ChoralFest Adjudicators 2008

Choirs

Ed Hildebrand

Senior Years School, Church and Community Choirs

Ed Hildebrand occupied the director’s chair at the Steinbach Regional Secondary School for a few decades before launching a post-retirement career overseas. He has been involved with choral music across Canada and into Europe with choir tours, guest conducting stints and adjudication postings. Ed’s most recent position included choirs, guitar ensembles and musical composition at the American International School of Bucharest, Romania. While there, his work took him to London, Warsaw, Moscow and Budapest, with side trips just for fun, to Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Italy and Germany.  Ed is delighted to be back in Manitoba where he finds the province-wide spirit of choral excellence and appetite for singing as vigorous as ever.

Millie Hildebrand

Early and Middle Years School Choirs

Millie Hildebrand is familiar to Manitoba music educators as a choral clinician, voice instructor and festival adjudicator, and for her involvement in countless organizations promoting and developing music for young people. She has fond memories of her years as director of Mitchell School’s music programs and of the seven years as conductor of the Steinbach Youth Chorus. In 2006, Millie together with husband Ed, accepted a posting at the American International School of Bucharest, Romania, where the student body embraces 45 different nationalities. This experience, coupled with her travels to numerous other countries, afforded her an exhilarating adventure into the art and culture of Eastern Europe.  Millie looks forward to reconnecting to Manitoba’s choral community.

Ian Loeppky

Senior Years School, Church and Community Choirs

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Ian Loeppky has been the Assistant Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of North Alabama since the fall of 2003. His studies began at the University of Manitoba, continued at the University of Minnesota, and finished at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. He has also studied with Dale Warland, Frieder Bernius, Martin Isepp, Charles Bruffy, and Bobby McFerrin. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Music Educators National Convention, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, the Alabama Vocal Association, the International Federation for Choral Music, Phi Mu Alpha, and Pi Kappa Lambda. He is currently the Repertoire and Standards Chair for Multicultural Choral Music for the Alabama chapter of ACDA. He has worked as a singer, scholar, conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and arranger in Canada, the United States, and Portugal. He directs all four choral ensembles at UNA and teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting, choral techniques, and graduate choral literature. In addition, he directs the choir at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, is founder and artistic director of Florence Camerata, and is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the region and internationally. He is a frequent contributor to the Choral Journal and the Alabama Reprise

Dr. Lee Willingham

Senior Years School, Church and Community Choirs

Lee Willingham is Associate Professor of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where he specializes in music education and choral programs. Prior to his appointment at WLU, he served on the faculty of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of University of Toronto. Previously, he served as the Curriculum Coordinator for Music in the former Scarborough Board of Education and also served a term as President of the Ontario Music Educators' Association.

Dr. Willingham devotes much time to teacher education and choral singing. He has adjudicated and provided workshops for students and choral conductors across Canada and in the U.S. Lee is the founding director of the Bell’Arte Singers of Toronto and has re-established the award winning Laurier Singers Chamber Choir.

He serves as editor of the Canadian Music Educator, a national journal for teachers and frequently contributes articles and book chapters on a variety of topics.

Vocal Jazz

Heather Bambrick

Heather Bambrick, winner of the 2004 National Jazz Award for Vocalist of the Year, is in demand as a performer, educator, and broadcaster.  The native Newfoundlander is a past graduate (and current instructor) of the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, as well as at Humber College, and has performed with international Jazz talents, including Phil Nimmons, Kenny Wheeler, Guido Basso, Peter Appleyard, John Lamb, and Rob McConnell.

Heather has recorded with numerous acts, including the Royal Jelly Orchestra, Carol Welsman, the Caliban Quartet, and The Beehive Singers.  Her own debut CD It's About Time (2003) was nominated for Best Jazz Recording at the 2004 East Coast Music Awards and is enjoying international praise and radio airplay.  Her follow-up recording Those Were The Days is has also been nominated for Best Jazz Recording at the 2007 East Coast Music Awards.   She will be featured as a guest vocalist (along with theatre great Rudy Webb) on an upcoming release featuring the music of Irving Berlin and award winning actor, musician, and songwriter Irving Dobbs.

