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VYC Kindred

SING WITH HEART

Sing with us!

Are you a newcomer to Canada? Love to sing? Join us! It’s FREE!

Learn about Indigenous music traditions.

We welcome:

“When my mother and I first moved to Canada, we were looking for a new home base. VYC quickly became a welcoming family.”
Maya
VYC Junior

All who identify as a newcomer to Canada are welcome!

Participants will have the opportunity to sing Indigenous songs with two outstanding First Nations musicians, Deanna Gestrin and Russell Wallace.

Sponsored by

VYC Kindred patrons

2023 Season

Rehearsals

Instructors

Deanna Gestin - VYC Kindred Instructor

Deanna Gestrin

VYC Kindred Leader
Deanna Gestrin is a vocalist, choral conductor, clinician, composer, and secondary music educator with the Burnaby School District. She has taught for the past twenty-four years in various musical settings, including private vocal instruction, early childhood music, elementary classroom music, secondary choral and band conducting, as well as directing adult and children’s community choirs. Deanna holds degrees in professional music, jazz studies, secondary education, and she will soon complete a Master of Counselling degree. She has sung on various albums and tv & film projects, and she performs contemporary and traditional Indigenous music. Deanna is proud of her St’at’imc roots and she frequently performs in various contemporary and traditional Indigenous contexts. Proud of her St’at’imc roots, Deanna approaches reconciliation through cross cultural connections and community building.
Russell Wallace - VYC Kindred Instructor

Russell Wallace

VYC Kindred Leader
Russell Wallace is an award-winning composer, producer and traditional singer from the Lil’wat Nation. His music can be heard on soundtracks for film, television and theatre/dance productions across Canada and the USA. Wallace is one of the founding members of the Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast and is an alumnus of the UBC Creative Writing program. Wallace has written poetry, short fiction, theatre, and music theatre. Wallace was the artist in residence at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in 2019, a guest programmer for Word Vancouver and was the artistic director for the Aboriginal Electronic Music Festival for a number of years.
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