Neko Caulfield was a member of the choir for seven years throughout middle school and high school, and is now a student at Acadia University, studying Music and Community Development. Neko also took part in the Apprenticeship program for five of her years with AVHC, which is a great example of how to begin a lasting relationship with this amazing organization from a young age.

Amy Blayre Cameron is originally from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She is an elementary music teacher in the AVRCE, currently teaching grades primary to five, alongside multiple choral groups. She received a Bachelor of Music, followed by a Bachelor of Education specializing in music education from Acadia, and is currently, pursuing her Masters in Curriculum Studies with a focus in Music Education.

Throughout her musical career, Amy has had the privilege of collaborating with multiple ensembles and companies such as the Acadia Youth Band, Quick as a Wink theatre productions, Stage Prophets theatre productions, Nova Scotia Youth Wind Ensemble, Savoy Theatre productions, The Canadian Junior Honor Band, and the Acadia University Wind Ensemble. Her primary instruments are the saxophone, piano, and voice.

Amy is deeply passionate about music education and fostering a love for music in young minds.

Cian McCarron grew up playing piano in his hometown of Truro, Nova Scotia. Having earned his Royal Conservatory of Music ARCT piano proficiency, Cian studied under the mentorship of Dr. Stephen Runge at Mount Allison University. Currently, he is studying music therapy at Acadia University, as well as taking lessons from Dr. Cindy Thong.  Cian was the collaborative pianist for Coastal Voices (a men’s choir based out of Musquodoboit), and he also taught a studio of forty-five piano students through the Long & Mcquade in Truro. Also a vocalist, guitarist, trumpeter and percussionist Cian has performed and studied many different genres of music, including with a Wolfville based band named Colrain as their keyboardist. From classical to East Coast folk music to jazz trios, he enjoys it all!

Kimberly started working with the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir in 2017 as a pianist and now continues to work as a collaborative pianist for the senior and intermediate choirs while also being one of our intermediate literacy instructors. Kimberly completed her Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education at Acadia University and is in the midst of her Masters in Music Education. She teaches music at Cambridge and District Elementary School and middle level band at Evangeline Middle School with choir and drama programs. AVHC plays a huge role in inspiring Kimberly’s love of music and learning and continues to be a positive influence in her life.

Alana MacPhee joined the Canta Mara artistic team in September 2023 as Junior Choir Conductor. Originally from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Alana holds a B. Mus. in Voice and a B. Mus. Ed. from Memorial University of Newfoundland.  For the past twenty years, Alana has been an active music educator who has taught classroom music in Bermuda, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. She is also a private music instructor offering lessons in voice and piano. She is currently teaching elementary music with the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education at Kings County Academy and Wolfville School.

Alana has always been involved with choral singing, having grown up singing in Newfoundland with the Shallaway Youth Choir. She was also a member of the award winning Lady Cove Women’s Choir. She was involved in facilitating the successful “So You Always Wanted to Sing” Initiative of Festival 500 Growing the Voices in St. John’s with other talented individuals. She is looking forward to spreading her love of choral music with Canta Mara this year.

Heather Fraser maintains an active career as a choral conductor, music educator, guest clinician and adjudicator. Believing wholeheartedly in the power of collective singing to build community and understanding, she is the new Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Choral Federation, working to serve the diverse needs of the Nova Scotia choral and collective singing communities.

Heather has studied conducting and choral pedagogy with mentors across Canada, the USA and the UK.  She was honoured to be a Conducting Fellow with the Canadian Chamber Choir (2015), the first conductor in Pro Coro Canada’s emerging artist program (2016) and the Apprentice Conductor of the National Youth Choir of Canada (2010).

As a board member of Choral Canada, Heather has served as chair of Advocacy since 2020. This role kept her busy during the pandemic, advocating for equitable treatment of singing across the country, arranging educational opportunities, webinars and discussions for choirs of all kinds, and finding ways to keep the national singing community connected. She initiated the National “Singing in Canadian Schools Covid Impact Survey” (2021) - the data from which produced a clear picture of how singing was decimated across Canada, and was influential in the reinstatement of programs. She was also co-chair of the "Benefits of Singing Campaign" to raise awareness of the scientific evidence that exists for the many ways that singing together contributes to our psychological, physical, spiritual, social and emotional health.