Sheila Vandikas has been teaching for over 30 years and has performed in a variety of venues across Canada, Europe, and Asia. A graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music and the University of Toronto, she has studied piano with Patricia Parr, Irina Kugucheva, and Ruth Nieboer. Her theory teachers include Joe Ringhofer, Alexander Rappoport, and Larysa Kuzmenko. She has performed in masterclass with Gordon Hallett, Pierre Souverain, and John Coveart. Sheila was the recipient of several awards and scholarships both as a student and as a teacher.

 

A former music teacher, course liaison, and national consultant for Yamaha Canada Music Ltd., Sheila has worked with both students and teachers alike. She has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist for various music events, studios, musicians, and ensembles, including the UofT Contemporary Music Ensemble, UofT Early Music Ensemble, and the Tapestry Chamber Choir. An active teacher, arranger, adjudicator, and member of the Ontario Registered Music Teacher's Association, she is also an ORMTA GTA Zone Representative and the Young Artist and Pedagogy Convener for the ORMTA Provincial Council. As an associate member of the Association of Canadian Women Composers, she keeps up to date with current Canadian composer events.

 

Currently, she is the director of MuSix Studio and Services, where both she and her husband maintain a busy schedule of teaching, music arranging, and music collaboration along with their four children. Her family recently performed their concert, Vandikas⁶ for the 2018 Visual and Performing Arts Newmarket’s Three for the Show Series. Sheila also currently serves as the RCM Newmarket Exams Representative and Newmarket and Area ORMTA Branch President.