Our Team

Christine Mori - Co-Founder & Artistic Director

Alexis Spieldenner - Co-Founder & Executive Director

Céline Peterson - Production & Programming Associate

Teresa Lasiuk - Membership Associate

Board of Directors

Stéphanie Filippi is an experienced arts and culture administrator and community leader with over 25 years of combined expertise in sales and marketing, special events management, and fundraising/sponsorship across the non-profit and corporate sectors. She is deeply committed to supporting the performing arts in rural communities and expanding access to enriching cultural experiences, particularly for youth and minority communities.

Fluent in both French and English, and with strong roots in both French and Canadian cultures, Stéphanie serves as a cultural bridge and advocate. She actively fosters growth, collaboration, and inclusion through her work, and is a passionate promoter of the French language and culture in Ontario and beyond.

In January 2016, Stéphanie relocated to the Niagara Peninsula to take on the role of Audience Development Coordinator (Bilingual) at the newly opened, municipally owned FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines. After three successful seasons focused on building and engaging audiences, she transitioned to Venture Niagara, a Community Futures Development Corporation, as Research and Communications Coordinator, where she developed and launched the Vivre à Niagara Francophone visibility campaign and a bilingual online directory of Francophone community services in the region.

In 2019, Stéphanie joined the Creative Management team at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake—one of the world’s finest theatre companies—as the inaugural Company Manager. Over three seasons, she supported the day-to-day needs of the acting ensemble, musicians, directors, coaches, and artistic staff. Her portfolio included managing ensemble and public programming events, comp ticket allocations, the annual general and specific auditions process, and coordinating professional development initiatives through the Slaight Family Academy, including the Directors Project and the annual Artists Intensive.

Prior to relocating to Niagara, Stéphanie spent 14 years at Prologue to the Performing Arts, where she served as Outreach and Touring Sales Manager. There, she worked closely with professional artists and companies to bring live arts programming to young and family audiences in partnership with schools and community presenters across more than 100 Ontario municipalities each year.

Stéphanie is currently Project Manager at Canadian Parents for French – Ontario, a national network of volunteer parents and advocates dedicated to the promotion and creation of French second-language learning opportunities for youth across Canada.

Her work is grounded in community growth, capacity building, and inclusive programming. In addition to her work in arts and culture, she has also held roles in Canada’s tourism sector and communications industry, including with Corus Entertainment.

Darren is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and has practised accounting for more than 20 years.  He has helped clients while working at large multi-national accounting firms and is now operating a small accounting firm in St. Catharines.  His focus and passion has always been to help small-medium sized business.  After obtaining his CPA designation Darren continued his academic journey completing a two year in-depth tax course offered by the Institute of CPA’s.  He has been on many boards, serving as a Treasurer, in the Niagara and Hamilton Region as volunteering is a value that he holds strongly.  Darren grew up in Niagara attending Parliament Oak as a child and he now resides with his wife and two children in St. Davids.  

Christine Mori, an accomplished pianist and Toronto native, began her early musical studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Mozarteum, Aspen Music Festival, and Tanglewood before moving to New York City to attend The Juilliard School. Upon her graduation from Juilliard, Christine went on to spend thirty years as the pianist with the Florida Orchestra, where she performed with the likes of Henry Mancini, Isaac Stern, Victor Borge, Nigel Kennedy, Robert McDuffie, and Bobby McFerrin to name a few. Christine returned to Canada and shortly after founded Bravo Niagara in 2014 with her daughter Alexis.

Alexis Spieldenner is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Bravo Niagara. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and lifelong love of music, Alexis founded Bravo Niagara in 2014 with her mother Christine Mori, who serves as Artistic Director. A not-for-profit organization led by “two women dreamers” (Toronto Star), Bravo Niagara presents and produces transformative concert experiences and multidisciplinary programming featuring today’s leading artists from across Canada and around the world.

Dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices through the arts, Alexis is the Co-Creator and Producer of Bravo Niagara’s ballet Kimiko’s Pearl, inspired by her family’s story and the Japanese Canadian internment experience during WWII. She is the recipient of Ontario’s 2016 Lincoln M. Alexander Award, presented by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, for her leadership in eliminating racial discrimination and promoting positive social change.

Alexis is a graduate of the DeVos Institute Global Arts Management Fellowship in Washington, D.C (2022-2024) led by renowned arts leaders Michael Kaiser and Brett Egan. She currently serves on the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Board of Directors and Ontario Creates Music Industry Advisory Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Comparative Studies from Duke University, where she graduated with high distinction.

In Canada, Carol has been a board member of the Canadian Stage Company, the Canadian Arts Magazine Foundation, The Power Plant and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). She is also a founding member of the Art Gallery of York University. She also served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and was co-chair of the Committee of Acquisition of Contemporary Art. At the LA MOCA, she was a primary sponsor of Canadian artist's "Rodney Graham:A Little Thought" organized by the AGO of Toronto and curated by Jessica Bradley, Cornelia Butler and Grant Arnold.

