Gillian MacKay

Gillian MacKay is Professor of Music of the University of Toronto, where she conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches conducting. Gillian has an active professional career as a conductor, adjudicator, clinician and trumpeter. She has conducted honour ensembles throughout Canada and the United States, and is Associate Conductor of the Denis Wick Canadian Wind Orchestra. Dr. MacKay has adjudicated Canadian band festivals at local, provincial, and national levels in Canada. She has conducted honour bands and judged competitions in the US, Singapore, Thailand, and Korea.

Dr. MacKay enjoys presenting clinics and workshops at provincial and state conferences in Canada and the United States, and is known for her work on the relationship between conducting and mime. Currently, she is investigating the application of the Michael Chekhov acting technique to movement and meaning in conducting. Recognized as a conducting pedagogue, Gillian leads the University of Toronto Wind Conducting Symposium each July, and has been the guest instructor at other symposia in Canada and the United States.

Gillian holds degrees and diplomas from the University of Lethbridge, McGill University, the University of Calgary, and Northwestern University.

Robert Ambrose

Conductor Robert J. Ambrose enjoys a highly successful and diverse career as a dynamic and engaging musician. His musical interests cross many genres and can be seen in the wide range of professional activities he pursues. Dr. Ambrose studied formally at Boston College, Boston University and Northwestern University, where he received the Doctor of Music degree in conducting.

Dr. Ambrose currently serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Georgia State University a research institution of over 53,000 students located in Atlanta. His duties at Georgia State include conducting the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, running the highly successful graduate wind conducting program and overseeing the entire large, comprehensive university band program. His graduate conducting students have received multiple honors and hold conducting and teaching positions throughout the United States and in multiple foreign countries.

Dr. Ambrose is in constant demand as a guest conductor and has performed on four continents. Recent engagements include performances in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan as well as across the United States. He is Founder and Music Director of the National Chamber Winds, a professional wind dectet based in Washington, D.C. as well as Founder and Music Director of the Atlanta Chamber Winds and Ensemble ATL, ensembles comprising musicians from the Atlanta Symphony, Atlanta Opera, and Atlanta Ballet Orchestras.

Dr. Ambrose has strong ties to the Finnish music community. He is frequently engaged in that country as a guest conductor, teacher, master clinician, and lecturer. Guest conducting appearances include the Finnish Navy Band, the Finnish Army Band, the Helsinki Police Band, the STM Summer Music Festival Wind Orchestra, the Rauma Wind Band, and the youth wind bands of Kokkola, Kotka, and Rauma. He has taught conducting workshops throughout the country and has served as a guest lecturer multiple times at the Central Ostrobothnian Conservatory and the Sibelius Academy.

Ambrose is a prolific arranger with nearly two dozen publications to his credit. His transcriptions and editions are published by Presser Music, Murphy Music Press, C. Alan Publications, Fennica Gehrman (Finland), and Edition Tilli (Finland). His transcriptions appear on several state lists and have been performed around the world.

Armand Hall

Armand Hall ( conductor, clarinetist, and educator) is the Director of Programs for the Gateways Music Festival . In this role, Dr. Hall plans, develops, and oversees all musical activities associated with the festival. Additionally, Dr. Hall is also a faculty member at the Eastman School of Music, where he teaches courses in the Art Leadership Program and Music, Teaching, and Learning (Music Education) Departments.

Prior to his role at Gateways, he served as the Executive and Artistic Director of ROCmusic Collabortive, Rochester’s El Sistema-inspired community-based, free music learning program. 

Prior to ROCmusic, Dr. Hall served as Associate Director of Bands and Coordinator of Instrumental Music Education at the University of Memphis and, prior to that, as a middle and high school band director in the state of Michigan. Dr. Hall is the immediate past board chair of El Sistema USA® and serves on the boards of the Archipelago Project and the Rochester Youth Philharmonic. 

A conductor and clarinetist, Dr. Hall earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from the University of Michigan and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting from Michigan State University. He, along with his partner Dr. Leah McGray, co-conducts the Roads Less Travelled Ensemble, a contemporary music ensemble focused on platforming new works, many by underrepresented populations, and designing audience-focused concert experiences.

