Faculty (2009-2010)

Shirley Konrad, Director • BFA, LMRC, ARTC, ATCL

Shirley Konrad is a graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program (Drama) from the University of Calgary. She holds Associate Teacher’s Speech Arts Diplomas from Mount Royal College (Calgary), the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and Trinity College (London, England). She also holds a Licentiate Diploma as a performer from Mount Royal College.

As Owner and Director of The Speech Studio, Shirley has been instrumental in developing the voices of hundreds of students for over 25 years. She has taught at colleges and schools throughout Alberta, instilling confidence, poise, expressive vocal skills, and dynamic presentational ability in all of the individuals with whom she works. In addition to being an actress and director, Shirley conducts effective communication workshops throughout Western Canada.

Her innovative and energetic approach to her vocal work has made Shirley a well respected festival adjudicator across Canada, and has earned her a distinguished position on the College Board of Examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music (Speech Arts).

Shirley released her book, A Vocal Invitation to Readers Theatre, in 2001. This book focuses on developing the child’s voice, and is a valuable resource for both teachers and parents. Specific information on this book is listed under Resources on our website.

As a result of her hard work, passion, and commitment to the spoken arts, Shirley has established a reputation for producing nationally recognized performers and first-class artists in this field. Shirley believes in nothing less than setting a high standard with all the work that is produced at the Studio.

Stephanie Bale

Stephanie has been studying Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad for over 15 years. She completed her Associate Performer’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and is currently completing her Associate Teacher’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and Trinity College (London, England). Stephanie has been recognized for her exceptional work by receiving three Silver Medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music and a first place at the provincial level. In addition, she placed first in two distinguished scholarship competitions at the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival in 2004 and 2006. Stephanie is currently enrolled at the University of Alberta, and is in her third year of teaching at The Speech Studio.

Tiffany Che

Tiffany has studied Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad for over eight years. She completed her Associate Performer’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and is currently completing her Associate Teacher’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). Tiffany has successfully participated in numerous Kiwanis Festivals over the years. She is in her fifth year of Business at the University of Alberta, after completing a co-op internship with an international retailer in Hong Kong for the past year.

Philip Chiu

Philip studied Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad for over 10 years. In 2006, Philip completed an Associate Performer’s Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and is currently completing an Associate Teacher’s Diploma. He has also attained an ARCT Performer’s Certificate in Piano. Philip is in his fourth year of teaching at The Speech Studio, and in his fifth year of Arts at the University of Alberta.

Ameer Farooq

Ameer has studied Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad for over seven years. He has completed his Associate Performer’s Diplomas with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and Trinity College (London, England), and is currently completing an Associate Teacher’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). Ameer has been recognized for his exceptional work by receiving two Silver Medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Competing successfully in both local and provincial music festivals, Ameer received the prestigious Rose Bowl trophy at the Sherwood Park Music Festival in 2006. Ameer is in his third year of General Sciences at the University of Alberta, and is in his second year of teaching at The Speech Studio.

Mustafa Farooq

Mustafa has studied Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad for over seven years. He recently completed his Associate Performer’s Diplomas with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and Trinity College (London, England), and is currently completing an Associate Teacher’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). Mustafa has competed in both local and provincial festivals. In addition to placing first in the E.B. McKitrick Memorial Scholarship, Mustafa placed first in the Senior Speech category at the Alberta Provincials in 2008. Mustafa is in his second year of Arts at the University of Alberta.

Sophie Lee

Sophie has studied Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad since 1990. She has an Associate Performer’s Diploma from Trinity College (London, England), and is currently completing her Associate Performer’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). She has been teaching piano for six years, and is in her second year as Teacher’s Assistant for Speech Arts group classes at The Speech Studio. Sophie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in Linguistics. She is currently in her last year of the Speech Language Pathology Assistant program at Grant MacEwan College.

Jessica Liu

Jessica has studied Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad for 10 years. She is currently completing her Associate Teacher’s and Performer’s Diplomas with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and Trinity College (London, England). Jessica has successfully participated in numerous Kiwanis Festivals over the years, winning top awards for her achievements. In addition, Jessica has studied piano for 12 years. She is in her second year at the University of Alberta, and plans to major in Business Economics and Law.

Maleka Ramji

Maleka has studied Speech Arts with Shirley Konrad since 2000. Maleka has completed her Performer’s and Teacher’s Diplomas with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and an Performer’s Certificate with Trinity College (London, England). She received the Best Overall Speech Arts Performer Award at the Sherwood Park Music Festival five times, and was nominated for Provincials in Speech Arts, Voice and Musical Theatre. At the Alberta Provincial Music Festival, Maleka placed first in the Intermediate Speech category (2003) and first in the Senior Speech category (2005). Maleka is a first-year medical student at the University of Alberta, and is in her third year of teaching at The Speech Studio.

Joyanne Rudiak

Joyanne has studied Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad for over eight years. She recently completed her Associate Performer’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and is currently completing an Associate Teacher’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). Joyanne has successfully participated in numerous festivals over the years. In addition to winning several scholarships, Joyanne placed second in the Senior Speech category at the Alberta Provincials (2009). Joyanne is in her third year of Arts at the University of Alberta.

Janet Stumph

Janet has completed Speech Arts exams with both the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and Trinity College (London, England). Janet works with students of all ages, and provides speech coaching for instructors at the college level. She also works with small business owners, focusing on skills that include vocal technique, speaking for conferences, and assertiveness training for leadership. Janet holds a certificate from the Institute of Language and Phonology to use the Compton PESL method of accent modification. She has worked on accent improvement with adults from various backgrounds, including Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Arabic, and Czechoslovakian. With enthusiasm and sensitivity, Janet uses the imagination as a vehicle for reaching and developing the student’s inner resources. This is Janet’s seventh year of teaching at The Speech Studio.

Amanda Yip

Amanda has been studying Speech Arts and Drama with Shirley Konrad for 11 years. She has completed her Associate Performer’s Diplomas with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and Trinity College (London, England), and is currently completing an Associate Teacher’s Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). Amanda placed first in the E.B. McKitrick Memorial Scholarship competition at the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival in 2007, and has been recognized as the Best Overall Speech Arts Performer at the Sherwood Park Music Festival. Amanda received the Silver Medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music for her Practical Grade Eight Speech Exam. Amanda is currently enrolled in General Sciences at the University of Alberta, and is in her third year of teaching at The Speech Studio.