Staff – Calgary Regional Summer Band Workshop

2024 Summer Band Faculty

Workshop Coordinator

Nicole Haycock

Email | CalgaryRegionalSBW@gmail.com | Nicole has coordinated the Calgary Regional Summer Band Workshop since 1990. She is very grateful for the opportunity to work with so many outstanding music educators and young musicians throughout the years.

Guest Conductors

Dylan Maddix | Level 5 Conductor | Originally from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Dr. Dylan Rook Maddix is Assistant Professor of Instrumental Conducting and Community Engagement at Memorial University in St. John’s, NL. In this role, he conducts the Memorial University Wind Ensemble and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting.

Before this role, he worked as a Professor of Music and headed the wind and brass studies department at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario. There, he conducted the wind ensemble and taught courses in music theory, wind/brass methods, and pedagogy. He also served on the conducting faculty at Laurentian University.

Master Class Instructors

Cédric Blary | Clarinet | Cédric Blary has been entertaining Calgary audiences on clarinet, pan-flute, saxophone and voice for over 20 years. He has a B.MUS degree in performance from the University of Calgary and a Diploma from Mount Royal College (now University).

Sectional Instructors

Bryant Wahl-Perrin | Sectional | Bryant L. Wahl-Perrin is a Calgary-based conductor and trombone player. His love of band started at an early age in his native Medicine Hat, Alberta where he spent most of his time in the band room of Crescent Heights High School. Coming from such a musical family, Mr. Wahl-Perrin is proud to call himself a sixth-generation band director, following in the footsteps of his mother Danielle Wahl and grandfather Bill Wahl.

Adam Mailman

Adam Mailman is a dedicated music educator and conductor at the Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts at Central Memorial High School and as the music director at Cochrane Music Society. With both groups under his direction, he has cultivated award-winning ensembles known for their excellence in musical performance.

With a leadership style focused on guiding his students towards discovering their fullest potential through music, Mailman has established himself as a mentor and advocate for young musicians. He believes in nurturing not only their musical talents but also their personal growth and development.

Mailman is renowned for his commitment to new music, having commissioned, premiered, and championed numerous works throughout his career. His passion for expanding the repertoire and pushing musical boundaries has earned him recognition within the musical community.

In addition to his roles as an educator and conductor, Adam has been actively involved in shaping music education in Alberta. He has previously served on the board of the Alberta Band Association and the Calgary Association for the Development of Music Education, contributing his expertise to advance music education initiatives in the region. Adam Mailman's contributions to music education and his commitment to artistic excellence make him a respected figure in the musical community, inspiring generations of musicians to strive for greatness.

Brian Thorlacius

Brian Thorlacius taught junior and senior high band with the CBE for 32 years, retiring in 2011.In 2013 he served as conductor for the University of Lethbridge Wind Orchestra. Brian served for 21 years in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve as Director of Music for HMCS Tecumseh, retiring in 2010 holding the Rank of Lieutenant.

Brian’s professional service includes Life Memberships in: the Alberta Teachers Association, Alberta Band Association as well as the Calgary Musician’s Association. He served for over a decade on the executive of Phi Beta Mu Alberta chapter, which is an International Band Master Fraternity. He continues to serve on committees with PBM International body.

Recognition of Brian’s service and dedication to band students and music education has been extensive. In 1999, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts selected Brian to receive the Tommy Banks Award. He was also recognized by the Canadian Band Association, Alberta Chapter, to receive the Elkhorn award in 2003/2004 as Band Director of the year. In 2009 he was awarded the Vondis Miller Legacy award.

Brian has been a member of Phi Beta Mu, Mu Alpha chapter since 1999 and in 2005 was selected by Mu Alpha, as the David Peterkin Award recipient for his lifelong service to Band. He was inducted as a Laureate into the Band World/ John Phillip Sousa Foundation Legion of Honor during the MIdWest Band Clinic in Chicago in 2010.

Brian’s adjudicating and clinic experience has been extensive throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Montana. He continues to mentor young band directors and band musicians in the Calgary area in conjunction with Mount Royal University and the ClinicLine.

Brian regularly performs on saxophone and clarinet in the Wednesday Night Big Band as well as the CFD Cappy Smart Band.

