About the Canadian Academy of Vocal Music

Shania Twain rose to fame in the early 1990s with her debut album, Shania Twain (1993), and achieved worldwide success with her 1997 album, Come On Over, which became the bestselling album of all time by a female musician, and the bestselling country album of all time. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Twain has also achieved major success as a songwriter, winning twenty-seven BMI Songwriter awards. She has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide to date, including 48 million in the United States. Her docuseries on Oprah Winfrey’s own network will debut in the spring. Ian Garret is mentioned in Shania Twain’s biography pages 89-92, 160, 190, and 164.

In the beginning of 1978, the Canadian Academy of Vocal Music was founded by former high school music teacher, Ian Garrett. Since that time, our Mississauga-based vocal academy has helped equip and train those looking to become professional singers or those looking to just sing with more confidence. Garrett works with students across a range of abilities and vocal styles, including pop, rock, jazz, Broadway, and classical. Our studio is also a great resource for those in need of lessons on vocal technique, style, and interpretation.

About Ian Garrett

Ian Garrett has been widely recognized for his work in cultivating and training professional singers over the past twenty-five years. Formerly an opera singer with the Canadian Opera Company, Ian holds a Vocal Supervisor and Instrumental Specialists Certificate with the Department of Education for the Province of Ontario. He is also a member of the Secondary School Teachers Federation (O.S.S.T.F).

During his youth, Ian studied privately with George Lambert over the course of 14 years. Lambert was the vocal coach to many acclaimed singers, such as Robert Goulet, opera singer John Vickers, as well as Maureen Forrester’s vocal coach, Bernard Diamont.

Throughout his career as a vocal coach, Ian has had many students achieve success and fame in various styles of music, including Shania Twain (country), Shawn Desman (pop), and Kim Esty of Boomtang Boys (dance). His experience as a performer in various Broadway musicals has been a great influence on those looking to achieve major roles as actors, dancers, and singers in Broadway productions. His students have gone on to become soloists in some of the most acclaimed productions, including Cats, Beauty and the Beast, Miss Saigon, Ragtime, and The Lion King.

As a professional soloist, Ian worked with the Canadian Opera Company, CBC Symphony, and garnered excellent reviews for his work as the “Evangelist” in Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. John Passion,” conducted by Sir Ernest Macmillan (former conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra). In addition to vocal performance, he also became involved with the production and distribution side of the broadcast industry. There, he became personally acquainted with numerous industry insiders, including Elton John, Gloria Gaynor, Rod Stewart, Eva Gabor, and Loretta Swit. From these experiences, Ian carries a wealth of knowledge that is useful to young singers pursuing a career as a professional performer.

Ian has performed at the Royal Alexandria Theatre and O’Keefe Centre with many notable stars, including Jack Carter, Hal Linden (Barney Miller), Danny Kaye, Phil Silvers (Sgt. Bilko), and Dorothy Collins (Arthur Godfrey’s Show).