The Team
Founder / Artistic Director / flute faculty
Diana Lam
Diana was Associate Performance Faculty at Carleton University, and is Suzuki trained and Keyfest certified. Diana has recently performed with The Belleville Theatre Guild, ShatterBox Theatre, and the Kingston Symphony. She is also involved in several chamber music collaborations, runs her own private studio, and even works as a flute technician. Diana moved to Prince Edward County in 2021, and, inspired by the El Sistema philosophy, founded Quintissimo with Amber Walton-Amar. Diana has a BMus and MMus degrees in Flute Performance.
Co Founder / Program Director
Amber Walton-Amar
Amber loves teaching cello to students of all ages and levels. She has obtained teaching certifications through the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and the Creative Ability Development method for improvisation. When she isn’t teaching, she enjoys performing and has played her cello across Canada, Europe and China with various symphonies and ensembles. Amber holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Cello Performance.
Voice Faculty
Kiersten Hanly
Choir instructor Kiersten Hanly brings a similarly distinctive background. Raised in Stratford, Ontario, she was an active youth performer and was once recognized as Canada’s youngest handbell player. Her commitment to sharing the arts with children has shaped her career, including work with Playmakers Theatre School and The Ottawa Little Theatre. Most recently, she portrayed Maria in The Sound of Music with the Belleville Theatre Guild, where she also coached the young actors playing the Von Trapp children.
Cello Faculty
Sherin Rizk
Sherin has been performing on professional stages since the age of 10. Sherin is a graduate of McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Music, with
a specialization in vocal performance. Sherin has been the Musical Director and Conductor for the Canadian Military Wives Choirs Trenton since 2018. Sherin has also taught private and group lessons for children and
adults on multiple instruments, including cello since 2014. Although she continues to perform, compose and arrange music independently, she has a deep love for choirs, and cites the choir that she had the
privilege of performing with as a child as the main reason she pursued a career in music, in the hopes the she would be able to provide music education and opportunities in her local community.
Musicianship
Sam HIrst
Sam Hirst, Quintissimo’s Musicianship instructor, has spent 30 years empowering communities and individuals to realize their potential for making and creating music. She has facilitated and nurtured music making in professional, community and educational settings for all ages. Highlights of Sam’s colourful and varied career include: study and performance of the vocal traditions of Eastern Europe and Georgia, and drumming traditions of Japan and Ghana; music education in both public and private settings; music theatre direction and performance; and performance with many local groups. Sam holds a BMus (Musicology and Music Theory) from the University of Toronto, and a BEd. from Queen's University. Sam also worked as a teacher in the HPEDSB; most recently at CML.
chair
Amanda Worsley
Amanda is a mother to three boys who are enrolled in, and love, the Quintissimo music program. A County resident since 2016, Amanda has been an active member of the small business community – running her own store with her husband as well as working with numerous County businesses as a bookkeeper. Amanda is a lover of music and champion of Quintissimo’s mission to provide access to high end musical exploration and exposure to Quinte Youth.
Vice Chair
Nick Bobas
is a classical musician who has a bachelor’s degree from McGill University and a master’s degree from Boston University. Nick has played in Canada with the Calgary Philharmonic, the Thunder Bay Symphony, and in Norway with the Bergen Philharmonic. After several years of home brewing, he decided to further his interest by enrolling in Niagara College’s Brewmaster program, and now owns and operates Slake Brewing.
treasurer
Adrienne Deveau-Wachner
Adrienne Deveau-Wachner brings with her a passion for both music and education, backed by degrees in Education and Music from The University of Western Ontario. For the past 24 years, she has been at Bayside Public School, where she has built a dynamic and flourishing music program.
Outside the classroom, Adrienne is a vibrant member of the Quinte Symphony, playing both the flute and piccolo, and also serves as the personnel manager.
Adrienne is a firm believer in the power of music education, viewing it as an essential pillar of children's development. She is committed to ensuring that every child has access to this opportunity. That’s why she is thrilled to support Quintissimo in their goal to expand their program across multiple schools in the H & PE School District, helping the program grow both musically and geographically.
Board Member
Laila El-Khodari
Laila El-Khodari brings a background in education and student support to the Quintissimo board. She has worked as both a classroom teacher and a Special Education Consultant supporting diverse learners and is currently completing her Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology. Her work and studies focus on emotional development and the ways supportive, creative environments help children build confidence and connection. As a parent of a child in the program, Laila has experienced firsthand the sense of joy and community that Quintissimo creates and is excited to help support its continued growth.
Board Member
Catherine Tait
Catherine Tait has enjoyed a rich and varied career spanning over 35 years, encompassing performance, administration, and stage management.
She has worked with leading national institutions such as the Canadian
Opera Company, the Luminato Festival, the Glenn Gould School and UofT
Opera, as well as local companies including Tapestry Opera, Sound
Streams and Toronto Fringe Festival.
She considers herself very fortunate to have attended schools and been
part of communities with strong music programs, where she played piano,
violin and recorder, and sang in myriad choirs, and to have had parents
who supported all her musical endeavours.
Now happily retired in Northumberland County (on the border to Prince
Edward County), she finally has the time to fulfill her long held dream of
learning the cello. She is passionate about the Quintissimo mandate and
thrilled to help further the outstanding work of the organization.