Con Brio seeks to provide an extremely positive educational experience. Only those who can deliver this experience are selected as adjudicators and workshop leaders. Previous adjudicators include Dr. Dale Lonis, Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft, Richard Saucedo, Dr. Gordon Brock, Dr. Robert Taylor, Dr. Jonathan Girard, Dr. Charles Maguire, Dr. Wendy McCallum, Captain Matthew Clark, Dr. Graeme Langager, Richard Nace, Catherine Glaser-Clime, Morna Edmundson, Rejean Marois, Bob Rebagliati, Fred Stride, Dr. Marc Dickman, Dr. Gerard Morris, Dr. Adam Con, Michael Nakasone, Grant Okamura, Dr. Fraser Linklater, Peter Stigings, Dr. Glenn Price, Martin Berinbaum, Dr. David Branter, Dr. Jason Caslor and more.

Here are the people students and directors worked with at Con Brio Whistler 2023. Please revisit this page as we continue to update for 2024.

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CONCERT & SYMPHONIC BAND

DR. PETER LOEL BOONSHAFT

Called one of the most exciting and exhilarating voices in music education today, Peter Loel Boonshaft has been invited to speak or conduct in every state in the nation and around the world.  Dr. Boonshaft is the author of the critically acclaimed best-selling books Teaching Music with Passion, Teaching Music with Purpose, and Teaching Music with Promise, as well as his first book for teachers of other disciplines, Teaching with Passion, Purpose and Promise.  He is also co-author of Alfred Music Publishing’s beginning method book series, Sound Innovations for Band and Sound Innovations for Strings.  Honored by the National Association for Music Education and Music For All as the first recipient of the “George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education,” he is currently on the faculty of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, where he is Professor of Music and Director of Bands.

 

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DR. STEVEN CAPALDO

distinguished himself as one of the most respected music educators, wind conductors and conductor educators in Australia, earning academic and musical recognition internationally.  He is currently  Associate Professor of Music Education & Conducting and Wind Symphony Conductor at the University of Victoria, Canada. He previously held positions in Music Education at the University of Wollongong (Australia) and the University of Victoria, and was Conductor of the Sydney University Wind Orchestra and the UNSW Wind Symphony. An active writer, Dr. Capaldo composes, arranges and transcribes music for wind orchestras, symphony orchestras, festivals and concerts and his works have been performed by groups in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States, and recorded on Klavier records (US).  An Assistant Producer for eight Klavier Records CD, Dr. Capaldo became a full voting member for the US Grammy Awards in 2010 and was Chair of the Australian Jury Panel for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest.  He is highly-active and in-demand as a conductor, clinician and adjudicator having worked at local, state/provincial, national and international levels including MusicFest and as Chief Conductor of the British Columbia Honour Wind Ensemble. 

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DR. JASON CASLOR

Born and raised in North Battleford, Saskatchewan,  Jason Caslor is currently associate professor of music and the director of bands at Arizona State University (ASU). In addition to directing the wind ensemble, he also mentors graduate conducting students and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting courses.  Prior to this, he was the associate director of bands and orchestras, during which time he founded the now firmly established ASU Philharmonia and was nominated for ASU’s Outstanding Master’s Mentor Award. From 2010-2015, he was an assistant professor of instrumental conducting at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, where he conducted the wind ensemble and oversaw the undergraduate and graduate instrumental conducting programs. Prior to that, he spent three seasons as resident conductor with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. A Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician, Caslor has guest conducted or adjudicated in every province in Canada and throughout the United States. In addition to numerous regional engagements, Caslor has conducted the United States Army Field Band, the National Youth Band of Canada, the South Dakota All State Band, the South Dakota Intercollegiate Band, and the Alberta Wind Symphony. He also served as a conducting clinician for the inaugural CASMEC Conducting Symposium.  A fiercely proud Canadian currently living amongst cacti, Caslor’s co-founding and leadership over the  Canadian Band Association’s Howard Cable Memorial Prize in Composition led to him being the recipient of the CBA’s 2022 International Band Award. The award recognizes those who have contributed to the promotion, growth and development of the musical, educational and cultural values of Canadian band outside of Canada. As a researcher, he has presented his work at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the WASBE International Conference, the CBDNA National Conference, the IGEB International Conference on Wind Music, the International Society for Music Education World Conference, and the Riksförbundet Unga Musikanter Wind Band Symposium (Sweden).  He has also published numerous articles, most prominently in the Canadian Winds journal. Caslor completed his doctorate in conducting at Arizona State University. Prior to earning a master’s in conducting from the University of Manitoba, he earned dual bachelor’s in music and education from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

