Edwin Outwater, Music Director

Raffi Armenian, Music Director Laureate

Canadian conductor Raffi Armenian became Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Toronto in 1999, a position he continues to hold at Montreal's Conservatoire de Musique, and which he held for two years at the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst, in Graz, Austria.

Having debuted at Fresno International Grand Opera conducting Il Trovatore, he has since returned for their productions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, and in spring 2002 he will return to conduct La Traviata. Highlights of the 2001-2002 season includes return guest conducting engagements with Michigan Opera Theater for the premiere of Anoush (a new Armenian opera). Maestro Armenian will return to guest conduct the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra (Ontario) in two concerts. In May the orchestra will record for Canteloube's Chants D'Auvergne for a cd release on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation label. In addition, he will guest conduct the Victoria Symphony (British Columbia).

One of Canada's most prominent conductors, he was Music Director of the Kitchener- Waterloo Symphony for 22 years. Long-term appointments also include Music Director of the Stratford Festival, Music Director of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, and Interim Music Director of the Nova Scotia Symphony. As a guest conductor he has led the Belgian Radio Orchestra, Enescu Philharmonic of Bucharest at the Ravenna International Music Festival, Winnipeg Symphony, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, L'Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Edmonton Symphony, and Hamilton Philharmonic.

Maestro Armenian is passionate about the human voice, and has conducted numerous productions at such illustrious companies as the Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), L'Opéra de Montréal, Opera Hamilton, and Opera Columbus. The Armenian legacy is secured by his highly acclaimed performance of Wagner's PARSIFAL in which tenor Jon Vickers made his final public appearance in 1989.

Maestro Armenian has garnered numerous awards for his work including an Emmy Award for Menotti's MEDIUM, a Juno nomination for a recording of Ravel and Schoenberg with Maureen Forrester and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE), and the Grand Prix du Disque from the Canadian Music Council for the CCE's Serenades, which subsequently was nominated for a Juno Award. His discography includes some 24 discs with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Maestro Armenian is a member of the elite Order of Canada awarded by the Canadian government in 1991.

Evan Mitchell, Assistant Conductor

Evan Mitchell is proving to be one of Canada's most innovative young conductors. He has recently completed his residency as the Assistant Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony, where he led the Vancouver Symphony in more than 100 concerts over a three year period, acted as a Canadian ambassador during an historic two week tour of China, Korea and Macau, and served as an official consultant to the Vancouver Olympic Committee and Assistant Producer for the recording of the medal ceremony national anthems. Mitchell has also taught extensively with student musicians of all ages and is often called upon as an adjudicator, coach, and repeat guest speaker in schools. He is an award-winning percussionist both home and abroad.

Winner of the Jean-Marie Beaudet award for orchestral conducting, Mitchell studied with Maestro Raffi Armenian, earning his Masters degree at the University of Toronto on full scholarship. He has also studied with Helmuth Rilling and continues his more than seven-year partnership with the National Academy Orchestra, Canada's largest Orchestral Music festival, where he holds the title of "Associate Mentor" to the orchestral conducting and percussive apprentices.

Violin I

Stephen Sitarski, Concertmaster

“If you didn’t know that Sitarski was a brilliant violinist before, now there would be no doubt whatsoever.”

“Sitarski finds the inner truth and beauty of the music, and this is what he communicates.”

An Oakville, Ontario native, Stephen Sitarski enjoys an incredibly varied career as a violinist and musician.  Acclaimed nationally in performances of Baroque music through to contemporary and jazz, he is also a recognized conductor, adjudicator, teacher and music administrator.
Currently Concertmaster of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (since 1997), he has also led many other Canadian orchestras such as the Vancouver Symphony and Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, as well as orchestras in the United States and Europe.

He frequently appears as soloist with orchestra and, along with much of the standard repertoire, performs concertos written especially for him by Canadian composers Glenn Buhr and Kelly-Marie Murphy.

He is 1st Violin of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, a founding member of Trio Laurier, and is a regular participant in diverse chamber groups and festival events both nationally and internationally with many of Canada’s finest musicians.

Routinely heard throughout Canada on disc and on live radio broadcasts, Sitarski has also performed countless television and film scores.  In addition, he has arranged music for the Emperor Quartet and Quartetto Gelato.

In recognition of his outstanding artistic contribution to the Kitchener-Waterloo community, he was awarded the 2002 Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Award for Music.

