Frances Chiasson, Founder and Artistic Director
Frances holds Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from the School of Music at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) where she studied piano with Dr. Terence Dawson and choral conducting with Prof. James Fankhauser. Frances has taught choral and instrumental music in primary and secondary schools and choral methods at the University of Calgary. She has conducted numerous choirs in school, community and church settings, including Lacuna Women’s Choir (UK), Amabile Girls’ Choir (UK), Donna Amabile Women’s Choir (UK), Queen Katherine School Chamber Choir (UK), Mount Royal Children’s Choir (Calgary), Scarboro United Church Children’s, Youth and Adult Choirs (Calgary), West Point Gray Academy Choirs (Vancouver) and Forest Lawn School Choir (Calgary). She has worked as a choral clinician and adjudicator in local music festivals and as a piano accompanist for choirs, singers and instrumentalists.
From 2006 until 2014, Frances and her family lived in the UK where she worked as a choral conductor, a private voice and piano teacher, and was a frequent leader of singing workshops in Lancashire schools. In 2014 she relocated back to Canada and now lives and works as a choral conductor in Kelowna, B.C., working with with the Okanagan Children’s Choir and as Minister of Music at Central Okanagan United Church. Frances is the president of the BC Choral Federation, a member of Choral Canada and Chorus America, and is a certified teacher in the province of British Columbia. And she is Mom to Sophia and Noah.
Taylor Bone, Music Director of Okanagan Youth Choir
Taylor Bone received her Bachelor of Music degree and teaching certificate from UVic in 2006, and her Masters in Music in Choral Conducting with Graeme Langager at UBC in 2017. From 2009-2017, Taylor worked as a full time high school choir director at Point Grey Secondary in Vancouver, where she directed ensembles from grade 8 to 12 including concert choirs, chamber choirs, musical theatre, vocal jazz ensembles, women’s and men’s choirs. While at graduate school, Taylor directed the UBC Women’s Choir and co-directed the UBC Chamber Choir alongside fellow graduate students.
Taylor moved to Lake Country in 2017 and has worked with local choirs and bands at elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Taylor was a member of the BC Choral Mentorship Program founded in Vancouver – a group dedicated to continued development of choral conductors and technique – and helped create an Okanagan Chapter of BCCMP in the summer of 2018.
Taylor has worked as a clinician and workshop facilitator both locally and internationally, and has presented at the provincial BC Music Educators Conference on a number of occasions. Currently, along with her work as Music Director of Okanagan Youth Choir, Taylor works as a music teacher at H.S.Grenda Middle School in Lake Country, and is a mom to two littles of her own.
Angela Schjodt, Music Director of OCC Explorers
Angela is a passionate music teacher devoted to nurturing young voices. With a background in performance and 20 years in education, Angela brings a playful approach to the music room, creating a vibrant environment where children can explore their voices in a safe and celebratory environment. Angela tailors engaging lessons, fostering creativity and fundamental skills with the goal of cultivating a lifelong love of music in her students.
Rachael Pauls, Co-director and Collaborative Pianist for OCC Explorers
Jessica Crawford, Collaborative Pianist for OCC & OYC
Jessica Crawford, is a passionate music lover and educator. She holds ARCT certifications in Piano and Vocal Performance, and has an Advanced Specialization in Piano and Intermediate Specialization in Theory through the Royal Conservatory. Jessica graduated with Honours from the University of Alberta’s music program, and sang with the St. Finbarrs Cathedral Choir in Ireland. Now settled in Kelowna BC since 2008, Jessica teaches at the Kelowna Community Music School and served as its Artistic Director from 2020-2023. Jessica is passionate about music service, and has accompanied for Okanagan Valley churches, serving as Musical Director at St. Andrews Anglican Church, and now working in music ministry at Central Okanagan
United Church in Kelowna since 2016. Additionally, she’s a member and Secretary of the Kelowna chapter of the B.C Registered Music Teachers Association (RMT) and a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).