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Holland College School of Peforming Arts (SOPA)
A Partnership Between Holland College and Confederation Centre of the Arts
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Prince Edward Island is home to Atlantic Canada’s newest school of performing arts.
With its rich traditions in music, dance and theatre, Atlantic Canada offers excellent youth and secondary school programming which produces students eager to pursue post-secondary education and training in the performing arts. The Holland College School of Performing Arts (SoPA), now provides a post-secondary opportunity for students to develop their artistic skills, share their passion of music and dance, explore career options in the performing arts, and gain an understanding of the business side of the performance industry.
SoPA is a partnership between Holland College and Confederation Centre of the Arts. In its three program offerings, Dance Performance, Music Performance and Performing Arts Foundation, SoPA offers students the unique opportunity to:
- Enjoy ‘hands-on’ learning with a competency-based curriculum;
- Work with instructors who come straight from the stage and studio;
- Train and perform in a unique environment including the halls, green room and stages of Confederation Centre of the Arts;
- Participate in industry events;
- Build the foundation for further post-secondary education.
Our Partnership
The School of Performing Arts combines the significant strengths and national reputations of two well-established institutions, Holland College and Confederation Centre of the Arts. Confederation Centre of the Arts was founded in 1964 as Canada’s national memorial to the Fathers of Confederation, who gathered at Province House in Charlottetown in 1864 to discuss the creation of Canada. Dedicated to showcasing the best in Canadian visual and performing arts, this award-winning national arts centre is home to the internationally renowned Charlottetown Festival, one of the country’s most well-known theatre festivals. (www.confederationcentre.com)
Holland College is an innovative and internationally recognized post-secondary educational institute. When asked, students say they chose the college because of employment opportunities for Holland College graduates; the college offered the program they wanted; and Holland College programs emphasize skills oriented training. The college offers over 65 full-time programs in 13 locations across Prince Edward Island. It is home to over 2,800 full time and 5,000 adult and continuing education students; approximately 30 percent of college students are from off-Island.
Holland College School of Peforming Arts (SOPA) Instructors
SoPA instructors come to the school straight from the stage, and most of them still work in the performing arts.
- Dean Constable
- Wade Lynch
- Julain Molnar
- Jody Racicot
- Peggy Reddin
- Julia Sauvé
- Lisa Finkle
- Christina Marshall
- Stephanie Knickle-Currie
- Lauren Vincent
- Jennifer Cullen
Performing Arts Foundation & Dance Perfomance Instructional Staff:
- Alan Dowling
- Sean Ferris
- Donald Fraser
- Chad Deagle
- Devin Hornby
- Alan David White
- Julain Molnar
- Lisa Finkle
- Kendra MacGillvray
- Shannon Pratt
- Dan Rowswell
Music Performance Instructional Staff
Dean Constable
Instructor:
Technical Aspects of Theatre
Dean Constable has been a professional stage manager for over 10 years. Originally from P.E.I., Dean studied technical theatre at Studio 58 in Vancouver. Dean spent eight seasons with The Charlottetown Festival where he has called Anne of Green Gables, Hairspray! and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and has worked on numerous other productions including as the production stage manager for P.E.I. Day for the 2010 Olympic Medal Ceremonies in Vancouver. Currently, Dean is the theatre general manager for the Confederation Centre of the Arts.
Wade Lynch
Instructor:
Wade Lynch is a 15-year veteran of The Charlottetown Festival as an actor, writer and director. In 2006, he was invited to take on duties as the Associate Artistic Director for the Festival. A Vancouver native and graduate of the Performing Arts faculty of the University of Western Washington and the Broadcast Journalism program at BCIT, he has enjoyed a 30-year career on stages all over North America. Wade’s Festival debut was 1992’s A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline. He has since performed in Anne of Green Gables, Puttin’ on the Ritz, 18 Wheels, The Legend of the Dumbells, 8 to the Bar, Shear Madness, Stones in His Pockets, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and Hairspray!, among many others. Co-creator of the Festival hit, Canada Rocks, Wade was on the creative team of the Festival Young Company’s show, Abegweit, Soul of the Island, which was performed at BC Place Stadium during the 2010 Olympics. Other recent theatre credits include Annie for Neptune Theatre, Halifax; Peter Pan for Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre; Irma Vep for Calgary’s Vertigo Theatre; and Sancho in Man of Lamancha for the Drayton Festival.
