Jessica V. Kun, a native of Toronto, Canada, is Conductor and Artistic Director of the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra.

She completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting at Arizona State University, where she conducted the Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Chamber Winds, and the Lyric Opera Theatre.

She holds Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Calgary (Canada), Master’s Certificate in Conducting from the University of Calgary Wind Conducting Program, and a Master of Music degree in Musicology from the University of Manchester (England), where she conducted the Symphony Orchestra, chamber ensembles, and the New Music Ensemble, as well as civic, professional, and youth orchestras and new music ensembles across the country.

She has conducted string and full orchestras, symphonic and jazz bands, chamber music, contemporary music ensembles, choirs and opera. She has taught and conducted musicians at all levels, from novice to professional, and has written articles for Canadian Music Education journals and curriculum documents for the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Dr. Kun currently serves as Conductor and Associate Professor of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she teaches conducting and orchestration. Her research includes the development of conducting and conducting pedagogy, using digital media, and further studies into emotional contagion and effective gestural communication. Dr. Kun is active as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician in North America, Great Britain, Europe, and South America.

Dennis Beck earned two undergraduate degrees from Western University, and completed a graduate program in conducting from the University of Calgary. In addition to teaching experience at the junior and senior high school levels, he has been a sessional lecturer for the Faculty of Education of the University of Toronto, conducted at Alberta College Conservatory in Edmonton for several years, and played clarinet with the Edmonton Wind Sinfonia and the CBC's Edmonton Wind Ensemble. He founded the Ontario chapter of Phi Beta Mu, the international band director’s fraternal organization, and is a member of the College Band Directors National Association.  He served as a vice-president of the Alberta Band Association, was a founding director of the Ontario Band Association and is a past-president of the OBA. For several years he was a facilitator for student leaders at the Ontario Educational Leadership Centre. His articles on music education have appeared in several professional journals, and since 2000 he has written analyses of band compositions for different volumes of the highly regarded series of music texts, Teaching Music Through Performance in Band, published by GIA in Chicago.

Recognized as an advocate for excellence in conducting, he co-founded the Unionville Wind Conductors’ Symposium 1994. In the fall of 2008, he was one of ten alumni of the Don Wright Faculty of Music, at Western University named as the inaugural recipients of the university’s Wall of Fame honour. In 2011, the OBA recognized him with an Honourary Lifetime Membership, and also that year he was named to the Advisory Board of the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.  In 2013, he was the recipient of the Canadian Band Association’s National Band Award, joining a list of 23 other Canadian musicians who had been so honoured since 1976. For twenty years he taught music, coached soloists and chamber ensembles, and conducted bands at Unionville High School’s Arts York program, in Markham. Most recently, he has been a faculty member at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University in London, Ontario, where he was conductor of the Symphonic Band and taught music education and conducting.

Mark Vuorinen is an Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department at Conrad Grebel University College, where he teaches courses in conducting and conducts the University of Waterloo Chamber Choir.  

He is also Artistic Director of Kitchener-Waterloo’s Grand Philharmonic Choir (a symphonic chorus whose repertoire includes the great masterpieces for chorus and orchestra) and the professional chamber choir, The Elora Singers.  Mark studied music at Wilfrid Laurier University, Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music and the University of Toronto. 

He has given first performances and Canadian premieres of works by many composers, including John Burge, Timothy Corlis, Barbara Croall, Jonathon Dove, and Reena Esmail.

Other recent concert highlights include performances of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, Arvo Pärt’s Credo and Richard Einhorn’s moving soundtrack, Voices of Light as an accompaniment to the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc.  Mark is the 2016 Laureate of the Ontario Arts Council's Leslie Bell Prize in Choral Conducting.

Jacquelyn Norman is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario Faculties of Music and Education (BMus Honours Ed and BEd). She also received her Kodály Certification from the university.

Jackie is in her 31st season as conductor of the Junior Amabile Singers and Amabile Da Capo Choir. These choirs welcome young female singers aged 8 to 14 and focus on providing a choral venue to provide instruction in vocal production, sight singing, ear training, and choral performance discipline. In 1991, she joined the Junior Amabile Singers as a vocal coach and assumed the position of conductor the following year; she is the founding conductor of the Amabile Da Capo Choir. Work with these choirs has brought her many opportunities to travel and compete internationally (UK, France, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Hawaii, California, BC, Nfld) as well as work with and learn from many renowned children’s choir conductors (Henry Leck, Stephen Leek, Gabriella Thész, Maria Guinand, Lynn Williams, David Flood, Francisco Nunez).