Danielle Gaudry

Conductor and educator Dr. Danielle Gaudry is the Director of the Wind Orchestra and Associate Professor of Instrumental Conducting and Community Engagement at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, where she also serves as the Chair of the Performance Department. Prior to her appointment at McGill, she served for ten years as Director of Bands and Coordinator of Instrumental Music at the California State University, East Bay. As a bilingual music educator born and raised in the Franco-Manitoban community of St. Boniface, Dr. Gaudry taught high school instrumental music for several years in a French Immersion program. She proudly served as a musician and conductor in the Canadian Armed Forces for fourteen years, most notably as Director of Music of The Regimental Band of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles and as Conducting Instructor at the Canadian Forces Logistic Training Centre. Retaining her military affiliations in the US, Captain Gaudry was the Associate Conductor with the 38th Infantry Division Band, Indiana National Guard for three years. Dr. Gaudry earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting with a Cognate in Music Education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She also holds degrees from The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Calgary, the University of Toronto, and McGill University. At home, Danielle and her husband, a musicologist, maintain a fast-paced life with their two sets of energetic twin boys.

Erik Kar Jun Leung

Erik Kar Jun Leung, a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, serves as Assistant Professor of Teaching and Director of Bands at Oregon State University. In this role, he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds, teaches conducting, and oversees all aspects of OSU’s band program. Ensembles under his direction have been invited to perform at prestigious events, including the Western International Band Clinic, the Percy Grainger Wind Festival, the NW NAfME Conference, the WNW CBDNA Conference, the Oregon Music Educators Conference, and the inaugural Small Band Program Showcase at the College Band Directors National Association. The Oregon State University Wind Ensemble was also a finalist for the American Prize in Music’s Wind Band Division., a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, serves as Assistant Professor of Teaching and Director of Bands at Oregon State University. In this role, he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds, teaches conducting, and oversees all aspects of OSU’s band program. Ensembles under his direction have been invited to perform at prestigious events, including the Western International Band Clinic, the Percy Grainger Wind Festival, the NW NAfME Conference, the WNW CBDNA Conference, the Oregon Music Educators Conference, and the inaugural Small Band Program Showcase at the College Band Directors National Association. The Oregon State University Wind Ensemble was also a finalist for the American Prize in Music’s Wind Band Division.

Leung earned his DMA in Wind Conducting from Northwestern University, along with degrees from the University of Toronto (M.Mus) and the University of Calgary (B.Mus with distinction, B.Ed). His mentors include Mallory Thompson, Gillian Mackay, and Glenn Price.

A passionate advocate for social justice, diversity, equity, and belonging, Leung integrates these principles into his work as a teacher, conductor, and author. He is dedicated to amplifying the voices of composers from underrepresented communities, a commitment that led to his first book, The Horizon Leans Forward: Stories of Courage, Strength, and Triumph of Underrepresented Communities in the Wind Band Field, published by GIA Music Publications. The follow-up, The Hill We Climb: LGBTQ+, Band, and Belonging, will be published in 2025, through GIA Music.

He has presented at numerous conferences across North America and Europe, including the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the national College Band Directors National Association Convention, the American School Band Directors National Association conference, and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles.

Christopher Aspaas

Christopher Aspaas serves as Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at TCU. Christopher received his Ph.D. in Choral Music Education at The Florida State University in Tallahassee, his M.M. in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in East Lansing, his B.M. in Voice Performance from St. Olaf. Christopher has served on the faculties of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

At TCU, Christopher leads the Concert Chorale, TCU’s flagship mixed ensemble as well as the Frog Corps, TCU’s premier male vocal ensemble. He also teaches coursework in basic conducting, choral conducting, choral literature, advanced choral conducting and oversees the graduate choral conducting program. Under his leadership, the Concert Chorale has represented TCU at the 2023 ACDA National Conference, the 2023 TMEA Annual Convention, the 2022 NCCO Conference (virtual), the 2020 SWACDA Regional Conference, and the 2018 TMEA Annual Convention.

His travels as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator and lecturer have taken Christopher to Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ontario, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and three times to the Sultanate of Oman. He has conducted All-State Choruses in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Montana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin as well as the British Columbia and Manitoba All-Province Honour Choirs. Additionally, Christopher led the All-Northwest Mixed Choir in 2015 and ACDA Southern Division Men’s Honor Choir in 2016. Christopher recently led the 2018 AMIS Men’s Honor Choir in Berlin, Germany and the 2019 APAC Honor Choir in Shanghai, P.R.C.