Julain Molnar
Instructor:
Voice Essentials: Introduction I and II
For the past 29 years Julain Molnar has been a professional performer in productions all over Canada and the United States. She has played lead roles in more than 100 shows and her theatre credits include The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, The Sound of Music, Into the Woods, Side by Side by Sondheim, two seasons at the Stratford Festival and 13 seasons at The Charlottetown Festival. She has won many awards for both singing and acting, received an Honours Certificate in Vocal Performance from Trinity College, UK and studied acting with the Stratford Festival Young Company. She has been teaching voice and text interpretation for 16 years and has led the vocal program for the Confederation Centre Young Company for the past 11 years.
Jody Racicot
Instructor:
Acting Essentials: Introduction I and II, Performance Business
With over two decades of professional acting experience, Jody Racicot’s early career was spent in Ontario theatre, where he was part of the cast for Toronto's long running production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap; David French’s Jitters at the Huron Country Playhouse; Annex Theatre’s production of MacBeth; Leah Poslun’s Theatre production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest; and Theatre Passe Muraille’s The Tyrant of Pontus. Since his film debut in the early 90s in the 20th Century Fox comedy PCU, Jody has racked up more than 50 leading and supporting roles in television and film, most recently in the 2010 comedy/western, Gunless. His performance as Dr. Zarkov in TV’s Flash Gordon earned him a Leo Award in 2008 as Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series.He has worked in major centres across Canada and can be seen or heard on television at least once a week in a movie, a television series or in a commercial.
Peggy Reddin
Instructor:
Dance Styles: Ballet I and II
Peggy Reddin is Director of Arts Education at Confederation Centre of the Arts. In 1988, she co-founded dance umbrella with Julia Sauvé and has served as its director since 1996. She is a graduate of the National Ballet School Teacher Training Program and holds a BA (Philosophy) from the University of Prince Edward Island. Ms. Reddin taught with Charlottetown Ballet Theatre, DancEast, and the Charlottetown Festival Young Company, and has directed and choreographed numerous events on the Island. She was also the project founder for Dance with D.A.W.N., an innovative dance programme for women with disabilities. In addition to her work in arts education, Ms. Reddin is very involved in the local arts community. She has worked in collaboration with Theatre PEI, the PEI Symphony, and the UPEI Music Department, among others. She has served on the boards of the PEI Council of the Arts and Culture PEI, and as a juror for the New Brunswick Arts Board and the PEI Council of the Arts.
Julia Sauvé
Instructor:
Creativity: An Introduction to Creative Thinking
Julia Sauvé, MA has been performing, teaching, and choreographing dance in Canada and the United States for the past 32 years. A co-founder of dance umbrella, she has a Bachelor's degree in Dance from SUNY Brockport and her Master’s in Movement Education from Goddard College. Julia has choreographed numerous productions on P.E.I. and facilitates workshops on Kinesthetic Learning for a variety of educators and organizations. Most recently, Julia has created Luminosity Black Light Theatre.
Lisa Finkle
Instructor:
English
For over 25 years, Lisa Finkle has been a marketer, manager, business plan writer and business owner with companies in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. A graduate of Dalhousie University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts with a major in English Literature, Lisa joined the Holland College faculty in 2011. Since then, she has developed and delivered a variety of courses in the college’s Small Business Management program including Accounting, Business Communications, Marketing, Human Resources, Business Law and Entrepreneurship. Currently, Lisa is a learning manager at the college’s new Waterfront Campus in Summerside, teaching communications and computer courses to students in the trades and industrial technology programs.
Christina Marshall
Instructor:
Dance Styles: Modern I and Modern II;
Dance Styles: Jazz I
and Jazz II
Christina Marshall earned her Bachelor of Performing Arts (Dance Performance) from Oklahoma City University in 2005. Her life-long passion and devotion to dance gave her invaluable opportunities to perform professionally around the globe, including Busch Gardens (USA), Tokyo Disneyland, and in the cruise ship industry. Christina is originally from Saint John, N. B. and now calls Prince Edward Island home.
Stephanie Knickle-Currie
Instructor:
Dance Anatomy
Owner, operator and trainer of imotion Pilates Fitness & Consulting in Charlottetown, Stephanie is celebrating her 21st year as a certified fitness leader. She holds many certifications and accreditations, including YMCA of Canada Certified Group Fitness Leader; Island Fitness Council/Fitness New Brunswick Group Fitness Leader and Resistance and Strength Trainer; IFC/Fitness NB Group Fitness Course Conductor; Canadian Physical, Activity, Fitness and Lifestyle Appraiser; and Certified STOTT PILATES™ Matwork and Reformer in Essential, Intermediate and Advanced levels. She is also the only certified Pre- and Post-Natal Fitness Specialist (Can-Fit-Pro) on Prince Edward Island. Stephanie earned her honour's degree in Social Psychology from the University of Prince Edward Island, a Bachelor of Education degree from Mount Saint Vincent University, and, most recently, completed a management development program for women at UPEI.