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DR. WENDY ZANDER MCCALLUM

is a Professor in the Brandon University School of Music where she conducts the Symphonic Band and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education and conducting.  Committed to excellence in music education, McCallum taught band and general elementary music before pursuing graduate studies.  In addition to designing professional development sessions for music educators, she has presented at provincial music education conferences, College Band Directors National Association regional conference, and the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.  Her work as a solo and ensemble adjudicator and clinician for concert and jazz ensembles has taken her across Canada and the United States.  She serves as guest conductor of university, community, and military ensembles, as conductor at the International and Rushmore Music Camps, and as facilitator of conducting symposia.  She has conducted junior high and high school regional, provincial, and state honor bands and was the conductor of the 2018 National Youth Band of Canada. McCallum has worked to create professional opportunities for students and music educators in the areas of performance and music education.  For fifteen years McCallum hosted Avenues: Exploring Band and Jazz Methods, an annual summer professional development workshop at Brandon University.  She is Faculty Advisor for the Brandon University Student Music Educators Association (BUSMEA), the organization that hosts the annual Da Capo professional development conference.    McCallum was awarded Brandon University Alumni Association’s Excellence in Teaching Award as well as the Manitoba Band Association’s Award of Distinction and the Canadian Band Association’s National Band Award.  She is a Teaching Affiliate with Brandon University’s Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology and an Educational Clinician with the Conn-Selmer Division of Education.  McCallum holds the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from Brandon University and completed a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting at the University of North Dakota with Gordon Brock and James Popejoy.  She received her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas where she served as a Doctoral Conducting Associate and Teaching Fellow in the Wind Studies Department with Eugene Migliaro Corporon.  She completed her cognate studies in Music Education with Deborah Rohwer and Darhyl Ramsey. McCallum worked as Lead Writer of the Manitoba Grade 9-12 Music Curriculum Framework, has published in Canadian Winds, and is a regular contributor to the publication and recording series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band and Teaching Music Through Performance in Beginning Band.  She is former President of the Manitoba Band Association and Canadian Band Association. 

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DR. CHARLES A. MAGUIRE

received a B.M.E. from Troy State University in 1998, where he studied under Dr. John M. Long, Ralph Ford and Robert W. Smith and holds a Master of Music in Wind Conducting program from the University of Alabama, where he served as the assistant conductor of the University Wind Ensemble.  During his teaching tenure, Maguire served as a CMENC clinician, presenting clinics on “How To Teach In Less Than Ideal Situations”. He was named to “Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers” five consecutive years.  In 2000 Maguire founded the “Pride of Pleasure Island” Marching Band and the Gulf Shores Symphonic Winds. Among the students, 10 were selected for the Alabama All-State Band Festival, 28 attended honor bands across the state, and 128 received superior ratings at the district-level solo and ensemble festival. In three years, the band grew from 19 students to over 300.  He is the founding artistic director of The Desert Winds, established in  2009.  In the vocal arena, he has held lead roles in college musical theater productions and has performed with community choral programs. He has maintained his principal instruments, the flute and piccolo, in community musicals and most recently, the UNLV Wind Orchestra. His music affiliations include The National Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, National Education Association, Alabama Education Association, Music Educators National Conference, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Professional Music Fraternity. 

