Con Brio seeks to provide an extremely positive educational experience. Only those who can deliver this experience are selected as adjudicators and workshop leaders. Here are the people students and directors will be working with at Con Brio Whistler 2024.
DR. JOHN CODY BIRDWELL – BAND
is Director of Bands at the University of Kentucky, where his duties include conducting the University of Kentucky Wind Symphony, directing graduate programs in wind-band conducting, teaching graduate courses in instrumental conducting, history and literature, and supervising the administration of the University of Kentucky band program in the School of Music. Prior to his appointment at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Birdwell served as Director of Bands at Texas Tech University, Director of Bands at Utah State University, Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Illinois, and Director of Bands at Northern Michigan University. Dr. Birdwell’s ensembles have toured extensively throughout the United States, China, and Great Britain, and the University of Kentucky Wind Symphony was recently selected to perform at the 2013 National Convention of the College Band Directors National Association. Ensembles under Dr. Birdwell’s direction have also performed at numerous CBDNA national and division Conferences, and have also performed for the Kentucky Music Educator’s Association, Texas Music Educators Convention, Texas Bandmaster’s Association Convention, and the Utah Music Educators Association. In 2008 the UK Wind Symphony toured the People’s Republic of China, and performed to capacity audiences in the cities of Suzhou, Yangzhou, Changzhou, and Beijing. Dr. Birdwell is an elected member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and holds degrees from The University of North Texas and West Texas A&M University. He serves as President-Elect President of the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division, and holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, Kentucky Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, Phi Beta Mu, Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, Kappa Kappa Psi and Phi Mu Alpha. He remains active as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States and abroad.
DR. MICHAEL BURCH-PESSES – BAND
is Director of Bands at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Jazz Choir, and teaches courses in conducting, music education, and MIDI technology. He also works with the Pacific University School of Education, supervising music education interns during their student teaching as they earn the master of arts in teaching degree. He holds master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees in conducting from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Since coming to Pacific University in 1995 he received the Junior Faculty Award (1998) and was named a Wye Fellow of the Aspen Institute (1999). In 2006, he received the S.S. Johnson Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching. He enjoyed a distinguished career as a bandmaster in the U.S. Navy before arriving at Pacific University, enlisting as a hornist and working his way up through the ranks to become the Navy’s senior bandmaster and head of the Navy Music Program. During his Navy career, he served as leader of the Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Md. Under his direction, the Naval Academy Band received the George Howard Citation of Musical Excellence from the John Philip Sousa Foundation, the highest civilian award for a military band. He also served as assistant leader of the Navy Band in Washington, D.C, and director of the Commodores, the Navy’s official jazz ensemble. An internationally active adjudicator, lecturer and clinician, he has conducted festival and honor bands throughout the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In 2000 he conducted the British Columbia All-Province Honour Band, and in 2002 he adjudicated the National Concert Band Festival of New Zealand. Dr. Burch-Pesses also is the conductor and musical director of the Oregon Symphonic Band, Oregon’s premier adult band. The band celebrated its 20th anniversary with a performance at the Midwest Clinic in 2006. The following year the band was awarded the Sudler Silver Scroll by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The Oregon Symphonic Band is composed primarily of musicians from the Portland/Vancouver area. Men and women of many professions are represented in the ensemble, which performs three concert series annually and has appeared in concert at numerous state, regional, and international music conferences, including the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago. His performance at the Midwest Clinic resulted in his being awarded the Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association. His professional affiliations include the Oregon Music Educators Association, Music Educators National Conference, and Oregon Band Directors Association. He also is the Oregon chair of the College Band Directors National Association and a charter member of the Oregon chapter of Phi Beta Mu.
DR. STEVEN CAPALDO – BAND
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.
