Graduate Students

Emma Soldaat is a PhD candidate in music theory at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Steven Vande Moortele. Her research, supported by a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, examines form in Mahler’s symphonies by combining form-functional theory with the philosophies of memory of Henri Bergson and Marcel Proust. She has presented her work at the Society for Music Analysis, Society for Music Theory, Music Theory Midwest, MUSCAN, and Royal Musical Association annual meetings, as well as at graduate conferences across Canada. Emma is also active within the UofT graduate community, serving on the Music Graduate Student’s Association as Writing Group Coordinator (2020-Present), President (2019-2021), and Secretary (2018-2019). She has also chaired the University of Toronto Graduate Music Conference (2019-2020), and acted as Graduate Roundtable Coordinator (2018-2019). She lives with her fiancé Benjamin and their black cat Ziggy.

Hannah Davis-Abraham is a PhD candidate in music theory under the supervision of Daphne Tan. Her dissertation explores a collaborative approach to the analytical process, incorporating interviews with performers and composers as a means of discovering and communicating a work’s themes. Hannah published an article “Pacing, Performance, and Perception in Alice Ping Yee Ho’s Angst” in Contemporary Music Review in 2023. She also has presented her work at Music Theory Midwest, Dialogues: Analysis and Performance, and the 2023 Society for Music Theory. Hannah holds an MA in Music Theory from the University of Toronto (2020), as well as a BMus (Honours) in Piano Performance from Memorial University (2018). Her research is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship.

Wes Khurana is a PhD candidate in music theory at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Ryan McClelland. Wes’s research focuses on form and corpus studies in popular music. Before beginning his graduate studies, Wes worked as a musician, recording engineer, and sound designer. He has presented his research at conferences including the Society for Music Theory and Music Theory Midwest. Wes holds a Bachelor of Music in performance (violin) and a Master of Arts in Music Theory from the University of Toronto, as well as an Audio Production Diploma from the Harris Institute for the Arts. Wes’s research has been supported by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. He also served on the University of Toronto’s Music Graduate Students’ Association (MGSA) as Secretary (2020–21) and Treasurer (2021–23).

Kaylene Chan is a third-year PhD student in music theory. She holds an MA in music theory from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Music with Distinction from the University of Victoria, and a Diploma of Music with Distinction from Capilano University. Her academic interests range from the analysis of physical movement and the relationship to music, analysis of timbre and texture in popular music, and music cognition and perception. Her doctoral research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. She has presented her research at the Music Theory Midwest Conference (2024, 2025), the International association for the Study of Popular Music (2025), and the Society for Music Theory Annual Meeting (2025). She is active within the UofT music community where she is currently a coordinator of the Musicology/Music Theory Roundtable Series, has served as the President and Secretary of the Music Graduate Student Association (2022-2025), and has tutored for the Student Service Program for undergraduate students at the Faculty of Music (2023-2025).

Gabriella Vici is a third-year PhD student in music theory. Her main research interests are in early twentieth-century music, with a focus on form, hybridity, post-tonality and the tensions that often lie between past and present compositional practices in this repertoire. She completed her Bachelor of Music (with Honours) and Master’s of Music, in Composition, at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney, followed by an MA in Music Theory at the University of British Columbia. Her present studies are supported by the Connaught International Scholarship. Gabriella is currently a Music Peer Learning Strategist at the Faculty of Music and serves as Vice-President Internal for the Music Graduate Students’ Association. When visiting home, she enjoys playing violin in orchestra and walking her dog, Goose.

