Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Musicians
Edwin Outwater, Music Director
Edwin Outwater is the newly appointed Music Director of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada.
He began his tenure in September 2007.
Edwin Outwater recently concluded his tenure as Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony.
While there, he worked closely with Michael Tilson Thomas, accompanied the orchestra on tour and
conducted numerous concerts each season.
He made his subscription debut in 2002 with Kurt Masur conducting
Britten’s War Requiem, and has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Evelyn Glennie, and many others. His programs were consistently
innovative and featured the works of composers such as John Adams, Thomas Adès, Chen Yi, Gabriela Lena Frank, HK Gruber,
Lou Harrison, Robin Holloway, Nathaniel Stookey, and Tan Dun. During the 2003-2004 season, Mr. Outwater stepped in on two
subscription programs for an ailing Michael Tilson Thomas, conducting performances of Stravinsky’s complete Pulcinella,
as well as works by Beethoven and Cherubini.
In July 2006 Mr. Outwater conducted the world premiere performance and recording
of The Composer is Dead, by Nathaniel Stookey and Lemony Snicket for an eventual HarperCollins release. He will return to the
San Francisco Symphony in 2006-2007 for additional concerts and recording projects.
From 2001-2005 Mr. Outwater was Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.
During his tenure, he led the orchestra in all of their concerts as well as on tour to Europe in the summer of 2004.
During the tour, the orchestra made its debut at Vienna’s Musikverein, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and
returned to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.
In the 2006-2007 season Mr. Outwater returns to the Chicago Symphony, as well as symphony orchestras of Utah, Louisville,
New World,and Portland (ME). He has also conducted the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as the
Symphony Orchestras of Baltimore, Houston, Detroit, Seattle, and Indianapolis, among many others.
This season he also makes his debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the New Zealand Symphony, and the
Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Other international appearances include the Adelaide Symphony, and the Orchestre de Bretagne.
Before joining the San Francisco Symphony, Mr. Outwater served as Resident Conductor and Associate Guest Conductor
of the Florida Philharmonic. He has also held posts as Associate Conductor of the Festival-Institute at Round Top
(a renowned music-training program based in Texas), Principal Conductor of the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival in Molise,
Italy, and Assistant Conductor of the Tulsa Philharmonic.
Mr. Outwater’s work in music education and community outreach has been widely acclaimed. In 2004 his education programs
were given the Leonard Bernstein award for excellence in educational programming, and his Chinese New Year Program was given
the MET LIFE award for community outreach. At the San Francisco Symphony, he conducted Family Concerts, Adventures in Music
performances, which are heard by more than 25,000 students from San Francisco schools each year, and Concerts for Kids, which
serve students from throughout Northern California. In Florida, Mr. Outwater designed the Florida Philharmonic Family Series and
its Music for Youth program, which was heard annually by more than 40,000 fifth-grade students in South Florida. He appears
frequently with training orchestras and music festivals throughout the United States and across the world, including the National Youth
Orcehstra of New Zealand, the Music Academy of the West, the National Orchestral Institute, the Festival-Institute at Round Top,
and the Mannes Conservatory Orchestra. Mr. Outwater has served as music director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, and has been
on the faculties of the University of Tulsa, the Idyllwild Arts Academy, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
A native of Santa Monica, California, Edwin Outwater attended Harvard University, graduating cum laude in 1993 with a degree
in English literature. While at Harvard, he was music director of the Bach Society Orchestra, the Harvard Din and Tonics (an
acclaimed a cappella group), and wrote the music for the 145th annual production of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. He received
his master’s degree in conducting from UC Santa Barbara, where he studied with Heiichiro Ohyama, and Paul Polivinick.
He also studied music theory and composition with John Stewart, Joel Feigin, and Leonard Stein.
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Raffi Armenian, Music Director Laureate
Canadian conductor Raffi Armenian became Director of Orchestral
Studies at the University of Toronto in 1999, a position he continues to
hold at Montreal's Conservatoire de Musique, and which he held for two
years at the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst, in Graz, Austria.
Having debuted at Fresno International Grand Opera conducting Il
Trovatore, he has since returned for their productions of Il Barbiere di
Siviglia, Rigoletto, and in spring 2002 he will return to conduct La
Traviata. Highlights of the 2001-2002 season includes return guest
conducting engagements with Michigan Opera Theater for the premiere of
Anoush (a new Armenian opera). Maestro Armenian will return to guest
conduct the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra (Ontario) in two
concerts. In May the orchestra will record for Canteloube's Chants
D'Auvergne for a cd release on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation label.
In addition, he will guest conduct the Victoria Symphony (British
Columbia).
One of Canada's most prominent conductors, he was Music Director of
the Kitchener- Waterloo Symphony for 22 years. Long-term appointments also
include Music Director of the Stratford Festival, Music Director of the
Canadian Chamber Ensemble, and Interim Music Director of the Nova Scotia
Symphony. As a guest conductor he has led the Belgian Radio Orchestra,
Enescu Philharmonic of Bucharest at the Ravenna International Music
Festival, Winnipeg Symphony, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, L'Orchestre
Symphonique de Québec, Edmonton Symphony, and Hamilton Philharmonic.
Maestro Armenian is passionate about the human voice, and has
conducted numerous productions at such illustrious companies as the
Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), L'Opéra de Montréal, Opera Hamilton, and
Opera Columbus. The Armenian legacy is secured by his highly acclaimed
performance of Wagner's PARSIFAL in which tenor Jon Vickers made his final
public appearance in 1989.
Maestro Armenian has garnered numerous awards for his work
including an Emmy Award for Menotti's MEDIUM, a Juno nomination for a
recording of Ravel and Schoenberg with Maureen Forrester and the Canadian
Chamber Ensemble (CCE), and the Grand Prix du Disque from the Canadian
Music Council for the CCE's Serenades, which subsequently was nominated for
a Juno Award. His discography includes some 24 discs with the
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Maestro Armenian is a member of the elite
Order of Canada awarded by the Canadian government in 1991.
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Brian Jackson, Principal Pops Conductor
Brian Jackson is a Master of Arts in Music Theory, History and Composition from Oxford University. In 1965 he was the youngest
ever Fellow of the Royal College of Organists in London, England. After three years as a Studio Manager with the British Broadcasting
Corporation, he emigrated to Canada in 1968 and he was noted at that time as this country's youngest Music Director, in his role at
the Peterborough Symphony.
Twice winner of the Heinz Ungar award for conductors, he studied with Hans Swarovski in Vienna and with Richard Lert in Los Angeles.