Lauren Vincent
Instructor:
Dance Foundations: Introduction and Intermediate
Dance Styles: Tap I and II
Dance Styles: Ballet I and II
Lauren Vincent graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance with a BA (Honors) Ballet Education. Since graduating, she has taught RAD syllabus and free ballet classes, as well as modern and tap classes in Bermuda and in Bristol, U.K. She has also continued her professional development by gaining ISTD modern and tap teaching qualifications. Performing experience includes Edinburgh's King’s Theatre, Lyceum Theatre and Usher Hall and other innovative venues such as the Millennium Dome and Edinburgh International Conference Centre
Jennifer Cullen
Instructor:
Voice Essentials: Introduction I and II
Accompanist for Voice and Ballet
Jennifer Cullen holds a B.Mus. from Wilfrid Laurier University where she studied voice performance and piano. Jennifer has enjoyed performing in Canada, the United States and Germany including operatic roles at Edmonton's Opera Nuova and The Banff Centre for the Performing Arts. She had the pleasure of participating in the Aspen Music Festival and the Festival Ensemble of Stuttgart. Here on Prince Edward Island, she played the role of Elsa in the Confederation Centre of the Arts production of The Sound of Music. Jennifer was the musical director of the Charlottetown Festival's 2012 Young Company production of Feux Follets. Jennifer teaches private voice and piano lessons in Charlottetown.
Alan Dowling
Instructor:
Music Styles: Celtic and World Music, Music Styles: Latin and Jazz
Director:
Holland College Welshmen Community Band
Alan Dowling is a music educator and drummer who has performed with Doug Riley, Measha Bruggergosman, Mike Murley, Bobby Curtola, Freddy Fender and many others. He has performed on several national CBC broadcasts for both TV and radio. After studying Music Performance at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Alan completed degrees in both music and mathematics from UPEI. He is an active performer in many genres and has played and recorded with artists covering such styles as rock, country, pop, Celtic, jazz, classical and world music. He performed as the onstage drummer with the Charlottetown Festival for five years and earned three East Coast Music Association awards and several Music PEI awards. He has performed at jazz festivals in Quebec, Nova Scotia and PEI and has made guest appearances with Symphony Nova Scotia and the PEI Symphony Orchestra. He is the founding director of the Holland College Welshmen community music ensembles (Concert Band, Jazz/Funk Band and Pep Band) which perform at public concerts and athletic events. Alan also works as a band festival percussion clinician and has juried nomination/funding submissions for Factor, the ECMAs and Music PEI.
Sean Ferris
Instructor
Ensemble: Improvisation Introduction and Intermediate
A graduate of McGill University’s Bachelor of Music program, Sean Ferris completed studies in composition, experimental music and jazz improvisation. As a performer, he has had the opportunity to play jazz, blues and alternative music with many regional, national and international artists over the years and he still performs with his electronic and improvisational based jazz trance funk ensembles The Sean Ferris Group and OST. An arranger, composer and producer for over 25 years, Sean's compositions have been presented internationally and include electro-acoustic music, installations, experimental music videos, avant-garde chamber and orchestral pieces as well as music for film, television, dance, and theatre. Recently, he has been commissioned to compose the music for Mi’Kmaq Legends, a two hour theatrical presentation of Mi’Kmaq song and dance; the first of these ‘legends’, The Creation, was work shopped and performed by members of Symphony Nova Scotia and the PEI Symphony among others during the 2011 ECMAs. Also in 2011, he was chosen as the Doug Riley Artist for the Charlottetown Jazz and Blues Festival. Composer for six seasons of The Food Network’s Chef at Home, Sean has recently finished scoring two new projects for the network: the documentary Village Feast and the new series Chef Michael’s Kitchen which began airing in the fall of 2012.