Jarek Polak, Associate Concertmaster

A native of Krakow, Poland, Jarek began his violin studies at the age of seven. He moved to Canada at the age of 17 in 1989 and completed his music education at the University of Western Ontario under the guidance of Dr. Robert Skelton and Prof. Lorand Fenyves, graduating in the spring of 1996 with a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance. Jarek has been a recipient of many awards and scholarships while in school, such as the scholarship won in the London Music Scholarship Foundation competition in 1994. He has appeared as a soloist with several ensembles, most recently the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in 1998.

Jarek's career as an orchestral musician began as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 1992, and he was affiliated with that organization (on and off) until 1998. In the 1994 season he shared the Concertmaster's chair. Freshly out of school, Jarek won a contract position with the Windsor Symphony in 1996. In the summer of 1997, he furthered his professional orchestral skills as a member of the highly acclaimed National Repertory Orchestra based in Breckenridge, Colorado; an orchestra consisting of graduates from the top North-American music schools. In addition to his job in Windsor, Jarek has been an active freelance violinist, performing with most orchestras in the South-Western Ontario. One of these orchestras was the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, which he was loosely associated with from 1997 until 1998, when he won a one-year contract as Associate Principal Second Violin, and then in 1999 when Jarek won his current full-time position of Associate Concertmaster.

Lance Ouellette, 2nd Associate Concertmaster

Lance Ouellette began his musical studies in Saint John, NB. As the violin was always the main focus, Lance also excelled at the piano, voice and saxophone. From an early age, Lance participated yearly at local and provincial music festivals winning numerous awards for violin, piano, and voice as well as receiving silver medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music in all three disciplines. While still in high school Lance was a violinist with Symphony NB as well as concertmaster of the NB youth orchestra under Nurhan Arman with whom he also studied violin. At the age of fifteen, Lance had the opportunity to sit in the concertmaster chair of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada under the direction of Simon Streatfeild and the following year he sat co-concertmaster for the NYO tour of Japan under the direction of K. Akiyama.

In 1996, Lance came to Toronto to study at U of T with Atis Bankas. During that time, he won 1st prize at the national finals of the Canadian Music Competition representing Ontario, 1st prize at the FCMF National Music Festival playing Glazounov's violin concerto, a solo recital radio broadcast by CBC, and was awarded a two week seminar in Quebec at Domaine Forget as part of the Jeunes Artistes de Canada competition. Mr. Ouellette was also a featured artist for the 50th Anniversary Gala for Jeunesses Musicales, the Canadian Chamber Academy, the International School for Musical Arts, Symphony NB, York Symphony, and performances for Prime Mentors of Canada honoring N. Goldschmidt and Maureen Forrester. Recently, he was featured on violin as the recording artist for the character of "Ethan" on Showtime/Showcase's hit series QAF.

Lance first came to Kitchener-Waterloo in the fall of 2002 pursuing a post-graduate Diploma in Chamber Music at Wilfrid Laurier University under the tutelage of members of the Penderecki String Quartet. During his year at WLU Lance sat co-concertmaster and in the spring of 2003, Lance was the winner of the Ken Murray Concerto Competition resulting in an opportunity to play a movement of Mendelssohn's violin concerto with the KWS.

In September 2003, Lance won the audition for a one year interim position as the 2nd Associate Concertmaster of the KWS. In 2004 he was then offered another year as interim and in 2005, Lance Ouellette was appointed to the position of 2nd Associate Concertmaster.

As a musician, Mr. Ouellette is very active in the Kitchener-Waterloo community. He has performed at the openings of the new Kitchener city market and Perimeter Institute, noon hour concerts at WLU and First United Church, and the KWCMS as well as many other performances in and around the KW area. Along side of a busy performing schedule, Lance enjoys teaching violin to a private studio of 13 students. His violin students have won awards at Kiwanis Music Festivals and many of them are members of the KWYSO.

Aside from music, Lance avidly enjoys gardening, mountain biking, painting, being pulled around on roller blades by his two dogs and in winter, he enjoys training the dogs in agility.

Peter Carter

Peter has been with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 1987. A native of Sarnia, Ontario he began his studies at the age of seven under Richard Lawrence. Peter obtained his degree in Violin Performance from The University of Western Ontario in 1986 studying with Lorand Fenyves. He attended the Royal Conservatory of Toronto's Orchestral Training Program in 1987 under the tutelage of Steven Staryk and in the same year won the audition for the KWS.

