Tanya Derksen, B.Mus., MBA

Tanya Derksen recently joined the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) as the Executive Director. She has more than 14 years of experience in the music industry and the last eight years working with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) where she is the Director of Education and Outreach.

During her time with the WSO, she developed the organization’s programming from a handful of local offerings for students to more than 20 education and community programs that reach more than 60,000 children, teenagers, young adults and older adults each year from a variety of backgrounds across the province. In 2011, she initiated an innovative program called Sistema Winnipeg – an intensive, 5-day a week, after-school youth orchestra program based on the El Sistema model in Venezuela – for students living in neighbourhoods with the lowest socio-economic status in Winnipeg.

Tanya Derksen is a passionate and active arts leader with experience on various boards in the arts and business community including the Sistema Canada Steering Committee, the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts, and the Future Leaders of Manitoba. She is currently the co-chair of the 2015 National Conference for Music Educators in Canada.

Tanya Derksen has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Manitoba and a Bachelor of Music (piano) from Brandon University where she studied with Dr. David Rogosin and Donald Henry. She is thrilled to be returning to Brandon University of be a part of the 2015 Clarinet Festival.