Ms. Norman recently retired from the Thames Valley District School Board where she taught for 31 years in Dorchester as an Elementary Teacher and Junior-Intermediate Music Specialist. Her choirs have received numerous awards including first place in the Ontario Provincial Music Festival and the Florine Després Plaque and Scholarship for the top under 12 choir in the National Music Festival.

Jackie also maintains a private studio for young singers, several of whom have gone on to pursue music degrees at university. Her work in her private studio focusses on vocal technique and performance.

Jackie is delighted to have the opportunity to hear and work with the many children of the choirs attending Kiwanis Music Festival this year and offer any expertise to their wonderful conductors.

Please see the website www.amabile.ca/about-amabile/artistic-staff.

Dr. Marnie Van Weelden enjoys a versatile career as a pianist, dedicated teacher, and church musician the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

After earning her Bachelor’s Degree from Western University she completed both her Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in performance on full scholarship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Since 2007 she has been teaching piano and piano pedagogy at Wilfrid Laurier University.

She is an active performer in her musical community playing as a solo and collaborative pianist and in her duo, Blondes on 88, with pianist Rebekah Jordan-Miller. She has performed in the Laurier Noon Concert series and various other faculty concerts, KW Symphony Love of Music Marathon, Open Ears Festival of new music, and with the SOSI Faculty Orchestra. She is an RCM examiner and is in demand as a festival adjudicator and clinician. Her workshop, entitled Music in Motion, helps to equip pianists with dynamic choreography and increased body awareness that can help with injury prevention.

Jennifer is very active in the greater Toronto area as both a performer and teacher. She holds her Master’s degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Toronto where she studied with Dr. Midori Koga. Prior to this, she completed her Bachelor of Music at the University of Western Ontario, her A.R.C.T. Performer’s diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and her Associate Teaching diploma with Conservatory Canada. 

Throughout her studies, Jennifer was the recipient of several academic awards including the prestigious Ontario Graduate Scholarship.  Her research centred around injury prevention as well as piano student retention strategies.

Jennifer is an active member of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s College of Examiners and runs a professional studio in Brampton where she offers piano and theory lessons in both Classical and Popular genres.   She has been a guest clinician at the University of Toronto, presenting graduate student workshops on a variety of pedagogical topics, and enjoys adjudicating music festivals throughout Canada.  
Jennifer has pursued studies in the field of Early Childhood Music Education as well as mindfulness practice and performance under Madeline Bruser of New York.  She completed a collaborative piano internship with Music Theatre Bavaria in Oberaudorf, Germany as well as the musician mentorship program with the Canadian National Ballet.   Jennifer enjoys classes in Dalcroze Eurythmics which combine her passions for movement, music education and improvisation. 

A versatile pianist, Jennifer performs regularly at a variety of venues including nursing homes, receptions, weddings, and churches throughout Ontario.  She has recently enjoyed collaborating with the Brampton Childrens’ Chorus, the Rose Orchestra, and the Chinguacousy Swing Orchestra.

In her spare time, Jennifer loves to ballroom and Latin dance and practices yoga.  She has a very special place in her heart for little pianists and is grateful for the opportunity to nurture and pass on to them the love of music.

Amelia Yates, D.M.A., is a pianist, adjudicator, and instructor from Hamilton Ontario. A recent graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts program at the University of Western Ontario, Dr. Yates’s research focusses on the solo piano music of Canadian composer Ann Southam. She is passionate about researching and performing the music of contemporary Canadian composers. In addition to performing as a soloist, Dr. Yates also enjoys collaborating and working with large ensembles and choirs. She is currently the pianist for Myriad Ensemble, an SSAA choir based in Burlington ON.

Dr. Yates teaches piano lessons from her home studio, AGYPiano. Her goal is to help students perform, understand, and enjoy music thoughtfully, healthily, and artfully. She is also passionate about applying teaching approaches that nurture students’ mental health and empower them to think critically and independently. Dr. Yates’s students have received awards for both composition and performance at the local and national level, and frequently achieve First Class Honours and First Class Honours with Distinction standings on their conservatory examinations.

Before receiving her doctorate, Dr. Yates also earned an ARCT diploma in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music as well as a Bachelor of Music Honours Music Education and a Master of Music in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario. She had the privilege of studying performance with Dr. Leslie Kinton, Dr. Brett Kingsbury, and John-Paul Bracey, and pedagogy with Dr. Diana Dumlavwalla and Dr. Christine Tithecott.

Dr. Yates holds positions on the board of the Hamilton/Halton Branch of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association and the Hamilton Music Festival. She is honoured to support the Association of Canadian Women Composers as an Associate member. Dr. Yates is also a member of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s College of Examiners.