DR. JACQUIE DAWSON – BAND
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. MARK J. WALKER – BAND
serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Troy University where he conducts the Troy University Symphony Band, the nationally renowned “Sound of the South” Marching Band, teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting, marching band techniques, measurement and evaluation, and wind literature. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Walker serves as Chairman of the Southeastern United States Clinic and Honor Bands, Executive Director of the Middle School Southeastern United States Band Clinic and Honor Bands, and is the Director of the “Sound of the South” Summer Music Camp and Director’s Clinic. He also serves as Co-Chair of the National Band Association’s Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Directors. Dr. Walker is a published author, whose articles appears in various music education publications and is the editor of the book The Art of Interpretation of Band Music published by GIA. He is a contributor to The Euphonium Source Book, published by Indiana University Press. Additionally, Dr. Walker is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Band Research. Dr. Walker earned his bachelor’s degree in music education at Tennessee Technological University, where he studied euphonium with R. Winston Morris, conducting with Joseph Hermann and composition with Robert Jager. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees in music education form the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during which time he studied euphonium with Mark Moore, and conduction with James Keene. Dr. Walker is also the recipient of the prestigious A.A. Harding Award from the University of Illinois Bands. As a performer, Dr. Walker is heard on the Grammy Award nominated compact disc Euphoniums Unlimited on the Mark Records label. He has performed as a featured soloist with the Tennessee Tech University Symphony Band, the Westwinds Brass Band, Troy University Summer Band, and the Plainview (TX) Symphony Orchestra. Bands and students under Dr. Walker’s direction have received many honors at the regional and state level in Texas, where he taught middle school and high school band. In addition, Dr. Walker keeps an active guest conducting and clinic schedule, and has appeared as conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in Canada and throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. Recently, Dr. Walker was a guest conductor with the United States Air Force Band and the United States Navy Band. He conducted the Troy University Symphony Band in the opening concert of the 80th Annual Convention of the American Bandmasters Association. In 2009, Dr. Walker received the honor of conducting both the Royal Hawaiian Band and the Marine Forces Pacific Band, located in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2015 and 2016, Dr. Walker conducted the Oregon Symphonic Band and the California State University Long Beach Wind Symphony, respectively at the American Bandmasters Association Convention. Dr. Walker is an elected member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. His past and present professional affiliation include Phi Beta Mu, CBDNA, National Band Association, NAfME, Alabama Music Education Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Delta Kappa, Tau Beta Sigma, Sigma Alpha Iota, Texas Bandmasters Association, and World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles.
DR. SCOTT MACLENNAN – BAND & ORCHESTRA
is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor who frequently works with ensembles, schools, honour groups, and festivals across Canada. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia and has been the Music Director of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Wind Ensemble and the Music Director at the Byng Arts Academy in the Performing and Visual Arts in Vancouver, B.C. For more than 30 years, he has taught bands and orchestras at all levels from elementary to post-secondary and performed extensively on bassoon. He has conducted his award-winning ensembles in various locations throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, China, the United States, and Canada. His ensembles have performed in such notable venues as Carnegie Hall, New York, USA, and Santa Maria della Pieta (Vivaldi’s Church) in Venice, Italy. In March 2011, with Johan de Meji’s endorsement, Dr. MacLennan conducted the Canadian premiere of his composition At Kitty O’Shea’s. He holds a Bachelor of Music (1988) and a Bachelor of Education (1990) from the University of British Columbia, a Master of Music (2010) in Conducting (Wind Band) from Sam Houston State University, Texas, and a Ph.D. (2015) from the University of British Columbia. He studied conducting with Ken Hsieh, Morihiro Okabe, and Wayne Toews and participated in numerous conducting master classes given by Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Anthony Maiello, Ralph Hultgren, and Robert Ponto. As an active music educator, he has worked for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to edit and draft curriculum for their VSO Connects (Secondary) program, chaired the BC Music Educator’s Association’s Conference Pulse 2006, and currently sits as a board member of the Chamber Music in the Schools Society. He is a recipient of the BC Music Educators’ Association’s Outstanding Professional Music Educator’s Award in recognition of exemplary commitment, talent, and leadership for music education in British Columbia.