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DR. JACQUIE DAWSON

 is in demand as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator across Canada, appearing at numerous festivals and conferences coast to coast. Engagements have included Musicfest Canada, the Alberta Band Asociation Wind Symphony, The Maritime Youth Wind Ensemble, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra New Music Festival, the International Music Camp, and numerous provincial, regional and divisional honour bands in Canada and the United States. She was awarded the 2003 University of Manitoba School of Music Excellence in Music Education Award, the 2013 University of Manitoba Teacher Recognition Award and the 2015 Manitoba Band Association Award of Distinction.  Dr. Dawson is currently the Director of Bands at the University of Manitoba Desautels Faculty of Music where she conducts the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble, teaches courses in music education and oversees the graduate wind conducting program. The University of Manitoba Wind Ensemble has been featured at festivals such as the Cantando Festival in Edmonton and Sunpeaks, the Canadian Rocky Mountain Music Festival, has performed in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra New Music Festival and has participated in numerous consortium commissions and world performances. Prior to her appointment at the University of Manitoba, she taught in the public school system for twenty years and served as a sessional instructor at the University of Manitoba.  Jacquie served on the board of directors of the Manitoba Band Association from 1999 – 2005 and remains active with numerous MBA projects and is the treasurer of the Canadian Band Association. She was the Artistic Director of The Winnipeg Wind Ensemble from 2009-2020. Under her leadership the group has expanded in infrastructure, artistic standard and programming, and in 2016 launched a new division of the organization, The Winnipeg Youth Wind Ensemble. She continues to spend as much time as possible with young students and band programs and is a strong advocate for music education.  Dr. Dawson has been published in the Canadian Music Educator Journal and the Canadian Winds Journal and has presented at conferences internationally, including the Canadian Music Educators’ Association National Conference, the Kansas Music Educators Conference and the International Society for the Research and Promotion of Wind Music Conference. She is an active proponent in the promotion of new wind band works and has led or participated in numerous commissions and premieres of works by Gary Kulesha, Kenley Kristofferson, David Scott, Viet Cuong, Steven Danyew, and Peter Meechan. Jacquie received undergraduate degrees in music and music education from Memorial University of Newfoundland and holds a masters degree in conducting from the University of Manitoba where she studied with Dr. Dale Lonis and Earl Stafford. She completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of Kansas under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Popiel. 

DR. CHADWICK KAMEI

is currently the Director of Bands at Pearl City High School and Director of the University of Hawaii West Oahu Band. He received his MA in Music Education and Bachelor of Education in Music from the University of Hawaii and is currently pursuing his DMA in Music Education through Boston University.  Under the direction of Mr. Kamei, the Pearl City Band has performed at the 2018 Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade; the Hamamatsu Festival in Hamamatsu, Japan; the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago, IL; Troy University in Troy, AL; the London New Year’s Day Parade in London, England; and at the Beijing International Olympic Youth Festival and Parade in Beijing, China as a pre-Olympic celebration. The University of Hawaii West Oahu Band was formed in 2014 through the collaboration of Pearl City High School and the University of Hawaii West Oahu.  This ensemble performs numerous concerts each semester with its membership coming from the University and talented high school musicians.  Mr. Kamei currently holds memberships in the American School Band Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, Hawi’i Music Educators Association and the Oahu Band Directors Association. He is a Legion Laureate of the John Philip Sousa Legion of Honor and in 2016 was elected to membership of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, one of the highest honours given in the wind band profession.

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DR. GERALD KING

Professor Emeritus, the University of Victoria, British Columbia, served as Professor of Music where he was the Head of Music Education, Graduate Wind Conducting, and conducted the UVic Wind Symphony. From 2004-2012 he served as Director of the School of Music.  With his leadership and guidance the University of Victoria School of Music was awarded the designation as Canada’s first and only All-Steinway School. Internationally recognized as one of Canada’s most respected conductors, adjudicators, educators and keynote speakers, Dr. King is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the Order of the Phoenix by the Western International Band Clinic; election into Phi Beta Mu; election into the American Bandmasters Association (2003) when he served as guest conductor of the United States Army Band (Pershing’s Own); recipient of the British Columbia Music Educators’ Honorary Life Award “in recognition of a lifetime of commitment of time, talent, and energies to music education in British Columbia;” and, in September 2015 was inducted as an Honorary Member of the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy.  Although he is primarily recognized as a conductor of Wind Bands, Dr. King is equally comfortable conducting Orchestras and Choirs. He is a former student of internationally renowned conductor, Maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama with whom he studied the Saito Conducting Technique.  His professional career has taken him throughout the world. Dr. King’s conducting appearances with Regional, National, International Honour and Professional Ensembles have been praised for performance quality, artistry, and creativity. Over the past 25 years he has worked with over 10,000 ensembles and soloists representing more than 500,000 musicians. Throughout his career he has been a champion of new music, premiering over 30 compositions, and woeking with over 50 guest artists. In addition to conducting, Dr. King has many years of performing experience as a professional clarinetist.  He is also widely recognized as an expert for his ability to link theory and practice in the field of teaching and learning. Among his many recordings and publications is a chapter in the book, Creativity and Music Education written by seventeen authors from the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, Great Britain, Spain, and Scotland. Dr. King has also completed a well-received DVD—The Craft of Conducting.

