Meet this year’s Adjudicators & Masterclass Instructors for COPAFestival 2025!
Festival
Adjudicators
Dance
Cassie
Ballet, Modern & Contemporary
Stage Dance: Jazz & Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop, Acro, Musical Theatre
With a decade of experience, Cassie has found her true calling as a mentor and educator in the dance industry. Her passion for nurturing the love of dance spans a diverse range of students, from 16 months to 40 years old, igniting her desire to share this art form even further.
As a dancer and performer, Cassie has trained at advanced levels across various disciplines, including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, acro, modern, and contemporary dance. Her dedication to her craft has taken her across North America, where she has participated in prestigious events such as the Tremaine Dance Convention in New York and an intensive training program with Peter Sklar in voice, drama, and dance. She also
attended the Toronto Dance Teacher Expo and had the honor of performing with the adult stage division of Team Canada at a competition in Riesa, Germany, in 2017.
In her role as a choreographer, Cassie has consistently received multiple awards for her innovative work over the past decade. Her choreography has been showcased at Honours Festivals in British Columbia and performed internationally in California. Recently, Cassie has embraced the position of Artistic Director and Operator at her local dance studio in Kamloops. She holds several certifications, including Acrobatic Art Module 1, YPAD, Progressive Ballet Technique, Discover Dance, and Alixa Flexibility, as well as being a certified adjudicator through the Dance Leadership Institute. In 2023, she was honored with the Shine Mentor Award at the Vernon event. Committed to continuous growth, Cassie actively pursues professional development through events such as 24/seven, the Shine Convention, and Triple Threat.
Her mission is clear: to foster and empower not only exceptional dancers but also outstanding individuals.
Music
Name
Piano
Insert Bio Here
John Thompson
Strings & Chamber Orchestra
After serving as Principal Viola in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for over forty seasons, during which time he performed as a soloist with the orchestra on many occasions, as well as pursuing an active chamber music career as a member of such ensembles as the Calgary Philharmonic String Quartet, the Alberta Chamber Players and Kensington Sinfonia. He regularly played with visiting artists such as the Orford String Quartet, the Allegri String Quartet, Henri Temianka, Miriam Fried, the Bow Quartet and many more.
He has always had an enthusiasm for working with youth, as a teacher at the Mount Royal University Conservatory and the University of Calgary. John also enjoyed his association with the Calgary Youth Orchestra and the Conservatory Strings, as conductor and music director and a chamber music coach and coordinator for the Academy programme at MRUC.
Many of his students have received honors at local, provincial and national competitions and a number of his students may be found performing with professional orchestras across North America.
John is regularly invited to adjudicate across Canada at festivals and competitions at local, provincial and national levels while continuing to be active as a violist in a variety of settings.
He has been honored with an Alberta Achievement Award and a Distinguished Teaching Award from Mount Royal University for his services to young musicians.
Voice
Mireille Rijavec
Voice
Mezzo-soprano Mireille Rijavec has been heard on the CBC as a soloist and has appeared with Pop Goes the Opera, the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, the Richard Eaton Singers, Pro Coro Canada, and the Edmonton Metropolitan Orchestra, among others. Theatre being her first love, Mireille has found a number of ways of involving song in theatre works, such as her cabaret Brie, Baguette and a Broad that she has been presenting for 15 years, and a number of collaborative works such as A Most Beautiful Deception, a play based on the poetry of Melissa Lacroix and Lost in Montmartre, a play about a fictional wake for Érik Satie, all presented at the Edmonton Fringe.
Mireille has a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of British Columbia. She was Music Faculty at the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean from 1999 to 2012 and was on staff at Concordia University of Edmonton from 2006 to 2016 as a voice instructor, Manager and Program Coordinator of Concordia’s School of Music. Mireille was a member of Edmonton’s professional choir Pro Coro Canada for many years and from 2016 to 2019, their Executive Director. She was also a member of the Edmonton Arts Council board from 2018 to 2024. Mireille continues to act as a consultant for not-for-profit organizations.
Mireille is the vocal pedagogue and alto vocal coach for the Edmonton Metropolitan Chorus and has conducted the Women’s Chamber Choir of Edmonton Metropolitan Chorus in 2023 and 2024. She teaches voice privately and works with students of all levels, from children to adults and stresses the importance of being able to read music, healthy vocal technique grounded in physiology, and ultimately the joy of communicating through song. Mireille’s students are active singers in the community, and many have continued their vocal studies in classical voice and musical theatre in post-secondary institutions across Canada and the United States. Mireille is a member of the CMFAA (Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators Association), ARMTA (Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association), NATS (National Association of Teacher of Singing) and is an Affiliate Member of the Association for Body Mapping Educators.
Hotel
Hotel Zed Kelowna is generously offering a 20% discount to our festival participants. Use the promo code “COPAF20” for bookings between February 24th and April 30th, 2024. Please note that room availability is subject to change, and guests are responsible for their own booking and payment.
To Book Online:
- Visit the direct booking link here
- Select your room and complete the booking process.
To Book by Phone:
- Call 1-800-663-0298
- Mention you are booking at Hotel Zed Kelowna with the “COPAF20” rate.
- Choose your room and provide booking dates.
- Provide your details to complete the booking.
To Book via Email:
- Email matt@hotelzed.com
- Mention you are booking at Hotel Zed Kelowna with the “COPAF20” rate.
- Include your first and last name, check-in and check-out dates, phone number, and email address.
Location: 1627 Abbott St, Kelowna, BC V1Y 1A9
Hotel Zed is conveniently located in downtown Kelowna, one block from Okanagan Lake.
For more details, please visit Hotel Zed Website
ASPIRE
Gala & Reception
The Central Okanagan Performing Arts Festival warmly invites you to ASPIRE: Gala & Reception.
A vibrant evening, recognizing the exceptional talents of our region’s top performing artists. Experience the joy of achievement with young performing artists from the festival in the first half of the show, and local professional performing artists in the second half, demonstrating what our youth can ASPIRE to become!
Event Date:
2025 Date coming soon…
Location:
Mary Irwin Theatre & Reception Area
Rotary Centre for the Arts
Tickets Available Here
Dress Code:
Semi-Formal Attire is preferred
Schedule
5:00pm – Doors
Enjoy performing arts vendors, photo booth, cash bar & light refreshments, and pianist!
6:00pm – Show begins
Festival Highlights in Dance, Music, and Voice
7:00pm – Intermission
7:15pm – Scholarships & Medals announced
7:30pm – Special Guests
Professional Performances in Dance, Music, and Voice
8:30pm – Show concludes
We extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supports our Gala. A special acknowledgment goes out to the sponsors, performing artists, teachers, and parents for their invaluable contribution.