The Board of EMV is primarily a volunteer governance and fundraising body, providing direction and leadership to management. The Board’s strength and effectiveness derive from its being well-informed about the financial, artistic, and organizational affairs of the Society; motivated in its support of the Society; and representative of EMV’s membership and audiences.
Fran joined the board in January 2014. She is a lawyer employed as the Program Director of the Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP) and Academic Leadership Coach at the University of British Columbia.
Johanna Shapira (BA (UVic), MA Anthro (Goldsmiths, University of London), PgDip (Roehampton). Raised in Vancouver, Johanna has recently returned after 25 years in New York, London and Singapore where she developed her love for music, dance and art. She spent 10 years as a Senior Vice President at Ogilvy and Mather New York as a Director of Strategic Planning, and 10 more as Director of Ethnographic Research with Ipsos UK, working in London, Europe and China. Also in London, Johanna trained as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist at Roehampton University, working with the NHS and in private practice in London and Singapore. She is currently working as a research consultant and indulging her love of all things Vancouver. She has been a life-long lover of early music and a supporter of both Early Music New York and Handel House in London.
Chris has been a Board member since 2006; he splits his time between Vancouver and Yunfu, China where he is Chief Technology Officer of Guangdong Sino-Synergy Hydrogen Power Technology Company.
Ron Kruschen joined the Board in 2019. He is a partner at Partner at API Asset Performance Inc. and is also the Vice-President of the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre.
Ilia joined the Board in 2016 and has been in the position of secretary since 2018. He is a senior associate lawyer at EY Law LLP, specialising in the field of international tax planning. His interest in early music goes back over a decade, when he first started attending EMV concerts.
Melody Mason joined the board in April, 2016. A sociologist and economist who worked for many years with the World Bank on finance, economics and social issues, she has been on the board of a large university, is active with environmental and social justice committees and is on the board of another charity in Vancouver. She has an MBA from Wharton and an Economics and Sociology degrees from London University. Since retirement, Melody has rediscovered the joys of music, particularly choral, early and chamber music. She is very proud to be working with such wonderful talent in EMV.
Sherrill Grace joined the English Department at The University of British Columbia in 1977. She was appointed to the rank of Full Professor in 1987, and she served as Associate Dean of Arts for 3 years, as a UBC Senator for 9 years, and Head of the Department of English at UBC from 1997 to 2002. Professor Grace’s teaching and research interests lie in the areas of 20th century Canadian Literature and Culture, Drama, Biography and Autobiography, and Interdisciplinary Studies in the 20th Century Literature, Art, Film, Theatre, and Music. She was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in January 2014.
Vincent Tan (BS AteneoManilaU; MBA UChicago) joined the Board in November 2015, and presently chairs the Nominating and Governance Committee. His working career was largely with Ayala Land, Inc., a listed diversified property developer active in Asia and elsewhere on the Pacific Rim but owned by shareholders worldwide, where his career concluded with service on that company’s Board of Directors until April 2016. His interest in early music dates from the mid-1970s, when he played woodwind instruments including krumhorn and cornamuse with the Old Town Renaissance Consort in Chicago. Aside from music, his other passions include sustainable community development, in which field he received a certificate from SFU in 2009.
Delma started attending Early Music Vancouver concerts about forty years ago and has been going regularly since then. They bring great joy and enrichment into her life. She also started volunteering several years ago and more recently started having visiting musicians as homestay guests which she finds a real treat.
Delma is a retired social worker and was the Director of Adoption for the province upon her retirement. She was the chair of the Board of Registration for Social Workers and sat on the Practice Review Committee. She recently sat on the admissions committee at the UBC School of Social Work. She is currently on the board of the building where she lives and is a board member of a local West End community organization, Denman and West Neighbours. She also volunteers with Covenant House and the Immigrant Services Society of BC.
She is grateful to have Early Music Vancouver as an important part of her life.
Andrew Szeri is currently a Professor at the University of British Columbia, and serves as the Provost and Vice-President Academic for UBC Vancouver. In that capacity, he provides leadership for the university’s academic strategy, budgetary and planning processes, oversees UBC’s academic programs and support functions, faculty affairs, the library, enrollment, sustainability and information technology. Prior to this appointment, he served as an academic administrator (dean and vice-provost) at the University of California, Berkeley, where he held a professorial appointment for over 20 years. He completed his Ph.D. in Theoretical & Applied Mechanics at Cornell University (New York) in 1988, and earned the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors in 2019.
Colleen Dixon is a seasoned Architect and Design Professional dedicated to building great cities and communities. Colleen is intrigued by projects and building types that defy single type categorization. As an Architect working on a wide variety of projects ranging from master plans, urban design, institutional, industrial, mixed use residential and retail, she realizes the success of projects relies on careful consideration of placemaking principles focused on owners, users and their long-term experience.
Colleen is the Civic Sector lead at Stantec responsible for business development, project delivery and leadership of the Studio in Vancouver, BC.
Colleen was educated at both the University of British Columbia in the post degree Bachelor of Architecture program (1995) and at the University of Victoria Bachelor of Fine Arts program(1991). The melding of fine arts and architecture was an ideal pursuit as Colleen believes in the importance of culture and the arts as part of designing complete communities. Her support and appreciation of the arts has her engaged in lifetime learning and participation in activities that add to the richness of our city. She is currently enrolled as an adult student in the RCM Grade 7 Classical Guitar program and plays in an amateur classical guitar ensemble at the VSO School of Music.
A recipient of the Order of Canada, Early Music America's Howard Mayer Brown award for lifetime achievement in the field of early music, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, José has been the driving force behind the success of Early Music Vancouver for over thirty years. Under his leadership, Early Music Vancouver has gained international acclaim as the largest presenter of early music in Canada, and as one of the most active and innovative organizations in its field in North America.