Bryant Wahl-Perrin

Bryant L. Wahl-Perrin is a Calgary-based conductor and trombone player. His love of band started at an early age in his native Medicine Hat, Alberta where he spent most of his time in the band room of Crescent Heights High School. Coming from such a musical family, Mr. Wahl-Perrin is proud to call himself a sixth-generation band director, following in the footsteps of his mother Danielle Wahl and grandfather Bill Wahl.

Having earned the Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from Brandon University, studying with Aaron Wilson and Wendy McCallum, Bryant is a very well-rounded trombone and low brass player with extensive experience in wind bands, orchestras, big bands, chamber ensembles, pit bands, and as a soloist. He is a two-time alumnus of the National Youth Band of Canada where he sat Principal Trombone in 2018, and was the only Canadian member of the College Band Directors National Association Small Band Program Intercollegiate Band in 2017 where he was Associate Principal. Most recently, in 2019, Bryant was a member of the World Youth Wind Orchestra Project in Schladming, Austria under the direction of Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant. Mr. Wahl-Perrin also has experience as a performance artist, who has been invited to perform John Cage’s Solo for Sliding Trombone at numerous art & music festivals and events across Canada.

Bryant has most recently graduated from Georgia State University with the Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting where his primary teachers were Robert J. Ambrose, Chester B. Phillips, and T. Devin Reid. It was here that he fell in love with chamber winds, most notably studying Beethoven’s Rondino, Gounod’s Petite Symphony, Krenek’s Three Merry Marches, Pärt’s Fratres, and Stravinsky’s Octet. Mr. Wahl-Perrin also gave the world premiere’s of Katahj Copley’s Iris, and Curtis Gay’s Red Sky in Morning, the latter also being a commission. Bryant is currently in the development stages of both a Canadian chamber winds ensemble, and a trombone quartet.

Cassie Lehmann

Cassie received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance and Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta. She has always taught in rural Alberta and finally settled in the Foothills School Division over 10 years ago. She is a dedicated music educator who thrives on helping students realize their potential and discover what they are capable of. She continues to play flute and assistant conduct with the Foothill Music Society. Over the years she has introduced hundreds of students to the bandroom and fostered their curiosity to grow as musicians. Cassie is excited to join the Calgary Regional Band Program this year and is looking forward to all the wonderful musicians she will get to work with.

Cédric Blary

Cédric Blary has been entertaining Calgary audiences on clarinet, pan-flute, saxophone and voice for over 20 years. He has a B.MUS degree in performance from the University of Calgary and a Diploma from Mount Royal College (now University). Having studied primarily with Paul Dornian in Calgary, he has also had the pleasure of participating in master classes and lessons with James Campbell, David Shifrin, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, Eddie Daniels and Victor Goines among others. He has played in orchestras accompanying Diana Krall, Marvin Hamlisch and as an extra with the Calgary Philharmonic and Red Deer Symphony orchestras. Chamber collaborations have included The Rubbing Stone Ensemble, New Works Calgary and regular appearances at the Mountain View International Festival of Chamber Music and Song.

Cédric is also an avid jazz musician and has been featured in the University of Calgary's Monday Night Jazz series. You can hear him on over 25 commercial recordings by artists including Tim Williams, Little Miss Higgins (including the Juno nominated Junction City), Steve Fisher, John Rutherford, Heather Blush, and The Highwater Jug Band to name a few. Cédric also sings bass in the award winning a cappella quartet The Heebee-jeebees and continues to be active as a performer, teacher and composer in and around Calgary.

Chris Sies

Living in multiple musical dimensions, percussionist and composer CHRIS SIES seeks to bring visceral sonic experiences to audiences through his “virtuoso flair” (Detroit Free Press) and unique voice. Chris has composed, produced, and performed with a multitude of artists and composers, collaborating in acts such as the Grammy award-winning Attacca Quartet, the Akropolis Reed Quintet, the National Arab Orchestra, Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble, Shara Nova’s My Brightest Diamond, Kid Millions with Man Forever, the Juno-award-nominated Land’s End Ensemble, among many others. He has performed extensively throughout North America at venues including the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, (le) poisson rouge, Princeton University, along with performances on the Vans Warped Tour, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and the Bowling Green New Music Festival.