Donald Fraser
Instructor
Keyboard Harmony: Introduction and Intermediate
Arranging: Introduction and Intermediate
After earning his Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University in 1986, Donald Fraser graduated with a Master of Music from the University of Toronto in 1989 with a major in Organ Performance and Musicology. Director of Music at Trinity United Church in Charlottetown for the past 19 years, he is also the Music Director of the Charlottetown Festival, since 2005, and Director of Music at Confederation Centre of the Arts. Mr. Fraser was Music Director for the 1996 East Coast Music Awards CBC Television production broadcast on the national network. Included among his long list of credits are: freelance orchestrator and arranger for Symphony Nova Scotia; Music Director and Tour Conductor for Confederation Centre’s Anne of Green Gables production, which toured Japan in 1991; Interim Music Director at First United Church, Mississauga, Ontario; Music Director at Erindale United Church, Mississauga, Ontario; and Assistant Organist at St. George's on-the-Hill Anglican, Islington, Ontario. He is a member of the Royal Canadian College of Organists and the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors.
Chad Deagle
Instructor
Introduction, Harmony Introduction and Intermediate, Music Technology
Private Lessons
Guitar
An established guitar and music instructor, Chad Deagle completed Selkirk College’;s Contemporary Music program in 2003; Yamaha International Guitar Pedagogy courses in 2004, at the Yamaha Music Centre in Toronto; and, in 2009, graduated from UPEI with a Bachelor of Music majoring in classical guitar performance and musicology. During his studies he was the recipient of several scholarships and university prizes. He has also studied and performed in master classes with esteemed players such as Dr. Jim Dickson and Eugene Cormier (Acadia University). Chad has had extensive and diverse performing experiences on stages from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island performing numerous styles from R & B, Rock and Metal, to Classical, Country, Bluegrass, Jazz and Folk. During his university career he performed early Renaissance music with the UPEI Wind Symphony. Chad has been the lead guitarist in some of PEI’;s hottest rock acts and has done studio session work, appearing on recordings all across Canada. Chad has been a guitar instructor for over ten years with teaching experience in all styles, levels and age groups. He has been teaching guitar on PEI since 2003 and he runs the PEI School of Guitar in Charlottetown.
Devin Hornby
Instructor:
Music Styles: Rock and Country, Ensemble: Rock and Country, Ear Training: Introduction and Intermediate, Music Styles: R & B and Pop, Ensemble: R & B and Pop
Private Lessons
Bass
Devin Hornby graduated with Honours from Humber College’s Jazz Performance program and holds a Bachelor of Music from Thompson Rivers University. Mr. Hornby’s performance experience includes Confederation Centre of the Arts Charlottetown Festival productions of The Full Monty, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Hairspray!, and Christmas Blaze. With the group Celtic Blaze, he has played throughout Canada including their Live On Stage! tour, and also with the group has performed in showcases in Nashville, Tennessee, and ContactEast. He performs locally with The Charlottetown Jazz Ensemble and PEI's funkiest band, More Soul. Last spring, Mr. Hornby recorded with Order of Canada recipient, Rita MacNeil, and he can be heard on Chas Guay's soon to be released album featuring some of Prince Edward Island’s most well-known musicians. .
M.J. Mullin
Instructor:
Music Theory: Introduction
Private Lessons:
Guitar
More than 20 years of experience has made M.J. Mullin one of the most versatile guitarists around.He has played rock, blues, jazz and classical on stages from Newfoundland to Ontario and has been a member of some of the region’s most popular bands.He opened the PEI School of Guitar in 1993, which he still runs, and has become one of the most sought after guitar teachers in the province.Recent theatre credits include the Charlottetown Festival’s The Full Monty, Hairspray!, Stan Rogers - A Matter of Heart and Canada Rocks Christmas.
Alan David White
Instructor:
Ensemble: Rock and Country, Ensemble: R & B and Pop, Ensemble: Jazz and Latin, Music Business Introduction
Private Lessons:
Drums
Alan White first started playing drums in junior high and high school jazz and concert bands. He enrolled in the Humber College Music program and studied drums with some of Canada’s top drummers, including Mark Kelso, Paul DeLong and Ted Warren. After graduating from Humber College with honours in 2007, Alan started playing drums professionally. Knowledgeable and functional in many different styles including jazz, Latin, Afro-Cuban, rock, funk, country, Celtic and pop music, he has performed alongside some of Canada’s finest musicians. His professional credits include several main stage productions with the Charlottetown Festival, including The Full Monty, Christmas Blaze, Christmas Rocks, and British Invasion: America Strikes Back. Internationally, Alan has entertained passengers on Celebrity Cruises of the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas. Currently Alan performs with the Charlottetown Jazz Ensemble, Groove Company and More Soul.
