Staff
The staff of Toronto Arts Council and Foundation are a team of fifteen people, often increased by two or three interns and volunteers, working together to support, promote and advocate for the arts in Toronto.
Claire Hopkinson
Executive Director
Prior to her appointment as Executive Director of Toronto Arts Council, where she’s been since 2006, Claire Hopkinson spent approximately 25 years commissioning, developing and producing new works of opera and music theatre. In so doing she’s been instrumental in moving contemporary opera from the very outskirts of the field to the centre. Passionate then as she is now about the potential of Canadian artists to tell their own stories, she invested considerable time and energy into getting Canadian works onto international stages. Her evolution into arts funder – from arts producer – was a logical progression from her volunteer advocacy work as Founding Chair of Opera.ca, Vice Chair of Opera America, and co-founder and President of Creative Trust. In the process she has become committed to the value of developing partnerships and collaboration to further the work of artists in innovative environments. Much of the impetus for Claire's interest in cultural policy has been to support the growth of creative arts organizations.
In May of 2001, Ms. Hopkinson won the national M. Joan Chalmers Award for Arts Administration in recognition of her contribution to Tapestry New Opera Works and the arts in Canada. In 2006 she was recognized by Theatre Ontario with the Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts.
Claire is Co-Chair of the ISPA groundbreaking 2011 Toronto Congress, as well as a member of the City of Toronto War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration Steering Committee and the provincial steering committee for Culture Days 2011.
William Huffman
Associate Director of Toronto Arts Council/Foundation
and Grants Officer for Visual/Media Arts and Literary Arts
William is an arts administrator, curator, educator and writer with a history of extensive involvement on both local and international cultural fronts. Huffman is the Associate Director of Toronto Arts Council as well as the Grants Officer for both the visual arts/media and the literary program. He has worked with a number of visual arts organizations in Ontario such as Blackwood Gallery, Arts Toronto and Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. Huffman received early career recognition for his commitment to the visual arts – at 23, he was appointed Director of venerable artist-run centre A Space Gallery, and at 28 became Director/Curator at the Northern Ontario institution Art Gallery of Sudbury.
William holds teaching positions with University of Toronto, Fanshawe College and Toronto School of Art. His past curatorial initiatives include several exhibitions which toured across Canada, the US, Italy, and France. He continues to be an active curator and was appointed curator of exhibitions for both G8 and G20 Summit sites in Huntsville and Toronto.
Susan Wright
Director of Operations
Susan has been Director of Operations for TAC and TAF since 2000. In this role, Susan advocates for support for artists and arts organizations with City Council and compiles arts research and statistics in defense of this work. She currently sits on a number of external committees including IRAFF (Intergovernmental Forum for Arts Funders and Foundations), Cadac (Canada Arts database), Beautiful City Alliance and a Toronto City Summit Alliance working group. Susan’s other responsibilities at TAC include financial management and general operations. Prior to joining TAC, Susan spent five years as General Manager of Toronto Artscape, and many years as an arts consultant and manager of small arts organizations.
Beth Reynolds
Director of Grants
Beth joined Toronto Arts Council in 1986 when it was a small operation with only three full-time staff. As TAC grew, so did Beth’s role within the organization change and grow. Over her years at TAC, she has worked with hundreds of organizations and volunteers and has been instrumental in the development of TAC grant programs and policies. She was named Director of Grants in 2000.
Margo Charlton
Theatre Officer
Margo is a theatre director, dramaturge and producer who has worked for numerous theatre companies in Western Canada. She founded the Popular Theatre Alliance of Manitoba, a company dedicated to theatre for social change and development of projects with residents of neighbourhoods in Winnipeg. Margo has been invited to make presentations on popular theatre and community arts at conferences and festivals across Canada, in Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama and Brazil. She holds a Masters Degree from York University focusing on evaluating community arts programs and a certificate in expressive arts therapy from the International School for Interdisciplinary Studies (ISIS-Canada). Margo is a partner in Resonance Creative Consulting specializing in strategic planning and evaluation training for cultural organizations.
