Welcome to MK Singing School

 

Ke Mao is an accomplished mezzo-soprano, voice educator, vocal competition adjudicator, and the founder and principal of MK Singing School.

She graduated from the Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music with an Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance, studying with Jean MacPhail and Peter Tiefenbach. She previously earned a bachelor’s degree in Voice from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in China and also holds a diploma in Drama. Before moving to Canada, she taught voice and drama at the School of Arts of South China University of Technology.

Throughout her performing career, Ke has worked with internationally recognized singers, conductors, directors, and vocal coaches, including Richard Margison, Laurent Philippe, Leon Major, Jorge Chaminé, Tom Diamond, and Lorne Richstone. She performed with Toronto Operetta Theatre in productions of The Merry Widow and Candide, and appeared in Royal Conservatory productions of Le nozze di Figaro and La bella dormente nel bosco. She has also presented solo recitals at The Royal Conservatory of Music and performed in numerous community and charity concerts across Canada.

Ke has received multiple national awards as a singer and has released several solo recordings. In 2010, she won first place in the Canadian Newcomer Idol Singing Competition, an achievement featured in the Toronto Star and Metro News. In 2026, she received the Canada Strong Medal, presented by Shaun Chen, Member of Parliament for Scarborough North, in recognition of her contributions to youth arts education, community service, and charitable initiatives.

In 2009, Ke founded MK Singing School in the Greater Toronto Area. She is known for her ability to connect with students of all ages and to explain advanced vocal concepts in a clear, practical, and engaging way. Her extensive professional experience, bilingual teaching style, and individualized approach have helped students achieve significant progress in vocal technique, musicianship, interpretation, and stage performance.

Under her guidance, MKSS students have earned outstanding results in local music competitions, Ontario provincial competitions, Royal Conservatory examinations, international vocal competitions, and the NATS National Student Auditions in the United States.

Ke is also an experienced vocal competition adjudicator. She has served as an adjudicator for the NATS National Student Auditions, including the 2025 national event in Philadelphia and the 2026 national event in San Antonio. She has also adjudicated the NATS Ontario Vocal Showcase, the Unionville Music Competition, and the Water Cube Cup Chinese Songs Contest.

Beyond the studio, Ke encourages students to use music in service of the community. She has led students in performances for long-term care residents and in charitable initiatives supporting children’s education, animal welfare, autism awareness, and other community causes.

Ke is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. She is a Royal Conservatory of Music Certified Teacher and a member of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association, the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

Ewa Cybulska is an internationally experienced vocalist and vocal educator with more than 30 years of teaching experience. Her teaching and performance background spans Jazz, Contemporary Voice, Classical, and Musical Theatre, allowing her to work with students across a broad range of vocal styles, levels, and artistic goals.

Known for her expressive and authentic interpretation of jazz standards, Brazilian music, gospel spirituals, blues, and contemporary repertoire, Ewa brings extensive performance experience and a strong pedagogical background to her teaching.

Ewa began her musical training at the age of eight as a cellist. She later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies from Concordia University, followed by a Master’s degree in Music from York University, where she is currently completing her PhD in Music.

As an educator, Ewa has extensive experience working with students of different ages and musical backgrounds. She has prepared singers for the Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program, Levels 1–10, in both Voice and Theory, and works with students pursuing recreational, academic, examination, performance, and pre-professional goals.

Her teaching covers a wide range of repertoire and styles, including jazz, contemporary voice, classical, musical theatre, pop, rock, R&B, soul, blues, gospel, funk, and vocal jazz improvisation. Her approach is individually tailored to each student, taking into consideration age, vocal development, musical experience, natural aptitude, personal interests, and long-term goals.

Ewa’s lessons focus on healthy and gradual vocal development, vocal coordination, resonance, flexibility, breath management, clear diction, and consistency throughout the vocal range. She also incorporates interpretation of lyrics, character development, stylistic awareness, jazz phrasing, improvisation, stage presence, microphone technique, and practical performance preparation. For students interested in creating their own music, songwriting consultation may also be incorporated into their studies.

Ewa places particular emphasis on developing reliable vocal habits through consistent and mindful practice. Her teaching encourages students to strengthen not only vocal technique, but also musicianship, artistic individuality, stylistic versatility, and confidence as performers.

Her goal is to help each student develop a healthy, expressive, and versatile voice while discovering greater confidence, creativity, and enjoyment through singing.

BMus (Central Conservatory of Music, Composition)

MMus (Cleveland Institute of Music, Collaborative Piano)

AD (Cleveland Institute of Music, Collaborative Piano)

Based in Toronto, Canada, Mingli Sun is an experienced and expert collaborative pianist. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and China’s Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. His awards include the Best Accompanist Award of the Sixth China’s International Voice Competition held by the Chinese Ministry of Culture in 2014. While being a staff pianist at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Central Conservatory of Music, he was invited as a collaborative pianist to many important international and domestic voice competitions, such as the Holland International Voice Competition (IVC), China’s Golden Bell Award Voice competition and China’s Peacock Cup National Voice Competition. He has been invited to participate in world famous music festivals such as Tanglewood, Aspen, Roundtop and others. Some of the distinguished artists he has worked with include James Levine, Yo-Yo Ma, Warren Jones, Martin Katz, Emmanuel Ax and Dawn Upshaw. He has performed many recitals in China, Japan, Korea and the U.S., including collaboration on Beethoven violin and cello sonatas, and many art song recitals. As a rehearsal pianist, he has worked with major opera houses in China, playing operas of Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini and some contemporary Chinese operas. Along with his established performance career, he has been in demand to coach singers, and to teach collaborative piano and diction courses in Italian, German and French in the Department of Voice and Opera at several Chinese music institutions including Ningbo University and Xinghai Conservatory of Music.

Lucy Alidadi holds a Master of Education from the University of Windsor and a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature.

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During her graduate studies at the University of Windsor, she worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, supporting undergraduate courses through classroom assistance, student feedback, assessment, and course administration.

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Lucy also has experience in contemporary vocal performance and teaching. She has performed at Toronto’s Multicultural Music Festival and served as a backup vocalist for Sami Beigi’s concert tour in Toronto and Montreal. With a particular interest in pop music, she enjoys helping students develop musical expression, confidence, stage presence, and an authentic contemporary singing style.

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Her background in education, language studies, and live performance allows her to bring patience, organization, and a warm, encouraging approach to the MK Singing School community.