artistic Team

Sarah Sommer is an active choral conductor, vocalist and music educator in Winnipeg. She holds a Bachelor of Music (2017), Bachelor of Education (2017) and Post Baccalaureate diploma in vocal performance (2022) from the University of Manitoba, and currently teaches music and drama at Technical-Vocational High School. Along with her role as co-artistic director of Chai, Sarah is also the co-founder and co-artistic director of NUOVOCE Chamber Choir. She has appeared as choir member and soloist with many local ensembles, including Canzona, Dead of Winter (Camerata Nova), the Winnipeg Singers, and the Shaarey Zedek Quartet. Sarah’s additional directing credits, past and present, include: the Etz Chayim Synagogue Choir, Kolot Community Voices, WSD and LRSD Divisional choirs, and assisting with the Winnipeg Girls’ & Boys’ Choirs. Sarah first joined Chai in 2008 as a singer, and later went on to become assistant vocal director (2011-2014) and vocal director (2014-2017), before her appointment to the position of co-artistic director (2022). Sarah is honoured to be able to contribute to Chai’s ongoing legacy in its 60th year, and looks forward to sharing the stage with both alumni and current Chai performers.

Jesse Popeski has been a member of the Chai Folk Ensemble since 2015, first as the
guitarist and music director, and now as co-artistic director.  Jesse has a BA in music
from the University of Manitoba and is a freelance guitarist performing in a variety of
styles, from jazz in local bars and restaurants to singing old favourites at care homes
through the Artists in Healthcare Manitoba program.  He is also a music educator,
teaching guitar to aspiring musicians of all ages at the Winnipeg Conservatory of
Music.  For Jesse, the most exciting part of a Chai concert is seeing new pieces come
to life onstage with the full ensemble of singers, instrumentalists, and dancers, and the variety and sophistication of the six new commissions for the 60th anniversary is sure to make for a meaningful and memorable performance.

Cameron Denby is a Métis percussionist, teacher, and project director. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Manitoba, and a Professional Studies Diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Since returning to Winnipeg in 2019, Cameron has been creating and directing concerts and projects, including the Fresh Blood Project, an ongoing collaborative initiative between composers and percussionists. Working in a variety of circles, Cameron has performed many local organizations, including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Little Opera Company, and the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band. Outside of performance, Cameron teaches private lessons on drumset, marimba, and percussion.

Grace Hrabi is a singer-songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After graduating from the University of Manitoba in 2008 with a BA in Vocal Jazz Performance, Grace began writing, arranging and performing her own original music, diving into the folk genre while keeping herself rooted in the jazz scene. She is also a passionate educator providing private instruction on ukulele, saxophone and voice at private studios throughout Winnipeg.  Grace is a member of the folk trio Casati, who tour across Canada sharing their music and stories.

Rachael Buchwald has spent most of her life dancing! Rachael’s formal training began with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Recreational Division’s Intensive Training Program from 2013-2017, where she completed her Advanced 1 Cecchetti examinations and studied ballet, pointe, and modern. She also danced in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Recreational Division’s Dance Ensemble Program from 2012-2017, performing jazz, contemporary, and hip-hop pieces. Rachael has received professional ballet training at the Colorado Ballet Academy’s Summer Training Program in 2014, and at the Goh Ballet Academy’s Ballet Academic Program from 2015-2016 in Vancouver. Rachael has been a dancer with the Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble since 2017. She has travelled with the group to Cuba, Israel and Ukraine. Rachael was appointed Rehearsal Director in 2022 and is thrilled to contribute to the group in her new role as Dance Director!

Elan Marchinko is a PhD Candidate in Theatre and Performance Studies at York University and a Sessional Lecturer in Canadian Studies at the University of Toronto. She has trained extensively in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, flamenco, and various folk dance forms. Most recently, Elan was a finalist in the 2021 Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Certamen USA in NYC where she won First Prize and a scholarship to study at Amor de Dios in Madrid. She has been an artistic contributor to Toronto companies Signal Theatre and ParaSoul Dance, and her writing about performance and public memory has been featured in journals such as Canadian Theatre Review; in Canada’s national dance magazine, The Dance Current; and in the edited collection, Remembering Air India: The Art of Public Mourning. With the Chai Folk Ensemble, Elan enjoyed many wonderful years as a dancer, dance co-director, and guest choreographer. Now based in the US, she is happy to be back “home” with Chai.

Marissa Bosowec began dancing with the Shelley Shearer School of Dance at the young age of 3. She has trained in many styles including jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop and musical theatre. Marissa has competed in various Provincial and National competitions throughout her years of training, and has been able to travel to various dance conventions throughout Canada. She began her teaching career at 18 with Shelley Shearer and has been able to work with many dancers of different ages and abilities since then. Her choreography has won various awards amongst many Winnipeg dance competitions. Marissa has been a dancer with the Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble since 2019 and has performed in the Israel Pavilion at Folklorama as well as at the yearly concerts. She is so happy to join the artistic team as Rehearsal Director and continue dancing with the Chai Folk Ensemble for many future performances.

After obtaining a Masters in Architecture degree, Gerri was registered in 1986 and worked in several Winnipeg architectural firms and in property management.  She was the first woman in Manitoba elected as President of the Manitoba Association of Architects. Gerri became a volunteer for the Chai Folk Ensemble in 2005 working at Folklorama most years since, and at Chai productions, eventually assuming responsibility for the costume department, and has toured with the company to Kelowna, Cuba, Israel and Ukraine. Growing up in West Kildonan, she was attracted to Rainbow Stage and spent several years working summers in costumes and as a theatre apprentice, as well as at RMTC during the winter season as a wardrobe assistant and dresser.  Originally wanting to become a costume designer, in retirement, her passion has come full circle in her work with the Chai Folk Ensemble.