Also a recipient of a Canada Council grant, he spent a year studying in Germany and then conducted opera throughout German speaking
Europe.
Currently Principal Pops Conductor the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Maestro Jackson has conducted all major orchestras in Canada and
lead orchestras in the United States and South America.
For ten years, he was Music Director of the Kingston Symphony and Choral Society putting that orchestra in to the top twelve of such
organizations in the country. In the last few years Brian has returned to his first love, that of playing the piano. He writes and
arranges his own pops shows, plays and conducts piano concertos, and is composing again. His first musical Ernest played to sold
out houses in Peterborough, and the Theatre Guild commissioned him to write a musical for them, Pip, which broke box office records
for four weeks running. To date he has written five musicals.
In the world of vocal music, Mr Jackson has conducted La Traviata for the Canadian Opera Company and La Boheme at the National Arts
Centre in Ottawa. He has won awards for his choral conducting with choirs in London, Montreal, Kingston and Victoria. He is sought
after as a Choral Clinician and juror throughout Canada and the United States.
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Daniel Warren, Resident Conductor
Daniel Warren is currently the Resident Conductor (1999-present) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada. He is in frequent
demand as a guest conductor and has done so with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia,
Orchestra London Canada, the Windsor Symphony, Symphony New Brunswick, The ERGO and Continuum ensembles and the Canadian Chamber
Ensemble. He recently stepped in with only 24 hours notice to conduct the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in a CBC SM5000 recording of
Schoenberg's "Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra" with the Penderecki String Quartet as soloists. He is heard conducting
regularly on the CBC.
For the past six years he has conducted the KWS for the "Open Ears" contemporary music festival and in the summer of 2004 conducted at
the St. John's Nfld. "Sound Symposium" for a concert recorded for broadcast by the CBC.. For the past five years he has been the
conductor for the "Westben Arts Festival Theatre" in Campbellford, Ontario, performing repertoire with orchestra and full chorus with
soloists both operatic and instrumental, all in a wide variety of orchestral and operatic programs. Recently released is a CD of
selections from the Nutcracker with the KW Symphony that Daniel recorded with them this fall.
Upcoming engagements include two appearances in the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Brantford Symphony and a concert with members
of the Toronto Symphony.
Mr. Warren started his musical career as a trumpet player, joining the trumpet section of The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1983.
During his tenure with the KWS, he has been featured soloist on tour, performing the Phil Nimmons Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra,
a work written especially for him. This was subsequently recorded on a CBC SM5000 compact disc. Daniel was also the soloist for a
national television broadcast performance of Johnny Cowell's Concerto for Trumpet with the KWS.
Daniel Warren has toured extensively with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra throughout North, Central
and South America, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain. He has competed in solo trumpet competitions in Paris,
Geneva and Munich, and was a finalist at the International Trumpet Guild's "Ellsworth-Smith Trumpet Competition". He resides in
his owner-built home in a rural setting with his wife and two children.
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Violin I
Stephen Sitarski, Concertmaster
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
“If you didn’t know that Sitarski was a brilliant violinist before, now there would be no doubt whatsoever.”
“Sitarski finds the inner truth and beauty of the music, and this is what he communicates.”
An Oakville, Ontario native, Stephen Sitarski enjoys an incredibly varied career as a violinist and musician. Acclaimed nationally in performances of Baroque music through to contemporary and jazz, he is also a recognized conductor, adjudicator, teacher and music administrator.
Currently Concertmaster of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (since 1997), he has also led many other Canadian orchestras such as the Vancouver Symphony and Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, as well as orchestras in the United States and Europe.
He frequently appears as soloist with orchestra and, along with much of the standard repertoire, performs concertos written especially for him by Canadian composers Glenn Buhr and Kelly-Marie Murphy.
He is 1st Violin of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, a founding member of Trio Laurier, and is a regular participant in diverse chamber groups and festival events both nationally and internationally with many of Canada’s finest musicians.
Routinely heard throughout Canada on disc and on live radio broadcasts, Sitarski has also performed countless television and film scores. In addition, he has arranged music for the Emperor Quartet and Quartetto Gelato.
In recognition of his outstanding artistic contribution to the Kitchener-Waterloo community, he was awarded the 2002 Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Award for Music.
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Jarek Polak, Associate Concertmaster
A native of Krakow, Poland, Jarek began his violin studies at the age of seven. He moved to Canada at the age of 17 in 1989 and
completed his music education at the University of Western Ontario under the guidance of Dr. Robert Skelton and Prof. Lorand Fenyves,
graduating in the spring of 1996 with a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance. Jarek has been a recipient of many awards and
scholarships while in school, such as the scholarship won in the London Music Scholarship Foundation competition in 1994. He has
appeared as a soloist with several ensembles, most recently the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in 1998.
Jarek's career as an orchestral musician began as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 1992, and he was affiliated
with that organization (on and off) until 1998. In the 1994 season he shared the Concertmaster's chair. Freshly out of school, Jarek
won a contract position with the Windsor Symphony in 1996. In the summer of 1997, he furthered his professional orchestral skills as
a member of the highly acclaimed National Repertory Orchestra based in Breckenridge, Colorado; an orchestra consisting of graduates
from the top North-American music schools. In addition to his job in Windsor, Jarek has been an active freelance violinist, performing
with most orchestras in the South-Western Ontario. One of these orchestras was the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, which he was loosely
associated with from 1997 until 1998, when he won a one-year contract as Associate Principal Second Violin, and then in 1999 when
Jarek won his current full-time position of Associate Concertmaster
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Lance Ouellette, 2nd Associate Concertmaster
Lance Ouellette began his musical studies in Saint John, NB. As the violin was always the main focus, Lance also excelled at the piano,
voice and saxophone. From an early age, Lance participated yearly at local and provincial music festivals winning numerous awards for
violin, piano, and voice as well as receiving silver medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music in all three disciplines. While still
in high school Lance was a violinist with Symphony NB as well as concertmaster of the NB youth orchestra under Nurhan Arman with whom
he also studied violin. At the age of fifteen, Lance had the opportunity to sit in the concertmaster chair of the National Youth
Orchestra of Canada under the direction of Simon Streatfeild and the following year he sat co-concertmaster for the NYO tour of Japan
under the direction of K. Akiyama.