Christy DiFelice
Music Officer
Newly appointed in 2010 to the position of Music Officer, Christy came to TAC from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where she was the Manager of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. A graduate of York University (MA, Ethnomusicology/Musicology; 2008), her studies focused on musics and cultures of the African Diaspora, with a specialization in North American Jazz and Blues. In addition, she has previously worked with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Fine Arts Cultural Studies Department at York University, and as a music copyist. Since its inaugural season (2008), she has sat on the Board of Directors of the Brantford International Jazz Festival. She is particularly passionate about advocating for diversity, arts education, and community development through the arts.
Soraya Peerbaye
Dance Officer
Soraya is a writer, translator and cultural worker. Her first collection of poetry, Poems for the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names, was published by Goose Lane Editions in 2009; she is also pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Guelph. Before working at TAC, she was the Equity Coordinator at the Canada Council for the Arts.
Andrew Suri
Community Arts Officer
Newly appointed in 2010 to the position of Community Arts Officer, since 1999 Andrew has worked to connect people from diverse cultural traditions through shared artistic explorations, with a focus on movement-based arts and filmmaking. Andrew co-founded IMPACT- Indian Martial & Performance Art Collective of Toronto and served as Artistic & Managing Director. He is a banethi artist, administrator, educator, and filmmaker who has coordinated community arts projects in diverse communities throughout Toronto. Andrew has also received recognition as a photographer and emerging filmmaker. A recipient of OAC Chalmer’s Professional Development, OAC Media Artist:Emerging, and OAC Artists in Education grants, Andrew continues to develop his practice as a banethi artist, filmmaker, and arts educator.
Dewi Minden
Executive Assistant and Special Project Manager
Dewi came to TAC after serving as the first Executive Director of the Music Gallery from 2006 - 2009. She is the Executive Assistant to Claire Hopkinson and directs communications for TAC and TAF. Originally from Vancouver, Minden is also a trumpet player, conductor, and composer as well as the director of Minden Arts Management, her independent company established in 2003 which provides production management and arts administration services to arts organizations and independent artists. Dewi was a founding member of the Robert Minden Ensemble contemporary music quartet with whom she toured internationally from 1986-1996, performing at Lincoln Centre, Kennedy Centre, and most major hall across North America. She has composed music for chambre music ensembles including Toronto's Talisker Players as well as sound design for theatre including Dora nominee playwright and actor Carmen Aguirre. In addition to her composition work, Dewi was a trumpet player and a Music Director of Musical Theatre in Vancouver from 2003 - 2006. She holds an Undergraduate Degree in Music from UBC, a Masters Degree in Music from Laval University and did further graduate studies in composition at the University of Toronto. In addition to assisting the ED, Dewi manages communications at Toronto Arts Council/Foundation and is editor for our Toronto Arts Insider E-Newsletter.
Michelle Parson
Office Manager
Michelle, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, has been at Toronto Arts Council and Foundation since 1997. Presently she holds the position of Office Manager, with administrative and website responsibilities. Outside of the office, Michelle is an active performer, providing vocals to three music bands: SteelBandits, Coconut Club Band and Los Amigos Parang Group. A well-known member of her Caribbean community, she has performed and toured with Ballet Creole, Inner Stage Theatre, Naked Mask and La Petite Musicale of Toronto. Numerous freelance performances have allowed her to share a stage with high-profile local and international artists including Nick “Brownman” Ali, David Michael Rudder and The Mighty Sparrow.
Rachel Feldbloom
Grants Assistant
Rachel is a writer, artist, and jewelry maker. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Specialized Honours Degree in Film Studies from York University. Before coming to the Toronto Arts Council, Rachel worked in various departments of the Toronto International Film Festival, and has a professional background in film education and administration. In addition to working in the Grants department of the The Toronto Arts Council, she teaches children's art classes on the weekend.
Norma Garcia
Grants Assistant
Norma is a documentary video maker and avid supporter of the arts. She has worked and volunteered in the cultural industry of the city of Toronto since she graduated from the Cultural Studies program at York University in 2003. Norma came to TAC after serving as a Program Coordinator for the National Film Board of Canada. In addition to assisting the Officers, Norma is involved in assisting with several projects in the Toronto Arts Foundation.