Evan Chan is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, Junior Fellow at Massey College, and Research Fellow at Swift Medical. A Weston Scholar and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow, his interdisciplinary research spans music cognition, Generative AI music models (GAM), and the application of machine vision technology in dermatology. He has presented internationally at the Society for Music Theory (SMT), the International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC), and the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress. Recognized as an emerging leader, Evan co-founded multiple NGOs, served on several boards, and was a founding member of the start-up C-Spray, featured on CBC’s Dragons’ Den. He currently serves as a Governor on the Governing Council of the University of Toronto, where he is cross-appointed to the Executive Committee, Academic Board, and Academic Appeals Committee. At Massey College, he serves on the Finance & Audit Committee and Fund Analysis Subcommittee under the Governing Board, and is Co-Chair of the 2025-26 Lionel Massey Fund. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist and active member of the Anglican Church of Canada, Evan performs as a pianist, church organist, and orchestral trombonist, supporting music ministries across theological colleges and parishes. He was recently appointed Yeoman of the Vestry, serving as an Officer of His Majesty’s Royal Ecclesiastical Household in Canada, supporting the ceremonial, community and spiritual functions of the interfaith Chapel Royal, The King’s Anishinabek Sacred Place.

Elwyn Rowlands is a music theorist and musicologist who is particularly interested in issues surrounding nineteenth-century form, choreomusicology, and ballet history. Her research explores the relationship between topics and structure within concerti from the long nineteenth century and is generously supported by a France-Canada Graduate Music Scholarship. Elwyn is undertaking her PhD in music theory under the supervision of Professor Steven Vande Moortele. She holds a First Class Honours (2023) in music from Durham University and undertook an ERASMUS+ Placement at Sorbonne Université. She is currently acting as a student representative for the Société Française d’Analyse Musicale (SFAM) and serves as a committee member for both the Formal Theory Study Group (FTSG) and the Société des Jeunes Chercheurs et Chercheuses en Analyse et Théorie Musicales (JJC). Elwyn is also active within University of Toronto’s graduate community since she acts as Treasurer for the Music Graduate Student’s Association (MGSA). She has presented her research at numerous conferences around the world, including the Society for Music Analysis (SMA), the Musicological Society of Australia (MSA), and the Entretiens de Musique Ancienne en Sorbonne (EMAS) among others. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watercolour painting, puppetry, and playing with her cat Felix!

Daria Michirin is a second-year Ph.D. student in music theory. She holds a B.Mus. in piano performance and an M.A. in music theory from McGill University. Her current research interests include Classical and Romantic form analysis and Baroque counterpoint. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano and spending time with her two dogs, Matilda and Mercedes.

Daniella Kistemaker is a first-year PhD student in music theory. She holds an MA in Music Theory (2025) from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance (2023) from Wilfrid Laurier University. Daniella’s academic interests include the analysis of rhythm and meter, analysis of Latin American dance forms with a focus on Argentine tango, and twentieth-century post-tonal music. Her MA research project on the rhythmic framework of Argentine tango anacruses was supported by the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship -Master’s. When she isn’t focusing on theory, she can be found teaching harp in her own studio, playing harp in several community orchestras, and writing fiction as a hobby.

Emma Davis is a first-year master’s student in music theory. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Comprehensive Studies (2025) from the University of Toronto. Her main academic interest is women composers in the post-romantic and neoclassical eras, more specifically the use of polytonality and timbre as a form of structure in orchestral music. Her current research focuses on re-evaluating the criticisms of Germaine Tailleferre’s orchestral works by employing a feminist approach to harmonic and timbral analysis in an effort to challenge archival records that unfairly dismissed her capabilities. Outside of school, Emma has experience working as a collaborative pianist and private teacher. She also loves fashion, thrifting, and being out in nature.

Rahul Tekaram is an MA student in music theory. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Interdisciplinary Music Studies with a Minor in Composition at the University of Toronto (2024). During his undergraduate studies, Rahul underwent an Independent Study under the supervision of Mark Sallmen. The study examined the post-tonal capabilities of the Indian Raga and its potential applications in Western Compositional practices. In his compositions, Rahul utilized these techniques throughout his undergrad and gained recognition as a participant in the Bedford Trio’s Immersed 3.0 concert. His research will further explore the secrets of the melodic frameworks of Hindustani and Carnatic ragas and their ensemble practices. For his personal interests, Rahul watches fantasy/sci-fi, plays video/board games, observes politics, and discusses the philosophy/evolution of life with others.