In 1996, Lance came to Toronto to study at U of T with Atis Bankas. During that time, he won 1st prize at the national finals of the
Canadian Music Competition representing Ontario, 1st prize at the FCMF National Music Festival playing Glazounov's violin concerto,
a solo recital radio broadcast by CBC, and was awarded a two week seminar in Quebec at Domaine Forget as part of the Jeunes Artistes
de Canada competition. Mr. Ouellette was also a featured artist for the 50th Anniversary Gala for Jeunesses Musicales, the Canadian
Chamber Academy, the International School for Musical Arts, Symphony NB, York Symphony, and performances for Prime Mentors of Canada
honoring N. Goldschmidt and Maureen Forrester. Recently, he was featured on violin as the recording artist for the character of "Ethan"
on Showtime/Showcase's hit series QAF.
Lance first came to Kitchener-Waterloo in the fall of 2002 pursuing a post-graduate Diploma in Chamber Music at Wilfrid Laurier
University under the tutelage of members of the Penderecki String Quartet. During his year at WLU Lance sat co-concertmaster and in
the spring of 2003, Lance was the winner of the Ken Murray Concerto Competition resulting in an opportunity to play a movement of
Mendelssohn's violin concerto with the KWS.
In September 2003, Lance won the audition for a one year interim position as the 2nd Associate Concertmaster of the KWS. In 2004 he
was then offered another year as interim and in 2005, Lance Ouellette was appointed to the position of 2nd Associate Concertmaster.
As a musician, Mr. Ouellette is very active in the Kitchener-Waterloo community. He has performed at the openings of the new Kitchener
city market and Perimeter Institute, noon hour concerts at WLU and First United Church, and the KWCMS as well as many other performances
in and around the KW area. Along side of a busy performing schedule, Lance enjoys teaching violin to a private studio of 13 students.
His violin students have won awards at Kiwanis Music Festivals and many of them are members of the KWYSO.
Aside from music, Lance avidly enjoys gardening, mountain biking, painting, being pulled around on roller blades by his two dogs and in
winter, he enjoys training the dogs in agility.
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Anna Luhowy
A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Anna's violin studies began at the age of 8 in the elementary school system. Having won a major local
competition at the age of 14, she began seriously to consider a future in music. Being chosen to participate in the National Youth
Orchestra of Canada in 1972 proved to be a turning point in her profession.
A position in the Winnipeg Symphony was offered to her in her final year of university as part of a scholarship development programme.
Upon graduating from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1973, she moved east and soon discovered
Raffi Armenian and the KWS the following year.
One of her proudest accomplishments has been the creation and production of the infamous KWS calendars for the years '95 and '96.
Highlights of her career would have to be performing the inaugural performance of Mahler's 2nd Symphony at the opening of the Centre
in the Square, and the exciting tour with the CCE to South America.
In her spare time Anna enjoys fitness training, and has a passion for movies.
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Angela Cox-Daly
Angela Cox-Daly is an active chamber music performer in Canada and the United States and has appeared as soloist with various chamber
and symphony orchestras. Angela was on scholarship at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) in the Course for gifted students for
seven years and was a recipient of over one hundred awards and scholarships in both piano and violin prior to graduating from the
University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music in Performance degree.
Angela enjoys a versatile career including teaching, adjudicating, summer music festivals, etc. In partnership with her musician-husband,
Ross Daly, they manage Daly Live Music & Entertainment which provides live music for all types of engagements.
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Peter Carter
This year marks Peter's nineteenth season with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. A native of Sarnia, Ontario he began his studies at the
age of seven under Richard Lawrence. Peter obtained his degree in Violin Performance from The University of Western Ontario in 1986
studying with Lorand Fenyves. He attended the Royal Conservatory of Toronto's Orchestral Training Program in 1987 under the tutelage
of Steven Staryk and in the same year won the audition for the KWS.
Peter maintains a full time private studio in Kitchener and has coached the Kitchener-Waterloo Youth Orchestra for nine years. This
summer will be his sixth year teaching at The Kincardine Festival of Music. Peter and his wife are members of the Amarone String Quartet.
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Allene Chomyn, (Inerim)
A native of British Columbia, violinist Allene Chomyn completed her Master of Music in Performance at the University of Toronto in June 2007. She studied with Annalee Patipatanakoon of the Gryphon Trio, and was coached in chamber music by Erika Raum, Terry Helmer, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet, among others.
Allene is the first violinist of the Blume Quartet, the 2007 recipients of the prestigious Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award from the University of Toronto. Their prize included a gala recital at U of T and a full scholarship to attend the Banff Centre String Chamber Music Residency program in the summer of 2007. In Banff, Allene worked closely with such artists as Barry Shiffman, Henk Guittart, and Paul Katz.
Allene has toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in its 2003 and 2004 seasons, and was principal second violin of the Symphony and Opera Academy of the Pacific in the summer of 2006.
In June 2005 Allene completed her Bachelor of Music with Distinction from the University of Victoria, having studied with Sharon Stanis and the Lafayette Quartet. Allene acted as concertmaster of both the University of Victoria and University of Toronto symphony orchestras, and has been a featured soloist with the UTSO and the UVic Chamber orchestra.
In addition to her violin pursuits, Allene is a closet trumpet player. A member of jazz ensembles since high school and throughout both university degrees, Allene has studied and played with Hugh Fraser, Ian McDougall, Donny Clark, Mike Herriott and Campbell Ryga, to name a few. She and her jazz combo received the Most Outstanding Jazz Combo award at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in 2001.
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Yvonne Hou, (On leave)
Yvonne has been a member of the KWS for ten years. She has studied at the Shanghai Conservatory and played with the Orchestral
Training Program in Toronto. Yvonne grew up in mainland China.
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Violin II
Anita Walsh, Principal Violin
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
Ottawa born violinist Anita Walsh enjoys a varied career, displaying versatility in a wide range of musical styles from the baroque to the contemporary. An avid chamber musician, she is a founding member of the newly formed Bremen String Quartet and a member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble.
A graduate of the University of Toronto (2001) and Ottawa (2003), Anita’s primary teachers have included David Zafer, Lorand Fenyves and David Stewart. She has also performed in masterclasses for many of today’s most prominent musicians including Kyoko Takezawa, Pinchas Zukerman, Cho-Liang Lin and Midori. In 2002, her participation in Zukerman’s Young Artists Programme let to an appearance as guest soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Since 2005, Anita has held the position of Principal Second Violinist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, with whom she has been a frequent guest soloist. She has also performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Thirteen Strings, and as guest Principal Second with the Winnipeg Symphony and Orchestra London.
A great lover of animals, Anita has been a volunteer trainer with the National Service Dogs of Canada since 2007. NSD’s specially trained Labrador and Golden Retrievers service children and families living with autism by enriching their quality of life and enhancing their independence.