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DR. GILLIAN MACKAY

is Professor of Music of the University of Toronto, where she conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches conducting. Dr. MacKay has an active professional career as a conductor, adjudicator, clinician and trumpeter. She has conducted honour ensembles throughout Canada and the United States, and is Associate Conductor of the Denis Wick Canadian Wind Orchestra. She has adjudicated Canadian band festivals at local, provincial, and national levels in Canada, and has conducted honour bands and judged competitions in the US, Singapore, Thailand, and Korea.  Dr. MacKay enjoys presenting clinics and workshops at provincial and state conferences in Canada and the United States, and is known for her work on the relationship between conducting and mime. Currently, she is investigating the application of the Michael Chekhov acting technique to movement and meaning in conducting. Recognized as a conducting pedagogue, Gillian leads the University of Toronto Wind Conducting Symposium each July, and has been the guest instructor at other symposia in Canada and the United States. Dr. MacKay holds degrees and diplomas from the University of Lethbridge, McGill University, the University of Calgary, and Northwestern University.

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DR. ROBERT TAYLOR

is Professor of Music and Director of Bands at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, where he conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and serves as Chair of the Woodwind Brass and Percussion Division. With a career in music education spanning over 25 years, previous appointments include the University of Puget Sound,  Washington and Eureka High School in northern California, where ensembles under his direction earned recognition by Downbeat Magazine, the Selmer Corporation, and Grammy Signature Schools. Dr. Taylor maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor. Past engagements include the Vancouver Brass Orchestra, Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and Chicago-based contemporary music group the Maverick Ensemble, in addition to collaborations with a wide range of international artists—from brass virtuosi to composers to jazz and pop performers.  As a passionate advocate of music in the schools, Dr. Taylor is in high demand as a festival adjudicator, rehearsal clinician, and guest conductor throughout North America and internationally. His frequent appearances with young musicians include serving as principal conductor of the Puget Sound Youth Wind Ensemble and guest conductor of numerous national honour groups and many provincial and all-state bands across Canada and the United States. Dr. Taylor received his Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University  and Bachelor of Arts degree in Trumpet and Music Education from Humboldt State University. His research on wind literature, rehearsal techniques, and the use of technology in the training of nascent conductors and performing musicians has been presented in leading wind band publications and featured in presentations at regional and national music conferences, including appearances at the Midwest Clinic and College Band Directors National Association. Recent research focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, through contemporary, socially-conscious programming and as co-author of The Horizon Leans Forward, a new resource that amplifies the talent and voices of the many underrepresented communities in the wind band field. Dr. Taylor is a Killam Laureate, Jacob K. Javits Fellow, and has served on the executive boards of the British Columbia Music Educators Association and College Band Directors National Association (Northwest Region). He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda National Honor Societies, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and National Association for Music Education.

