Dustin Jodway
Founder and Head Coach
Recipient of the Hamilton Spectator Reader’s Choice Award for Local Artist and Theatre Instructor for 6 consecutive years, Dustin has more than 25 years of experience in both community and professional theatre, 10 years of directing experience and years of KWC performance coaching—in fact, there isn't much this ol' chunk o' coal hasn't seen.
A former Canadian Champion in the Karaoke World Championships, Dustin opted to stay involved with the competition in a non-competitive capacity, becoming a mentor to competitors in subsequent seasons. His innate talent for coaching was soon recognized by KWC administrators, which eventually led to his appointment as Head of Artistic Development for KWC Canada.
In his first season as the head coach of Team Canada, Dustin travelled all the way to the birthplace of karaoke for the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where he helped coach the Canadian duets team to Canada's first-ever gold medal in the duets competition.
Dustin has performed on stages across Canada and as far afield as Helsinki, Finland, while his coaching career has taken him yet further abroad, but for Dustin, all roads eventually lead back to Hamilton, where his roots are firmly and proudly planted.
Dustin is the President of Hamilton Theatre Inc. and has been a member of HTI for over 20 years. At HTI, Dustin has been involved in numerous productions, in just about every capacity, both on and off-stage, and has had the opportunity to work alongside Southern Ontario's finest talent.
Dustin has also spent over 15 years working with Individuals with Special Needs and various degrees of physical and behavioural exceptionalities. Graduating with honours from MoMac specializing in behaviours and the autism spectrum, Dustin prides himself in his ability to work effectively and cooperatively with this group of individuals, and he loves nothing more than helping people out of their respective shells.
Rob Quinn
Technical Consultant
An award-winning DJ and producer with 20 years’ experience in the music industry, Rob first cut his teeth as a breakbeat DJ, spinning records at sketchy parties in the twilight years of the rave era. His love of layering beats as a DJ led to an interest in music production, and under the tutelage of San Francisco-based audio guru ill.Gates, Rob learned the ins and outs of production and sound design, and he’s been obsessively tinkering with beats ever since.
Rob is the Technical Director for KWC Canada and a long-serving KWC judge who has spent many hundreds of hours adjudicating all levels of the competition over the years. He is the head judge on the national panel, and has judged at the world level for the past three years, including the world championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Rob's services include graphic, web and sound design, audio engineering, audio/video/demo reel production and home studio set-up.
Dr. Suzanne Wright
Vocal Health Consultant
Singing since the ripe old age of 3, Suzanne has literally been in this game for longer than she can remember. Suzanne began classical training at the London School of Opera at the age of 12, and went on to earn a Masters in Jazz Musicianship, a Doctorate specializing in Advanced Vocal Production and a Doctorate in Psychology.
At 15 Suzanne went on her first tour as a back-up singer with Chris de Burgh, and her career highlights include performing as a backing singer for the legendary Elton John.
Before retiring from musical theatre, Suzanne enjoyed many lead roles, but she ultimately found her calling as a vocal instructor, and now runs her own studio, “Singing the Wright Way."
Suzanne firmly believes that—with the right training—anyone can learn to sing.
Kelly Knight
Piano
A respected piano and vocal instructor, accompanist, audition coach, choir director, and triple-threat director, Kelly has taught students of all ages and skill levels for over 15 years. She has successfully prepared several students for professional careers on television and Broadway. Kelly has performed and worked in over 20 different live theatre productions, with experiences ranging from support and lead roles to musical directing. Kelly loves to teach and looks forward to many more years of continued success with her current and future students.
David Brideau
Guitar and Strings
With over 12 years of teaching experience, David is an expert at all types of guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, trombone, saxophones, clarinet, and flute. He has a broad range of music knowledge, including metal, jazz, and classical. We are excited to have such an experienced musician and educator on our team and look forward to the positive impact he will have on our students and their musical pursuits.
Luis has been teaching piano since 2017 and adores having students learn new things. Luis started piano when he was 6 years old and has been involved with many musical theatre productions. His goals with students are to learn how to read music, how to practice effectively, and embrace their artistic self.
Luis Arojo
Piano
Monica Cairney
Dialect Coach
Monica Cairney has been an active member of the Hamilton theatre community for the past 17 years. She attended McMaster University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in acting and theatre production. Since 2004 she has been involved in over 100 productions in the roles of actor, director, stage manager and dialect coach. Monica has been a proud member of the Hamilton Theatre Inc. Board of Directors for 9 years, serving as 2nd Vice Chairman of the Board for the majority of that time. Monica is dedicated to nurturing and encouraging the talent of the next generation of performers and is proud to be a part of Red Tree PA.
Breann Jodway
Breathwork and Meditation Instructor
Breann Jodway is a certified Breathwork instructor, meditation coach, and master teacher who has dedicated her life to helping others achieve inner peace and well-being. With many years of experience in the field, Breann has developed a deep understanding of the power of breathwork and meditation to transform lives. She is a member of the Yoga Alliance and has trained with some of their leading experts in the field, she has honed her skills through years of practice.
Breann is known for her warm, compassionate, empathic approach, and for her ability to create a safe and supportive environment for her students. She believes that everyone has the potential to tap into their inner wisdom and strength, and that breathwork and meditation are powerful tools for unlocking this potential.
In her own life, Breann practices mindfulness in her daily routines reaping the powerful benefits of these practices. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience with others and is committed to helping her students achieve greater peace, happiness, and fulfillment in their lives.
Breann encourages you to plant your roots with Red Tree, come ground and grow with us!
Claire Hughes
Burlesque and Dance Instructor
Dancing since before she took her first steps, Claire has had the pleasure to study many kinds of dance and choreograph some truly wonderful performers. After finishing high school as a musical theatre major at Etobicoke School of the Arts, she continued her studies in classical vocal performance at McGill University. There, she was bitten by the choreography bug in earnest when she found herself more excited about putting together numbers for various productions than just about anything else.
Once she finished school, Claire delved further into dance and found herself gravitating towards burlesque. Studying under amazing teachers like Montreal's Miss Sugarpuss and the incredible people at the Toronto School of Burlesque, Claire developed several acts and brought them to many great stages, even teaching workshops on stage presence and sexuality in burlesque.
After having a series of strokes in May 2015, Claire spent time focusing on her recovery and learning how to stand, walk, and dance again. In the intervening years, she moved to Hamilton and choreographed her first show at HTI. She can’t wait to help others experience the joy of movement and the wonders of burlesque.
Laura Di Pelino
Chair and Dance Instructor
Laura has been teaching with heart, passion, and fire for 9+ years.
Expect her classes to be high-energy and a lot of fun. Come willing to work hard and play hard.
Laura's expertise is creating choreography, developing and fine-tuning technique; teaching an element of fluidity that will become a part of every routine.