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Roxolana Toews, Associate Principal Violin
Roxolana has been with the KWS for seven years. She has also played with the Thunder Bay and Windsor Symphony as Principal
Second Violin. Roxolana has performed solo recitals in Montreal and New York. In her spare time, you may find her playing bridge.
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Michael Steinberg, Assistant Principal Violin
Michael has been playing with the KWS for 13 years. Michael grew up in Montreal, Que. and studied at McGill University.
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Julia Dixon
Julia Dixon joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1988 after graduating from the University of Western Ontario. Her principal
teachers were Steven Staryk and Lorand Fenyves. Julia also teaches violin privately and performs chamber music regularly in the
Kitchener area.
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Sophie Drouin
After graduating from the Quebec Conservatoire with a coveted Premier Prix in 1989, Sophie Drouin completed her studies in Toronto
and Banff with, among others Liliane Garnier-LeSage and Lorand Fenyves. She has been a member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
(1991-97), the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and the Musick Barok Ensemble (Winnipeg). She is currently a violinist in the
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, where her husband, Stephen Sitarski, holds the position of Concertmaster.
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Vicky Dvorak
Vicky, a native of Toronto, completed her Bachelor of Music degree in Performance at the University of Toronto under Lorand Fenyves.
She continued her violin studies at McGill University with Mauricio Fuks. Vicky is now completing her 15th season with the KWSO.
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Elspeth Lacy
A native of Ottawa, Elspeth Lacy holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Music from the Hartt School
of Music. Prior to joining the KW Symphony, Elspeth spent three years performing with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida
under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. Highlights of her time with the NWS include residencies with MTT at Rome's National
Academy of Saint Cecilia and New York's Carnegie Hall.
As an orchestral performer, Elspeth has appeared with the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Spoleto Festival USA, the Britt Festival
Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Toronto Symphony. She has been featured in concert with the Emerson String
Quartet, participated in masterclasses and chamber music at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France, and attended the
Pinchas Zukerman Young Artists Program in Ottawa.
Elspeth is a faculty member of the Suzuki String School of Guelph. Prior to pursuing a musical career, she earned a Bachelor of
Science in Mathematics from Queen's University in 1997.
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Sheilanne Lindsay, (On leave)
A native of Sudbury, Ontario, Sheilanne began her violin studies at the age of eight studying under Dr. Metro Kozak. In 1996 she
received her Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto from the studio of David Zafer. She continued her
studies at UofT and earned a Bachelor of Education in 1997 and a Masters in Music Performance in 1999.
Over the years, Sheilanne has had numerous film experiences. In 1998, she was hired to star, record, and narrate a travel journal of
a Canadian violinist who travelles to China in the IMAX production Chang Jiang: The Great River of China. She has also appeared in
Miramax's "Camilla", starring Bridget Fonda and Jessica Tandy, and was the recording artist for Showtime Network's production "Sandy
Bottom Orchestra".
Sheilanne has also had the opportunity to play with Lyle Lovell, Diana Krall, Jann Arden as well as recording an album with Thomas Wade
and PBS special with John McDermott. She has been featured on CBC, CJRT and Classical 96.3 FM radio stations. Sheilanne has also been a member of Orchestra London and the Windsor Symphonies since 1999.
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Viola
Judith Davenport, Associate Principal Viola
Judith Davenport, a native of St.John's NF, began her studies on the violin at the age of five. In a desperate attempt to get into the
Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra at the age of ten, she decided to switch to viola and has never looked back.
Judith studied with members of the Atlantic String Quartet and moved to Kitchener in 1992 to continue her studies at Wilfrid Laurier
University with members of the Penderecki String Quartet. During her studies, Judith won the Wilfrid Laurier Concerto Competition as
well as the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra's Concerto Competition. She has also been a guest with the Atlantic String Quartet.
She has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra, continuing her summer studies in Banff and at the Orford Arts Centre and has
participated in a number of QuartetFests at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Upon graduation in 1995, Jody has being playing with the KWS on a freelance basis until she became the orchestra's fulltime librarian
in 1999. She has since moved on from the library to enjoy her new position as Associate Principal Viola.
Judith lives in Kitchener with her lovely new husband, Jeff.
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David Wadley, (On leave)
David Wadley is now entering his twenty-third season with both the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Emperor Quartet. In addition
to teaching and coaching violin and viola students, he arranges and composes.
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Margaret Metcalf
Margaret Metcalfe was born in Winnipeg and studied piano and violin there, and later in Ottawa during high-school years. She served as
concertmaster of her high school orchestra and the Ottawa Youth Orchestra, and joined the AFM at the age of 17 in order to play with
the CBC Orchestra in Ottawa.
After graduating from McGill University with a Bachelor of Music in Performance, she played in l'Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, the
North Carolina Symphony (assistant principal second violin), the Edmonton Symphony, and the KWS; before taking up the viola in 1980
and joining the viola section of the KWS that year. She has also freelanced in many other areas, and served as Principal Violist of
the Woodstock Strings from 1987until its recent fold in May of 2003, as well as performing many solo and chamber music recitals.
She has been teaching violin, viola, and theory; privately since coming to this area in 1978, and coaching the viola section of the
KWS Youth Orchestra since 1988. She also coached at the Music at the Boyne programme of the Toronto Board of Education from 1994
until 2002, its last session. Since 1994, she has been directing Viola Camp in Waterloo, a lively party for motivated students.
Since 1985, Margaret served on the Board of Directors of the KW Community Orchestra. She lives in Waterloo with 2 cats, Josephine
Boulanger and Hester Latterly.
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Martha Kalyniak
Martha Kalyniak, a native of Kitchener-Waterloo has been a full time member of the KWS since 1984. Martha has been teaching both
violin and viola to children, ages 4 and up for the past 22 years. She is currently on faculty with the Kitchener-Waterloo Community
String School.
Martha enjoys gardening, her two cats Max and Jack, and her most recent addition to the family, Oliver, a poodle who lays at her feet,
listening to her students.
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Cello
John Helmers, Principal Cello
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
John Helmers joined the KWS in 1986. He studied at Queen's and Indiana University. John has played with the National Ballet of Canada
Orchestra, and the Calgary Philharmonic. He appears regularly as a chamber musician at various summer festivals, including the Elora
Festival, and the Sharon Festival.
