Meet our faculty
Violin Faculty
Patrick Burroughs
Founding Music Director
Patrick Burroughs began his study of the violin at the age of nine in Victoria, BC, and later continued his musical studies at the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts under Clayton Hare, Harmon Haakman and Thomas Rolston. He holds an Honour BA (Music) and a Master’s Degree (Music Education) from the University of Toronto, and attended special classes in the United States with Helen Bacchus de la Fuente, Joseph Gingold and John Kendall, and in France with Alfred Loewenguth.
In 1970, in conjunction with his private teaching studio, he founded the Bach Youth Ensemble for gifted string students in Toronto and, with that orchestra, toured Canada and France. Through his pedagogical and administrative pursuits at the University of Western Ontario, the Banff Centre, the Canadian Festival of Youth Orchestras as well as through numerous other musical events and professional organizations, he has become well known in the fields of music education, orchestral development, and is a strong proponent of the Suzuki Talent Education approach to teaching and learning.
During his twenty year tenure with the Woodstock Strings (1977-1997), he conducted concerts with many of Canada’s leading artists including Shauna Rolston, Marueen Forrester, James Campbell, Mark Dubois, Martin Beaver, Scott St. John, Corey Cerovsek, the Yanchus & Hibbaard Piano Duo, the Toronto Children’s Chorus and the Amabile Youth Singers (London).
In 1979, he was presented with the Woodstock Medallion for his cultural contribution to the Woodstock community, and, in 1982, he was awarded a Citation by the American String Teachers’ Association “in recognition of distinguished leadership and service.” In 1987, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Rabin International Consortium on String and Orchestra Education. In 2012, Patrick was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Canada Council.
He is the founding President and Music Director of the Forest City School for Talent Education (since 1987), a private music performance school (violin, viola, cello, harp and guitar) based on the Suzuki pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. Students from this program have distinguished themselves at many levels in Conservatory examination, music festivals, and the Canadian Music Competition.
Professor Emeritus, University of Western Ontario, Patrick Burroughs is well known among teachers for his work in education, in the private studio, as a festival adjudicator, examiner, and for his workshop presentations. Professor Burroughs resides in London, Ontario, with Bonnie, his wife, with family nearby.
Jordan Clayton
Artistic Director
Jordan Clayton is a passionate violinist, violist, and music educator based in London, Ontario. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Violin Performance from Western University, and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa. In addition to his work as a private teacher, Jordan is currently Music Director of the Forest City School for Strings, where he serves as the Junior Orchestra Conductor, a senior chamber music coach, and as a violin class instructor.
Over the past ten years, Jordan has enjoyed a freelance career playing locally with Magisterra Soloists, London Symphonia, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and the International Symphony Orchestra (Sarnia). From 2015 to 2022, Jordan served as the Outreach Coordinator for Magisterra Soloists, and was also the founding director of their summer program for young string players, the Magisterra Summer String Institute from 2020 to 2022. He is preparing for his second summer as co-director of the FCSS Summer Music Camp and his fourth year on faculty with the Camp musical de Québec in Québec City. Jordan is greatly inspired by the pedagogical heritage gifted to him by his many mentors and colleagues, incorporating elements from the traditional German school of violin playing, as well as the Suzuki and Létourneau methods.
Nic Carlucci
Canadian violinist Nic Carlucci is in demand as both a violinist and pedagogue. With more than a decade of teaching experience and appointments at two distinguished Canadian Universities, he has begun to build a solid reputation as a highly regarded educator in the field of classical music.
As a musician, Carlucci has experience as both a chamber and orchestral musician. His keen interest in chamber music has led him across North America and parts of the Southern Hemisphere in both his studies and as a performer. Locally, Carlucci performs with several ensembles, most notably Magisterra Soloists International Chamber Players (of which he has also functioned as a core member of the administrative team) and as a violinist with Quartet di Altezza. His orchestral and other ensemble playing includes engagements with London Symphonia (formerly Orchestra London Canada), Windsor Symphony, International Symphony Orchestra, & Kammerchor Baroque, to name a few.
Carlucci prides himself on instilling passion and energy in the playing of budding violinists of all levels, while ensuring they develop a solid technical foundation that will endure the test of time. Starting his career, he spent ten plus years building his private violin studio. After completing a master’s degree in Violin Literature and Performance with acclaimed German Violinist Annette-Barbara Vogel, he was appointed the position of Violin Lecturer at Western University, now cross-listed with roles in both Music Performance and Music Education departments. He was also appointed Violin Instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University’s precollege String Academy of which he is the primary violin and group class instructor. In addition to teaching and building curriculum for several music programs, Carlucci has been known to adjudicate for music festivals, awards and sit on nomination committees. His students have been recognized with many accolades over the years.
Carlucci’s other primary violin instructors include Professor Jerzy Kaplanek and members of the Penderecki String Quartet, Mel Martin, and Mary-Elizabeth Brown.
Kelly Wallraff
Kelly Wallraff is an educator and violinist based in London, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree from Western University where she studied under violinists Mel Martin and Dr. Robert Skelton. In addition to studying the Suzuki Violin Method, Kelly has also obtained her Grade 10 RCM certification in both violin and piano.
With over twenty years of teaching experience, Kelly has worked with London’s Children’s Talent Education Centre (CTEC), the Suzuki Academy of Music, and Forest City String School. She now maintains a private studio with students ages 3-20 years of age drawing from both Suzuki and Royal Conservatory (RCM) curricula. Kelly is certified as an instructor with the Suzuki Assocation of the Americas (SAA) and the Ontario Registered Music Teacher Association (ORMTA).
An active performer, Kelly appears regularly on stages across Ontario and Michigan with ensembles such as the International Symphony Orchestra (ISO), Arcady Ensemble and Cantate Iterum. She also writes, arranges, and records as a session musician for many artists across Canada. Kelly has had the pleasure performing with Josh Groban and The Tea Party. She has also appeared on national radio programs such as ‘Q’ hosted by Jann Arden and ‘The Strombo Show’ hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos.
John Wiebe
Anita Louwerse (on leave - 2025)
Viola Faculty
Jeffrey Komar
Jeffey Komar is a dedicated music educator based in London, Ontario. In addition coaching chamber music and senior orchestra with FCSS, he is a faculty member with El Sistema Aeolian, an organization which provides free music instruction to underprivileged children in the London area. He also operates a private teaching studio, offering one-on-one instruction in violin and viola to students of all ages.
With his background in the life sciences, Jeffrey Komar is not your typical classical performer. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and Music from Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, where he studied under violinist and noted pedagogue Philippe Djokic. In 2017, he completed his Master’s of Music in Literature and Performance (Viola) at Western University, studying under Sharon Wei. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at Western, where his research will examine collaborations between indigenous and non-indigenous musicians.
Jeffrey is a founding member of London-based chamber music groups Quartet Di Altezza and Trio Moyen. He is also a roster musician with Magisterra Soloists, with whom he has participated in the international premieres of works by Canadian and German composers. Jeffrey has performed as a young artist in numerous festivals across Canada, including the Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax, NS and the Domaine Forget International Music festival in Saint Irenée, QC. In December of 2020, he was featured as part of the Canadian Viola Society’s Young Artist Concert Series. Over the years, he has shared the stage with such esteemed musicians as Scott St. John, Simon Docking, Thomas Wiebe, and Ensemble Made in Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys drinking coffee, cooking, and listening to podcasts.