About Us
A Lifetime of Music, Shared
BD Finch Music was created to bring exceptional music education to the vibrant and artistic community of Almonte, Ontario.
As a family-run music school, BD Finch Music is built on decades of combined musical experience, including professional performance at the highest levels and over 35 years of teaching across a wide range of settings.
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Our background includes work with renowned orchestras such as the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre Classique de Montréal, along with extensive experience in public and private education, Sistema programs, and orchestral teaching and conducting.
The goal of BD Finch Music:
To offer a professional level of music instruction in a collaborative, community-based environment.
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Giving Back
At BD Finch Music, community is at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud to donate 10% of all profits to two local organizations: Almonte General Hospital Fairview Manor Foundation and the Lanark County Food Bank.
Meet our Faculty
Charlotte (Violin)
Originally from Kinburn, violinist Charlotte recently completed her BMus at McGill University in Violin Performance under the mentorship of Violaine Melançon where she received the graduation distinction of Outstanding Achievement in Violin. An active member of the Montreal music scene, Charlotte has performed with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and was invited to perform as a soloist for their Virée Classique festival in 2025. Other educational musical experiences include the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (2019-2022), Domaine Forget, Orford, and the Orchestre Classique de Montréal. In addition to her performing career, Charlotte is also a dedicated musician-teacher at the OSM's El Sistema program, where she finds joy in translating her musical experiences into engaging pedagogy for her class of young violinists. She also holds a second BA in psychology and is actively involved in Music Neuroscience research at McGill’s Neuro. She will continue her graduate studies in the fall of 2026. Deeply inspired by the science of music, she brings a curiosity for its cognitive and emotional dimensions to her artistic work. She is thrilled to be a part of B.D. Finch's debut!
Sandra (Cello)
Starting cello in her school music program, Sandra began her Strings studies in Etobicoke at the age of 11. As a multiple scholarship winner and Rhodes Scholarship nominee, she went on to attain both her Undergraduate (Combined Honours – Music and English) and Graduate (Masters of Teaching) degrees at McMaster University, then her Teacher certification (Bachelor of Education – Secondary Music and English) at the University of Western Ontario.
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Sandra played cello professionally for many years with the Niagara Symphony and performed extensively in professional studio, chamber and orchestra settings while freelancing in the Hamilton and Toronto areas. One enjoyable career highlight was playing on tour with Smokey Robinson.
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She started her teaching career with the Etobicoke Board of Education as a Strings Itinerant teacher. Sandra then took on a Secondary School Music Department Headship with the Victoria County Board of Education where she founded a successful award-winning Strings program, travelled internationally with her Orchestra, Band and String ensemble, and received an award of excellence for teaching from the OSSTF. Upon moving to Ottawa, she taught high school Music and English with the OCDSB and performed professionally with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. She was the first-place Provincial award-winning Conductor of the Intermediate Strings Orchestra for the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy (2009-2022) and conducted the Arts Canterbury High School Orchestra, winning Gold at Nationals (2022-23). She worked as a cello Teaching Artist and conductor (2022-2026) with Ottawa's amazing "OrKidstra", providing a Sistema based approach to children who would otherwise be unable to receive the benefits of a Music education.
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