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Christopher Sharpe, Associate Principal Cello
Chris Sharpe, Associate Principal 'Cellist, has been a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 1979. Originally from Sarnia,
Ontario, Chris started learning the cello at the age of 11 with his mother, who enjoyed playing as an amateur in the International
Symphony Orchestra. Chris then commuted to London, Ontario, to continue studies with Mary Evens during his high school years. He then
studied at Wilfrid Laurier Orchestra with Gisela Depkat while playing part-time in the KW Symphony Orchestra under Raffi Armenian in
between classes. After graduating with a B. Mus. degree in 1982 Chris became a full-time member of the KWS and continued to study
privately with George Neikrug in Boston.
In addition to his Symphony work, Chris has been a cello teacher, chamber musician, and the conductor of the KWS Junior and Intermediate
Youth Orchestras. He is currently the Personnel Manager of the KWS and a website designer. This KWS site is designed and maintained by
Chris.
Chris has been married to Julia Dixon, KWS first violinist, since 1991 and they have two young daughters, Andrea and Natalie.
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Anthony Christie, Assistant Principal Cello
Tony joined the KWS in 1994. Previously, he played with the Thunder Bay Symphony, and the Houston Symphony. Tony studied at the
University of Houston, and the University of Cincinnati. In his spare time, Tony enjoys sailing and canoeing.
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Nancy Wharton
Nancy is a native of Kitchener. Her teachers have included John Trembath of Toronto, Ian Hampton in Vancouver, and Antonia Butler at
the Royal College of Music in London, England. This season marks Nancy's 29th with the orchestra! Over the years she has been very
active in the Players' and Negotiating Committees, as well as serving for several years as the KWS representative to the Organization
of Canadian Symphonic Musicians. Nancy was also the President of Local 226 of the American Federation of Musicians from 1997 to 2000.
In September of 2001, Nancy joined the KWS staff as the Education and Outreach Coordinator. Besides her duties of coordinating small
chamber music groups to visit hospitals, nursing homes, preschools and elementary schools, she is an active participant in the KWS
Adopt-a-Player programme, and this year will find her leading up to 100 Grade 3 music workshops for the Edward Johnson Music Foundation
in Wellington and Peel Counties as part of their Musicians In the Schools programme.
When not on stage or in the office, Nancy shares renovating duties with her husband Dennis at their home on the outskirts of Kitchener.
They have three sons, Geoffrey, Matthew and Timothy, two cats, and many guppies. In 2003 Nancy started taking classes in wheel thrown
pottery. The family spends part of each summer in their 2 acres of bush near Barry's Bay, between Nancy's freelance engagements.
"One of my earliest musical memories is being taken, at the age of 3, with my sister, to dress rehearsals of the KW Philharmonic
Choir. We'd get all dressed up like we were going to the concert, and sit together in the front pew with a vocal score on our laps.
We'd follow the dots going up and down with our fingers. I can still hum along to the whole of Messiah from memory!"
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Brunilda Perez
Brunilda has been with the KWS for over twenty years. She has also played with the Orquesta Filarmonica de Chile and Camerata
Bariloche in Argentina, conducted by Yehudi Menuhin. When not performing, Brunilda is kept busy with her three boys.
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Cathy Anderson
Biography not available at this time.
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Bass
Ian Whitman, Principal Bass
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
A native of Edmonton, Ian Whitman was introduced to the bass at age 17 by Ioan Tetel of the Edmonton Symphony and spent 2 years studying jazz at Grant MacEwan College with the ESO’s John Taylor. Ian went on to get his Bachelor’s of Music degree at McGill University where he studied with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal bassists Brian Robinson and Eric Chappell. He completed his Master's of Music from the Yale University School of Music, under the tutelage of Donald Palma, Founding Member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and during this time, made his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York and Symphony Hall in Boston. After a year of guidance from Boston Symphony Orchestra bassist James Orleans, Ian joined the KWS in 2008.
Ian was a member of the National Youth Orchestra, the Banff Festival Orchestra, and served as Principal Bass of L'orchestre de la francophonie canadienne. He has performed with Canadian orchestras including l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Calgary Philharmonic. Throughout his training, Ian studied with world-class bass players including Joel Quarrington, Edgar Meyer, and Jan Urke and has played for artists from ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Tokyo String Quartet. In his spare time, Ian can be found reading about history, physics, and astronomy and aspires to one day be a proficient bagpiper.
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George Greer
George Greer, Associate Principal Double Bass, joined the KWS in 1978, after playing principal bass with the City of Birmingham
Symphony in England for six years. While in England he freelanced with the London Symphony Orchestra, making recordings with Andre
Previn and Claudio Abbado.
George was principal bass for the Gilbert and Sullivan productions of the 80's in Stratford. He did a MusBach Performance degree
at University of Toronto, where his principal teacher was the late Thomas Monohan. Later he studied with the late Stuart Knussen.
In addition to serving as principal bass of the KWS from time to time over the years, George teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University,
where he has performed often with the Penderecki Quartet. He is principal bass of the Sinfonia Mississauga Chamber Orchestra, and
Elora Festival Orchestra. George's solo bass recitals in Waterloo, Barrie, Orillia and Simcoe have been acclaimed.
Bird watching has been an interest for some 20 years. His son Julian, his wife Heather and cat named Gryffin complete the family.
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Milos Petrak, Assistant Principal Bass
Born in Prague, Czech Republic, Milos Petrak began his musical training at age six, taking violin lessons from his father, a member
of Czech Philharmonic. At age fifteen he switched to the double bass and continued his training at the Prague Conservatory of Music,
where he studied under Frantisek Posta, principal double bass player of Czech Philharmonic, where, for seven years, he played under
the direction of Vaclav Neumann. In 1981, he emigrated via Japan to Canada, settling in Toronto. In 1988 he joined the
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. For the last eleven summers, he has participated in the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder.
In his spare time, Milos enjoys cooking and is an avid photographer.
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Bruce McGillvray
Bruce has been playing with the KWS for over twenty years. He has played with the St. Catherine's Symphony, and Symphony Canada.
Bruce developed a children's solo show for Double Bass, which he has performed in schools across Canada. When not busy performing,
Bruce enjoys photography, gardening, and listening to music.
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Flute
Thomas Kay, Principal Flute
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
This season Thomas Kay celebrates his 30th season as principal flutist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber
Ensemble. Tom grew up on Long Island, New York in a musical family. His father was a jazz guitarist who played with Paul Whiteman
and the legendary Dorsey Brothers and for over 20 years was on the staff at ABC television. His mother studied to be an opera singer.
