VOX Concert: Biographies

March 16, 2026

Amanda Kind, Director

Amanda Kind is a voice teacher, singer, songwriter, and performer. She teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University, and has been a guest lecturer for many other music education programs. She is the Artistic Director of Pop Nation Canada and the Chief Vocal Officer of Vocal Versatility, Inc. As an artist, Amanda has recorded a wide variety of music including country singles “The Good Fight,” and “Slow Dance” (which peaked at #1 on SiriusXM Top of the Country), and a number of songs as part of country duo Amanda & James with James Downham – “Comeback” and “Another Round.” She is a member of the Songwriters Association of Canada, SOCAN, the Canadian Country Music Association, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Awards: Waterloo Region Arts Award, Rogers Television Woman of the Year Award, and recognition as one of the region’s Top 40 Under 40. She is endlessly proud of these brave performers. Huge thanks to the incredible VOX team.

Holt Stuart-Hitchcox, Band Mentor

An accomplished electric bassist, Holt Stuart-Hitchcox plays across Canada in the country, jazz, R&B, funk, and rock genres. Holt has had the honour of performing with many prolific artists, including Grammy Award-winner Joe Lovano, Grammy award-nominee Mike Stern, Juno Award-winner Kirk MacDonald, and CCMA award winners Jade Eagleson and Meghan Patrick. Currently, Holt tours with several national acts, including High Valley and Jason Blaine. He has been nominated for three consecutive Bass Player of the Year awards (2022-2024) at the Canadian Country Music Awards.
Holt has a Bachelor of Music from Humber College, a Master’s in Music Education from the University of Toronto, and is currently working on a doctorate in education at York University. He has been awarded both a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Scholarship and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. He works for the Public Education Exchange (PEX), a SSHRC-funded research project studying underfunding and privatization in Ontario public education. Beyond his work with PEX, Holt’s independent scholarship examines neoliberalism’s increasing marginalization of music study in education, and considers how music and arts study might serve to resist neoliberalism in society at large.

Debora Abreu, Teaching Assistant, Band Mentor for Volare

Debora Abreu is a Brazilian musician, vocalist, guitarist, and music educator whose work blends Brazilian musical traditions with jazz performance. Originally from Brazil, her musical background is deeply influenced by the rich rhythms and harmonies of Brazilian music, which she brings into her performances through both voice and guitar. A multi-instrumentalist, Debora plays several instruments, with guitar as her primary instrument. She released her first album in 2015 and has since collaborated and performed with a variety of artists across different musical styles. Since moving to Canada, she has performed in venues across Ontario, including in Toronto and at The Jazz Room. Alongside her performance career, Debora works as a music teacher and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Claudia Aguirre Giralt, Teaching Assistant, Choreographer

Claudia Aguirre’s training in Spanish dance began with one of Toronto’s Spanish dance pioneers, at Paula Moreno’s School of Spanish Dance. She then spent several years training as a vocalist and dancer at Carmen Romero’s School of Flamenco Dance Arts and later performing with Compañia Carmen Romero. Claudia has also trained with globally renowned choreographer, Maria Serrano, working with her as a vocalist, hand percussionist, and dancer; and in 2024, Claudia won an OAC grant to train with international artist, Irene Álvarez. In addition to her flamenco practice, Claudia has also studied and performed various dance and music genres, including jazz and musical theatre vocals, Bollywood and hip-hop dance, bass guitar and upright bass. She holds a Certificate from the triple-threat Commercial Dance Program from George Brown College, a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree from York University’s Department of Dance, with a Minor in Music; and a Certificate of Commercial Jazz from Humber Polytechnic. Formal training aside, some of the lessons that have shaped Claudia the most have been through the grassroots exposure to Latin dance forms and music that she received at home as a child. Outside of her studies, Claudia works as a flamenco instructor, performer, and festival producer. In 2016, she co-founded CalúJules–Flamenco Plus, a flamenco duo that teaches and provides performances in the Waterloo Region, the GTA, and beyond. In 2018, the duo founded a sister company, a non-profit by the name of The Little KW Flamenco Fest (a.k.a. the Grand River Flamenco Fest) with the aim of cultivating a sense of community around the unique art form of Flamenco in the Region of Waterloo. Both businesses have been recognized for their contributions to the community receiving awards from initiatives such as Community Votes, the Waterloo Region Community Foundation, and repeat sponsorships. Claudia is now pursuing PhD studies at Wilfrid Laurier in Community Music where she is bringing together her acquired knowledge from graduate studies in Urban Planning and Leisure Studies to explore the potential benefits that drumming can have on the wellbeing of older adults, particularly those living in suburban areas short of artistic amenities and other infrastructure. As part of this study, has taken up Afro-Cuban drumming with renowned percussionist, Joaquin Nuñez, which is helping her connect further with her Latin-X background.

Christine Watson, Choreographer

Christine Watson is a dynamic professional dancer, choreographer, and stage performer with a diverse career spanning theatre, film, and live entertainment. As dance captain for the American National Dance Team, she traveled to Italy and Spain, winning back-to-back world titles. She also toured Europe and the Caribbean as a dancer and aerial artist with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Christine’s on-screen work includes portraying the Demon Hipster Chicks in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Universal Studios) and appearances in multiple music videos. A proud member of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, she has worked with many professional theatre companies. Selected performance credits include Mamma Mia!, Grease, The Little Mermaid, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, All Shook Up, Anne of Green Gables, Footloose, The Wizard of Oz, and 9 to 5: The Musical (Drayton Entertainment), Rock of Ages (Fallsview), Monty Python’s Spamalot (Theatre Aquarius), Dance Legends (Grand Theatre), and A Chorus Line (Rose Theatre). As a choreographer, Christine has worked on Jersey Boys and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Drayton Entertainment). She has also served as Assistant Choreographer for Kinky Boots and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Drayton Entertainment).

Travis Brooks, Choreographer

Travis is a singer, dancer, guitar player, songwriter, and performer. He developed his love for dance at Dance Adventure under Brooke Myers, and pursued triple threat training at the Randolph College for the Performing Arts. Travis works as both a performer and an educator. Theatre credits include The Prom, Legally Blonde (Drayton Entertainment), Footloose (Stage West Calgary), and more. Travis is on the teaching staff at the Drayton Entertainment Youth Academy and at Pop Nation Canada. Check out more at www.travisbrooks.ca.

Mason Micevski, Choreographer

Mason Micevski is an accomplished stage, performer, choreographer and arts maker from Hamilton, Ontario. He has taught voice, dance and acting both commercially and privately, while performing with such companies as the National Ballet of Canada, Warner Bros. Studios, and OH CANADA EH?! Mason holds a Masters in Community Music from Wilfrid Laurier University, is the Artistic Director and lead playwright at Emerson Arts, and works to be a constant support and community builder of the arts in Hamilton, Ontario. Through education and lived experience, Mason is excited to share all he knows with the next generation of artists, performers and musicians!

Julian Berg, Flamenco Guitar Mentor & Guest Performer for Volare

Julian Berg is a flamenco guitarist from Oslo, Norway, and graduate of the flamenco guitar program at Codarts Conservatory in the Netherlands. Now based in the Region of Waterloo, with regular appearances in the GTA, he dedicates himself to cultivating a local flamenco scene through the Little KW Flamenco Fest, lessons, workshops, and shows he puts on in the community. He is passionate about music composition, and feels his biggest accomplishments are watching his students grow at their craft and enjoying flamenco. He is a committed music teacher and guitarist, with experience teaching students of all ages in individual and small group settings. Areas of expertise include flamenco, pedagogy, and arts administration by default.