Our Teachers
Lorna Bjorkland
Course Cooridnator
Lorna Bjorklund is a music teacher, pianist and designer/developer of music programs for K-12 levels in Canada, Brazil and the Cayman Islands. In Sooke she developed the Journey Middle School Concert Band, elementary and high school music classes, a school orchestra program for Westshore Learning Centre, an academy for instruction on all instruments and a piano teaching studio. She plays auxiliary percession with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra. She has studied with Lyell Gustin, Winifred Scott Wood and Robert Holliston and has a Masters degree in Music Education.
Maria Wang
Orchestra Director​
Maria Wang, born in Taipei, Taiwan, began her musical training on the piano and then added the cello when she was 13. She received her Bachelor of Music at West Virginia University and recently obtained a Master of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Victoria. She has been teaching cello at the Sooke Music Academy since 2013, as well as teaching privately in the Greater Victoria area. She is currently the principal cellist with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tyson Doknjas
Violin Teacher/ Chamber Coach
Campbell River native, Tyson Doknjas, is an active freelance violinist and private teacher in Victoria. He is a member of the Victoria Symphony and performs with various groups on Vancouver Island, including Pacific Opera Victoria, Sidney Classical Orchestra, and Galiano Ensemble of Victoria. He studied violin performance at the University of Victoria with Sharon Stanis of the Lafayette String Quartet. In addition to playing in various orchestral ensembles, Tyson performs concerts with his wife, co-member of Sombrio Duo, for those isolated from the arts community with the help of the Health Arts Society.
Kathryn Wiebe
Violin Teacher/
Chamber Coach
Originally from Windsor, Ontario, Kathryn is an active & versatile freelance violinist and
educator on Vancouver Island. Her passionate and intuitive musicianship has brought her the
opportunity to perform with distinguished ensembles around Canada and the USA, including
Victoria Symphony, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Victoria Baroque Players, Windsor Symphony
Orchestra, and Orchestra London. She furthered her study at the University of Toronto and
University of Michigan under the instruction of Yehonatan Berick as a merit scholar.
Anne McDougall
Harmony Project
Anne McDougall is Concertmaster of the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra and is a busy strings teacher in Sooke. She has performed extensively as a professional violinist, primarily with the Edmonton Symphony and the Alberta Baroque Ensemble. She taught for 30 years at the Alberta College Conservatory, heading the String Department from 2002-04. Anne has her Masters of Music degree from the University of Alberta, studying with Norman Nelson.
Erin Tinney
Harmony Project
Cellist, Erin Tinney, originally from Burns Lake, BC, started her musical journey learning piano at the age of four. Her passion for the cello was sparked by the age of twelve. After receiving an entrance scholarship to Capilano University in North Vancouver, she completed her diploma and moved to Vancouver Island to further nurture her studies. In 2012 she graduated from the University of Victoria with her Masters & Bachelor degrees in cello performance, minoring in music education and pedagogy techniques. She has performed with the Prince George Symphony, The Galiano Ensemble of Victoria and was principal cellist in the University of Victoria Symphony Orchestra.