People

Sophia Wang is a PhD candidate in Music Education at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include policy, cross-sectoral relations, paradigm shifts, and institutional change in music education. Sophia’s on-going dissertation research examines how school music festivals function as events and networks through which private sector and social economy actors shape the provision of public school music education in Canada. Her doctoral studies are supported by the SSHRC CGS-D and the OGS. Sophia is an Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT), flutist, and alumna of the University of Toronto (Mus.Bac. ’18, MA ’23) and Queen’s University (B.Ed. ’19).

Jude Leschyshyn (he/him) is a second-year Master’s student in Musicology. His principal research interests include 19th- and 20th-century pianism and piano music (particularly that of France and Russia) and the philosophy of music. He holds a Bachelor of Music and Certificate in Jazz from the University of Saskatchewan (’23), with professional experience as a teacher, performer, and composer. He is an enthusiast of cinema and baseball. His research is supported by SSHRC and CGRS-M.

Isaiah Chadney is a PhD student in Musicology at the University of Toronto. He holds an MA in Musicology from the University of Toronto and a BMus in Performance from the University of Lethbridge. His research interests broadly include music and politics, cultural history, philosophy, and the relationships between music, technology, and media, with recent research examining the musical culture of Canadian political movements in the latter half of the twentieth century. Questions of political power, collective identity, and social imagination are central to this work, alongside interests in mediation, ideology, aesthetics, hybridity, and archival research. Alongside his academic work, Isaiah maintains an active musical practice spanning performance and other creative work.

Viola is a second-year Master of Music Performance (viola) student, studying under Theresa Rudolph. She obtained a Bachelor of Music Performance (viola) from the University of Ottawa, under Michael Van der Sloot. Her interests include orchestral and chamber music, improv, teaching, and conducting. She has worked in a variety of musical settings and is enthusiastic in creating an environment where fellow students in performance are supported, encouraged, and invited to collaborate more within the graduate music community.

Georgia began playing piano at age six and upright bass at fourteen, developing a deep interest in jazz. Encouraged by her bass instructors, she completed a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at Capitano University in 2007. She then toured extensively across North America and Europe with numerous jazz bands before settling in Calgary in 2011. Specializing in Traditional Hot New Orleans–style jazz, she has performed with groups such as Hopping Mad and the Big Bang Jazz Band, and she developed a strong foundation in Western Swing during her years in Alberta. Influenced by bassists Slam Stewart and Pops Foster, Georgia now begins her DMA in Jazz Performance at the University of Toronto, focusing on hot jazz history, solo bass repertoire, improvisation, and equity in jazz.

Candela Castro is a PhD student in Music and Health Sciences (Collaborative Program in Neuroscience). She acquired with honors a degree in Music Therapy from University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, completed the Neurologic Music Therapy training and a MA in Music and Health Sciences from University of Toronto. Candela has clinical experience in adults’ neurorehabilitation (FLENI), and teaching experience as an Assistant Professor at University of Buenos Aires (Faculty of Psychology), where she was also advisor and jury of Music Therapy graduating thesis. She has collaborated in various research related to music and neurosciences in Argentina (Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Buenos Aires, University of San Martin), winning an Undergraduate Research Grant, taking part in scientific publications and being peer reviewer of scientific journals of latin america. Her research interest lies in the scientific foundations of NMT in rehabilitation of cognitive functions after a brain injury.

Hayoun Lee is a second-year PhD student in Music Education at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include decolonization, musical identity, and teacher agency in music education. Hayoun’s doctoral research examines how Korean elementary school teachers form their musical identities within a music education shaped by Western classical music, and how they reproduce and negotiate its colonial legacies in their classrooms. Hayoun is a former public elementary school music teacher in South Korea, and holds a MMus in flute performamnce from Gachon University in Korea.

Luis Anselmi, mentor of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation, skillfully merges his Venezuelan roots with diverse music influences. Proficient in playing the Venezuelan Cuatro, piano, and singing, he creates a vibrant Latin-World sound. With uplifting rhythms and lyrics, his music is a captivating celebration that will inspire you to dance! 

Anthony Gunadi is currently a first-year graduate student in Music Technology and Digital Media, after finishing his undergraduate in Composition with Prof. Norbert Palej and Christos Hatzis at U of T. Last year, he was the FMUA Composition Director, organizing free concert tickets to new music concerts and helping students navigate the composition program through casual composer meetups. His achievements at U of T include winning the first-ever 1st place Achievement in Audio at the 2025 Level Up Student Showcase for “Cooking with a Gun” out of 157 games, and the 2023–24 University of Toronto Piano Trio Composition Competition with the Bedford Trio for “Maker of the World”. Currently, he directs the minMAX Electroacoustic Orchestra with Elienna Wang, which brings together classical and jazz and music technology Faculty of Music students, performing annually at the U of T New Music Festival. Other ongoing projects include creating audio for upcoming game releases; and working on various independent recording and composition projects. Anthony is excited to serve as the MGSA Representative on the Concerts and Events Committee, helping promote concerts and other events within and around the Faculty of Music and making them more accessible to students.

Camila Lozada is a Peruvian vocalist, pianist, and community music facilitator specializing in group singing and music-based wellbeing for older adults. She believes that singing can foster connection, dignity, and belonging at every stage of life, and creates welcoming spaces centered on participation and the shared joy of making music together. Camila also maintains an active performance career rooted in vocal interpretation and songwriting. She was recognized as Artist of the Year at the 10th Anniversary Edition of the T.U. Jazz Festival in 2024. She released her first EP, Sinergia, in 2025, available on all major streaming platforms, and is currently writing her next album.

Samuel Wu (he/him) is a classically trained violinist, with experience in education, composition, and improvisation. Having taught in a variety of contexts, his research interests situate around futurity/utopian studies, biopolitics, affect theory, and cultural capital within the music classroom. He has previously obtained a Master of Musicology (King’s College London) and a Bachelor of Music Education (New York University, where he was awarded for Outstanding Research and Scholarship in Music Education). He also serves on the executive committee for the Society for Music Education in Ireland (SMEI) and the Representation, Inclusion, and Accessibility (RIA) committee for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA).