CLUB STRUCTURE
Membership is organized by artistic discipline, so members join sections based on their artistic focus. Sections meet to discuss Club business such as planning events and group activities, but also regularly hold workshops and discussions on topics of interest to their members. Members may attend the meetings and workshops of any section in the Club, not just the section of their artistic focus, if the topic of the workshop or discussion is of interest.
Club activities are envisioned, planned and executed by Club members working on a voluntary basis. They are organized and overseen by a variety of committees comprised of Club members. As a result, volunteerism is a fundamental aspect of Club membership.
The Club incorporated in 1922 as a nonprofit, and is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of Club members representing a cross-section of artistic practices and other expertise.
Club activities are envisioned, planned and executed by Club members working on a voluntary basis. They are organized and overseen by a variety of committees comprised of Club members. As a result, volunteerism is a fundamental aspect of Club membership.
The Club incorporated in 1922 as a nonprofit, and is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of Club members representing a cross-section of artistic practices and other expertise.
CLUb sections
For information on the activities and membership of any specific section, please click on the section below:
CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Velma Ko
Email: [email protected]
Velma Ko is professional musician raised in Victoria, British Columbia. Ever since hearing Don Messer and his band perform at the local curling rink at age four, Velma has dedicated herself to pursuing a life filled with music. Velma received her Bachelor of Music (Performance) from Brandon University and won the Young Artists of Canada competition in her senior year. Upon graduation, she attended The Juilliard School’s Meadowmount Summer School of Music, in Elizabethtown, NY on a Canada Council Grant. She subsequently took her Bachelor of Education at University of Western Ontario. Velma settled in Toronto, working as a freelance musician, teaching as a public and separate school board itinerant string teacher, and starting her private violin studio. A lifetime member of the Toronto Musicians Association, Local 149, Velma continues to freelance as a professional violinist and violist in community orchestras, chamber ensembles, and as a soloist.
In 2011, Velma joined the Heliconian Club where, in addition to being active in the Music and Humanities Sections, she previously served five years on the Board of Directors, as Director-at-Large and four years as Secretary and enthusiastically supports every aspect of Club life.
Email: [email protected]
Velma Ko is professional musician raised in Victoria, British Columbia. Ever since hearing Don Messer and his band perform at the local curling rink at age four, Velma has dedicated herself to pursuing a life filled with music. Velma received her Bachelor of Music (Performance) from Brandon University and won the Young Artists of Canada competition in her senior year. Upon graduation, she attended The Juilliard School’s Meadowmount Summer School of Music, in Elizabethtown, NY on a Canada Council Grant. She subsequently took her Bachelor of Education at University of Western Ontario. Velma settled in Toronto, working as a freelance musician, teaching as a public and separate school board itinerant string teacher, and starting her private violin studio. A lifetime member of the Toronto Musicians Association, Local 149, Velma continues to freelance as a professional violinist and violist in community orchestras, chamber ensembles, and as a soloist.
In 2011, Velma joined the Heliconian Club where, in addition to being active in the Music and Humanities Sections, she previously served five years on the Board of Directors, as Director-at-Large and four years as Secretary and enthusiastically supports every aspect of Club life.
Co-Vice-President: Angie Littlefield
Email: [email protected]
Angie Littlefield is an author (Tom Thomson's Fine Kettle of Friends, finalist for the Whistler Independent Book Awards of 2021, Walking with Oma: A Memoir, Now or Never, 2025, and Painted Out of the Picture: The Wives of the Group of Seven, Cormorant Books, 2026); editor (Ruth Abernethy's In Form: Life &Legacies in Bronze, Firefly, 2024); curator (angelika hoerle: comet of cologne dada, AGO 2009 and Museum Ludwig, Cologne Germany) and educator for 33 years, the last ten as a high school vice-principal and principal. In the latter role and as Executive Director of the Durham West Arts Centre for four years, Angie oversaw financial matters and managed budgets. She has been a member of the Heliconian Club (Literature and Drama Sections) since 2015.
Email: [email protected]
Angie Littlefield is an author (Tom Thomson's Fine Kettle of Friends, finalist for the Whistler Independent Book Awards of 2021, Walking with Oma: A Memoir, Now or Never, 2025, and Painted Out of the Picture: The Wives of the Group of Seven, Cormorant Books, 2026); editor (Ruth Abernethy's In Form: Life &Legacies in Bronze, Firefly, 2024); curator (angelika hoerle: comet of cologne dada, AGO 2009 and Museum Ludwig, Cologne Germany) and educator for 33 years, the last ten as a high school vice-principal and principal. In the latter role and as Executive Director of the Durham West Arts Centre for four years, Angie oversaw financial matters and managed budgets. She has been a member of the Heliconian Club (Literature and Drama Sections) since 2015.
Co-Vice-President: Kye Marshall
Email: [email protected]
Kye Marshall is a professional composer, cellist and nature photographer. She combines her love of melody with her facility as a classical and jazz / avant-garde improviser to create unique styles of composition. She has written for full orchestra and numerous chamber ensembles. Kye's full length opera Pomegranate was presented by the Canadian Opera Company in June 2023. Her credits also include four film scores, forty jazz compositions, and music for theatre, dance and CBC radio drama. Her work has been performed widely: in the USA, Austria, Italy (I Solisti Veneti) Canada and numerous locations in Toronto including CBC, TVO, Jazz.FM. An eclectic musician, Kye has performed jazz, classical and free music with multiple ensembles including as principal cellist in the O’Keefe Centre Orchestra and the New Chamber Orchestra, the National Ballet Orchestra (assistant principal cellist ), the Kye Marshall Jazz Quartet / Duo, Heliconian PianoTrio, Epic String Quartet, and Heliconian String Quartet. She has six CDs to her credit. Her website is: www.kyemarshall.com
Photo Credit: Linda Briskin
Email: [email protected]
Kye Marshall is a professional composer, cellist and nature photographer. She combines her love of melody with her facility as a classical and jazz / avant-garde improviser to create unique styles of composition. She has written for full orchestra and numerous chamber ensembles. Kye's full length opera Pomegranate was presented by the Canadian Opera Company in June 2023. Her credits also include four film scores, forty jazz compositions, and music for theatre, dance and CBC radio drama. Her work has been performed widely: in the USA, Austria, Italy (I Solisti Veneti) Canada and numerous locations in Toronto including CBC, TVO, Jazz.FM. An eclectic musician, Kye has performed jazz, classical and free music with multiple ensembles including as principal cellist in the O’Keefe Centre Orchestra and the New Chamber Orchestra, the National Ballet Orchestra (assistant principal cellist ), the Kye Marshall Jazz Quartet / Duo, Heliconian PianoTrio, Epic String Quartet, and Heliconian String Quartet. She has six CDs to her credit. Her website is: www.kyemarshall.com
Photo Credit: Linda Briskin
Secretary: Leslie McIntosh
Email: [email protected]
Photo to come
Leslie is a retired lawyer who holds a B.A., LL.B. and an LL.M. For many years she practiced with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in the areas of labour and employment law, human rights and administrative law. Upon her retirement as General Counsel in 2011, Leslie was honoured with three awards for excellence in the practice of public sector law. Leslie taught at both Osgoode Hall and U of T Law Schools and is the author of numerous legal articles and publications including contributing to an administrative law textbook. Leslie has considerable experience on the boards of non-profit organizations including the Association of Law Officers of the Crown, the UWO Alumni Association and as the Warden of St. Peter’s-on-the-Rock Anglican Church.
A major supporter of women in the arts and a prodigious reader, Leslie joined the Heliconian Club in 2021. In addition to being a key member of the Literature Section, helping to organize salons and other functions, she actively supports all Club events and is involved in organizing and shaping the Artist-in-Residence program. Recently Leslie successfully undertook the redrafting of the Club’s Constitution and By-Laws along with a few other members who lent their considerable expertise to this endeavour.
Email: [email protected]
Photo to come
Leslie is a retired lawyer who holds a B.A., LL.B. and an LL.M. For many years she practiced with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in the areas of labour and employment law, human rights and administrative law. Upon her retirement as General Counsel in 2011, Leslie was honoured with three awards for excellence in the practice of public sector law. Leslie taught at both Osgoode Hall and U of T Law Schools and is the author of numerous legal articles and publications including contributing to an administrative law textbook. Leslie has considerable experience on the boards of non-profit organizations including the Association of Law Officers of the Crown, the UWO Alumni Association and as the Warden of St. Peter’s-on-the-Rock Anglican Church.
A major supporter of women in the arts and a prodigious reader, Leslie joined the Heliconian Club in 2021. In addition to being a key member of the Literature Section, helping to organize salons and other functions, she actively supports all Club events and is involved in organizing and shaping the Artist-in-Residence program. Recently Leslie successfully undertook the redrafting of the Club’s Constitution and By-Laws along with a few other members who lent their considerable expertise to this endeavour.
Treasurer: Trish Leacock
Email: [email protected]
Photo to come
Trish Leacock is a visual artist whose professional career was in financial services but has always made the arts central in her life. Her extensive background with a major banking institution involved working in a variety of areas including administration, operations, client services, acquisition integration, and learning design. The roles required strong skills in problem solving, organizational structure, interpersonal skills, risk management, to name a few. In addition Trish has a BA in Administrative and Commercial Studies and an OISE certificate in Adult Education.
Although not a formally trained artist, Trish has taken a plethora of classes at Toronto’s major institutions such as the AGO, OCAD, and TSA as well as through private studios. She has taken advantage of courses offered in other Canadian provinces as well as abroad in Mexico, USA, France, and Italy. She and her husband are active in the local art scene both as collectors and participating in art activities and shows.
In 2022 Trish retired and started attending the Monday Life Drawing Group (MLDG) at the Heliconian Club, joining the Club the following year. In addition to being an exhibiting member of the Visual Arts section, Trish is also Co-convenor of the Club’s Monday Life Drawing Group, part of the Hanging Committee, and has a convened a number of art shows to date.
Email: [email protected]
Photo to come
Trish Leacock is a visual artist whose professional career was in financial services but has always made the arts central in her life. Her extensive background with a major banking institution involved working in a variety of areas including administration, operations, client services, acquisition integration, and learning design. The roles required strong skills in problem solving, organizational structure, interpersonal skills, risk management, to name a few. In addition Trish has a BA in Administrative and Commercial Studies and an OISE certificate in Adult Education.
Although not a formally trained artist, Trish has taken a plethora of classes at Toronto’s major institutions such as the AGO, OCAD, and TSA as well as through private studios. She has taken advantage of courses offered in other Canadian provinces as well as abroad in Mexico, USA, France, and Italy. She and her husband are active in the local art scene both as collectors and participating in art activities and shows.
In 2022 Trish retired and started attending the Monday Life Drawing Group (MLDG) at the Heliconian Club, joining the Club the following year. In addition to being an exhibiting member of the Visual Arts section, Trish is also Co-convenor of the Club’s Monday Life Drawing Group, part of the Hanging Committee, and has a convened a number of art shows to date.
Director at Large: Ariane Blackman
Email: [email protected]
Ariane Blackman grew up in Montreal and obtained a BSc from McGill University followed by a degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Toronto. In her working life, she conducted research at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry with autistic children and families, at the Ministry of Transportation in the area of fuel economy, and she also worked extensively in the telecommunications industry doing research on leading edge technologies.
Ariane is the author of several books. Her published works include three books of poetry: No One Sleeps (LyricalMyrical Press, 2013) The River Doesn’t Stop (Aeolus House, 2018), Learning to Leave (Aeolus House, 2023) and a quirky novel, The Unexpected Journeys of Lawrence Tyrone (Iguana Books, 2022). She has conducted poetry workshops and was co-editor of an on-line poetry magazine for a number of years. Her forthcoming works include a memoir about her mother, a Jewish survivor of WWII and a member of the Polish resistance. Since joining the Heliconian Club in 2022, Ariane has been a keen supporter of Club activities.
Email: [email protected]
Ariane Blackman grew up in Montreal and obtained a BSc from McGill University followed by a degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Toronto. In her working life, she conducted research at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry with autistic children and families, at the Ministry of Transportation in the area of fuel economy, and she also worked extensively in the telecommunications industry doing research on leading edge technologies.
Ariane is the author of several books. Her published works include three books of poetry: No One Sleeps (LyricalMyrical Press, 2013) The River Doesn’t Stop (Aeolus House, 2018), Learning to Leave (Aeolus House, 2023) and a quirky novel, The Unexpected Journeys of Lawrence Tyrone (Iguana Books, 2022). She has conducted poetry workshops and was co-editor of an on-line poetry magazine for a number of years. Her forthcoming works include a memoir about her mother, a Jewish survivor of WWII and a member of the Polish resistance. Since joining the Heliconian Club in 2022, Ariane has been a keen supporter of Club activities.
Director at Large: Rosemary Tannock, PhD
Email: [email protected]
After retiring at the end of 2019 from a 30+-year scientific and academic career [Canada Research Chair & Professor in Special Education, University of Toronto; Senior Scientist, Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children], Rosemary rekindled her childhood passion for the visual arts, specifically watercolour and photography. Largely self-taught, she has completed drawing and life-drawing courses at the Art Gallery of Ontario, master-classes in watercolour taught by several international artists, including a full year of study with USA Master artist, Thomas Schaller, through his on-line program "Design and The Power of Imagination". Rosemary is a long-term supporter of the Al Purdy A-Frame Writers in Residence Program, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Hot Docs Cinema, and Toronto International Film Festival.
Email: [email protected]
After retiring at the end of 2019 from a 30+-year scientific and academic career [Canada Research Chair & Professor in Special Education, University of Toronto; Senior Scientist, Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children], Rosemary rekindled her childhood passion for the visual arts, specifically watercolour and photography. Largely self-taught, she has completed drawing and life-drawing courses at the Art Gallery of Ontario, master-classes in watercolour taught by several international artists, including a full year of study with USA Master artist, Thomas Schaller, through his on-line program "Design and The Power of Imagination". Rosemary is a long-term supporter of the Al Purdy A-Frame Writers in Residence Program, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Hot Docs Cinema, and Toronto International Film Festival.
Staff
Heather Dale
Manager
9:00am to 4:30pm M-F
Manager
9:00am to 4:30pm M-F
Amos Boratto
Technical and Facilities Manager
Technical and Facilities Manager