Tom studied flute with Jack Fulton (a member of the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini), Gretchen Kander (former piccolo player in
the Montreal Symphony), and at Boston University with James Pappoutsakis (who was a member of the Boston Symphony and for 40 seasons
principal flutist of the Boston Pops). Upon graduation Tom received a Fulbright Scholarship for study with the principal flutist of
the Berlin Philharmonic. In 1971, while attending the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood, Tom was asked by Leonard Bernstein to
play the premiere of his MASS for the opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Tom also performed MASS at the Academy of Music
in Philadelphia, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Tom came to Canada in 1974 to play chamber concerts and operas with the Stratford Festival Ensemble. At the urging of Raffi Armenian,
Tom was then asked to join the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Over these many seasons Tom has played concertos by Mozart, Nielsen, and
Vivaldi (including several of his piccolo concertos). He also gave the Canadian premiere of Bernstein's Halil. One of his most
memorable performances was given in the great hall of the Leipzig Gewandhaus where he performed Bach's Suite in b minor with the
Canadian Chamber Ensemble.
In addition to playing concerts and teaching, Tom is the host of the Prelude series. This eclectic presentation is a combination of
music history, listening points and anecdotes. This series precedes each Masterpiece concert and is free for any Masterpiece ticket
holder.
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Carolyn Clappison
Carolyn graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a music degree. During that time she studied with Tom Kay, Nora Shulman and
Jeannie Baxtresser and attended many master classes with world-renowned flautists. She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra
of Canada after graduating from university.
She has taught numerous students privately and at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has played flute with the KW Symphony for the past
25 years and has occasionally played and recorded with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble.
Carolyn is a mother of three young children.
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Oboe
James Mason, Principal Oboe
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
James Mason is highly regarded as one of Canada's most prominent oboists. He is celebrating his 25th season as Principal Oboe of
the Kitchener- Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble. Prior to that Mr. Mason was Principal Oboe with the Saskatoon
Symphony and Assistant Principal Oboe with the Virginia Symphony.
He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in Germany, Holland, Spain, South America and Japan as well as the United States
and Canada. Mr. Mason has many recordings to his credit and is heard regularly on CBC radio, for which he has recorded most of the
standard chamber music and solo oboe repertoire, along with several new works for oboe and orchestra written specifically for him.
He also appears regularly as soloist with various orchestras in Canada.
During the summer months, Mr. Mason is active in music festivals around the country. Along with being a member of the Festival Winds
at the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, Ontario and a regular performer at the Elora Festival in Elora, Ontario, Mr. Mason and
his wife, violinist Julie Baumgartel are Co-Artistic Directors of the Grand River Baroque Festival near Ayr, Ontario. He also performs
at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and has performed at the Wolf Trap Festival in Virginia and the Flagstaff Festival of the Arts in
Flagstaff, Arizona. Mr. Mason has appeared as Principal Oboe with the Boston Symphony, Toronto Symphony and Montreal Symphony
Orchestras, along with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Mr. Mason teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he has the largest
oboe class in Canada.
He plays a Yamaha oboe and is generously sponsored in many of his musical endeavors as a member of the Yamaha Artist program.
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Faith Levene
Faith joined the KWS in 1974 after studying with Lois Wann at both Sarah Lawrence College and The Juilliard School from where she
graduated. One of her interests is teaching grade school students how to create and conduct their own compositions using techniques
developed by the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Faith has become a practicing homeopath in recent years and studies Tai chi and Qigong. But really, she says, nothing beats camping
and whitewater canoeing on Ontario's rivers.
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Clarinet
Ross Edwards, Principal Clarinet
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
Ross joined the KWS and Canadian Chamber Ensemble in 1994 after spending time as Principal clarinet with the National Arts Centre
Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony, to name a few. In addition to his duties with the Symphony Ross teaches at Wilfrid Laurier
University. He enjoys listening to music, spending time at the library, and beer from microbreweries.
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Barbara Hankins
Barbara Hankins has been a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 1980 and performs regularly with the Licorice Allsorts
Clarinet Quartet, the K-W Symphony Woodwind Quintet, the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, and as a freelance performer.
Since 1972 she has taught clarinet, theory, and chamber music privately, in the public school system, and at the University of Toronto,
McMaster University, and Wilfrid Laurier University.
Ms. Hankins holds a Bachelor of Music degree (performance, with Distinction) and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University
of Calgary, a Master of Music degree (performance) from the University of Toronto, and an Associateship Diploma from the Royal
Conservatory of Music, Toronto. She is a member of the Board of Examiners of the RCM and recently compiled the new RCM Clarinet
Syllabus.
Barbara is married to WLU Press computer technician Steve Izma and they have two daughters, Amelia and Gabrielle. She is a volunteer
YMCA fitness instructor, sings with the Renaissance Singers and enjoys gardening, cycling, cross-country skiing, and hiking.
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Bassoon
Cedric Coleman, Principal Basson
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
While completing his Bachelor of music and Master of Music degrees at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Cedric Coleman
was an extra bassonist with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras. He was solo bassonist with the United States Air Force
Concert Band Orchestra and Woodwind Quintet in Washington D.C. and was a member of the New World Symphony in New York and the
National Ballet of Canada Orchestra. He was taught at the Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute and won the Benjamin
Felsun Memorial Prize at the 1968 Tanglewood Festival. He is Principal Bassonist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Canadian
Chamber Ensemble. He has served on the faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University since 1975 and in the summer months as principal basson at
the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra and on the basson faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensborough, North Carolina.
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Christian Sharpe, 2nd Bassoon
Despite not touching a bassoon until after his twentieth birthday Christian Sharpe has become one of Canada's most respected bassoonists,
at home in the concert hall and recording studio, in demand in orchestral and chamber music alike. Starting out his musical life as a
jazz saxophonist, he made the switch to bassoon while studying at Toronto's York University, and quickly established himself as a
professional in the competitive freelance market. After performing in the pit of the Toronto production of Showboat, Christian accepted
a position with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1995 where he has had the opportunity to perform on bassoon and saxophone.
In recent years Christian has performed on bassoon and contrabassoon with the Toronto Symphony and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal,
substituted as principal bassoon with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, toured as principal
bassoon with the National Ballet Orchestra, and performed and recorded chamber music on bassoon and saxophone with the Canadian Chamber
Ensemble, the Festival Winds from the Festival of the Sound, at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, and at the Guelph
Spring Festival.
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Horn
Martin Limoges, Principal Horn
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
A native of Montréal, Martin attended the Montréal Conservatory and was awarded First Prize in French Horn Performance and in Chamber
Music. In 1988, Martin was a finalist in the Reims International Horn Competition, (Reims,France) as well as the American International
Horn Competition (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) in 1991, the latter in the Natural Horn Division.