Principal Cellist of the Regina Symphony Orchestra, Founder and Director of the Prairie Cello Institute, Director of the Regina Summer Strings, and Artistic Director of the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto’s Music in the Afternoon concert series, Simon Fryer is an artist of the utmost versatility, at home with the demands of the music of our time and those of historical performance, with the cooperation of ensemble music-making and in the solo spotlight.

Appearances as soloist in Canada with orchestras such as the Regina, Mississauga, and Okanagan Symphonies and the Esprit Orchestra, as well as the Da Capo Chamber Choir and the Wellington Winds, have been complemented by performances as guest Principal with such as the Hamilton Philharmonic. Previously a member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, internationally he has performed with the Orqestra Sinfonica de Tenerife and the UK’s Northern Sinfonia. As a member of the Juno-winning Penderecki String Quartet – one of the Canada’s most successful ensembles - Simon performed regularly across Canada and around the world. The PSQ released several discs during this time, including the complete cycle of Bartok's String Quartets, and worked closely with many of the world's most innovative contempoary creators from Christos Hatzis to DJ Spooky. Simon’s discography of over 30 recordings includes the solo CD: Music of a life so far... which was acclaimed as ‘a fascinating collection' by the Toronto Star. Of his latest release, on Centaur Records, a CD of Victorian Cello Sonatas by Samuel Liddle, Algernon Ashton and Charles Stanford with pianist Leslie De’Ath, Wholenote magazine lauded ‘expansive playing … Fryer’s tone in the lower register is particularly lovely’. Simon is currently pursuing a project with pianist Katherine Dowling, performing all five sonatas for cello and piano by Beethoven, in one concert.

Well-known for his master classes in cello and chamber music, Simon has been guest faculty at many institutions including the University of Western Ontario, Brandon University, the Desautels School of Music at the University of Manitoba, Mount Royal College, The Banff Centre, Memorial University, the University of British Columbia, Oberlin Conservatory, Shanghai Conservatory, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Indiana University; the University of Southern California, and Paris University 8. Simon has held faculty positions at Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Toronto, and the Glenn Gould School in Canada, as well as at the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy.

Simon holds performance diplomas from the Royal Northern College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is continuously active as a chamber musician, orchestral player and soloist in more than thirty countries on six continents. He performs on an instrument completed in 1998 by Masa Inokuchi.

Visit www.simonfryer.com.

Known for her insightful and encouraging style as a festival adjudicator, Katharine Rapoport has taught violin and viola performance, string literature and pedagogy as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto as well as at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

In addition to being an avid chamber musician, she was also a long-time member of Esprit Orchestra, “Canada’s premier orchestra devoted to the performance of new works”.

Katharine Rapoport has adjudicated at competitions and festivals and has given violin and viola masterclasses and workshops across Canada and the US. A Senior Examiner for RCM Examinations, she has been invited to speak and perform at several conferences in North America.

With over 50 publications of Syllabi, playing editions, pedagogical texts and articles to her credit, she is the author of Violin For Dummies in the popular series published by Wiley’s, now published in its Third Edition.

Every summer, she coaches chamber music and performs with the resident string quartet at Basically Quartets in Wales. Her students’ distinctions include winning scholarships to Juilliard, Eastman, and other major music schools in the US and Canada, and first place awards at the Provincial and National levels of the Canadian Federation of Music Festivals. Some of her former students play with orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Tafelmusik, as well as in chamber ensembles in Canada and the US.

Anita Buttemer holds a Master of Music in Suzuki Pedagogy from Ithaca College and a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto. She has taught Suzuki Method violin and viola since 1988, and has been a Suzuki parent since 1999.

Previously, Anita has taught at the North York Suzuki School of Music in Toronto, the Waldorf School of the Finger Lakes in Ithaca, New York, and the Suzuki String School of Guelph. Currently, Anita performs with the Waterloo Chamber Players, and is first violin of the Quinten Quartet. Additionally she works as a freelance musician in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

Anita has appeared as a guest clinician for various Suzuki events in Canada, Europe, and the USA including the Suzuki Association of Ontario student day and as an adjudicator at Kiwanis Music Festivals. Anita has served as a board member of both the Suzuki Association of Ontario and the Southern Ontario Suzuki Institute. She is a founding teacher and artistic director at the Suzuki Talent Education of Waterloo.

Anita teaches out of her home in Waterloo, Ontario, where she lives with her husband Mike and three children, Trevor, Ian and Alex.

Please see the website www.suzukiwaterloo.ca/anita-buttemer.