DR. REBECCA PHILLIPS – BAND
is Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Colorado State University where she conducts the CSU Wind Symphony and guides all aspects of the band and graduate wind conducting programs. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of South Carolina where she was responsible for directing the Symphonic Winds Concert Band, “The Mighty Sound of the Southeast” Carolina Marching Band, “Concocktion” Pep Bands, teaching undergraduate instrumental conducting, and directing the Carolina Summer Drum Major Clinic. Dr. Phillips has served as a guest-conductor, clinician, and performer throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Most recently, she was invited to conduct the Department of Defense All-Europe High School Honor Band (Frankfurt, Germany). Other guest invitations include conducting the wind band and symphony orchestra for the “2019 Prague Multicultural Music Project” and conducting members of the Prague National Symphony at the inaugural “2017 American Spring Festival” (Prague, Czech Republic.) In 2018, she conducted members of the Des Moines Symphony in a chamber concert for the Iowa Bandmasters Association annual conference. Dr. Phillips regularly conducts collegiate honor bands, all-state bands, and festival bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe and she has been a rehearsal clinician at the Midwest Clinic: An International Band and Orchestra Conference. Ensembles under her direction have been featured at the 2020 Colorado Music Educators Association Convention, the 2019 American Bandmasters Association National Convention, the 2012 College Band Director’s National Association Southern Division Conference, the 2010 Society of Composers International Conference, and the 2008 North American Saxophone Alliance International Convention. Dr. Phillips believes in treasuring the traditional wind music of the past as well as promoting cutting edge works of today’s finest composers. She has commissioned and conducted world and consortium premieres of works by several leading composers, including William Bolcom, James David, John Mackey, John Fitz Rogers, Adam Silverman, Frank Ticheli, and Dana Wilson to name a few. Her conducting performances of David del Tredici’s In Wartime and John Mackey’s Redline Tango are both featured on the nationally distributed Louisiana State University Wind Ensemble compact disc project and the world premiere of John Fitz Rogers Narragansett is featured on the Compact Disc And I Await, featuring Dr. Phillips as guest conductor of the University of South Carolina Wind Ensemble. As a trombonist, Dr. Phillips’ performances can be found on several internationally distributed recordings. She has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, U.S. Army Band (Pershing’s Own), the Tallahassee Symphony, and the Tampa Bay Opera Orchestra. She has also performed internationally in England, Mexico, the Caribbean, Russia, and Sweden, and has toured as a trombonist with Johnny Mathis and Barry Manilow. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Dr. Phillips earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from The Florida State University, Master of Music degrees in conducting and trombone performance from the University of South Florida, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in conducting at Louisiana State University. She served as a secondary school band director for seven years in Florida, including Director of Bands at Howard W. Blake Performing Arts High School in Tampa, Florida where she developed an award-winning concert band program. Currently, she is the President of the National Band Association, chair of the Music Education Committee for the College Band Directors National Association, and co-chair of the American Bandmasters Association Commissioning Committee.
DR. GERALD KING – BAND
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.
DR. CHARLES A. MAGUIRE – BAND & ORCHESTRA
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.
DR. WENDY ZANDER – BAND
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, Zander 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. She has worked to create professional opportunities for students and music educators in the areas of performance and music education. For fifteen years Zander 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. Zander 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. Zander 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. Zander 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.
JAELEM BHATE – BAND & ORCHESTRA
Active in both classical and jazz genres, Jaelem Bhate is a conductor, composer and proponent of reinvention and accessibility and works to reimagine the role of instrumental music in the 21st century. He was named to CBC’s hot 30 under 30 classical musicians in 2019 and is a board member of Orchestras Canada. As a conductor, he founded Symphony 21, an ensemble and registered charity focused on producing concerts in non-traditional spaces for non-traditional audiences while simultaneously breaking down barriers racial, gender and socio-economic. He was also name music director of the Vancouver Brass Collective in 2019. Guest engagements include the Vancouver and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras along with invitations to Italy, Romania, Portugal and Bulgaria. An advocate for new music, he has conducted over 20 world premieres, the majority of them by diverse Canadian composers. In the 2022/23 season as a conductor he recorded a new operetta by Canadian composer Katerina Gimon with Re:Naissance Opera and a studio album with the Vancouver Brass Collective. As a composer, his works have been performed by the Vancouver and Victoria Symphonies as well as many chamber ensembles and soloists. In the jazz world he has release two albums with the Jaelem Bhate Jazz Orchestra on the edge and Carmen, a reimagining of Bizet’s opera for jazz ensemble. on the edge won the 2020 Julian Award for emerging Canadian jazz excellence and spent two weeks at the top of the EarShot national jazz charts. Recent commissions include the Canadian National Jazz Orchestra, Redshift Music and the New Brunswick Youth Symphony. A sessional lecturer in conducting at the University of British Columbia, Jaelem holds a MMus in orchestral conducting and BMus in percussion performance from UBC.