Possessing a “searing intensity” (College Music Symposium), Chris made his debut on New Amsterdam Records in 2019 as the percussionist and composer with the cross-continental new music ensemble, Latitude 49 on the release of their second album Wax and Wire. With an aim to combine elements of power electronics and death metal genres in his chamber music, Sies’ “aural assault” (TEMPO) these (were) used to harm, is a substantial feature on this release. Aside from his work with Latitude 49, Chris also records under the duo project ARCHISMS with long-time friend and collaborator Sam Cooper, and is a member of the Willo Collective, a percussion-heavy venture dedicated to creating collaborative and interdisciplinary work. Chris also performs under the moniker S[K]IES - a solo project dedicated to what he calls “psychedelic noise-metal” through relentless experiments with percussion and electronics that focus on sounds and structures inspired from altered states of consciousness.

In addition to New Amsterdam, Chris can be heard on New Focus Recordings, Furious Artisans, Flag Day Recordings, and NAXOS recording labels.

Danielle Wahl

Danielle Wahl (BMus, BEd) is a fifth generation band director who grew up in the band room. Born and raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta, she developed her love of all things band in her dad’s band room, as well as in the discussions had while driving to and from school every day. After completing her Bachelor of Music at McGill University and her Bachelor of Education at the University of Lethbridge she began her teaching career as the music specialist at a rural K-9 school. She then taught Gr.7-12 Band at CHHS in Medicine Hat. After moving to Calgary, Ms. Wahl took a break from teaching in the formal sense to spend time with her son. During this time she stayed active in the music community as a trumpet clinician, guest conductor, band parent/chaperone, and adjudicator.

Ms. Wahl is currently the Band teacher at Marshall Springs School in Calgary. When she isn’t teaching band, she spends her evenings as a Musical Director with community theatre. When she isn’t doing something music related she can be found with her family or knitting.

David Sussman

Calgary audiences have known CPO’s Assistant Principal Oboe and English Horn player David Sussman for his expressive playing since 1981. He was born in Toronto and studied at the University of Toronto and the University of Michigan with Harry Sargous. Mr. Sussman has appeared often as featured soloist with the CPO, playing on either the oboe, the oboe d’amore or the English horn.

He has also been soloist with the Calgary Bach Society, the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, the Kensington Sinfonia and at two annual conventions of the International Double Reed Society.

He has performed with the Mount Royal Wind Quintet and the chamber music groups Rosa Selvatica, Aubade, and Land’s End. He has commissioned a new work for oboe and been recorded for CBC Radio Two.

David is a dedicated and enthusiastic educator. He has taught oboe students of all ages at the Mount Royal University Conservatory and the universities of Calgary and Lethbridge. For several years, he taught the adult education course entitled "Symphony Anyone?" for the Calgary Board of Education. For nine years, he was known to Calgary audience members as a friendly voice from the orchestra through his articles in the CPO's Prelude magazine.

Dylan Maddix

Originally from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Dr. Dylan Rook Maddix is Assistant Professor of Instrumental Conducting and Community Engagement at Memorial University in St. John’s, NL. In this role, he conducts the Memorial University Wind Ensemble and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting.

Before this role, he worked as a Professor of Music and headed the wind and brass studies department at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario. There, he conducted the wind ensemble and taught courses in music theory, wind/brass methods, and pedagogy. He also served on the conducting faculty at Laurentian University.

Outside of his teaching and conducting duties, Maddix is actively involved on the board of directors of the Newfoundland and Labrador Band Association and the Canadian Band Association. He is also the founder and host of “The Band Room Podcast”, alongside composer Cait Nishimura, and hosts the conducting leadership podcast titled "Changing Your Pattern."

Maddix's academic journey includes a Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University, a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Toronto, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from Arizona State University. Throughout this academic journey, he had the privilege of learning from accomplished mentors, including Jason Caslor (conducting, Arizona State University), Joe Burgstaller (trumpet, Arizona State University/Canadian Brass), Gillian MacKay (conducting, University of Toronto), Jim Spragg (trumpet, University of Toronto/Toronto Symphony), Linda Pearse (trumpet, Mount Allison University), and Alan Klaus (trumpet, Mount Allison University).

His professional career as a trumpeter is diverse and engaging, involving collaborations with artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, The Video Games Live Orchestra, Johnny Reid, The Broadway Tenors, Hannaford Street Silver Band, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Hogtown Brass Quintet, and Vox Aeris Trio.