In New York City, she was invited by Art Director and chief curator Melissa Chiu, to join the Asian Society, established by David Rockefeller and presently sits on the Asian Society Contemporary Art Council and the Contemporary Art Acquisition Committee. She has contributed art works and sponsored many contemporary Asian art shows and books including the art book on leading Chinese artist Lin Tianmiao, whose exhibition opened in September, 2012.
Carol is a member of the Photography Committee and Photography Council of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Contributions include exhibitions by Canadian artists Jeff Wall, Scott McFarland and the Cindy Sherman exhibition, now travelling to San Francisco, Minneapolis and Dallas. In 2011, she became a founding member of MOMA’s Modern Women's Fund Committee.
She is a member of the Tate Modern North American Contemporary Art Acquisition Committee; in Vietnam, she is a director of the Vietnam Foundation Board for the Arts whose mission is to promote contemporary art.

Gerald George, award-winning Designer and Creative Director, was born and educated in the United Kingdom, where he graduated with distinction from University of Arts London, Camberwell College of Arts. As a multi-disciplinary designer, he has built a successful international practice working with diverse clients across a range of industries and is renowned for creating stunning visual identities for some of the world’s most iconic brands.

Having lived and worked in London, Paris, Milan, Dubai, New York, and Toronto, Gerald brings with him European sensibility and style coupled with a deep understanding of North American and global markets.

Driven by a passion and commitment to a heightened level of strategic creative intelligence, Gerald’s approach to business and design is understated, yet powerful. Always beginning with the development of a strong creative and commercial strategy, charted by collaborative planning and flawless execution, Gerald is known to consistently meet and exceed client expectations while supporting them in achieving their business goals and objectives.

Outside of the office, Gerald lectures and writes on design and also supports several philanthropic organizations. He is a member of the Applied Arts Design Advisory Board, a Director on the Board of the Toronto Arts Council Foundation and a past member of the Toronto International Film Festival Marketing Committee as well as the George Brown College of Design Industry Advisory Board.

Now a resident of Niagara-On-The-Lake he travels extensively working with clients in Europe, the Middle East, India, North America and the Caribbean. Art and music has also become a part of his creative expression in recent years with a concentration in sculpture, a discipline that originally fostered his entrance into the world of design and communications.

Rochelle Ivri is a Canadian citizenship judge and paralegal professor with the McKiel School of Business at Mohawk College. She is a paralegal and immigration consultant licensed with the Law Society of Ontario and the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). Rochelle has served two terms on the Niagara on the Lake Public Library Board and is also a former member of the Discipline, Appeal, and Review Committee of the ICCRC and spent 8 years on the Council of the College of Midwives of Ontario. Before teaching, Rochelle worked at the Federal Courts and the Immigration and Refugee Board, and coordinated a restorative justice diversion program for the Ministry of the Attorney General. Rochelle received an undergraduate degree in criminology (minor in forensic anthropology) form the University of Windsor and a postgraduate certificate in alternative dispute resolution from York University. Rochelle enjoys spending time with her family and is passionate about the Charter and human rights law.

Jeanette Lee is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Arterra Wines Canada, Canada’s leading producer and marketer of award-winning Canadian and imported wines (such as Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin, Le Clos Jordanne, Sandbanks, Ruffino, Kim Crawford, and others). As the company’s chief legal officer she acts as a strategic leader overseeing all legal matters for the organization. She is also Chief Privacy Officer, Accessibility Officer and Compliance Officer, and acts as secretary for the company’s Board and Audit Committee. Jeanette spent much of her legal career practising entertainment, marketing and IP law, at Bereskin & Parr, McCarthy Tetrault LLP, and at Stohn, Hay, Cafazzo, Dembroski, Richmond LLP, and in-house at Canwest Mediaworks/Global TV. Prior to joining Arterra, Jeanette acted as Director, Senior Corporate Counsel at Restaurant Brands International, managing Marketing & IP legal matters for Tim Hortons, Burger King and Popeyes brands in Canada and internationally. Jeanette holds LL.B. and B.C.L. degrees from McGill University. She is called to the bar of Ontario. An active member of her community and the legal profession, she serves on the Boards of Wine Growers of Canada, National GC Network, and the Artists and Lawyers for the Advancement of Creativity / Artists’ Legal Advice Services (ALAS/ALAC).

After a fulfilling thirty year career in academic and public libraries, including work in Ottawa, here in the Niagara region and internationally, Karen looks forward to bringing her community service and development experience to Bravo Niagara, an organization she has admired since attending her first Bravo concert in 2017. 

Over the course of her career, she has been a member of several boards such as of the former Southern Ontario  Library Service, the Ontario Library Association, and closer to home at the Niagara on the Lake Museum.  

Among her varied experiences, she had the privilege as Development Officer at the National Library of Canada, to work with Oscar Peterson and family, when the National Library showcased the life and work of Oscar Peterson for its millennial exhibition in 2000, which travelled to the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. and to Japan.   

Karen has been a lifelong jazz and classical music fan and passionate supporter of the arts and particularly arts education. 

As Director of Strategic Relations at Meyer Sound, Jerry serves as the critical link between end users, architects, AV consultants, acousticians and sound designers and Meyer Sound’s audio and acoustic divisions. He has global responsibility and continues to work with the most technologically innovative and creative companies in the world developing unique and bespoke sound and acoustic solutions to improve and enhance the employee and customer experience. Jerry manages the direct relationships with several top Fortune 500 companies including Apple, Google, Facebook and Bloomberg. Jerry studied Jazz at Humber College in Toronto and holds a degree in Music Engineering from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, with focus on jazz performance and digital audio engineering. He is a pop, rock and jazz musician, composer and recording engineer. Jerry has worked in the advanced sound and acoustics fields since 1987 and has been with Meyer Sound since 2006.