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LIEUTENANT (NAVY) BEN VAN SLYKE, CD

is Commanding Officer and Director of Music with the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy.  He joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a reservist with the 15^th Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery as a musician in 1995. In 2005 he transferred to the regular force after being offered a position with the Stadacona Band of the Royal Canadian Navy in Halifax, NS. In 2009 he was posted to La Musique du Royal 22e Régiment at BFC Valcartier, QC and in 2012 was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer and posted back to the Stadacona Band. After completing a Unique Skill Qualification for conducting brass and reed ensembles he was posted to the Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) band in Edmonton, AB, taking on the newly created role of Standards and Training manager for the unit. Posted to the Naden Band of the RCN in 2018 he finally returned to the best coast although that was short lived as he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer 2^nd Class and posted to Music Division, Canadian Forces Logistics Training Centre at CFB Borden in 2019. Lt(N) Van Slyke received his commission in July 2021 and was promoted to his current rank. 

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DIRECTOR OF MASSED STRINGS

NICHOLAS URQUHART

JAZZ BAND

PATRICK BOWEN

has been the Director of the World Jazz Studies program at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts since 2001, where his jazz bands have been 12-time finalists at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival; won ‘Best in State’ at every Reno Jazz Festival in attendance; won 15 Downbeat Awards; and have been invited to perform at events including the Midwest Clinic Conference, Brandon Jazz Festival, Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Education Network Conference. The school is the recipient of twelve Grammy Awards, an honor unparalleled by any other high school in the nation. Patrick has also been the Percussion Instructor at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts since 1994, where the Percussion Ensemble or soloists have won the Nevada All State Command Performance several times.  He is presently the Principal Percussionist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and performed in a two-year run as a percussionist in “Showstoppers” at Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. He played in the Sinatra 100: An All-Star GRAMMY Concert with stars such as Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Garth Brooks, Harry Connick, Jr., Seth MacFarlane, and Usher to commemorate Frank Sinatra’s 100^th birthday. He has been a guest soloist with the Hartt Symphony, Henderson Civic Orchestra, and UNLV Percussion Ensemble. He has also played with Elton John, Clint Black, Sheila E, Wynona Judd, Lionel Richie, Dudley Moore, Boys II Men, Michael Bolton, Kenny G, Oleta Adams, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley, Tim McGraw, Brian McKnight, Andrea Bocelli, and David Foster.  Mr. Bowen has a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the Hartt School of Music (Cum Laude), a Master’s degree in Music Performance from the University of Montana, and a Teaching Certificate from UNLV. He studied jazz under Jackie McClean, Nat Reeves, Jaki Byard, and Alexander Lepak.

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CHRIS HAAS

has performing professionally on drums and percussion for over 40 years, performing all styles of music on a including Afro-Cuban, rock, jazz, funk, vocal/choral, classical, musical theatre and big band.  Chris’ current projects include: R&B with soul singer Billy Dixon, New Orleans 2nd Line with Cookin’ with Brass, jazz with Material Culture Project and Afro-Cuban music with Timba Cartel.  He currently teaches music at Moscrop Secondary School in Burnaby.  Prior to transferring to Moscrop Chris was Director of Bands and Head of the Fine Arts Department Head at Magee Secondary School in Vancouver from 1999-2020.  The award-winning music program at Magee involved over 400 students in numerous bands, choirs and a string orchestra.  Magee Senior Jazz Bands have been frequent performers at the Vancouver Jazz Festival.  In addition to teaching at Magee,  Haas was a conductor/teacher at the UBC Summer Music Institute from 2000-2015, and  associate conductor of the Little Night Music community orchestra for 7 years.  The recipient of numerous student awards,  he is a graduate of Humber University in Toronto, the University of Calgary and the University of British Columbia  and earned his Masters in Conducting from the American Band College in Oregon.  

