Piano and Music Theory Lessons
I hold an ARCT (Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto) in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), from which I also received an Advanced History and Theory Certificate in 2012, and my Level 8 in Voice in 2015. I have taught as a private music teacher for over 17 years.
I offer Classical piano lessons at all levels, and many other styles at beginner levels. I also offer music theory and history lessons. I have experience preparing students for RCM exams, and I'm happy to teach either the RCM method, another method of the student's choice, or more casual lessons according to the student's personal goals.
I charge $50 for an hour lesson, $40 for 45 minutes, or $30 for a half-hour lesson. I hold lessons at my home in Burlington, or on Zoom. I may be willing to travel to teach at a student's home for an extra fee, depending on the distance.
As a pianist, I have performed solo music at the Brant Wildlife Festival in Qualicum Beach as well as at other more informal events, and I am also an experienced accompanist, having accompanied for voice students in festivals and RCM voice exams up to Level 10, and instrumentalists at year-end performances at the Conservatory of Lugo, Spain. For solo work, I tend to focus on Romantic and twentieth-century music, and especially composers such as Chopin and Kabalevsky. More recently I have been playing Impressionistic works by composers such as Debussy and Ravel.
As a singer, I have sung in both early music and larger-scale choral ensembles. From 2015-2018 I was the soprano Choral Scholar at St. Barnabas, in Victoria, BC, and I am a founding member of the professional choir the Schooner Cove Singers, who perform with organist Jenny Vincent and are directed by Elroy Friesen. In larger choral ensembles, my choral experience includes singing in the Fauré Requiem and the Mozart Requiem with the VISO in Nanaimo, and performing the Duruflé Requiem, both with the UVic Chorus and orchestra, and, in 2019, with the Schooner Cove Singers and Jenny Vincent. Most recently, I have sung in the Hart House Chorus and the Tallis Choir in Toronto since 2018 and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir since 2024. Currently, I'm singing in a small ensemble for the upcoming York Corpus Christi Plays on June 7th, a full reenactment of the 50 medieval plays performed between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. Find out more about those here: https://www.yorkplays.ca/
If you are interested in lessons, I'm happy to book a free phone consultation so you can see if I'm the right fit for you. To book a lesson or free phone consultation, you can reach me at ionalister@icloud.com.
Me on a piano staircase in Valparaiso, Chile in 2012.
Medieval Music in Thomas Fisher MS 09700, f 012v
My Recent Musical Projects
Schooner Cove Singers
St. Barnabas
Music Lessons
From April 2018-2019 I was a soprano singer in this professional choir, which performed with organist Jenny Vincent and conductor Elroy Friesen.
Between December 2015 and June 2018 I was the soprano Choral Scholar for St. Barnabas. As such, I was one of four section leaders and soloists.
I teach piano and music theory and history at all levels, and I may be open to teaching beginner voice.