Christopher has produced more than forty compositions and arrangements for mixed, tenor-bass, and treble choirs. His works are published by Augsburg Fortress, earthsongs, Genry, Hal Leonard, and Aspen Hill Music, a publishing house founded in 2013 that is now distributed exclusively through ECS Publishing Group. His works have been featured on numerous All-State Choir performances as National, Regional Conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, and TMEA.

Dorothy Dyck

Dorothy Dyck was born and raised on a farm in western Manitoba, and her earliest memories revolve around singing with her parents and six siblings. Dorothy studied Education and Music at the University of Manitoba, and from 1997-2024 devoted her expertise and energy to developing the Maples Collegiate Choral Program. Beginning with one Concert Choir and one Vocal Jazz Choir, the school now has seven choral ensembles.

The Maples Collegiate Choirs have collected a long list of accolades over the years. The Chamber Choir and Senior Vocal Jazz group Maple Sugar were frequent performers at the showcase concert series at the Rocky Mountain Music Festival in Banff, Alberta.

In 2019, Dorothy received the Michael J. Proudfoot Award, presented to a conductor exemplifying a passion for and excellence in the choral field.

In 2024, Dorothy was presented with the MCA Award of Distinction for Artistic Excellence from the Manitoba Choral Association, in recognition for her contributions to the choral community of Manitoba.

Beyond teaching, Dorothy has directed Central Manitoba Youth Choir, Eastern Manitoba Youth Choir and Westman Youth Choir, and has worked as a choral and vocal jazz adjudicator/clinician in Ontario and across Western Canada.

She currently co-directs Winnipeg’s SonoLux Choir and sings in a five-member a cappella vocal jazz/pop group, Due North Voices.

Recently retired from teaching, Dorothy is enjoying working with choirs and choir-loving folks in other capacities.

Rachel Rensink-Hoff

Rachel Rensink-Hoff is Associate Professor and Chair of Music at Brock University and Artistic Director of the Avanti Singers. Awarded the 2016 Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting of the Ontario Arts Council, Rachel and choirs under her direction have been the recipients of numerous honours and awards. Her women’s choir earned first prize in their category of the 2015 National Choral Competition for Amateur Choirs and in 2019 the Avanti Chamber Singers was named “Most Promising New Adult Ensemble.” She was awarded the 2022 Arts in Education Award by the City of St. Catharines and in 2024 received the Brock University Faculty of Humanities Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Rachel is Past Vice-President of Programming for Choral Canada and Past-President of Choirs Ontario, maintaining an active career as adjudicator, clinician, workshop presenter and juror both locally and across Canada. She has served as conductor of the Nova Scotia Youth Choir (2017), the Alberta Youth Choir (2022) and the Ontario Youth Choir (2023) and presents regularly at conferences nationally and internationally. Recipient of the 2010 Choral Canada National Choral Award for Outstanding Dissertation, her ongoing research focuses on conductor training and mentorship, choral programming, and the intersections of creative practice and mental wellbeing.

Rachel holds Master of Music and Doctoral degrees in choral conducting and music education from Western University. She has completed additional choral studies at the Chorus America Conducting Academy, the Eastman School of Music Summer Conducting Institute, and the Voice Care Network of St. John’s University, Minnesota.

Dean McNeill

Trumpeter Dean McNeill has been contributing to the Canadian music scene in a variety of capacities for decades as an award-winning musician/educator and arts administrator. Professor of Brass & Jazz for 27 years at the University of Saskatchewan (9 of which also serving as Head of the Music Department) Dean is the recipient of the UofS’s Dwaine Nelson Teaching Award, USASK Student’s Union Teaching Excellence Award, the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival’s Special Recognition Award, Saskatchewan Choral Federation’s Outstanding Administrator’s Award, and, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Saskatchewan). Dean is honored to have shared the stage with the likes of Jon Ballantyne, Tommy Banks, Wayne Bergeron, David Braid, Dee Daniels, Phil Dwyer, Hugh Fraser, Mark Fewer, Guy Few, Wycliffe Gordon, Kelly Jefferson, Ingrid Jensen, Michael Kaeshammer, Alastair Kay, Bob Mintzer, PJ Perry, Maria Schneider, Denzal Sinclaire, and Brad Turner. Dean was a member of the Saskatoon Symphony for 23 seasons. He is currently the A.D. of the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra which is in its 12th season. Dean has been involved in many interdisciplinary projects and CDs, most notably six USASK Jazz Ensemble ‘Bumper Crop’ CDs (as conductor), various Western Canadian Music Awards-nominated CDs (e.g. The Saskatchewan Suite: The Story of Us (performer), The Complete Rebirth Of The Cool (performer), and *O Music (performer)).*Won a Western Canadian Music Award for classical composition of the year. Most recently Dean lead a chamber music project entitled Regulare which was created in an effort to help people regulate their nervous system in these trying times. Regulare may be viewed for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px41DPSxFt0.