NICHOLAS URQUHART – ORCHESTRA
works as a conductor, double bassist, composer, arranger, and music educator. He studied Double Bass at the Victoria Academy of Music and the University of Victoria, earning his Bachelor’s in Music with distinction. There he was mentored by Janos Sandor and Yariv Aloni in orchestral conducting. Nicholas continued his conducting studies with Ken Hsieh, Bujar Llapaj and Jin Zhang. He also continued Double Bass studies with the principal double bass of the VSO, Ken Freidman. In addition, Nicholas has a degree in music education from UBC and a Master’s degree from Acadia University in music curriculum and pedagogy. He has served as Assistant Conductor for the Vancouver Philharmonic and the Canada Day Pops Orchestra as well as the programming director and President of the West Coast Symphony. Nicholas has directed numerous ensembles, including, the West Coast Symphony, Vancouver Philharmonic, Sunshine Coast Symphony, UVic Chamber Orchestra (a group which he founded), BCMEA Honour Orchestra, A Little Night Music Orchestra, Kabok Chamber Strings, Elgar Strings, St. James Academy Orchestra, Lord Byng Symphony Orchestra, Plastic Acid Chamber Strings and full orchestra, Canada Day Pops Orchestra, Surrey Youth Orchestra, I Musici Sushi Orchestra and New Westminster Symphony. When Nicholas is not directing orchestras, he continues to perform as a freelance double bassist in chamber ensembles, orchestras, operas, and musicals. He also sits on the board of the IBB (Instruments Beyond Borders), a foundation dedicated to putting instruments in the hands of in need youth in Vancouver and worldwide (most notably in Paraguay). Nicholas is a clinician with the Vancouver and Burnaby school boards and has been an adjudicator for the Kiwanis International Music Festival. He is the Strings Director of one of the largest public-school strings programs in B.C, at Killarney Secondary School (VSB). Nicholas has been the music director of the Strings with West Vancouver Youth Band since 2012 and has brought a vitality and verve to the program. He has grown the program to include two divisions (Concert and Symphonic), each of which yields impressive performances in festivals, private events, and public concerts.
PATRICK BOWEN – JAZZ BAND
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 100th 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.
MALCOLM AIKEN – JAZZ BAND
Based on the west coast, Malcolm Aiken is an international touring and recording artist who has performed with an impressive array of musical icons including latin jazz legend Chucho Valdez, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, John Hammond Jr, David Hidalgo, Patrick Watson and salsa superstar Jimmy Bosch. He’s played for global audiences at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and for world figures including the Dalai Lama, Reverend Desmond Tutu and Shirin Ebadi. As both a player and producer, Malcolm maintains a diverse and dynamic schedule performing in clubs, festivals and concert halls across Canada and abroad, while working with artists and collaborators in the US, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Mexico City, and Cuba. As an educator, Malcolm is an in-demand music adjudicator and clinician. From 2005-15, he served as director of brass with the award-winning West Vancouver Youth Band. He is currently acting Artist in Residence at the Vancouver School Board. Malcolm holds a Master’s degree in ethnomusicology from the University of British Columbia, and has published articles exploring topics on brass pedagogy and Latin jazz. He is a frequent panelist for the Juno Awards, FACTOR and the Canada Council for the Arts. As a trumpeter, he is praised for his warm, lyrical tone, weaving together influences of jazz, world and pop music. His new album “New Futures” showcases sounds forged during his four year residency at Guilt & Company, Vancouver’s celebrated live music mecca. The sound is dub-soaked jazz with a splash of soul, down-tempo grooves, and vintage synths that set the mood for his velvet trumpet tone and sinewy improvisations. With his band a synergy emanates that recalls the sounds of Bob James and electric-era Miles Davis, with modern beats inspired by J Dilla, Flying Lotus and Robert Glasper. It’s been called “a west coast take on Nordic nu-jazz. Long, languid horn lines drift over hip beats and chill atmospheres in a collection of sparkling instrumentals.” (WorldBeat International). Malcolm is a Stomvi Brass Performing Artist and holds endorsements from AMT Microphones and Matterhorn Music.