Solo performances have included engagements with Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse, I Musici de Montréal, Orchestre des Jeunes du
Québec, Orchestre Baroque de Montréal, Amati Chamber Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and with the Kitchener-Waterloo
Symphony Orchestra.
Martin has performed all of the Mozart Horn Concerti, the Mozart Symphony Concertante, the first Concerto of Haydn, the Quantz Horn
Concerto, the Michael Haydn Concerto for Horn and Alto Trombone and the Joseph Haydn Concerto for two Horns, with renown solists
Alain Trudel and Lowell Greer respectively, as well as the Telemann Horn Concerto and Schumann’s Konzertstuck. Martin was also
invited to performed on baroque and natural horn at the Festival de Musique Baroque de Lamèque in New-Brunswick, the Smithsonian
Chamber Players (Washington, D.C.), the Lyra Chamber Ensemble (St. Paul Minn.), the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, the Boston
Bach Festival and l’Ensemble Arion in Québec.
In Febuary 2001, Martin played the Carl Maria von Weber Concerto in E Major with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, marking his eighth
solo performance recorded live by the CBC for national broadcast. In October 1998, the composer Gilles Tremblay chose Martin to
perform « Le Signe du Lion » (written for horn and tam-tam) at the prestigious « Governor General`s Arts Awards » broadcast from
the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Martin has been Principal Horn of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra since 1990, and has recently joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Orchestra and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, as Principal Horn in September of 2002.
Martin can be heard on CD on the Eclectra label performing the Brahms Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano with violinist Darren Lowe,
(Concertmaster of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra) and Suzanne Beaubien on Piano. "Limoges is a splendid horn player, at once solid
and lyrical of tone, with consummate breath control, sweet and true intonation…… this is worthy to be ranked among the best modern
versions of the work." Bernard Jacobs, FANFARE Magazine, March 2002.
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Katherine Robertson
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
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New to our orchestra this season, Katherine comes to us from l'Orchestre Symphonique de Québec. She has also played with the
Freiburg Philharmonisches Orchester and the Winnipeg Symphony.
Katherine is a graduate of the University of Toronto where she studied with Eugene Rittich and the Freiburg Hochschule fur Musik
where she studied with Ifor James.
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Alana Roney
Alana Roney joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in October 2007 as Third Horn. She frequently performed as an extra with the Victoria Symphony during the 2006/2007 season, and has also appeared as Guest Horn with the Macao Orchestra in Asia. Additionally, she has been the Principal horn of the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, the University of Victoria Orchestra, and the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra.
Alana received her Master of Music from Northwestern University in Chicago, having studied with Gail Williams. She completed her Bachelor of Music, with distinction, at the University of Victoria where she studied with Kurt Kellan. In the final year of her undergraduate degree, Alana was a featured soloist with the University of Victoria Orchestra and performed Richard Strauss’ Concerto No. 1 in Eb Major, op.11. Of that performance, the Victoria Times Colonist wrote “Roney’s playing was exuberant and effortless.” That same year, she performed W.A. Mozart’s Concerto No. 4 in Eb Major with the University of Victoria Chamber Orchestra. She was also a winner of the National Repertory Orchestra concerto competition in 2007, and performed Michael Haydn’s Concertino in D for Two Horns.
Always very musically active during the summers, Alana has participated in numerous festivals, including the National Repertory Orchestra, the International Bach Academy Festival Ensemble in Germany, the Music Academy of the West, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific, and Le Domaine Forget. Through those festivals, Alana had the privilege of working with James Sommerville, Eugene Rittich, Fergus McWilliam, Eli Epstein, David Jolley, Oto Carillo, and The Canadian Brass.
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Deborah Stroh
Born and raised in Kitchener-Waterloo, Debbie comes from a very musical family. Music lessons started early and by age 11 she was
playing the piano, violin, accordian and guitar. However, none of these instruments were available in her high school music program
so almost by default she ended up learning to play the French Horn at age 15.
After high school she went on to earn her Honours Bachelor of Music in Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University with a double major
in Violin and French horn. Summers during her undergrad years were spent focusing on the French Horn at both the Banff Centre of Fine
Arts and as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada where she received training from several well renowned teachers from
both North America and Europe. Debbie went on to do a year of post grad work at McGill University and ended up staying in Montreal for
the next 3 years after winning the position of Principal Horn with L'Orchestre des Jeunes du Quebec. She returned in the summer of 1989
to work at the Stratford Festival then in the fall of that year, moved to Toronto to play in the orchestra for The Phantom of the Opera
where she met her husband Ernest Pattison, a Bass Trombone player.
During the (ten year!) run of Phantom, Debbie continued a very active freelance career playing with many different groups including
The Toronto Symphony, The National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Canadian Opera Company, The National Ballet of Canada, The Royal Winnipeg
Ballet, Toronto's Esprit Orchestra, Orchestra London, The Hamilton Philharmonic and The K-W Symphony. Also during this time Debbie was
busy in the studio scene playing on soundtracks for numerous movies, TV shows and jingles as well as playing for the shows of popular
artists as they toured through the Toronto area. She was also a regular member of Rob McConnell's Boss Brass from 1999 onwards.
After The Phantom closed in 1999 Debbie won a position in the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and stayed there for 3 more years until
she came to join the K-W Symphony. Glad to be home, Debbie now lives here in Kitchener with her husband Ernest Pattison and their two
wonderful children Russell and Joelle. Debbie likes to keep up on her violin by playing occasionally in church where she also shares
the job of Organist. Summers are spent up in the Bancroft Area where she and Ernest own a 150-acre farm and run The Old Schoolhouse
Tea Room in their restored early 1900's one-room-schoolhouse, complete with a bell tower, antique woodstove, vintage oil lamps and
a delicious menu!
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Trumpet
Larry Larson, Principal Trumpet
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
Larry Larson has been the Principal Trumpet of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble since 1992. Before
coming to Canada in 1987 as Principal Trumpet for Orchestra London, Larry gained considerable recognition in Chicago for the
brilliance of his performances as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral artist. Larry is a graduate of DePaul University of
Chicago and was a student for two years with Adolph Herseth, renowned Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony. As a soloist, Larry
has been featured with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, performing both
Classical and Pops repertoire, and has been featured on the CBC in performances of trumpet concertos by Malcolm Forsyth, Johnny Cowell
and R. Murray Schaffer. Larry has also enjoyed an extensive freelance career that has had him performing with the Toronto Symphony,
Chicago Symphony, Montréal Symphony and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. Larry is in much demand by the studios in Toronto for his work
in motion picture soundtracks and commercial jingles.