Maddix has conducted masterclasses at esteemed institutions, including the University of Toronto, Western University, Acadia University, Mount Allison University, and McMaster University. He has also provided his expertise as a conducting and music consultant for Netflix's "Umbrella Academy" and Global TV's "Private Eyes.

Jace Stearn

Jace is a freelance bassoonist and contrabassoonist in the Calgary area. He is a regular performer with many orchestras in the area, including the Calgary Philharmonic, Red Deer Symphony and the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra. Prior to moving to the Calgary area, Jace was the regular contrabassoonist for the Victoria Symphony, in addition to serving as the principal bassoonist of the Vancouver Island Symphony for a number of years.

Jace is also an experienced bassoon teacher and clinician, and has instructed at a variety of band camps and festivals, including the Vic Lewis Band Festival and the Courtenay Youth Music Centre. In addition to all of his regular bassooning, Jace has been a music director of the award winning Highwood High School band program (High River) since 2006. The bands from Highwood have consistently earned Gold Awards for Superior performance from music festivals across the country.

Jace loves construction projects, and custom built the acreage home he shares with his horn playing wife, Kristin, along with his two beautiful kids, Camryn and Nathaniel.

Kathie Van Lare

Kathie Van Lare, born and raised in Calgary, has been teaching music in the Calgary area for 35 years. Though retired from full-time teaching, she is active as a guest conductor and adjudicator throughout much of Western Canada for both concert and jazz bands and continues to serve as the Musical Director for the Foothills Music Society Concert Band, the Westwinds Music Society Gold Jazz South Big Band and the Calgary Women’s Jazz Orchestra.

Bands under Kathie’s direction have been the recipients of several awards and she has been the recipient of various personal awards: Alberta Band Association’s “Elkhorn Award” as the Band Director of the Year; Alberta Band Association’s “Vondis Miller Legacy Award”; Laureate in John Philip Sousa Legion of Honor at the MidWest Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago. Women Band Directors International, “Scroll of Excellence”; and an Honorary Lifetime Membership from the Alberta Band Association.

Kathie continues to be active as a free-lance musician (trumpet) and has performed with many groups including among others, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra, Prime Time Big Band, Calgary Jazz Orchestra, Alberta Winds and Altius Brass.

Besides music, Kathie enjoys woodworking, horseback riding and is an avid baseball fan. Go Cardinals

Laurie Matiation

Originally from Brandon, Manitoba, Laurie is currently Artistic Director of the Academy and Advanced Program at Mount Royal University Conservatory - a unique program specifically designed for students who wish to work on their performance skills and self confidence.

A passionate teacher, Laurie believes that all can achieve their goals and dreams with proper guidance, inspiration, and support. She has appeared as a soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, conducts workshops and clinics, and is one of the founding members of HornFest, an annual horn workshop.

She is also teacher of horn at Mount Royal University Conservatory and the University of Calgary. Laurie began her professional career in 1978 as second horn of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and joined the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 1983. In June of 2019, Laurie retired from the CPO after 41 years of service in the orchestra business. She is excited about her next musical journey and adventure, and will continue to support and be an advocate for the Arts community and music education in the schools. In her downtime, Laurie enjoys gardening, cooking, camping and spending quality time with family.

Mark Scholz

Mark Scholz is a versatile musician and music educator based in the city of Calgary. Throughout his career he has explored many styles of music and has performed with groups such as the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Red Deer Symphony Orchestra, Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Bach Society, Festival Chorus, Altius Brass, and PrimeTime Big Band. As a chamber musician, Mark can be seen around the province with the Scholz Trumpet Quartet, and as a solo musician he has performed with well-known jazz trumpet players such as Terrell Stafford of the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and James Zoller of the Count Basie Band. He graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Music Performance as the principal trumpet and concertmaster of the UofC’s Wind Ensemble. He has had the pleasure of receiving instruction from Gareth Jones, Richard Scholz, Adam Zinatelli, Howard Engstrom, Karen Donnelly, Paul Jeffrey and Isaac Pulford.

Mark is passionate about music education and was the Albertan recipient of the John K. Nikel Scholarship for excellence in music and education (2016). He currently works for a music education program run by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra called PhilKids and can be seen around the city leading clinics and workshops. Mark runs a private studio out of his home where he enjoys teaching and collaborating with his students.