Dr. Daniel Ramjattan (DMA, M. Mus, B. Mus) has become an ambassador for the classical guitar in Canada, having premiered dozens of chamber and solo works for guitar. He has given recitals in Vienna, Austria, Italy, and various locations across Canada, the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, and Japan, and has received an array of top prizes in provincial and national solo guitar competitions. He has performed in festivals such as Koerner's 21C Festival, INNERChamber, Chamberfest, the Livorno Music Festival, Italy, and many more.

His debut studio album, Inspirations: New Works for Solo Guitar features his interpretation of six brilliant works by Canadian composers, including three world premiere recordings, available for streaming on all major platforms. CBC Radio’s Paolo Pietropaolo featured the album as the Record of the Week in March 2022, and WholeNote Magazine described his playing as "beautifully clean." The project was created in part thanks to a generous recording grant from the Ontario Arts Council.

Daniel’s primary teachers have included Dr. Jeffrey McFadden, Patrick Roux, Bruce Holzman, Wilma Van Berkel, and Lorenzo Micheli, and he has performed in masterclasses for world-class artists such as Sergio Assad, Jorge Caballero, Denis Azabagic, Judicael Perroy, Fabio Zanon, and many others. He has taken first prize at competitions such as the Ottawa-Gatineau guitar competition and OMFA Provincial Guitar Competition open level in 2014 and 2016. He also placed second in the FCMF National Guitar Competition in 2016, and he has placed as a finalist in the Montreal and Hamilton International Guitar Competitions.

He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Toronto in August 2022, where his dissertation focused on music performance anxiety in classical guitarists, and received a senior doctoral fellowship from New College for this research in 2021-2022. He often shares insights from his research with his guitar students and performance coaching clients and has given lectures on music performance anxiety at McGill University, the University of Toronto, Wilfrid Laurier University, Mount Royal University, the University of West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, and more. CBC television’s the National has also interviewed him as an expert on music performance anxiety and stage fright. In 2020, he joined Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Music as a classical guitar instructor, and this Fall 2022 marked the inauguration of the Music Performance Anxiety course he designed for the faculty of music.

Lori Gemmell has been the Principal Harpist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 2000. She teaches at Wilfred Laurier University and for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Lori enjoys being involved in many solo and chamber music projects: with the Four Seasons Harp Quartet, with trumpeter, Larry Larson, harp duo with, Jennifer Swartz, violin and harp with Etsuko Kimura, harp and storytelling with her husband Tom Allen, and playing with pop artists Kevin Fox and Feist.

Lori has two solo recordings, Prelude and Canadian Music for Harp, a harp duo recording with Jennifer Swartz, The Garden of Peacocks, and Divertissement with trumpeter Larry Larson.

William Maddox is a performance graduate of Queen’s University, Trinity College and the Central Academy of Music, London, England. Mr. Maddox is a Fellow of a number of learned societies for musicians, the Canadian representative for the Guild of Musicians and Singers and is the Founding Registrar of The Honourable Company of Organists.

He has appeared in recital throughout Canada and the United States, including appearances at Roy Thomson Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, the Royal Parish Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, the São Bento Organ Festival in São Paulo, Brazil and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

In addition, his recitals and recordings have been heard on nationally-broadcast programmes of the CBC and American and Brazilian Public Radio.

Mr. Maddox is actively involved as a consultant to many churches regarding the tonal design and console appointments of their new instruments.   

Teaching artist and soprano, Dr. Betty Allison is "[a performer with] great theatrical presence and vocal sophistication, gifted with a commanding dramatic soprano voice." A graduate of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble, major credits include the world premiere of Mary’s Wedding with Pacific Opera Victoria, the title role in Floyd’s Susannah with Florentine Opera, Alice in Verdi’s Falstaff with L’Opèra Thèâtre de Metz Mètropole, and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Edmonton Opera.

Betty has performed a varied repertoire, demonstrating her natural ability and talent, from the Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), to Vixen (Cunning Little Vixen) and Elizabeth I (Gloriana). She is equally comfortable on the concert stage, with her rich and florid interpretation of pieces such as Mahler’s Symphony VIII, Brahms’ Requiem, and Gubaidulia’s Galgenlieder À 3.

Recently, Betty completed her doctorate at the University of Toronto. Her research focused on the connection between a singer’s voice and their overall wellness and resilience. Specifically, her thesis, Voice-in-the-World: An Exploration of Mid-Career Opera Singers’ Non-Musical Stressors and Coping Strategies, examined the non-musical stressors and coping strategies that elite singers use to maintain their voices and careers.

Teaching music has always been Betty’s passion and calling. Over the course of her performance career, she has continued to teach privately and remain involved in music education and outreach activities. She is the co-founder and teacher for an intimate summer voice training program in BC, using a process-based learning approach, designed to nurture and cultivate aspiring singers’ development in classical voice. (https://islandsummermusicintensive.ca)

Please see the website www.dal.ca.