On stage, Heather is a consummate entertainer, performing for standing room only crowds at venues across Canada and in the US and bringing audiences to their feet at some of the country's most prestigious music festivals.  Her live shows are a combination of timeless songs, brilliant musicianship, and Heather's unique sense of humour - all adding up to pure entertainment.

Heather's voice has been heard throughout North America on radio and television commercials, as well as on film and television soundtracks.  Since 2001, Heather has firmly entrenched herself in the world of broadcasting, hosting the highly popular "Sunday Afternoon Jazz", on Canada's only all-Jazz radio station, Jazz FM91.  Heather was honoured with Broadcaster of the Year awards at both the 2005 and 2007 National Jazz Awards, and has been nominated in the same category for the upcoming 2008 awards.

Dorothy Dyck

Dorothy Dyck has been choral director at Maples Collegiate in northwest Winnipeg for over a decade. Her jazz ensemble Maple Sugar has been showcased at the Brandon Jazz Festival and the Rocky Mountain Festival in Banff. Dorothy has served as a clinician at Jazz ChoralFest on several occasions, was the Manitoba Provincial Honour Choir Vocal Jazz Director and International Music Camp Adult Choir Director in 2008, and has conducted both the WestMan and EastMan Youth Choirs in recent years. Currently on a one-year leave from her teaching position, Dorothy is enjoying working with many of the wonderful choirs in and around Manitoba

Michelle English

Michelle began her teaching career in 1994 at Kildonan-East Collegiate where she taught Choral music and where she continues her teaching career as Department Head. After completing her BFA (Hons.) in Vocal Jazz from York University (1991) where she won the Rose Granick Scholarship for academic achievement, she attained her Bachelor of Education in Music at the University of Manitoba (1994, Dean’s Honor List). She obtained her Masters of Music Education from University of Manitoba in 2004 which involved a thesis on Vocal Jazz pedagogy. She won the University of Manitoba Betty Nicks Scholarship during her Masters studies for academic achievement and contributions to extra-curricular activities in the school.

Michelle has served as a Vocal Jazz Clinician at Choralfest Vocal Jazz (2005, 2003), Westman Vocal Jazz Festival, the River East Transcona School Division Jazz (2001), St. John’s Music Vocal Jazz Repertoire Session (2000), and directed the St. John’s Music Vocal Jazz Workshop for teachers (2000).

Michelle also took on the position of Vocal Jazz Director at the University of Manitoba (1998-2000) during which time the group was selected to headline at the Brandon Jazz Festival and the Banff Festival of the Arts.

John McMillan

John McMillan is a graduate of the University of Toronto Jazz Studies program and the MacEwan College music program. Currently he lives in Edmonton and works as a freelance musician and vocal jazz director. He conducts the University of Alberta Vocal Jazz Ensemble, the MacEwan College Jazz Choir, and two choirs under the TIME Association (FORM and the J Word). John’s groups have been featured at regional and national festivals such as the Canadian Rocky Mountain Festival in Banff and other local music festivals. Aside from conducting, John is in demand as a clinician, private voice teacher, composer/arranger and performer. John has written for numerous ensembles across North America and has seen some compositions reach the world of television and film. John is pleased and excited to be back in Winnipeg this year.

Cynthia Peyson Wahl

Cynthia Peyson Wahl is so excited to be adjudicating at ChoralFest this year! Cynthia graduated from the University of Regina with a B. Mus. Ed in 2002. While at the U. of R., she performed with the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Concert Choir, Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz Choir. Whew! After finishing there, she received a diploma in Jazz Studies with a vocal emphasis from Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, where she sang in the Jazz Choir under the direction of Chandelle Rimmer. To complete her tour of the prairies, she began working for the Winnipeg School Division in 2004, and in 2005 started teaching vocal jazz and choir at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute. At DMCI, her jazz choir, DMCice, has been a featured performer at the Moose Jaw Band and Choral Festival, has opened for Cadence (at ChoralFest 2007), and in 2006 received a Gold Award for Superior Performance at MusicFest Canada. Cynthia is in demand as a clinician and private educator, and performs regularly as a vocalist and a flautist. Cynthia is a member of Reign of Sound Chamber choir, Mennonite Community Orchestra, and sings with the East Side Jazz Band.