Peter maintains a full time private studio in Kitchener and has coached the Kitchener-Waterloo Youth Orchestra for nine years. This summer will be his sixth year teaching at The Kincardine Festival of Music. Peter and his wife are members of the Amarone String Quartet.

Allene Chomyn

A native of British Columbia, violinist Allene Chomyn completed her Master of Music in Performance at the University of Toronto in June 2007. She studied with Annalee Patipatanakoon of the Gryphon Trio, and was coached in chamber music by Erika Raum, Terry Helmer, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet, among others.

Allene is the first violinist of the Blume Quartet, the 2007 recipients of the prestigious Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award from the University of Toronto. Their prize included a gala recital at U of T and a full scholarship to attend the Banff Centre String Chamber Music Residency program in the summer of 2007. In Banff, Allene worked closely with such artists as Barry Shiffman, Henk Guittart, and Paul Katz.

Allene has toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in its 2003 and 2004 seasons, and was principal second violin of the Symphony and Opera Academy of the Pacific in the summer of 2006.

In June 2005 Allene completed her Bachelor of Music with Distinction from the University of Victoria, having studied with Sharon Stanis and the Lafayette Quartet. Allene acted as concertmaster of both the University of Victoria and University of Toronto symphony orchestras, and has been a featured soloist with the UTSO and the UVic Chamber orchestra.

In addition to her violin pursuits, Allene is a closet trumpet player. A member of jazz ensembles since high school and throughout both university degrees, Allene has studied and played with Hugh Fraser, Ian McDougall, Donny Clark, Mike Herriott and Campbell Ryga, to name a few. She and her jazz combo received the Most Outstanding Jazz Combo award at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in 2001.

Angela Cox-Daly

Angela Cox-Daly has been a member of the KW symphony since 1988 as second associate concertmaster until 2003. After a playing related injury and almost three years off, Angela gratefully returned as a section first violinist. She is an active chamber music performer in Canada and the United States and has appeared as soloist with various chamber and symphony orchestras including the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, KW Community Orchestra, Scarborough Philharmonic and the North York Symphony. Angela was on scholarship on both violin and piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) in the Course for gifted students for seven years and was a recipient of over one hundred awards and scholarships in both piano and violin prior to graduating from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music in Performance degree.
Angela enjoys a versatile career including teaching, coaching, adjudicating, summer music festivals etc. In partnership with her musician-husband, Ross, they manage Daly Live Music & Entertainment which provides live music for all types of engagements. Their three children have been members of all levels of the wonderful Kitchener-Waterloo Youth Orchestra programme. Angela is also an avid trick water-skier!

Julia Dixon

Julia Dixon joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1988 after graduating from the University of Western Ontario. Her principal teachers were Steven Staryk and Lorand Fenyves. Julia also teaches violin privately and performs chamber music regularly in the Kitchener area.

Violin II

Anita Walsh, Principal

Currently Principal Second Violinist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Anita enjoys a varied career, displaying versatility in a wide range of musical styles. As an orchestral player, she has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thirteen Strings Ensemble, and as guest Principal with the Winnipeg and London (Ont.) Symphony Orchestras.

Equally at home as a chamber musician, Anita is a founding member of the Bremen String Quartet, and has appeared in concert with distinguished colleagues at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, MusicFest Vancouver, the Glenn Gould Studio, Colorado Springs Summer Music Festival, Le Domaine Forget, Festival of the Sound, Scotia Festival of Music, Banff Centre for the Performing Arts, Perimeter Institute, Blackcreek Festival, and the Westben Arts Festival. She has recorded for CBC records, and has been broadcasted on CBC Radio’s “Take Five” and “In Performance”.

Originally from Ottawa, Anita studied formatively with David Zafer, Lorand Fenyves, and David Stewart, earning her M.Mus. She received additional training from Pinchas Zukerman, Midori, Kyoko Takezawa, Cho-Liang Lin, and members of the St. Lawrence, Orford, Ying, and Tokyo string quartets.

