What's On Past Events: 2024 / 2025

ANDREW BALFOUR
Composer

Prominent Winnipeg composer Andrew Balfour, of Cree descent, has written a body of choral, instrumental and orchestral works, including Take the Indian, Empire Étrange: The Death of Louis Riel, Migiis: A Whiteshell Soundscape, Bawajigaywin, Gregorio’s Nightmare, Wa Wa Tey Wak (Northern Lights), Fantasia on a Poem by Rumi, Missa Brevis and Medieval Inuit. He has been commissioned by the Winnipeg, Regina and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, Ensemble Caprice, the Winnipeg Singers, the Kingston Chamber Choir and Camerata Nova, among others.  His works have been performed and broadcasted locally, nationally, and internationally. Andrew is the Artistic Director of Winnipeg’s Camerata Nova known for their inter-genre and interdisciplinary collaborations. He is passionate about music education and outreach, particularly in schools located in low-income areas of Winnipeg and in northern communities.

LISETTE CANTON
Founder and Artistic Director, Ottawa Bach Choir and Head of Choral Music at York University

Lisette Canton is a choral and orchestral conductor, vocal coach and technician, guest conductor, adjudicator, workshop leader and early music specialist. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the JUNO Award winning Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC), and is also Associate Professor and Head of Choral Music at York University in Toronto, where she conducts the Chamber Choir and Concert Choir, and is in charge of the graduate program in choral music.

Lisette Canton holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from McGill University.

BERNHARD HESS
Managing Director RIAS Kammerchor Berlin

Bernhard Hess (Germany) studied Music and Education at the conservatories of Mainz and Berlin. He was managing director of the Alsfelder Vocal Ensemble and Baroque Orchestra, and worked as a marketing and communication professional for among others the Festival Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau and the Telemann Festival Days Magdeburg. Bernhard was an active board member of renowned music organisations like the Bach-Archive in Leipzig, where he developed the annual Bach Festival and contributed to the international profile of the Bach Competition Leipzig. Nowadays, Bernhard is managing director of the RIAS Kammerchor, one of the founding members of the Tenso network for professional choirs in Europe.

DR. ZIMFIRA POLOZ
Artistic Director | Condcutor, The Toronto Children’s Chorus

Dr. Zimfira Poloz is a passionate musician, educator, award-winning conductor, and internationally respected adjudicator and clinician. When working with young musicians, Zimfira believes that ‘brilliance has no age.’ By building the finest capabilities and encouraging superb artistry with boundless positive energy, she is able to unleash the creative and musical potential of every child unlike any other. Dr. Poloz has been decorated with numerous awards, including Honoured Representative of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the city of Hamilton’s VIP Award, and the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting (Ontario Arts Council).

Zimfira teaches “Vocal Pedagogy for Young Choirs” at the University of Toronto, Music Faculty. She is a Canadian Representative for Choral Space – International Academy for Choral Arts as well for the Interkultur World Choir Council, and a mentor for ACDA International Activities. She is a Board Member for the World Alliance of Children’s Choirs (A Global Network of Children’s Choirs and Conductors) and curator/editor for the choral music publisher, Cypress Choral Music.