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ARTISTIC TEAM
Kimberley-Ann Bartczak
Artistic Director, Conductor of Concert Choir
Originally from Montreal, Kimberley-Ann Bartczak is a conductor, pianist and vocal coach. Currently the Principal Coach and Accompanist at Pacific Opera Victoria, she was Associate Artistic Director for Manitoba Underground Opera, the Resident Conductor and Repetiteur at Calgary Opera, was on staff at Opera on the Avalon, and an alumna of Vancouver Opera in the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program.
She is an active performer, having performed and conducted coast to coast across Canada as well as in the United States, Mexico and Europe. She also teaches at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and is a regular vocal coach at University of Victoria.
Always with a smile, she is delighted to be part of the Victoria Children’s Choir team, sharing her love for music and community engagement.
David Stratkauskas
Youth Ensemble Conductor
David Stratkauskas completed an MA in Music Theory at the University of British Columbia. He has worked as an organist, choir director, collaborative pianist, accompanist, jazz pianist, conductor, and teacher in Canada and the UK.
Since 2010, he has been Director of Music at the Church of Saint John the Divine in Victoria, where he directs choral and instrumental performances and oversees the church’s choral and organ scholarship program.
David has also worked with the Victoria Children’s Choir since 2011, and served as the Artistic Director from 2021-2026. He also serves as the Artistic Director of Vox Humana.
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Annika Gelmon
Recital Choir Director
Mame Goehner
Prelude Choir Director
Mame Helise Goehner, a lyrical soprano, has been performing and studying music since the age of six. Studying under the expertise of Opera Nuova’s founder Kim Mattice Wanat and Canada’s top baritone Peter Barcza, she has won several major scholarships and festivals throughout Canada and Europe.
Mame is currently the President of Choir Alberta and owns and runs two thriving music schools in Victoria, BC and Calgary, AB. She is highly sought after to do workshops, masterclasses and adjudicating across Alberta and British Columbia. Not only was Mame ranked Alberta’s top Musical Theatre performer in 2001, her students are also ranked at the top, receiving Provincial Festival placements and Gold Awards from the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Mame Goehner was a prominent figure on many stages in Alberta until she made her move to Vancouver where, studying at the University of British Columbia, she completed her BMus and MMus under the tutelage of Bruce Pullan and Nancy Hermiston. Mame was the lead soprano at West Point Grey United Church, and a lead member of the UBC Opera Ensemble. She has toured throughout Europe, sang for the Queen of England and has showcased many private recitals and performances in Canada. Mame has produced and directed multiple productions across Alberta and British Columbia, including several productions for Victoria’s Saltwater Theatre Company. Mame is experienced in lieder, opera, 20th Century art song, musical theatre, pop, and jazz. Her ability to combine these genres in her performances and teaching technique is unique and sought after. When not singing and teaching, she can be found camping and surfing with her husband and two children.
Jody Onuma
Pianist, Prelude Choir
Jody Onuma is an elementary music specialist at Torquay Elementary School. She holds an ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. As a violinist, she is an alumna of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and has performed extensively with orchestral and chamber ensembles in both Canada and Japan.
Since 2007, Jody has conducted choirs and instrumental groups throughout Victoria. Her groups have received multiple distinctions, including five top national awards in the CBC Music Class Challenge and a first-place award in the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia’s Sing Me a Song competition.
She is honoured to contribute to the Victoria Children’s Choir as the Prelude Choir Accompanist.
Alex Chen
Pianist, Concert Choir
During the Canadian premiere of Walter Braunfels’ opera The Birds, Alex Chen’s passions for classical music and zoology came together.
Alex is a baritone, collaborative pianist, and vocal coach. Yet he began his professional life studying zoology and working with birds – entertaining crows, flying kestrels, and trading glances with owls on his gloved hand.
Alex grew up in Cambridge, Ontario beginning piano lessons at 9 and voice at 12. While studying science at the University of Guelph he pursued a minor in music. Unable to resist the allure of a juicy melody, a rich story, or a misty musical passage, he pursued the Master’s in Collaborative Piano program at Western University.
Alex moved West to study voice with Baroque soprano Nancy Argenta. Now, he is a key member of the Victoria musical community, frequently performing as an art song collaborator, solo singer, and opera chorus member.
In projects with Gay4Nature Collective (co-founder) and through partnerships with organizations such as BC Culture Days and Ocean Wise, Alex loves showcasing the crossover between human music and the natural world.
Natalia Wautier
Pianist, Recital Choir
Natalya Wautier has been a chorister in the Victoria Children’s Choir for six years, starting in Concert Choir and later joining the Youth Ensemble. She is also a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Music program at the University of Victoria, studying piano with Professor May Ling Kwok. Throughout her time in university, Natalya has participated in the UVic School of Music’s collaborative piano program, accompanying student singers and instrumentalists. In 2023 she completed the ARCT diploma in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has performed in the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival several times and has received various awards and scholarships from the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival, the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and the UVic School of Music. As well as music, she enjoys crafting, woodworking, and cycling.
