The Vancouver Academy of Music is a non-profit institution founded in 1969 by the Community Arts Council of Vancouver. VAM is permanently housed in a modern facility at Vanier Park near the city centre with large classroom space, a library, teaching studios, the Koerner Recital Hall, rehearsal rooms for orchestra, choir, ballet, and over eighty parking stalls reserved for VAM students and patrons. The instructional programs at VAM offer a wide range of classical training for students of instrumental, vocal music, and ballet.

In addition to private lessons and class instruction, VAM students have opportunity to participate in master classes, technique classes, opera workshops, and chamber music. For students of orchestral instruments, VAM is home to three symphony orchestras: Junior Symphony, Intermediate Symphony, and the VAM Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Leslie Dala.

From its inception, VAM has had one fundamental purpose: to improve substantially the quality of music training in Western Canada. Central to the curriculum and constant at all stages of study are private instruction and public performance. Accordingly, VAM recruits faculty members with strong professional backgrounds who are devoted to the instruction of a new generation of performers, teachers, composers, and audiences.

Board of Trustees

Chair
Ian MacIntosh

Vice-Chair
Rona Radler

Chair Emeritus
Eric Wilson

Secretary
Michael Baker

Trustees
Dr. Alex Drennan
Beverley Gerolymatos
Alex Lim
Abdul Pirbhai
D’Arcy Radelet
Delia Visscher
Yuen Pau Woo