Aside from her affinity for performing, Anita is deeply committed to volunteerism in the Waterloo Region. She enjoys working with various groups, including the National Service Dogs of Canada who train Labrador and Golden Retrievers for families living with autism and post traumatic stress disorder.  

www.bremenstringquartet.com

Roxolana Toews, Associate Principal

Roxolana has been with the KWS since 1989. She has also played with the Thunder Bay and Windsor Symphony as Principal Second Violin. Roxolana has performed solo recitals in Montreal and New York. In her spare time, you may find her playing bridge.

Michael Steinberg

Michael has been playing with the KWS since 1983. Michael grew up in Montreal, QC and studied at McGill University.

Sophie Drouin

After graduating from the Quebec Conservatoire with a coveted Premier Prix in 1989, Sophie Drouin completed her studies in Toronto and Banff with, among others Liliane Garnier-LeSage and Lorand Fenyves. She has been a member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (1991-97), the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and the Musick Barok Ensemble (Winnipeg). She is currently a violinist in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, where her husband, Stephen Sitarski, holds the position of Concertmaster.

Vicky Dvorak

Vicky, a native of Toronto, completed her Bachelor of Music degree in Performance at the University of Toronto under Lorand Fenyves. She continued her violin studies at McGill University with Mauricio Fuks. Vicky is now completing her 18th season with the KWS.

Elspeth Durward

A native of Ottawa, Elspeth Durward holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Music from the Hartt School of Music. Prior to joining the KW Symphony, Elspeth spent three years performing with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. Highlights of her time with the NWS include residencies with MTT at Rome's National Academy of Saint Cecilia and New York's Carnegie Hall.

As an orchestral performer, Elspeth has appeared with the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Spoleto Festival USA, the Britt Festival Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Toronto Symphony. She has been featured in concert with the Emerson String Quartet, participated in masterclasses and chamber music at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France, and attended the Pinchas Zukerman Young Artists Program in Ottawa.

Elspeth is a faculty member of the Suzuki String School of Guelph. Prior to pursuing a musical career, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Queen's University in 1997.

Anna Luhowy

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Anna's violin studies began at the age of 8 in the elementary school system. Having won a major local competition at the age of 14, she began seriously to consider a future in music. Being chosen to participate in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 1972 proved to be a turning point in her profession.

A position in the Winnipeg Symphony was offered to her in her final year of university as part of a scholarship development programme. Upon graduating from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1973, she moved east and soon discovered Raffi Armenian and the KWS the following year.

One of her proudest accomplishments has been the creation and production of the infamous KWS calendars for the years '95 and '96. Highlights of her career would have to be performing the inaugural performance of Mahler's 2nd Symphony at the opening of the Centre in the Square, and the exciting tour with the CCE to South America.

In her spare time Anna enjoys fitness training, and has a passion for movies.

Viola

Natasha Sharko, Principal

A long-time member of the Gould String Quartet, the quartet-in-residence at the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival, Natasha has delighted audiences with her talent, charm and dedication to her music. Born in Sudbury, Natasha began her violin lessons at the age of four. First-place winner of numerous Kiwanis Competitions, she was concertmistress of the Sudbury Youth Orchestra, played in the Sudbury Symphony from the age of 12, and soon after joined the National Youth Orchestra.  Initially studying science at McGill University, Natasha missed having music as a part of her life and ended up graduating with a triple major – Violin Performance, Viola Performance, and Music History.  It was at McGill where she was first invited to try the viola and she felt an immediate personal connection to its deeper voice.  Natasha went on to earn a Master of Music degree from the University of Toronto.  Her career has included performances with Opera Hamilton, the Festival dei due mondi in Spoleto, Italy, three seasons with the Boris Brott National Academy Orchestra, freelancing with orchestras across Southern Ontario, and teacher and chamber music coach on faculty at the Toronto School for Strings.  2011/12 marks Natasha’s first season as Principal Viola for the KWS.

Judith Davenport, Associate Principal

Judith Davenport, a native of St.John's NF, began her studies on the violin when she was five years old. In a desperate attempt to get into the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra at the age of ten, she decided to switch to viola and has never looked back.

Judith studied with members of the Atlantic String Quartet and moved to Kitchener in 1992 to continue her education at Wilfrid Laurier University with members of the Penderecki String Quartet. During her studies, Judith won the Wilfrid Laurier Concerto Competition as well as the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra's Concerto Competition.  She has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra, continuing her summer studies in Banff, at the Orford Arts Centre and has participated in a number of QuartetFests at Wilfrid Laurier University.  