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MICHAEL PERKINS

is a professional classical and jazz trumpeter, composer, clinician, and adjudicator who spent over 40 years as an internationally award-winning music educator with experience in both the public and private school systems in B.C.  He is a past coordinator of the Vancouver Kiwanis Jazz Festival, the B.C. Interior Jazz Festival and was involved in founding/directing multiple groups including the original funk band, The Mammals, from Kelowna; the Sea’T’Sky Big Band, in Squamish; the Nicola Valley Brass Quintet, in the Thompson-Okanagan; the Playmor Junction Big Band, in Nelson; and the Night Owl Orchestra, Central Okanagan. As a freelance trumpet/flugelhorn player, clinician and adjudicator, Michael works with the Okanagan Symphony, the Kamloops Symphony, the Michael Garding Big Band, Symphonic Rock Revolution, Perkins/Landsberg Duo, the Clinton Swanson R&B Band and the Justin Glibbery Quartet. He has also served as Music Director for musical theatre, the 100th Centenary celebration for Kelowna and the BC Summer Games and enjoys every opportunity he gets in the recording studio, just recently releasing a new compilation CD, “Michael * Perkins * Reflections”. Michael has performed throughout Europe and North America and has worked with such artists as Cleo Laine/John Dankworth, Holly Cole, Laila Biali, Jann Arden, Mike Murphy, Dee Daniels, Dianne Shuur and the great Greg Yasinitski. Michael’s other passions include downhill skiing, motorcycles, and is discovering his talent for visual art.

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WORLD MUSIC & DRUMLINE

MARTIN FISK

 is an accomplished percussionist and dedicated teacher.  He  was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, and holds a music degree from the University of British Columbia.   Under the tutelage of renowned teacher/performers John Rudolph and Sal Ferreras, Martin refined his skills playing classical, contemporary and world music. Over the last 17 years Martin has performed across Canada and throughout the United States playing a wide variety of musical styles including orchestral, jazz, chamber, rock, theatre, klezemer, World music and musical theatre.  He has enjoyed playing with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, The Vancouver Opera Orchestra, The Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver New Music, Red Shift Music Society and Gamelan Gong Gita Asmara.   Martin is also a member of the Fringe Group percussion ensemble whose album was nominated for ‘Best Classical Recording’ in the 2010 West Coast Musical Awards.   Martin has also had the privilege to study gamelan music with the well-known orchestra, Cudamani in Bali, Indonesia. As an educator, Martin is the Assistant Director and the Percussion Instructor for the West Vancouver Youth Band and is the percussion coach for the Academy Symphony Orchestra.  He maintains a private teaching studio and leads student percussion ensembles on the north shore and at the Vancouver Academy of music.  He regularly teaches percussion clinics for the Con Brio Sun Peaks Music Festival and the UBC Summer Music Institute and has led workshops for all ages in classrooms throughout the Lower Mainland. 

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CONCERT & CHAMBER CHOIR 

DR. ELROY FRIESEN

Described as ‘innovative, expressive, and dynamic’ Elroy Friesen is Director of Choral Studies at the University of Manitoba where he conducts numerous choirs, and teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting and music education.  He is in demand as a clinician, adjudicator, and conductor throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. He is former Artistic Director of Canzona, Winnipeg’s professional Baroque choral ensemble, and actively researches Baroque performance practice.  Elroy has also published research on the choral music of Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara and pursues his passion of study and performance of new Nordic repertoire – especially new Canadian works.  His award-winning ensembles tour nationally and internationally, and are frequently recorded and broadcast by the CBC.  They enjoy collaborating with many outstanding local and national arts organizations, including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, WSO New Music Festival, Soundstreams Canada, Groundswell, Vancouver Chamber Choir, MusikBarock Ensemble, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and the Latvian Radio Choir.  Dr. Friesen studied at the University of Manitoba (B. Mus., B. Ed., M. Mus.) and at the University of Illinois (DMA) receiving numerous scholarships and grants from the Manitoba Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Foundation for Choral Music in Manitoba.  He is a co-founder of fikamusik (an intensive professional choral conducting program), founder and past Artistic Director of Prairie Voices, and has appeared as guest conductor with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