When not playing trumpet, Mark enjoys camping, hiking, and fixing old vehicles.

Mary Sullivan

Arriving in Calgary in 2003, Mary Sullivan has been an active member of the city’s bustling music scene. As a performer she has been in demand in multiple musical contexts. She has performed with the Calgary Philharmonic and Red Deer Symphonies, enthusiastically partnered with chamber ensembles such as Land’s End and Rubbing Stone Ensemble, and enjoyed playing in the pit for Theatre Calgary productions. She is known for fearlessly attacking contemporary repertoire and approaches everything she plays with regard for the heart and the soul of the music. Mary can also be found performing her own solo creative work with amplified flute and loop pedal.

On faculty at Mount Royal Conservatory, Mary is a dedicated teacher. She views teaching as both a natural extension of performing, and a pathway to honour the amazing teachers she has been fortunate to experience. Mary’s students become more of a “flute family”. She enjoys teaching immensely, and is known for her combination of humour, caring, and fostering confidence and discipline in her students to achieve their highest standard.

Mary Sullivan, B.Mus, M. Mus, received her music education at Indiana University, Royal Northern College of Music, and Louisiana State University. Her flute mentors include Jacques Zoon, Peter Lloyd, Kathryn Lukas, Shelley Younge, and Dr. Katherine Kemler.

Nate Waters

Nate Waters teaches instrumental music at Westmount Charter School in Calgary to students in Grades 5-12. In addition, he is an active clinician and guest conductor at schools and music camps in Calgary and area, serving on faculty at both the Calgary Summer Band Workshop and Vic Lewis Band Festival, as well as adjudicating as part of the Alberta International Band Festival. He has a MMus in Saxophone Performance and a BMus in Secondary Music Education from the University of Calgary, as well as a BEd in Secondary Music Education from the University of British Columbia. In 2014, UBC awarded him with an Outstanding Practicum Award for his work at Magee Secondary School in Vancouver, B.C., and William Aberhart High School in Calgary. The son of two educators, Nate has constantly been inspired by young people for their ambition and their honesty.

Nate is also active as a saxophonist in Calgary across several genres. He was a 2013 finalist in the RBC Concerto Competition playing alongside the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and has had his writing published in Critical Voices, a peer-review musicology journal. Nate also performs in jazz groups around the city, most recently collaborating with the University of Calgary's Monday Night Jazz Series. In 2017, his quartet released an EP of his original compositions entitled Fact Contrafact, and are currently busy recording a full-length follow-up.

Nathan Gingrich

Nathan Gingrich received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Regina. Continued studies led him to Weimar Germany where he received his advanced artist’s diploma in classical trombone performance and another degree in jazz and pop trombone performance from the Hochschule fuer Musik “Franz Liszt”.

While in Germany, Mr. Gingrich co-founded a number of ensembles – travelling around Germany, France, Belgium, Austria and even to China to perform. He taught trombone and jazz music theory at the Musik- und Kunstschule Jena for 4 years before moving to Calgary in 2006 to begin teaching music within the CBE at Thomas B. Riley Jr. High. In the fall of 2009 Nathan began teaching at William Aberhart High School. At Aberhart he currently directs the Concert Band, the “Abe 2” Jazz Ensemble and recently began the Strings Program at Aberhart. He also coaches a variety of smaller chamber ensembles and jazz combos.

Mr. Gingrich organizes the annual “Holiday TubaFest” and “Slide Into Spring: Calgary’s Trombone Day to celebrate International Trombone Week” events. Mr. Gingrich can be seen regularly playing with a variety of ensembles in and around Calgary as well as leading master classes and workshops. He has also enjoyed adjudicating at a number of festivals around western Canada.

Recent playing experience has seen him perform with the Prime Time Big Band, Calgary Jazz Orchestra, Calgary Creative Arts Ensemble, The New West Brass, Altius Brass, Vinyl Groove and p.a.s.t. among others. Mr. Gingrich is a Conn-Selmer artist and clinician.

Nicole Haycock

Nicole has coordinated the Calgary Regional Summer Band Workshop since 1990. She is very grateful for the opportunity to work with so many outstanding music educators and young musicians throughout the years. Nicole has also taught in various junior high and middle school band programs for the Calgary Board of Education since 1989 and is currently the music director at Mountain Park School. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Calgary. She still thoroughly enjoys studying with other great musicians including: Jazz at Lincoln Center, Canadian Wind Conducting Symposium, Music Mentors International program, Midwest Music Educators Conferences, IAJE and ABA Conferences.