Dean attended MacEwan University (M.dip.), McGill University (B.Mus.Jazz), and the University of North Texas (M.Mus.Jazz). For more information visit: http://artsandscience.usask.ca/profile/DMcNeill#/profile.

Audrey Ochoa

Audrey Ochoa is a trombonist, composer, arranger and educator from Edmonton, Alberta. Born and raised in Alberta’s capital city, Ochoa studied music education at the University of Alberta and is currently teaching with Edmonton Catholic schools while working as a freelance trombonist across Canada. 

Her debut album, “Trombone and Other Delights” (2013) , was widely acclaimed and spent 3 consecutive weeks as the number one Jazz album on the Earshot charts. Ochoa’s sophomore release, “Afterthought” (2017), is an extension of her consummate understanding of arrangement and dedication to her craft – leading to a No. 1 position on the Canadian jazz charts and breaking top 20 in the U.S. She is a decorated award nominee, having earned recognition at the Western Canadian Music Awards, the Global Music Awards and a recent recipient of the Edmonton Music Prize, noting an outstanding musical contribution to the local arts scene.

With significant education, performances and momentum amassed, Ochoa’s next recorded efforts, “Frankenhorn” (2020), were originally intended to feature duets with pianist Chris Andrew – which would be remixed by electronica DJ, Battery Poacher. As pre-production progressed, she found herself utilizing skills from other projects and arranging strings with horns and a rhythm section. The result is an ambitious project that introduces strings into her previous configuration of trombone, piano, bass and drums, a mix of chamber music with contemporary and Latin jazz. Focused on unique arrangements and undisputed inspirations, the album features electronic remixes alongside this harmonious combination of genres and ideals. “Frankenhorn” reached #1 on the US and Canadian jazz charts, and earned Ochoa the Western Canadian Music Award for Jazz Artist of the Year.

2023’s “The Head of a Mouse”, recognized as Ochoa’s best album yet, features inspired and personal compositions performed by an all-star lineup with seamless live-off-the-floor execution. “My father used to tell me ‘…it’s better to be the head of a mouse than the tail of a lion,’” she explains. All the songs are personal. They’re about family, grief, relationships – written during the pandemic as a creative outlet, influenced by artists such as Donny Hathaway and Daniel Caesar combined with her love of diverse genres such as Ska and Salsa. “The Head of a Mouse” earned Ochoa her first JUNO Award nomination in 2025.

Jodi Proznick

Jodi Proznick is a Canadian jazz bassist, composer, educator and producer. In 2019, she was named Jazz Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and has been nominated for four Juno Awards. She was also a recipient of the British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Awards in 2022. Jodi Proznick has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s finest jazz artists. She has won numerous National Jazz Awards, including Bassist of the Year in ’08 and ’09. Her group, the Jodi Proznick Quartet, was awarded the Acoustic Group of the Year and Album of the Year in ‘08 and the Galaxie Rising Star at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in ‘04.

In addition to leading her own group, Jodi has performed with many of Canada’s top jazz musicians, including PJ Perry, Don Thompson, Kirk MacDonald, Guido Basso, Oliver Gannon, Dee Daniels, Phil Dwyer, and Laila Biali. She is regularly in demand to perform and record with visiting jazz artists including Michael Bublé, Byron Stripling, Michael Feinstein, David “Fathead” Newman, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, Peter Bernstein, Charles McPherson, Seamus Blake, George Coleman, Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy, Harold Mabern, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotundi, Eddie Daniels, Jeff Hamilton and Lewis Nash. In addition to recording her own Juno-nominated CD as a leader, Jodi has been featured on over 50 recordings as a side person.

