Five conductors from across North America have been selected to participate in the TMC’s fifth annual Choral Conductors’ Symposium (Jan 27-31, 2015), led by conductor and artistic director Noel Edison.  Conductors will work with Noel and with the Elora Festival Singers and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir on a variety of choral music for chamber and large-scale ensembles, including works by composers from Gabrieli, Bach, and Mozart to Rutter, Chilcott and Whitacre.

The Symposium concludes with a free community concert at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church on Saturday, January 31, at 3 pm (doors open at 2:15 pm). The concert will also be webcast live at: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7071993/Symposium2015

The five conductors are:

Christopher Dent of Grove City, Ohio.  Christopher recently completed two years as Interim Director of Music at Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio, and was conductor of the University Chorus at the Ohio State University—Marion campus. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Trumpet Performance from Capital University in Bexley, Ohio and a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from Ohio State University.

Susan Farrell of Edmonton, Alberta. Susan is Music Director of St. Paul’s United Church and Artistic Director of the Braille Tones and Semitones choirs which serve adults and children with special needs in Edmonton. She also leads the Edmonton Girls’ Choir, co-conducts the Edmonton Children’s Choir, and assistant conducts Òran. She has a Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University and a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta.

Adam Kluck of Riverton, Wyoming.  Adam is the Director of Choral Activities at Central Wyoming College. He came to Wyoming from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where he was awarded the position of Distinguished Choral Fellow and is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts coursework.

Gregory Rainville of Toronto, Ontario.   Greg is a conductor, vocal coach and music educator in the GTA.  He is the Assistant Conductor of Orpheus Choir and Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Canadian Men’s Chorus. He holds degrees from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York and the University of Toronto, and is twice recipient of the Elmer Iseler Fellowship in Conducting.

John Wiens of Montreal, Quebec.  John specializes in polychoral chamber music. During the last decade he has worked with the semi-professional choral program at St. Matthias Church in Westmount.  He conducts an amateur ensemble, Ensemble Bellechose, whose mandate is the promotion of early music, and he founded the professional ensemble, the Montreal Consort, in 2010.  John has degrees in conducting, violin, and voice.