Provincial Honour Choirs 2009

Guest Conductors

Avonlea Armstrong

Junior Choir

Avonlea Armstrong graduated from Brandon University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education (A.D.). She has been teaching music in the St. James-Assiniboia School Division since graduating. She currently teaches K-5 Music at Athlone School, including a Grade 2/3 and Grade 4/5 Choir. She is also the choral director at Golden Gate Middle School, directing the concert choir “Vocal Express” and the vocal jazz choir, the “Jazzigators”. Avonlea has directed the St. James-Assiniboia Divisional Children’s Choir, has worked as a clinician at TEMPO, and was the choral clinician at last year’s Orff Children’s Days. She holds an ARCT degree in piano performance and has been active as a choir member, accompanist, and performer. Aside from teaching, Avonlea is involved in the music and children’s programs at her church, and keeps busy with her 5 year old son Rylan. She has a passion for choral music and is very happy to be a part of Provincial Honor Choirs 2009!

Spencer Duncanson

Adult Choir

Spencer Duncason has been a teacher and Visual and Performing Arts Department Head at Sisler High for a good portion of his professional career. There he has supervised the art, band, choir, drama and dance programs, and was instrumental implementing one o the first public school dance programs. He has taught choral music to grades K-12 and had the privilege of direction a number of award winning choirs. While pursuing graduate studies in Reno, Nevada, he served as a choral music consultant for the Washoe County School District. Spencer has a B.A. in Psychology/Music Eduction from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York; and a M.Ed. in Curriculum/Arts Education from the University of Manitoba.

Professional affiliations include Founder/Artistic Director of The Little Opera Company, second vice-president of the Manitoba Music Educators Association, and as a committee member of the Manitoba Provincial Honour Choir, the Manitoba Regional Music Festival and the Manitoba Choral Association. Spencer served on the board of Dance manitoba, and is presently serving as the Past Chair of the Board of Winnipeg Arts Council.

Fran Farrell

Senior Choir

A native of Halifax, Fran pursued her music studies in Winnipeg,  graduating with both Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education  degrees from the University of Manitoba. She subsequently earned a  Master?s Degree and an Artist?s Diploma in vocal performance from  McGill University, where she specialized in Art Song, Oratorio and  Contemporary music. Fran is currently a music teacher within the  Halifax Regional School Board.  She teaches choral and academic music  at Citadel High School and is also the conductor of the Halifax  All-City Music choral ensemble Soundtrax. Most recently, Fran was the  guest conductor of the Nova Scotia Youth Choir in October 2008.

Paula Potosky (McLeod)

Women's Choir

Paula Potosky currently teaches Choir, Vocal Jazz and Musical Theatre at Glenlawn Collegiate. She co-directed the WestMan Youth Choir in 2007 and is the founding Director of the Louis Riel Senior Divisional Choir which is entering its forth annual season this year. She teaches private music lessons and was the Junior Choir Director at Young United Church for four years. Mrs. Potosky has sung with The Winnipeg Singers, Canzona, Renaissance Voices and Camerata Nova. She is a 3-time vocal trophy winner for the Winnipeg Music Festival and has performed solos on CBC Radio and at Folklorama. She has performed with Rainbow Stage, Up Front Stage Productions, Voice Over (a cappella jazz group) and plays in a band with new husband, Korbin. She is psyched to be directing the Provincial Women’s Chorus this year.