Piano and Voice Teachers

Lada Lagover Piano

Lada has been teaching piano to students of all ages privately since 2005 and at Allegro Music since 2007. Her mission as a teacher is to inspire students to reveal their personality and imagination in the music they play.

Lada motivates a broad view of the many ways classical music can be performed and enjoyed by encouraging her students to play teacher/student duets, participate in recitals and prepare for Royal Conservatory Exams. She fosters the development of musicianship skills through sight-reading, ear-training and technique exercises in a fun and creative environment.

From the Royal Conservatory of Music, Lada has earned her ARCT Teacher's Diploma, the highest academic standing awarded by the conservatory. She is also nearing completion of a Bachelor of Music degree at York University, majoring in the performance/teaching stream. Her wealth of professional playing experience includes performing in music competitions, accompanying choirs, chamber ensembles and soloists. Currently, Lada is performing as a piano accompanist for a Swedish choir in Toronto, and a harpsichord accompanist for various chamber strings ensembles.
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Jill Peacock Voice and Piano

Jill Peacock, born and raised in Toronto, is a pianist and vocalist. She has been teaching piano for eleven years and teaching voice for four. She joined Allegro Music in 2010. Jill believes in making music lessons fun but emphasizes that hard work is important. She feels that music should be a rewarding avocation that will give students important learning skills and experiences that can be applied to virtually every aspect of their lives.

Jill became an associate of the Royal Conservatory of Piano at age 19 in piano performance. She recently moved back to Toronto after attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Jill is a jazz singer and is currently looking to perform in Toronto as soon as possible. She is also a singer/songwriter and is releasing an album in the fall of 2010 called Never Long Enough. She hopes in the future to be able to compose and write for film and continue to follow her passion for world music as well.
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Marissa Solow Voice and Piano

Marissa has been teaching voice and piano since 2006. She joined Allegro Music in 2010. Equally at home with young children and adults, Marissa shares her love of performing with her students. She uses songs that are a good fit for her students to build a solid musical foundation. Marissa brings a youthful energy to inspire the best in her students. She believes in building a strong understanding of the basics through ear training and technical exercises and applying these foundations to all kinds of repertoire.

Marissa recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance. She also completed the University of Toronto Voice Pedagogy course under Professor Lorna MacDonald in 2009. Marissa has performed all around the globe, most recently performing the role of Cupidon in Offenbach’s opera Orfée aux enfers in Perigueux, France. Marissa has recently performed the role of First Sheep in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide with the University of Toronto Opera School and the role of Cupid in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis with the Summer Opera Lyric Theatre. Although her performing goals are in the classical genre, Marissa has also been trained in Musical Theatre and Jazz.
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Alex Tait Voice and Piano

Alex Tait is a vocalist, composer and teacher. She has been teaching voice and piano to students of all ages since 2006. Her teaching style is catered to the individual needs of her students. Whether preparing for Royal Conservatory of Music exams, learning pop songs or developing original compositions, Alex encourages her students to develop good technique along the way.

Alex was raised in Toronto. Her late father, Juno award-winning trumpet player and composer Rick Tait sparked her love of music. Alex recently graduated from Humber College, where she received substantial music awards in her second, third and fourth year. In the summer of 2010 she was a participant in the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music, and performed in the Toronto International Jazz Festival. Alex is the leader or front-woman for several bands, including a quintet under her own name whose debut E.P. Headphones & Earplugs will be released this winter.
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Karen Carriere Piano, Voice, Theory

Since joining our staff in 2001, Karen has helped hundreds of students prepare for performances, auditions, competitions and exams, or has simply helped them to achieve their own personal musical goals. Healthy experimentation, training in expression, stage deportment and musical performance practice are at the heart of her voice teaching technique. Karen can also teach the co-requisites to the higher levels of piano performance including theory, history, harmony, counterpoint.

Karen holds an A.R.C.T. in Theory with distinction, Grade 10 Honours in Voice and Grade 9 in Piano. A very versatile performer, Karen has sung opera, classical and popular music in many different venues. She has been soprano soloist at several well known churches in the Toronto area. Her studies have taken her to Austria to study with some of the best teachers in the world.
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Christine Raftopoulos Voice and Piano

Christine has been teaching voice and piano for 3 years and joined the Allegro Music School in June of 2011. Her specialization is in classical repertoire, but she thoroughly enjoys all music genres including music theatre, jazz and pop. Before she began teaching, Christine also worked for 3 years as a music instructor at musical theatre programs for young children. She teaches students of a variety of ages, and caters specifically to each student’s goals and learning styles. She has taught many young piano beginners and strives to make learning a fun and enriching experience.

Soprano Christine Raftopoulos has been singing since the age of 10. She recently graduated with her Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto. Christine has also been playing piano since the age of 13 and has produced several compositions. In her four years at the University of Toronto, Christine has obtained an extensive background in music theory and history, and has thoroughly studied French, German and Italian vocal repertoire. Christine has performed at several venues throughout her career, and most recently was part of U of T’s productions of Don Giovanni and Hansel and Gretel.

Christine is currently in her fifth year as a psychology student in preparation for her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology.

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