Lianne Tan holds the ARCT diploma in piano performance, and the CRCCO diploma in organ playing. She sang in the Georgian Bay Youth Chorus and the Hamilton Children’s Choir as a child, and greatly appreciates children’s and youth choir organizations. As an adult chorister, Lianne has sung with such esteemed choral directors as Brenda Uchimaru, John Tuttle, Ian Sadler, Stephanie Martin, Lee Willingham, and John Laing. Currently, she sings in the Trinity College Choir, and with the Cathedral Singers of Ontario on cathedral singing tours to the UK.
Alongside music, Lianne studied biomedical engineering (M.Eng., McMaster), education (B.Ed., Toronto), and lay ministry (DipLM, Wycliffe). For 20 years, Lianne was chapel organist and science teacher at Appleby College in Oakville, where she collaborated with Dr. Sarah Morrison to provide the chapel choir programme. With the Appleby College choirs, Lianne toured Italy, France, Bermuda, and New York City, including a performance at Carnegie Hall in 2013.
Lianne is active as a church musician in the Hamilton and Halton regions. She also enjoys playing the cello in the Dundas Valley Orchestra. Since 1997, she has served as Music Director and Organist at West Plains United Church in Burlington, where she leads the 16-voice choir and curates the Live!@West Plains concert series. She is a member of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, and a Life Member of the Hymn Society of the U.S. and Canada. Lianne serves on the music ministry team at St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church, and on the Taizé music team at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, both in Oakville. In 2012, Lianne was awarded the Order of Niagara from the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara, for her services to church music.
Lianne has been a regular guest artist with the Oakville Choir for Children and Youth, and was its guest organist at its June 2019 performance at Roy Thomson Hall. Lianne finds great joy in accompanying, leading, and supporting singing, and is thrilled to be part of the OCCY team!
