Riley Ngo began studying piano at age 6 with Carrie Kalmakoff, completing ARCT in Piano Performance with distinction at age 14 under the tutelage of Colleen Athparia. A regular scholarship and award winner, Riley enjoys playing the piano as a soloist as well as collaborating with fellow musicians. He played harpsichord with the Mount Royal Conservatory Sinfonia at the Winter Fantasia concert in 2013. As an award-winning piano duo, he and his partner placed first at the Canadian Music Competition in 2015 and went on to win first place at the North West International Piano Ensemble Competition in 2016. The piano duo won first place again at the Canadian Music Competition in 2018 and 2019, while Riley’s piano quartet placed 3rd in the same competition that year. Riley debuted as a soloist with the Calgary Civic Symphony in 2022 playing Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 5.

Riley is a supervisor at the Calgary Arts Summer School’s piano program. He is also an avid accompanist, having accompanied advanced level RCM string exams. Riley believes every piece of music tells a story. He hopes to inspire students to bring music off the page by developing a balance between good technique and a vivid imagination. He looks forward to sharing his love of music with the next generation of aspiring musicians.

Riley Ngo can teach lessons in English and French.

For nearly half a century, Ryan Aguilar has been immersed in music. At the tender age of six he began tinkering away on the piano and shortly after, picked up guitar, bass, ukulele, and vocals. His naturally gifted ear revealed an almost sixth sense for replicating the tunes he heard on his grandmother’s radio. He was insatiable. Soon, Ryan found himself at college for piano and vocals and then university, majoring in piano performance at Southwest Texas State. Since 1993 he has played in several quintessential Texan rock and country bands (Derringer, Sheila Marshall, The Triumphs) touring the southern US, Canada, and even into Mexico. Then in 2003,he felt nudged to give back all he gained on the stage—he began to teach others how to be rock stars. His personal mantra, ‘practice as joy’, sets the tone for each lesson. Watching students’ faces light up when a piece comes together is what continues to stoke the fires of his musical and teaching passion.

Ryan can teach in English and Spanish

Sarah is an actor, singer, and emerging playwright born and raised here in Calgary. She is a passionate teacher and artist who strives to inspire compassion and joy through her work in opera, theatre, and even TV (if you’re a fan of The Last of Us, you may have spotted her at the very beginning of Episode 5)! She was recently nominated for a CAT Award for her performance as Mercutio in Full Circle Theatre’s Riverona. Other recent performance credits include Calgary Opera’s Arias and Ales (soloist), as well as The Elixir of Love, The Marriage of Figaro, Macbeth, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Canadian Premiere), and Carmen with Calgary Opera’s Chorus. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in both Theatre and Music from Dalhousie University, and is so excited to begin her second year teaching at Chinook School of Music!

Sarah Nearing can teach lessons in English and Italian.

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Sarah was raised in Calgary and from a young age has had a passion for music. She grew up learning to play the piano and eventually expanded her field to include concert band and string orchestra as well as chamber music. She regularly attends festivals, recitals, and musical gatherings such as the Alberta Piano Teachers Association Festival and Calgary Classical Piano meetups. In addition to the work Sarah does throughout the year, she annually attends CASSA Piano Camp and Lethbridge Piano Intensive in the summertime in order to further develop her musical skills.

In her spare time, Sarah enjoys travelling and weightlifting. She believes that everybody deserves to experience the joy of music and brings that philosophy to life through her teaching.

Shannon (Magee) Roy combines both creativity and skill in the lessons she teaches. She has performance training from the Royal Conservatory of Music and received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Ambrose University. Shannon has performed all over the world and she performs locally and nationally with her duo Georgia Sound, who have released two CDs. Shannon believes that every one of her students is unique and requires a unique teaching style. She wishes to instil in all of her students that music is about having fun, being creative, and loving what you are doing.

Growing up in China, Siyan started her piano journey at the age of three. Her passion for music and the piano drove her to achieve the Level 10 certificate from China Conservatory of Music in Grade 5 and win many prizes in national competitions held in China before she came to Canada in 2016. Beyond competitions, with the help of her most respected mentor Mr. Wu Di, Siyan had the privilege of engaging in transformative master classes with acclaimed pianists. These invaluable experiences enriched Siyan’s musical understanding and further honed her technical skills.

Siyan continued her piano journey after coming to Canada. She achieved the RCM Elementary and Intermediate Piano Teacher Certificates. Siyan possesses a strong passion for music and a deep love for teaching it to others. She thoroughly enjoys working with children and helping them discover the joy of music.