Julain Molnar
Private Lessons:
Voice
For the past 29 years Julain Molnar has been a professional performer in productions all over Canada and the United States. She has played lead roles in more than 100 shows and her theatre credits include The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, The Sound of Music, Into the Woods, Side by Side by Sondheim, two seasons at the Stratford Festival and 13 seasons at The Charlottetown Festival. She has won many awards for both singing and acting, received an Honours Certificate in Vocal Performance from Trinity College, UK and studied acting with the Stratford Festival Young Company. She has been teaching voice and text interpretation for 16 years and has led the vocal program for the Confederation Centre Young Company for the past 11 years.
Lisa Finkle
Instructor:
Communication in the Arts
For over 25 years, Lisa Finkle has been a marketer, manager, business plan writer and business owner with companies in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. A graduate of Dalhousie University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts with a major in English Literature, Lisa joined the Holland College faculty in 2011. Since then, she has developed and delivered a variety of courses in the college’s Small Business Management program including Accounting, Business Communications, Marketing, Human Resources, Business Law and Entrepreneurship. Currently, Lisa is a learning manager at the college’s new Waterfront Campus in Summerside, teaching communications and computer courses to students in the trades and industrial technology programs.
Kendra MacGillvray
Instructor
Ensemble: Celtic and World Music
Private Lessons Fiddle
A performer and instructor of the Celtic fiddling style, Kendra MacGillivray is a professional musician with two 2002 East Coast Music Awards, for Female Artist of the Year and instrumental Artist of the Year. She has performed in festivals and events in Japan, Australia, Germany, Iceland, Europe, Scotland, throughout the United States and Canada. Kendra has also performed as guest soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia, the PEI Symphony and the Maritime Forces - Stadacona Band. She has been teaching Celtic fiddling, private and group lessons as well as workshops and master classes to fiddlers of all ages. She has taught at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Southern Hemisphere International School of Scottish Fiddling in New Zealand, Ceilidh Trail School of Celtic Music and the Gaelic College of Celtic Performing Arts and Crafts in Cape Breton, Pacific Institute of Celtic Performing Arts and Crafts in British Columbia, as well as many fiddle camps throughout Canada. In 2003, Kendra won the Music Nova Scotia award for Educator of the Year, and in 2009, she was the executive director of The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada in Summerside. She continues to teach private fiddle and piano accompaniment lessons at her home in Charlottetown. Kendra has four albums to date: Love o’the Isles (2008), Over the Waves (2000), Clear the Track (1996) and Antigonish’s Own (1990). She graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish in 1995 with a Business Administration Degree.
Shannon Pratt
Instructor
Marketing and Promotion, Financial Planning
With a background in film and television production, Shannon Pratt returned to the East Coast at the end of 2006 to find herself quickly immersed in the ever-growing local music scene. She was the production manager in 2008 and 2009 East Coast Music Awards nationally televised broadcast and the Producer for the Annual Music PEI Awards in 2008, 2009 and 2010. No stranger to event management, Shannon tackles music management with the same commitment, working closely with the artists to help expose their music to a larger audience and to achieve their goals.
Dan Rowswell
Private Lessons
Saxophone
A manager, producer, arranger, and saxophone player based in Hunter River, PEI, Dan Rowswell has 26 years of experience in the music, IT and telecom industries, including business and market development, IT planning, music and event production and social media marketing. With a B.A. in Music Composition and Arranging (First Class Honours) from St. Francis Xavier University in 1986, Dan has led or performed with a variety of groups including the Ugly Babies, Rozzz, the John Alphonse Orchestra, the Urban Turbans, Altsys, and the Vic Vogel Big Band in Montreal. Dan has performed with the PEI Symphony Orchestra, Groove Company, the Island Jazz Messengers, and the PEI Saxophone Quartet, and as a featured soloist with the Charlottetown Jazz Ensemble. Dan has been teaching saxophone since 1987. Dan served as producer for Music PEI Week 2012, producing the Music PEI Awards Gala 2012 and 13 other shows. Dan also served as assistant producer for the Gene MacLellan Tribute Concert recorded for CBC TV; as music director for the Bluefield High School production of Footloose in April 2012; and as festival manager for the Sears Atlantic Drama Festival in May 2012. Dan is currently establishing a management business in PEI dedicated to helping Island artists with business, and social media strategy. He serves on the boards of the PEI Symphony and the PEI Jazz & Blues Festival, and provides social media services for both.