in Regina as part of the Western Canadian Music Awards. Marco Castillo was also a finalist for the 2015 Viña del Mar music festival in Chile, one of the most important music festivals in Latin America, which is broadcasted and seen by over 250,000,000 fans around the world. Castillo believes in developing a personalized teaching method for each student since every individual learns differently. Marco specializes in a number of different teaching styles including rock, jazz, pop, country, as well as Latin rhythms such as samba, bossa-nova, bolero, salsa, Afro Cuban and more!

Marco teaches guitar, bass, Brazilian percussion, music perception, and music theory at our Winnipeg (Pembina) location.
His rate is $33 per half hour.

Nicole Thielmann (Piano, Theory)

Online Lessons:

Nicole enjoys teaches Piano & Music Theory. Growing up in Germany, she started piano lessons at the age of 3. Relocating to Paraguay, South America, she completed the Level 10 Piano Exam Program (MEC), with distinction. She received both The Certificate of Elementary Piano Teaching (2012), and the Certificate of Advanced Piano Teaching (2016). Currently she is finishing her bachelor’s degree in Classical Piano at the University of Manitoba, studying piano with Dr. David Moroz.

She has participated in numerous recitals, both solo and collaborative, as well as local and national choir and piano competitions in Paraguay and Canada. She is very interested in developing and teaching various piano techniques & feels very inspired by the works of J. S. Bach. Nicole teaches at our Winnipeg (Pembina) lesson centre. Her rate is $29 per half hour.

Victoriya Savchenko (Voice, Piano, Theory)

Online Lessons:

Victoriya Savchenko is a native of Ukraine and is residing in Winnipeg.
She holds a Diploma in Piano Performance and Choir Conducting from the State School of Music in Ukraine, a Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Education and a Masters Degree in Voice Performance from University of Manitoba, Canada.
Victoriya is the recipient of numerous awards, scholarships and distinctions and is an accomplished concert performer.
As well as teaching piano, music theory and voice for the past fifteen years, Victoriya has taught general music (including Orff and Recorder), choir and band in the public school system.
Every year her students participate in local concerts and festivals, and complete the Royal Conservatory requirements at different levels.
Her philosophy is to keep students interested and challenged while having fun learning.
Victoriya teaches at our Winnipeg (Pembina) lesson centre.
Her rate is $32 per half hour.