In 2010, Nicole was inducted as a member of the prestigious Phi beta Mu Bandmasters Fraternity and currently is an executive on the board. In 2010, she received a Provincial Excellence in Teaching Award. Over the years, Nicole has received the Pan Canadian Award, the Alberta International Professional Development Award. School bands, under her direction, have received numerous Gold Awards from the Alberta International Band Festival and Kiwanis Music Festivals.

Nicole believes strongly in getting involved with community music programs including coordinating the concert band adjudicators for the Alberta International Band Festival 2009- present where she helps mentors colleagues in the art of adjudication to provide excellent experiences for young musicians. She has adjudicated the Calgary Stampede Parade 1995- 2015. Nicole is also a proud member of the Calgary Optimist Club since 1992. She also thoroughly enjoys performing on French horn and piano with the Westwinds Community Wind Orchestra.

Nicole firmly believes in the importance of music education providing students with the opportunity to develop their own personal talents and the vital role of being a team player for a successful experience for everyone. She encourages her students to strive for their personal excellence and experience the aesthetics of music to help them develop into happy and confident citizens.

Nicholas Allen

Nicholas Allen has been involved in ensemble music since his start with the Calgary Boys Choir at the age of 5. He received his B. Mus. from the University of Victoria (2014) and since then, has returned home to Calgary where he has learned to play any instrument he can get his hands on. He is currently the band and choir director at St. Gabriel the Archangel School in Chestermere. While he leads an award winning high school concert band, he has a special place in his heart for beginners, and has been teaching beginning band for 8 years. He loves leading beginners from the nervous excitement of first picking up a new instrument, to the confident passion of finding success at something you love.

A seasoned performer, Nicholas has sung as a soloist with Early Music Voices, the Calgary Bach Society, the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus (where he also served as the Bass section principal), Mount Royal Kantorei, and regularly performs with Calgary’s professional chamber choir, Luminous Voices.

Rachel Sutherland

Rachel is a recent graduate from the University of Lethbridge, obtaining both a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education. As a professional vocalist and instrumentalist, she has experience as a clinician, guest conductor, and performer. She is excited to be teaching this fall as a grade 7-12 band and choir teacher in Calgary.

Rachel began her music studies 15 years ago, and has continued to grow in areas of expertise, such as clarinet, saxophone, flute, trumpet, and piano. She has been fortunate to work with many wonderful musicians and teachers throughout the years. She is a passionate supporter of music education and presented on the importance of music in relation to school-aged child development and overall wellbeing when exposed to music at various conferences and symposiums in recent years.

Rachel attended the summer band program for six years as a young clarinet player, and joined the faculty in 2017. She is excited to be back at summer band again this year as it is always a highlight of the summer! In her downtime, she enjoys spending time outside, reading, and being with friends and family.

Richard Harding

Richard has performed and recorded with many outstanding groups such as the Jens Lindemann Big Band, Calgary Jazz Orchestra (CJO), Prime Time Big Band, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO), Lorna MacLachlan Quintet, Soul Providers, Penguins on Broadway, TR3, Tim Tamashiro Orchestra and his own jazz quartet. His most recent show experience includes Billie Elliot at Theatre Calgary; Classically Jazzed, Rhapsody in Blue Eyes - Sinatra and Beyond, La La Land with the CPO; and Dancers In Love with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. Richard’s soulful playing can be found on these recent recordings: Then is Now - Rhapsody In Blue – Jens Lindemann (a Juno nominated recording), Live at the Ironwood – Prime Time Big Band, When It’s Christmas Time – CJO, and Bicycle Riding in the Dark – Lorna MacLachlan.

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell joined the Calgary Board of Education in 2006 and the staff of MidSun School in the fall of 2007, where he led a very successful music program until June 2019. Throughout his tenure at MidSun, his concert and jazz bands were awarded numerous awards, including the Floyd Williamson Trophy for Most Outstanding Junior High Concert Band in 2010 and 2014, and the Quan Le Directors' Choice Award in 2018 at the Alberta International Band Festival in Calgary. He also completed the commissioning and premiere of Boom and Bust, a composition by renowned band composer Brian Balmages in 2018, in honour of MidSun's 20th anniversary. He was the Director of the Sherwood-Like-To-Play Community Band for 7 seasons until 2017 and now works with the Westwinds Music Society, where he most recently directed the Green Band beginner program for adult musicians. Mr. Campbell has previously served on the Board of the Alberta Band Association, where he coordinated the Southern Alberta Junior Honour Band Program for 6 years.