J. SCOTT GOBLE – CHOIR
is Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses and supervises work of M.Ed., M.A., and Ph.D. students. A specialist in vocal/choral music and philosophy of music education, his current research focuses on Indigenous knowledge and musical practices. His book What’s So Important About Music Education? is published by Routledge, and he is presently Co-Editor of the online, open-access journal Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education (ACT).
DR. GRAEME LANGAGER – CHOIR
is Director of Choral Activities at the University of British Columbia School of Music. A passionate and dynamic conductor, Dr. Langager is sought-after as a clinician, adjudicator, educator and guest conductor. He has performed throughout Europe and across North America, appearing in such venues as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Stefansdom in Vienna, Carnegie Hall in New York, St. Nicholas in Prague, St. Stephen’s in Budapest, as well as in cathedrals and concert halls in Italy, Spain, and France. His choirs have also performed at numerous choral conferences, including: NCCO (National Collegiate Choral Organization), ACDA-AR (American Choral Directors Association Conference, Arkansas), IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators), MENC/NAfME (National Association for Music Education), and the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals. Dr. Langager was born in Lethbridge, Alberta into a musical family, and has sung and played musical instruments since childhood. He has taught for more than 20 years in universities and colleges across the United States and Canada, including the University of Arkansas and Cuesta College in California. He is also active as a composer and arranger, and has been commissioned on a number of occasions. Langager received the doctoral degree in choral conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the master of music degree from California State University, Long Beach. In 2015, both the UBC University Singers and the Phoenix Chamber Choir (under Langager’s direction) placed first in the Choral Canada National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs in numerous categories: University Choirs (UBC), Chamber Choir (Phoenix), New Music (Phoenix 1st, UBC 2nd), and Best Performance of a Canadian Composition (Gaudium Vestrum Sit Plenum composed by Graeme Langager and performed by Phoenix Chamber Choir).
DR. CATHERINE ROBBINS – CHOIR
is a dynamic music educator known especially for her work in vocal techniques and choral pedagogy for choirs of all ages. Dr. Robbins is currently Associate Professor of Choral Studies and Music Education at the University of Manitoba Desautels Faculty of Music. She teaches courses in conducting, choral methods, vocal pedagogy for choirs, choral literature and programming, and directs the University of Manitoba Concert Choir. She has twice been honoured with U of M Merit Awards in the areas of teaching and service. She has recently finished her tenure as Past President of the Manitoba Choral Association and continues to serve as IDEA Committee Chair. Dr. Robbins primary research centres on applications of anatomical awareness and somatic approaches to conducting and singing, as well as the emerging field of fascia research. Further interests include collaborative self-study and life history methodologies as pedagogical tools in choral music education. Her creative works projects have focused on respectful, responsible, and reciprocal commissioning and publishing of choral music with Indigenous collaborators, as well as working with Indigenous languages. She has presented at provincial, national, and international symposiums in the areas of music education and choral techniques and served on the editorial board for Anacrusis, the journal of Choral Canada. Catherine specializes in pedagogy for developing voices, as well as vocal and conductor health, and enjoys bringing the choral music of living composers and song writers to new audiences.
SANDRA MEISTER – CHOIR
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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