Rebanks Family Fellowship Receives $1 Million Gift

Published on December 4, 2018

The Royal Conservatory is pleased to announce the seven young artists who have been accepted into its prestigious Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program.

The continued success of The Rebanks Family Fellowship Program has been made possible thanks to the unwavering support of the Rebanks Family and The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, who have committed an additional $1 million gift towards the Program over the next five years

Unique in Canada, The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program is the one-year postgraduate program of The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School. Created for artists on the cusp of a professional career, it offers a rich curriculum for career development including: private study with exceptional faculty and guest artists; concert presentations and career coaching; and marketing training and support. Each Rebanks Fellow also participates in a funded international residency.

2018-19 Rebanks Fellows

Kevin Ahfat, piano (Toronto, Ontario) – Kevin completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at The Juilliard School under Joseph Kalichstein and Stephen Hough. While at Juilliard, the amateur filmmaker helped develop new digital learning environments to reach musicians arcross the globe. He has appeared at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Zhuhai Grand Theatre in China, the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series in Chicago, and throughout the United States under the auspices of the National Federation of Music Clubs, for which he received a Young Artist Award for the 2017-2019 seasons. 

Georgia Burashko, mezzo-soprano (Toronto, Ontario) – Georgia received a Master’s degree in Opera Performance from the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Laura Tucker. She received her BMus of vocal performance at McGill University's Schulich School of Music, and previously studied with celebrated Canadian soprano Mary Morrison. Georgia has participated in workshops such as Tafelmusik Baroque Institute and Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity. 

Katya Poplyansky, violin (Moncton, New Brunswick) – Katya pursued her Artist Diploma at The Glenn Gould School under the tutelage of Paul Kantor and Barry Shiffman. She completed her Masters of Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London, UK), in 2016, and her Bachelor of Music at the Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia), in 2014. Katya has won prizes at the Isabel Bader Violin Competition and the Tunbridge Wells International Competition.

Nikki Joshi, percussion (Stafford, Virginia) – Nicole is the first percussionist accepted into The Rebanks Family Fellowship Program. She received a Master’s Degree from McGill University, and also studied with Michael Burritt at the Eastman School of Music. She has worked on numerous world premieres of works and has collaborated closely with leading composers in the contemporary field, including Jo Kondo and Georg Friedrich Haas.

Danny Koo, violin (Chicago, Illinois) – Danny holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory in Boston. He regularly performs with leading ensembles and has participated in a number of high-profile music festivals. Danny is a well-known media personality, and has featured in Korea’s Sesame Street equivalent to educate children about the impact of music. He has also garnered worldwide attention as a speaker, most recently presenting at two TEDxBeaconstreet conferences. 

Richard Narroway, cello (Sydney, Australia) – Richard earned degrees from The Juilliard School and Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music before pursuing a Doctorate with Richard Aaron at the University of Michigan. He has given performances in Australia, China, Germany, Canada, and the United States, in prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center and the Sydney Opera House. Richard has already established a trio with Rebanks Fellows Kevin Ahfat and Danny Koo.

Nofar Yacobi, soprano (Tel Aviv, Israel) – Nofar graduated from the Buchman-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University and is an alumna of the Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Program. Her recent debut with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Frédéric Chaslin was broadcast live by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. She recently recorded the Hebrew version of the Beauty and the Beast live action movie for Disney Pictures. Nofar will be performing the role of Queen of the Night in the upcoming Glenn Gould School production of The Magic Flute.  

The Royal Conservatory is grateful to the Rebanks Family and The W. Garfield Weston Foundation who have made The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program possible through their generous support.

The Glenn Gould School is also supported by funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canada Arts Training Fund, and from the Ontario Arts Council.