DAVID SHARPE, President

David Sharpe is a versatile pianist and educator who has performed and presented across Canada, the USA and Europe.  Born in Summerside, PEI, Sharpe obtained bachelor degrees in music and education from Mt. Allison University, where he was Valedictorian, studying piano with Edmund Dawe.  While at Mt. Allison, Sharpe won the 1995 Atlantic Young Artist Competition, resulting in an eight-city solo concert tour of Atlantic Canada.  He attained master and doctoral degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from Arizona State University, under the guidance of Janice Meyer Thompson, where he also completed a law degree.  During his time at ASU, Sharpe was the state collegiate winner in Arizona of the MTNA performance competition in piano three years in a row, and won several awards for the performance of contemporary music.  He has premiered new works, performed in contemporary music ensembles, and taken part in festivals at Adamant, Vermont; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Deutscher Tonkünstlerverband in Münster, Germany.  He has taught in the summer piano program at Interlochen, Michigan.

Having attained the piano performer’s ARCT, Dr. Sharpe later became a senior piano examiner for RCM Examinations, as well as an examiner for both written and practical piano pedagogy levels, and a mentor to examiner trainees.  He has conducted examinations across Canada and the USA, and continues in the examiner role presently.  In addition, Dr. Sharpe has served as a reviewer for materials of the Frederick Harris Music Company, and presented workshops on their publications to piano teacher associations in several states in the USA.

Dr. Sharpe has presented at national and international music conferences including the European Piano Teachers’ Association in Novi Sad, Serbia, the CFMTA-MTNA-RCM Collaborative Conference in Toronto, the national conference of the MTNA in Kansas City, USA, and various state conferences.  Sharpe’s piano students have won top honors in music competitions and examinations, and he has adjudicated at festivals and competitions in Canada and the USA.  Dr. Sharpe has recently returned to PEI where he based in Stratford, and divides his time between PEI and Mexico.  He provides piano instruction both in person and online and serves as Registrar of the PEI Registered Music Teachers’ Association.

JENNA BROWN, Vice-President and Treasurer

Jenna joined the board after volunteering for the PEISO’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2018. From there she has been an integral part of fundraising activities for the PEISO including our first Night at the Races gala dinners in 2019 and 2022, and the Wine Elimination fundraiser in 2021.  Jenna is an active original member of the Holland College Community Band where she plays flute and also serves on the executive committee as Music Librarian.  She has also been a part of the Maritime Community Ensemble that travelled to perform in Pamplona, Spain at the International Festival of Bands in 2019.  Music has always held a special place for Jenna, especially the power it has in film, on the stage, and out in nature. The ability for music to bring out so many emotions was the basis of her speech in a local pageant in 2002. Outside of music Jenna is an avid reader, loves a good walk through the woods to hear the birds, and knits a mean dishcloth.

EVAN McCOSHAM, Secretary

Winner of the 2019 Music PEI Award for Musician of the Year, Evan McCosham is best known as an in-demand freelance musician, recording and performing with the likes of David Myles, Dylan Menzie, Rachel Beck, Andrew Waite, Josee Boudreau, and dozens more. With his own group, Coyote, Evan has toured the country from BC to NFLD, received national radio play, and won the 2016 East Coast Music Award for Pop Recording of the Year along with several Music PEI awards.

Outside of music performance, Evan is also a music educator and administrative professional, having studied at Humber College of Music in Toronto, and Holland College’s School of Performing Arts in Charlottetown, where he has also taught classroom courses in Ear Training and Performance Ensembles. His administrative experience includes five years as the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator with the PEI Symphony Orchestra and a variety of roles with Music PEI. Evan also has served as a board member with Music PEI and the PEI Jazz & Blues Festival, having completed Holland College’s 9-week Board Member Training Course in 2021.

Evan’s diverse background also includes experience with stage management, grant writing, sound production, music notation, and retail management. Valuing truth and objectivity, he brings strong critical thinking, group leadership skills, and quick learning to each project he becomes involved with and eagerly welcomes new opportunities to grow and collaborate within his community.

OZLEM AKAY, Director

Ozlem Akay was born in Turkey, has a BA degree in Finance, moved to PEI in 2016 from a bustling city Istanbul, and called PEI her lovely home with her husband and daughter.

In her professional life, she was always good with numbers. She took various management roles in different organizations, especially in manufacturing. In her current role at SpryPoint, she is still dealing with numbers and helping the local PEI software company to serve the entire North America. 