Amanda Brunk is a voice teacher and NCVS-certified vocologist specializing in contemporary voice technique and voice habilitation. Amanda adjudicates regularly for classical, choral, pop and music theatre categories. from coast to coast.  She is vice-president of the Ontario chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and is a published author for the NATS Journal of Singing.

    Amanda teaches CCM voice at Wilfrid Laurier University and voice for actors at Sheridan College/UTM, and maintains a successful private studio in Waterloo.  Her voice students have gone on to perform throughout Canada, on North American tours and in Broadway shows.  As conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir for eight years, Amanda led the choir to win competitions nationally and internationally, and to perform with grammy-winning recording artists and rock groups. 

    A passionate advocate for the education and inspiration of young artists, she developed the concept for the Music Theatre Academy at Laurier, an intensive three-week performance program for pre-professional emerging artists.  Amanda is also the Founder and Artistic Director of The Singer's Theatre, a summer music theatre training program that attracts singers from across North America since 2002, and has served as vocal director for various cruise lines. She is currently training as a Designated Linklater Voice teacher through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Amanda Brunk is a voice teacher and NCVS-certified vocologist specializing in contemporary voice technique and voice habilitation.  Amanda teaches CCM voice at Wilfrid Laurier University and voice for actors at Sheridan College/UTM, and maintains a successful private studio in Waterloo.  Her voice students have gone on to perform throughout Canada, on North American tours and in Broadway shows. 

Among many other pursuits, Amanda is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Singer's Theatre, a summer music theatre training program that attracts singers from across North America since 2002, and has served as vocal director for various cruise lines. She is currently training as a Designated Linklater Voice teacher.

Please see website www.thesingerstheatre.ca.

Breanne is a passionate arts educator, administrator and advocate.

She currently resides in London and is working with The Grand Theatre on Education & Outreach initiatives.

Previously, she has held arts education and administrative roles with the Stratford Festival, Ontario Culture Days, Young People’s Theatre, Eclipse Theatre Company, Canadian Opera Company, oaks ‘n acorns, Evolve Tours and many other GTA companies.

She received her Bachelor of Arts with Honours from York University after studying Theatre with a focus on Arts Education.

As a member of the Arts Education Network of Ontario Board of Directors, Breanne is eager to advocate for arts education and bring our passionate community together.

She has an appreciation for theatre at any level and confidence in the role it can play in a child’s social growth and development.

Please see website www.artsednetwork.ca.

Paul Stevenson is a recently retired school music educator with the Thames Valley District School Board.

As an active performer Paul has been the Principal Trumpet with Brassroots since 1988.

He has performed with such artists as the Temptations, Diana Krall, Della Reese, Frankie Valli, the Four Seasons and Natalie Cole.

Paul is a regular performer with London’s Jeans and Classics. He has also been featured as a soloist with Intrada Brass of Oakville and other regional ensembles.

Paul holds a Masters Degree in Performance from the University of Western Ontario.

George Laidlaw M.M. (U. of M.), B.Mus. (U.W.O.), A.Mus. (Gold medal –saxophone and clarinet).

He has taught saxophone and clarinet at U.W.O. and InterProvincial Music Camp.

He has performed with several symphony orchestras, concert bands and jazz groups.

George is director of the Vimy Legion Band and leads his own jazz quartet and was director of the Prime Time Big Band for over twenty years.

He is on the board of the Kiwanis Music Festival of London.

George received the Bishop Townshend Award for Teacher Excellence on his retirement as Head of Music at Oakridge S.S.

Richard Frank is a saxophonist, educator, conductor, composer and arranger and has a B. Mus.Hon.Mus.Ed. and a B.Ed from the University of Western Ontario.

Richard had a successful thirty year career as a Secondary School music teacher and department head in St. Thomas, Ontario and is a classical and jazz saxophonist, performing as a soloist at churches, concerts and recitals around Southwestern Ontario.

Richard is a co-founder and music director of the Railway City Wind Ensemble, which is a thirty-five member ensemble for experienced woodwind, brass and percussion players in the St. Thomas area. In addition, he is active in the music program at First St. Andrew's United Church in London, where he sings in the Senior Choir and is an arranger and conductor for the five octave handbell ensemble, Laudamus Bells.

Richard is a member of the Ontario Guild of English Handbell Ringers and has performed with the Laudamus Bells for two OGEHR Virtual Christmas concerts and for the OGEHR 2022 Annual General meeting. He is enthusiastic about all styles of music and enjoys working with young musicians.