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MORNA EDMUNDSON

is one of Canada’s best-known choral conductors with a strong reputation for excellence. Based in Vancouver, she is Artistic Director of Elektra Women’s Choir and EnChor Choir, an auditioned SATB ensemble for mature voices. Passionate since childhood about choral singing, Morna obtained degrees and diplomas in vocal music in Vancouver, Bellingham, and Stockholm, Sweden where her teachers included Eric Ericson. Under her leadership, Elektra is a proud leader in the women’s choir community, programming a season of concerts, commissioning, recording, and engaging with women of all ages and their conductors through a suite of community engagement programs. Morna has adjudicated in North America and Asia, conducted state honour choirs and community choir festivals, gives frequent workshops with youth and adult choirs, and advocates for and encourages the next generation of choral professionals. She curates a series of Canadian compositions and arrangements for accomplished treble choirs at Cypress Choral Music. Her accomplishments have been recognized with the BC Choral Federation’s Healey Willan Award (2000), a BC Community Achievement Award (2009), YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, Arts and Culture category (2011), and in 2020 she was inducted into CBC Radio’s “In Concert Classical Music Hall of Fame”. For nine years, Morna served as a Board member of Chorus America, the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that gives voice to the choral field. She currently serves the BC Choral Federation on its Willan Council and, in 2022, began a two-year term as Choral Canada’s President.

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SANDRA MEISTER

is widely regarded as a leader in music education in Canada. Her exceptional
contributions to music education have earned her numerous accolades, including the Governor
General’s Medal for outstanding contributions to compatriots, community and Canada, the British
Columbia Music Educators Association Professional Educator Award, the Leslie Bell Memorial Award, the
Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rotary Club Citizenship Award and the British Columbia
Choral Federations’ Willan Award. For more than twenty years she led Die Meistersingers to widespread acclaim and recognition.  Highlights included performing  and earning top honours at the Vienna International Festival of Youth and Music, ISME (Helsinki), NAfME (New Orleans), Kathaumiwx, CMEA (Kingston) and a performance for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II at the opening of the University of Northern British Columbia. Sandra is noted for her work in the area of curriculum and instruction. This has led to her serving on the faculty for the BCCFs Choral da Capo conducting course for many years, curriculum development for the BC Ministry of Education and serving on the executive of the BCMEA.  Her passion for music education and her ability to inspire young musicians have made her a sought-after clinician and adjudicator. She has conducted numerous workshops, honour choirs, and masterclasses in North America, Europe and China, sharing her expertise with aspiring musicians and choral directors. Her leadership as a school principal, choral conductor and mentor has had a significant impact on thousands of lives. Sandra holds a Bachelor of Education (Simon Fraser University), a Master of Science (University of Oregon) and studied Choral Conducting at Westminster Choir College.
Sandra believes that being part of a singing community can bring a lifetime of joy.

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SARONA MYNHARDT

has one goal in life, and that is to truly make a difference in the lives of the singers she works with. She firmly believes that through music one does not only have the opportunity to teach music literacy and musicianship skills, but those life skills and qualities that are universally important. Those of love, compassion, humanity, respect, discipline, passion and joy! She regularly serves as an adjudicator at music festivals and clinician for conductor and choral workshops, and has taught vocal, choral and leadership workshops on several trips to both Taiwan and South Africa. She has been on the faculty for the BCCF Choral Conducting Course since 2006, and in 2015 received the Willan award for outstanding service to the BC Choral Federation.  Born and raised in South Africa, Sarona is a graduate of the Teachers’ Training College in Pretoria where she majored in Math, Languages, Psychology and Remedial Education, and specialized in Classroom Music, Voice, Choral Conducting and Drama. Her formal voice training culminated in postgraduate work at the Conservatory of Music at North-West University in Potchefstroom. Her early singing career included memberships in children and youth choirs, as well as completion of theory and practical exams in voice, piano and clarinet.  Following ten successful years of teaching music and conducting choirs at elementary and secondary school levels, as well as directing musicals and plays, she immigrated to Canada with her husband and two children. In 1997 she founded the White Rock Children’s Choir, which had choirs at several levels under her artistic direction for 20 years. Over the past 10 years Sarona organized two Children’s Choir Festivals celebrating diversity and world music, and also founded and conducted the Cantrix Women’s ensemble. Sarona taught in both the public and private school systems  in Canada, and has been a guest conductor for several honour choirs. Sarona is a certified instructor for SongShine – a program designed around the science of neuroplasticity that provides music based vocal therapy for people whose voices are affected  by Parkinson’s, stroke,  neurological disorders, and aging. She recently moved to Gibsons, on the Sunshine Coast, where she directs the Inspiritu Vocal Ensemble, teaches voice at her private studio, and leads SongShine classes.

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