Ozlem describes herself as a problem solver who constantly pushes her limits to keep things organized. She is passionate about social media, travelling, learning, and sharing new things with people around her. 

She believes giving back to her community is a responsibility, and she is still working with lovely people around her to contribute more.

MERIC R. AKMEL, Director

Meric Akmel is a Turkish-Bulgarian-Canadian who immigrated to Canada in 2016. She, with her husband, decided to settle and make Charlottetown our home. She is passionate about yoga, visiting new places, photography, and music!  

As a professional, she is an internationally certified Project Manager with more than 20 years of experience in Information Technology and has been working for the Provincial Government for the last 5 years.  

Alongside her professional experience, she worked for IFSAK-Istanbul Photography and Cinema Amateurs Association as a volunteer for many years with a variety of roles such as Web Site Administrator and Coordinator of different events, courses, and project groups. After moving to PEI, she sat on the board of directors for the PEI Jazz and Blues Festival for 3 years and worked actively in organizing and planning the festival. She enjoys being able to contribute to the music scene here on the Island. 

While the Island has many great things to offer, the PEI Symphony was one of the most surprising gifts for her. She has been a keen audience member since the first day she discovered its presence and hopes to bring value to this great organization and the community overall.

XIAO CHEN, Director

EMILY GILL, Director

Emily was born and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, but her roots are all on Cape Breton Island. Married to a Prince Edward Islander, she has called PEI home for the last decade. Emily's passion for music is innate. She was brought up at square dances, NS symphony concerts and Neptune Theatre productions. Some of her earliest memories are sneaking downstairs during her parents' house parties and hearing the traditional East Coast classics sung by NS legends Joe Murphy, McGinty and many others. She picked up the trumpet through the Public School music program and dusted it off a few years ago to join The Holland College Welshman. There she rediscovered the fellowship of a concert band and the rush of performance. 

With a strong sense of community and a love for supporting others in any way she can, Emily looks forward to serving on the PEISO board.

ISAAC MAZER, Director

Isaac Mazer is currently working as a Music Teacher in the Public School Branch. Having begun his musical adventures in the Band Program of Prince Edward Island in middle school, Isaac Mazer received the Music & Digital Media Diploma from St. Lawrence College (2009), Bachelor of Music Degree from Queen’s University (2013) and the Bachelor of Music Education Degree (2021) from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Throughout the years, he has performed in a variety of musical ensembles including the Sounds of Jazz Big Band, BrassWerks, The Big Phat Horn Band, Charlottetown Jazz Ensemble, Confederation Brass Quintet, Queen’s University Symphony Orchestra, Queen’s University Brass Quintet, Queen’s University Jazz Ensemble along with several community ensembles, musicals and opera companies. He has also acted as the Music Director for several community-based musical performances. 

Since returning to Prince Edward Island in 2015, Isaac has been a member of the PEI Jazz & Blues Festival Board from 2016 to 2019, including being the Stage Manager for three years, and has taught at the PEI Band Camps since 2018. Once completing his Music Education Degree in the fall of 2020, he has been continuously working in the Public School system since January 2021.

LAURA ONO, Head of Operations

Laura brings a unique combination of skills and experience as an accomplished business executive, arts administrator, entrepreneur and music educator.   A former senior communications strategist, she developed and directed comprehensive communications programs for technology clients, and oversaw North American media and public relations initiatives for more than 10 years.  Following her tenure in a leading national PR agency, Laura returned to her music roots and completed studies in music education, with a special emphasis on the principles and practices of Dalcroze Eurhythmics  — a way of working with, and learning about, music through the body.  Her passion and commitment to promoting a high standard of musicianship led her to establish Dalcroze Canada, a registered charity dedicated to mentoring and training the next generation of Dalcroze teachers.  Most recently, Laura was the director and founder of My Musical Upbringing, a private music studio specializing in Early Childhood Music Education in Toronto -- enriching the musical lives of more than 1,500 students in its 10 years of operation.  In addition to her musical training, Laura also holds a Masters of Business Administration (York University).

Since moving to the Island in 2019, Laura has been actively contributing to the PEI music scene, currently serving as Secretary of the Kings County Music Festival, and recently as Registrar of the PEI Registered Music Teachers Association.  She is thrilled to join the PEISO at a time when new opportunities for music making, music learning and music collaboration are being reimagined and reinvigorated.