Artistic Team

Kai Leung

Artistic Director

Kai Leung is a passionate choral conductor, singer, voice teacher, and composer. He is the Artistic Director and Executive Director of the Modern Sound Collective, an organization that provides young choral musicians with accessible opportunities for growth and collaboration. He is also the Artistic Director of Oakville Choral, a dynamic non-audition community choir, promoting choral singing and music appreciation to the communities of Halton and beyond. Additionally, he serves as the Assistant Conductor of RESOUND choir and sings baritone with the TMSingers and the Schola Cantorum of St. Basil's Catholic Church. Kai has sung with the Ontario Youth Choir, the National Youth Choir of Canada, and the World Youth Choir. Kai holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, where he studied voice and composition. His choral works have been performed by the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, the Vancouver Youth Choir, the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and many other choral groups around Canada, the United States, and Europe. Kai is the winner of the 2023 Debbie Fleming prize for choral composition, presented by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Kai's works are available for perusal and purchase on his website and through MSC presents. Kai is the recipient of the prestigious William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award from the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. This award is presented each year to one graduating student from any stream who is deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of Music. Kai has also been awarded the Arthur Plettner Scholarship, the Richard I Thorman Award, and the Lloyd Bradshaw Prize. In 2023, Kai was a nominee of the Leslie Bell prize, an award that supports choral conductors in furthering their professional careers and enhancing their choral conducting abilities.

Tyrese Walters

Conductor, Frisson - Assistant Conductor, Datsuzoku

Tyrese Walters (he/him) is a graduate of Western University with a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Voice Performance, where he studied Voice with Prof. Torin Chiles and Conducting with Prof. Kathleen Allan and Dr. Mark Ramsay. In his final year at Western, he co-lead the Student Choral Initiative, a 20 member choir, within the Faculty of Music. He is the recipient of many awards including the Richard G. Manuel Music Award (2022), and the Deral Johnson Award (2022). Tyrese is in his final year of studies at the University of Toronto completing a Master of Music in Choral Conducting, where he holds the Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in Conducting. Tyrese is an experienced choral singer and conductor. He is the conductor of the low-voice ensemble, “Rocambolesco,” and an associate conductor of the 60-voice youth choir “Frisson” and assistant conductor of the 80-voice young adult choir “Datsuzoku” in the MSC Choirs organisation. He is the Conductor of “Encore” in the Young Voices Toronto organisation. Tyrese has also sung with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale.

Meredith Wanstall

Conductor, Frisson

Meredith Wanstall (she/her) is currently Concreamus’ Assistant Conductor, and has recently been appointed as the incoming Artistic Director of the Bach Children’s Chorus. Meredith is passionate about helping choral singers of all ages improve their confidence through self-expression and musical skill-building. She has worked with many distinguished choral ensembles, including the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, Bach Children’s Chorus, Modern Sound Collective and Toronto Children’s Chorus. Meredith has earned a Master of Music (Choral Conducting) at Western University, a Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the University of Toronto, and two ARCT diplomas (Voice and Piano Performance). Meredith has been an avid choral singer for close to two decades, and is overjoyed to have a hand in inspiring the next generation of young musicians!

Nila Rajagopal

Conductor, Frisson

Hailing from Ottawa, ON, Nila Rajagopal has quickly established herself as a promising choral conductor. She is currently enrolled in the Master’s program in Choral Conducting at McGill University under the tutelage of Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée and previously studied voice and music education at the University of Toronto. Nila’s collaborative spirit has granted her various positions with organizations such as the Oakville Choir for Children and Youth, Toronto Children’s Chorus, the St. Lawrence Choir and of course, the Mississauga Summer Chorale. Increasingly recognized for her promising musical excellence, Nila was the recipient of the 2016 Doreen Rao Choral Award, the 2019 Iwan Edwards Award and the 2019 Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship. Widely known for her accuracy and tone, Nila currently sings with the Ottawa Bach Choir and has previously held professional positions with Pax Christi Chorale, the Toronto Festival Singers, the St. Basil’s Catholic Parish Schola Cantorum and the Choir of Grace Church on-the-Hill. Nila was also selected to perform in highly regarded honour choirs such as the National Youth Choir of Canada, the Ontario Youth Choir and the World Youth Choir.

Nicholas Wanstall

Collaborative Pianist

Born in 1999 in Toronto, Ontario, Nicholas began taking piano lessons at a very young age with his grandmother, Arden Broadhurst. He started to sing in the Bach Children's Chorus during grade school, and this sparked his passion for choral music. In Grade 7 Nicholas began his studies at St. Michael's Choir School in downtown Toronto where he developed a love for and knowledge of sacred choral repertoire. During his time at the Choir School, Nicholas also learned to play the pipe organ under the direction of his first organ teacher, Peter Daly. Having completed his A.R.C.T. in piano by Grade 12, Nicholas' then theory teacher, David Stone, encouraged him to take some composition lessons to continue his development as a musician. Not only did these lessons promote an increase in overall musicianship, but they also caused a lasting fascination for composing and arranging. After high school, Nicholas continued his studies at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, completing a Bachelor's Degree in Organ Performance with a minor in Composition. He studied organ with John Tuttle and composition with Roger Bergs. During his time at U of T, Nicholas worked professionally as an organist, pianist, singer, conductor, composer, arranger, piano tuner, and as an audio and video editor for various musical productions.

Ariel Brookes

Choir Manager, Datsuzoku

Ariel has been a member of Toronto’s choral community since 2005. She is an alumna of the Toronto Children’s Chorus, where she also served as a rehearsal assistant for 5 years. She has also previously been a member of the Toronto Youth Choir. Ariel has sung with the Modern Sound Collective since June 2023 and has served as Choir Manager for Datsuzoku Choir since September 2024. Ariel holds a Bachelor’s of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University, with a minor in Music and Culture. She is deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Modern Sound Collective and to be part of its mission of fostering community and outstanding music-making.

Lissy Meyerowitz

Choir Manager, Concreamus

Lissy Meyerowitz is a mezzo-soprano based in Toronto. While her studies have mainly been in performance of opera and art song, she has a great passion for choral singing. Lissy’s MSC journey began at the very first Concreamus concert in 2020… selling tickets. She began singing with Concreamus in 2021 at their concert “Unseen Joy”. She is thrilled to be back again as Choir Manager for Concreamus this year. Lissy is a graduate of the University of Toronto, where she completed an undergraduate degree in Voice Performance and a master's degree in Opera. Some of her recent operatic roles include Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Prince Charming in Massenet’s Cendrillon, and Mércèdes in Bizet’s Carmen. She has been featured as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Duruflé’s Requiem with Leaside United Church, the Alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Resound Choir and was a Sidgwick Scholar for the Orpheus Choir of Toronto from 2022-2024. Lissy is excited to see where her musical journey takes her.