VOICE INSTRUCTOR

Ana Toumine 

TESTIMONIAL 

Karis Wiebe Studios is thrilled to announce the addition of Ana Toumine to our talented team. Ana brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to our studio. Her passion for design and innovation aligns perfectly with our mission to create stunning and functional spaces. We are excited to see the creative energy and fresh ideas that Ana will bring to our projects.

Canadian Ukrainian singing-actress, Ana Toumine, is a passionate and intuitive teacher, focused on her student’s needs and individuality. It’s important to her to create a safe and encouraging space for her students as they explore their instrument. She builds this with open and honest communication, and joy. Ana’s years of study in vocal performance and stage work have prepared her with a developed understanding of vocal technique, pedagogy, body awareness, and breathing techniques appropriate for expressing, supporting, and projecting a healthy instrument in performance. She is particularly passionate about the role of the nervous system in vocal performance as the foundation of the instrument and artistic expression, text and character interpretation, and encouraging singers to cross through many singing styles.

Ana has taught private voice lessons to students of all ages, provided Masterclasses at Concordia University of Edmonton, and written and facilitated opera and storytelling workshops through Manitoba Opera. She gained experience at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts as a private vocal instructor and as a teaching assistant at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, before expanding to teaching advanced performers. Ana shares all she has to offer with her students, providing them with tools to perform with confidence, while building a strong and healthy foundation within themselves, their voices, and their artistry.

In addition to opera and classical music, Ana maintains a great love for musical theatre. She has taught and coached musical theatre in her studio, worked with young artists in professional and university audition preparation, coached actors in scene work and monologues, and used her proficiency with languages in diction coaching (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Yaga).

Ana is an active and well-connected performer in Winnipeg and across Canada. She has performed with Manitoba Opera, Edmonton Opera, Opera Kelowna, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Flipside Opera and Art Song Collective, and Little Opera Company. Notable roles include Mimí in La Bohème, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, the title role of Alcina, and Anna Glawari in The Merry Widow. She was a recent member of the Digital Emerging Artist Program with Manitoba Opera, semi-finalist and runner up in the Women’s Musical Club Mclellan Competition, awarded the R. Murray Schafer Scholarship from IRCPA Toronto, named a 30 under 30 artist with the Alberta Council of Ukrainian Arts, the 2020 Flipside Opera Idol, the 2019 winner of the North Dakota-Manitoba District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and the 2019 second prize winner of the Vancouver Opera’s VOX Gala competition. Ana is an alumna of the Edmonton Opera Emerging Artists Studio, the Association for Opera in Canada LINK RBC Future Launch Emerging Artist Fellowship Program, Open Space: Opera in the 21st Century program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute in Montréal, and NUOVA Vocal Arts.

Ana holds a Master of Music in Voice and Opera Performance from McGill University, a Bachelor of Music in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia, and a diploma in Voice Performance from the University of Manitoba. She is also a certified, trauma-informed, space-holding Yoga Instructor, which she studied to facilitate supporting her students in combating performance anxiety, and to use movement to connect the body, breath, and voice in performance as a whole instrument. Ana is also an active visual artist and writer, represented by Natasha Mihell at The Rights Factory. 

Karis Wiebe Studios is excited to have Ms. Paulina Gonzalez on the team instructing voice lessons. Ms. Gonzalez is an especially experienced, committed, and positive teacher believing in the magical power music brings people together. She is truly an outstanding talent and is exceptionally versatile in her teaching style. Paulina encourages her students to practice in a manner of self-discovery and exploration. Ms. Gonzalez inspires her students through singing to pursue their bliss and encourages them to discover their true artistic development.

Paulina completed her Master’s in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Tracy Dahl at the University of Manitoba. She also holds a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from the University of Sonora in Mexico and has sung as an accomplished soloist for over 14 years on the international stage. Paulina has over 10 years of professional teaching experience.

Ms. Gonzalez has performed as a soloist in Lost Voices and has sung the role of La Paix in the Baroque opera Les Arts Florissants . She has sung the soprano roles in the chamber opera Esilena and in Handel’s opera Rodrigo. She has performed Papagena in Mozart;s The Magic Flute with The Little Opera Company as well as Pollux in Caster Polla with the Manitoba Underground Opera.

Paulina is also an award-winning sensation here in Manitoba. In 2022, Ms. Gonzalez was the winner of the Herbert & Audrey Belyea Trophy of the Winnipeg Music Festival, the Holtby Scholarship of the Women’s Music Club Scholarship Competition, and the video production award from the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation for Young Canadian Opera Singers.

Paulina Gonzalez’ Mexican heritage fuels her passion, and the power of music makes her dig deep, harnessing her positive energy, and casting it forth to gather us under its spell. Personal relationships are important to her, and she firmly believes in the remarkable power music has in bringing people together.

Paulina is delighted to teach and create music with the students of Karis Wiebe Studios.

“I am truly grateful, honoured and delighted to work with the students of Karis Wiebe Studios. I look forward to helping them pursue happiness and their artistic development,” ~ Paulina

Karis Wiebe Studios is thrilled to have Mr. Paul Forget on board instructing voice lessons at the studios. Mr. Forget is a multitalented and versatile teacher who is equally well-versed in teaching opera, musical theatre, and composition as well as stage and screen acting. His dedication to musical excellence sets him apart from his peers.

Paul is a devoted and experienced teacher who can adapt to a wide range of learners, including those of varying abilities as well as multi aged singers, from grade school to the mature student. He considers teaching and sharing his love of music to be not only an honour but also a privilege which is demonstrated in his warm and personable demeanour.

Mr. Forget is a graduate of the University of Manitoba, holding a Bachelor of Music degree with a major in Vocal Studies. He also has a Bachelor’s degree in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies from the Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, MB.

Paul has appeared in various productions with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Opera and the Manitoba Underground Opera. In addition, Mr. Forget has appeared in various Hallmark movies, both as a supporting actor as well as a singer. He is currently an active member of the nationally acclaimed Winnipeg Singers.

Paul looks forward to making music with the students of Karis Wiebe Studios with great anticipation.

“I am truly delighted to share my passion of singing and making music with the students of Karis Wiebe Studios,” ~ Paul

Karis Wiebe Studios is excited to have Ms. Alyssa Hildebrand instructing voice and piano lessons at the studios. Trained as an opera singer, Ms. Hildebrand is equally proficient at teaching classical, folk, pop, and musical theatre styles. She concentrates on vocal health, song interpretation, vocal diction, and performance anxiety.

Ms. Hildebrand has a deep passion for music and enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities. She is enthusiastic about helping anyone who wants to learn more about their voice and has the exceptional ability to instill confidence in her students, teaching them to perform to their optimal ability.

Alyssa holds a Master of Music degree from Western University, London ON. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Canadian Mennonite University with a concentration in Vocal Performance.   

Alyssa Hildebrand has taught voice lessons at the Providence University College in Otterburne, MB, and together with the Douglas Kuhl School of Music, recently established a high school musical theatre ensemble (DKSM Ensemble) in Winkler, MB.

Alyssa regularly leads workshops, masterclasses and adjudicates at various music festivals throughout Manitoba.

She has been a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) since 2019 and is currently the Vice President of the NATS Manitoba Chapter.

My job is to empower students to use their own voices, to understand their instruments and nurture their artistry " ~ Alyssa