He is in demand as a saxophone clinician and guest conductor, including serving as the saxophone instructor for the Vic Lewis Festival in Canmore for approximately 12 years, and working with the Calgary Regional Summer Band Workshop since 2008. Mr. Campbell was inducted as a member of the prestigious Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters Fraternity in 2018 and was nominated by the parents and administration at MidSun for the Alberta Excellence in Teaching Awards in 2014.

Since 2019, Mr. Campbell has been the Band Director at Lord Beaverbrook High School, where he was tasked with rebuilding the music program. Since his hiring, the band program has grown from 29 musicians to over 70 registered music students in the 2022-23 school year, this growth all taking place throughout the Covid Pandemic. This spring, the LBHS band was a part of Randall Standridge's consortium for the commission and premiere of (not)Alone, a piece written to and inspire the normalizing of discussions about mental health.

Mr. Campbell holds a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance from the University of Alberta and Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary.

When he's not working, he loves spending time with wife, Elisabeth, and three sons, Evan, Nolan and Theo.

Taylor Grant

Taylor Grant is the Band and Music Educator and Director at Bow Valley High School, in Cochrane, Alberta. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in both Music Performance (Voice) and Greek and Roman Studies at the University of Calgary, he has also completed a Master of Arts from U of C; studying under Dr. Joelle Welling for voice and Dr. Jeremy Brown for Jazz. He is currently working on his Masters of Education in Secondary Music Education and New Media at the University of Alberta, with a thesis focus on Music Technology and it's applications in high school music and band programs. Having taught for Rocky View Schools for six years, Taylor has been able to develop and foster a passion for the arts and music for his students to help rebuild and grow music and band programs post-pandemic. Taylor annually adjudicates Rocky View School's junior band festival (gr. 6-8), "WestFest." Taylor currently plays tenor saxophone with Cochrane's community concert band, 'Band on the Bow', and their community jazz ensemble, 'Riverside Jazz.'

Tom McCaslin

Tom McCaslin has been described by Fanfare Magazine as "one of the contemporary tuba virtuosos". Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan Tom's playing and teaching have taken him around the globe. He has performed and taught in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Portugal, Finland, New Zealand and Australia.

Tom is Principal Tuba in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and teaches tuba and euphonium at the University of Calgary. He has also performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Regina Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música (Portugal), the Lahti Symphony (Finland) and was acting Principal Tuba in the Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand).

As a soloist Mr. McCaslin’s solo recordings appear on the Crystal Records and Potenza Music labels. His first solo CD release, “Inside Out”, was met with much critical acclaim. The International Tuba and Euphonium Association journal wrote: “Hopefully this CD will serve to inspire the “next generation” of young tubists who will hear and accept this as regular playing and strive to push the limits even further.” Gramophone magazine wrote: “lf this recital doesn't convert you to the lyricism of the tuba, nothing will.” Regarding his second CD release, “One More Dance”, Gramophone Magazine wrote: “McCaslin's technical abilities are brilliant and his musicianship is inspiring.” Tom has also recorded for the Canadian Broadcast Company, National Public Radio and performed on Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. He has performed at numerous International Tuba and Euphonium Conferences and at the United States Army Band Tuba and Euphonium Conference held in Washington, D.C. His most recent release “Chasing Sound and Light: The Tuba Music of Elizabeth Raum” was released in March, 2022. It has been received with much critical praise and received airplay on CBC Music’s “This is My Music” with host Tom Allen.

Mr. McCaslin received degrees from McGill University and Arizona State University, with extensive study with legendary tubists John Griffiths, Fritz Kaenzig, Roger Bobo, Dennis Miller, and Samuel Pilafian. During his university studies he studied for three consecutive summers at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center, the summer training center for the Boston Symphony.

Tom McCaslin is a Yamaha Performing Artist and plays exclusively on Yamaha instruments.

When not sitting behind his tuba Tom relishes his time with family, cycling, espresso, and laughing as much as humanly possible.