Larry's early trumpet training was very heavily influenced by the music of the swing bands of the 30's and 40's (Glenn Miller, Harry
James, Benny Goodman) and the "horn-rock" bands of the 70's (Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears). It wasn't until his first year of
university that Larry heard the legendary brass section of the Chicago Symphony, and decided that a career in orchestral music would
be his pursuit.
In addition to performances of the classical repertoire, Larry Larson has developed a series of Pop programmes with conductor/trombonist
David Martin: My Trumpet Heroes, Chestnuts - Sunday in the Park, and Men With Horns.
Larry and his wife, trumpeter Mary Jay, live in Waterloo with their two beautiful children, Laura and Erik, and four mysterious cats.
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Daniel Warren
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
Mr. Warren started his musical career as a trumpet player, joining the trumpet section of The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1983.
During his tenure with the KWS, he has been featured soloist on tour, performing the Phil Nimmons Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra,
a work written especially for him. This was subsequently recorded on a CBC SM5000 compact disc. Daniel was also the soloist for a
national television broadcast performance of Johnny Cowell’s Concerto for Trumpet with the KWS.
Daniel Warren has toured extensively with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra throughout North, Central
and South America, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain. He has competed in solo trumpet competitions in Paris,
Geneva and Munich, and was a finalist at the International Trumpet Guild’s "Ellsworth-Smith Trumpet Competition". He resides in
his owner-built home in a rural setting with his wife and two children.
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Trombone
Jay Castello, Principal Trombone
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
Joseph Castello was appointed principal trombonist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble in 1983, after
playing eight seasons as principal trombonist with Orchestra London. He has performed with the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra,
Hamilton Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago and was trombonist with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point for
three years. Mr. Castello has taught at the University of Western Ontario, National Music Camp of Canada, and the New Mexico Music
Festival of Taos. He is currently a faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier University. Mr. Castello holds degrees from Hartt School of Music
(University of Hartford) and Northwestern University School of Music.
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Rachel Thomas
Toronto-born Rachel Thomas has been playing trombone since the age of nine and at 13, studied and attended master classes with the
renowned Canadian Brass. During high school, Rachel continued her studies and was a member of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra
for three years. She graduated from the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto in 1988, studying with trombonist Gordon Sweeney
and spending her summers either with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada or at the Banff Centre for the Arts. After graduation,
Rachel joined the Great Lakes Brass Quintet, a highly acclaimed full-time touring ensemble. In 1992, she was awarded a Canada Council
grant to spend a year studying with Joe Alessi in New York City. Shortly after her return home, Rachel joined the Kitchener-Waterloo
Symphony as second trombone.
During her tenure with the KW Symphony, Rachel has maintained a busy freelance career. She has been a regular extra with the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra, joining them on two European Tours (1991 and 2000), two trips to Carnegie Hall and a Florida Tour in 1999. In
addition, Rachel toured with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Orchestra, and performed with Symphony Nova Scotia, Orchestra London and the
Thunder Bay Symphony as principal trombone.
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Bass Trombone
Doug Lavell
Doug joined the KWS in 1979 while completing his Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto having arrived from the West Coast
two years earlier.
Raised in Caulfeild he began at 10 to play euphonium with the West Vancouver Band, adding trombone in his teens then devoting himself
to the bass trombone, inspired by backgrounds in a Neil Diamond song. Formative dues paying years followed with two ARCT diplomas and
a year of college with Roy Cornick (a Salvation Army euphonium/trombone virtuoso) and Doug's first professional job, a strip club band.
Serious orchestral study followed with Douglas Sparkes of the VSO, American soloist Donald Knaub and later in the east with Donald
Miller, Frank Harmantas and Murray Crewe. A resident of Toronto, Doug has an active freelance career working with the opera and
ballet orchestras, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, and various musicals.
While recently on leave from the KWS he studied with trombone jazz great Ian McDougall attaining a Master of Music from the
University of Victoria.
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Tuba
Jane Maness, Principal Tuba
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
Jane Maness received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto, where she studied tuba with Charles Daellenbach
of the Canadian Brass. She has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.
Jane joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1975 and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble in 1978. She is the tuba and euphonium
instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo. She has taught at various summer music camps in Southern
Ontario, including Inter-provincial Music Camp, as well as the Banff Festival of Youth Orchestras.
Jane revised the Royal Conservatory of Music Tuba Syllabus, which will be published in 2003. She has also recently revised the RCM
Sight Reading and Ear Tests for Brass.
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Harp
Lori Gemmell
Lori has been playing with the KWS for four years. She has been a soloist with the orchestra and CCE on several occasions, and is
in demand as a performer across Canada.
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Percussion
Lori West, Associate Principal Percussion
Lori has been a member of the orchestra for 24 years and in addition to playing percussion, also does property management part-time,
for her own properties as well as for a small investment company. She plans to begin courses this fall in order to become accredited
in this field.
Lori also enjoys gardening and has a certificate in gardening and landscaping. Her husband, Peter, is now the Vice-Principal at
Chalmers Public School in Cambridge and is also the music director for the Cambridge Girls Choir, and is organist for St. Paul's
Lutheran Church in Guelph. Daughters Annika and Carly are starting grades 12 and 10 and Malcolm is going into grade 2.
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Timpani
Ron Brown, Principal Timpani
Member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE)
Born in New York City in 1950, Ron Brown moved to Canada in 1975 to begin his present tenure as timpanist of the Kitchener-Waterloo
Symphony Orchestra and principal percussionist of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (at that time known as The Stratford Festival Ensemble).
Ron's early education included percussion lessons with Ronald Gould of The New York City Ballet Orchestra. In 1972, Ron received his
Bachelor of Music degree in Applied Percussion from The New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Vic Firth, timpanist
of The Boston Symphony.
Ron received a Fellowship to attend the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, Massachusetts in 1971 and 1972 where he performed under
such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Colin Davis, Michael Tilson Thomas and James Levine.
Ron was director of percussion studies at Wilfrid Laurier University from1975-1984. His musical compositions include Membrana for
percussion quintet, published by Shirmer Music.
In addition to performing many recordings and broadcasts locally with the KWS and the CCE, Ron has performed throughout the US, Canada,
Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Spain, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Puerto Rico.
Ron is also the publisher and author of The Body Fat Guide, distributed in bookstores throughout North America. He has a background
as a Registered Massage Therapist.
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