April 2024 Update

Another school year draws to a close, and the last month or so has been incredibly exciting! In March, I was honoured to join my colleagues Ken Rogers (Lethbridge) and Scott MacLennan (Vancouver) on the panel of adjudicators at the Alberta International Band Festival in Edmonton. It was a blast to hear many fantastic ensembles and meet some of the great music educators in the Edmonton area. More recently I also travelled to London, ON to adjudicate concert bands as well as brass and percussion classes at the Kiwanis Music Festival London.

Early morning mid-winter skies over Edmonton.

Over at the University of Toronto, I got to perform one of my all-time bucket list pieces with the UofT Wind Symphony. I’ve been enthralled by Philip Sparke’s Symphony No. 1, “Earth, Water, Sun, Wind”, ever since I first heard it almost 25 years ago. It is a mammoth undertaking to prepare, but the musicians of the Wind Symphony did an incredible job, and Mr. Sparke himself praised our performance as “splendid and very colourful.” The symphony was the focal point of a concert whose theme was the environment, sustainability, and the climate crisis. The livestream of the concert is still available to view:

Speaking of incredibly difficult music, I challenged the Rouge River Winds with Frank Ticheli’s Symphony No. 2 for our recent concert, and they also did a fantastic job of it. We also had the pleasure of showcasing our 2023 Solo Competition winner, Isabel Misquitta-Yip, who performed a movement from the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2, and was a true delight to work with.

Isabel Misquitta-Yip, 2023 Solo Competition Winner for Rouge River Winds.

Next up, I will conduct a concert with the Milton Philharmonic Orchestra as part of my audition to be their next music director. Wish me luck!