Jodi began playing bass at the age of 13 under the direction of her father David, an award-winning music educator. In ‘93, Jodi received the General Motors Award of Excellence, establishing her as one of the top young musicians at Musicfest Canada, and then went on to receive a scholarship to study bass at McGill University in Montreal. After graduating, Jodi played with many of the top musicians in Montreal, including Juno winners Christine Jensen and Renee Lee as well as Montreal greats Andre White and Greg Clayton. She was awarded the IAJE Sisters in Jazz award in ‘98 as one of the best up-and-coming female jazz musicians.

Jodi moved to Vancouver in ‘00, where she now lives with her husband and collaborator, pianist Tilden Webb, and  son Tristan. Her personal highlights include opening for Oscar Peterson in 2004, performing as a featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and recording numerous times for CBC Radio. Another highlight in Jodi’s career was when she was asked to be the featured bassist in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games’ closing ceremonies and soundtrack.

Jodi’s deep passion for education lead her to pursue a Masters Degree in Education at Simon Fraser University. She was a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (2012-2020) and Capilano University (2003-2013) where she taught improvisation, jazz theory, jazz history, popular music history, rudiments, jazz combo and bass lessons. She is currently the Department Head of the Jazz Program, Artistic Director of the Summer Jazz Workshop and Sister Jazz Day at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music where she teaches jazz bass, combo, jazz history and jazz theory. She has been a guest adjudicator and clinician at many festivals, colleges, universities, and conferences across Canada including faculty at the prestigious Banff Center for the Arts. Her current project is Co-Artistic Director of  The Ostara Project with pianist/composer Amanda Tosoff.

As well as an extensive background as a jazz educator, Jodi was involved in teaching early childhood music classes for over 15 years. Her methodology included a combination of Orff, Kodaly, Dalcroze, Montessori and Suzuki philosophies of music education. Her areas of interest include arts-based research, embodied educational practices, attachment, phenomenology and creativity.

She has been described as “… armed with an arsenal of talent sure to develop recognition as one of the finest bassist in the jazz world today” (Ejazznews), “… (playing with) an infectiously in-the-pocket sense of groove” (Cadence Magazine), “… a jazz bassist with great time and a rock-solid sound ” (Katie Malloch, CBC Radio), “ a great player, who plays with intoxicating passion” (RivitingRiff.com), and “a wonderful bassist who really digs in and plays from the heart” (David Fathead Newman – Coda Magazine interview).

Ingrid Stitt

Canadian musician Ingrid Stitt is highly regarded as a saxophonist, arranger and educator. Now based in Vancouver, she began her post-secondary studies at McGill University, graduating with a B.Mus. in performance. She worked as a freelance musician in Montreal and Toronto for several years, leading her own jazz quartet and playing with many of Canada’s finest artists from coast to coast. As a member of Jim Galloway’s Wee Big Band, she recorded and performed with guest artists Jay McShann, Fraser MacPherson, and Jake Hanna. She was a member of the CBC studio band for the Rita MacNeil show and performed with international artists Cory Hart, Bo Diddley, Waterfront, Lorraine Segato, The Box, and Candi. She was a member of the Montreal funk band Tchukon and won two major television network competitions, CBC’s Rock Wars and NBC’s Star Search. The band also opened for Smokey Robinson, Steel Pulse and Fats Domino.

Her second career began after moving to Vancouver, where she completed a B.Ed. degree at UBC and began working as a secondary music teacher in Burnaby. She discovered a passion for sharing her expertise with young students and mentoring them towards lifelong learning. Ingrid continues to connect with music education as an adjudicator, clinician and private teacher. Currently, she teaches at Capilano University and the VSO School of Music. She holds a MEd in conducting and curriculum theory from the University of Victoria, studying with Dr. Gerald King, Dr. Stephen Capaldo, and Dr. Denise Grant.

Ingrid performs with a variety of jazz ensembles such as the Legacy Jazz Orchestra, Sister Jazz Orchestra, Vancouver Jazz Orchestra as well as her own quartet. She is a recurring musician with the Vancouver Arts Club, performing at the Stanley Theatre for Beautiful, Elf, Guys and Dolls and Jersey Boys. She has recorded two CDs with the Legends of Burnaby and is presently writing and arranging music to be recorded with her quintet. She is grateful to be a musician and to her family for sharing their love of music and providing so much support for the arts.