Judith's primary teachers have been Laura Wilcox, Yariv Aloni and Dov Scheindlin.
She has performed in masterclasses with many of today's most prominent musicians including Karen Tuttle, Paul Coletti, and Lorand Fenyves.

She is an active freelance musician playing with such orchestras as the Elora Festival Orchestra, Festival of the Sound Orchestra, Grand River Baroque Festival, the Aradia Ensemble and the Westben Festival Orchestra.

Judith is an avid chamber musician and a founding member of the Bremen String Quartet, a dynamic new quartet in the region which is in high demand to perform at venues such as PI Bistro series, KWMS, First United, WLU and Conrad Grebel.  She has been featured with the 4tet on the KWS's Baroque and Beyond series, will be performing at the Leith Summer Festival in July 2011, and will present a chamber music seminar and a series of masterclasses at the National Academy Orchestra 's chamber music festival.  a solo concerto with the KW Community Orchestra and the Oakville Chamber Orchestra. 

As an educator, Judith is very active in the Kitchener-Waterloo community.  She has taught at University of Waterloo (Conrad Grebel), University of Toronto, Eastwood Collegiate as well as maintaining a small private studio and giving masterclasses at Wilfrid Laurier.  She is regularly called upon to coach the string sections of the KWS Youth Orchestra and the WLU orchestra.  She is also in high demand as a clinician across southern Ontario.  In 2008 the Bremen String Quartet established a highly successful chamber music program for young musicians under the auspices of the KWS.

Judith has held the position of Associate Principal Viola with the KWS since October, 2002.

Gregory Campbell, Acting Associate Principal

Gregory Campbell joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 2008 as Assistant Principal Viola.  

Mr. Campbell is an avid chamber musician.  In 2009 he was invited to perform at Schutertaller Kammermusikwoche in Germany's Black Forest.  In July 2007 he was invited to teach and play chamber music at the Orvieto Musica festival in Orvieto, Italy.  As a member of the McGill Chamber Players he was privileged to perform Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklaerte Nachte in Edinburgh and Glasgow as part of a tour of Scotland in 2001.  He has performed numerous times at the Domaine Forget chamber music festival in Charlevoix, Quebec; one highlight was a performance of Erich Korngold’s Sextet alongside his former teacher, Douglas McNabney of McGill University.

Gregory is inspired by music written today.  While studying at the Glenn Gould School, Mr. Campbell appeared as a soloist with the school's Contemporary Music Ensemble; as well, he premiered a work for solo viola written by Andrew Creeggan, a former member of the Barenaked Ladies.  He also performs as a member of Toronto's Esprit Orchestra, and has performed with the experimental Art of Time Ensemble.  

He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music's Glenn Gould School, as well as at McGill University and Boston University.  Mr. Campbell also holds a degree in physics from McGill University.  He lives in Toronto with his wife and cat, and teaches at the Toronto Suzuki Studio.

Martha Kalyniak

Martha Kalyniak, a native of Kitchener-Waterloo has been a full time member of the KWS since 1984. Martha has been teaching both violin and viola to children, ages 4 and up for the past 22 years. She is currently on faculty with the Kitchener-Waterloo Community String School.

Martha enjoys gardening, her two cats Max and Jack, and her most recent addition to the family, Oliver, a poodle who lays at her feet, listening to her students.

Margaret Metcalfe

Margaret Metcalfe was born in Winnipeg and studied piano and violin there, and later in Ottawa during high-school years. She served as concertmaster of her high school orchestra and the Ottawa Youth Orchestra, and joined the AFM at the age of 17 in order to play with the CBC Orchestra in Ottawa.

After graduating from McGill University with a Bachelor of Music in Performance, she played in l'Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, the North Carolina Symphony (assistant principal second violin), the Edmonton Symphony, and the KWS; before taking up the viola in 1980 and joining the viola section of the KWS that year. She has also freelanced in many other areas, and served as Principal Violist of the Woodstock Strings from 1987until its recent fold in May of 2003, as well as performing many solo and chamber music recitals.

She has been teaching violin, viola, and theory; privately since coming to this area in 1978, and coaching the viola section of the KWS Youth Orchestra since 1988. She also coached at the Music at the Boyne programme of the Toronto Board of Education from 1994 until 2002, its last session. Since 1994, she has been directing Viola Camp in Waterloo, a lively party for motivated students.

Since 1985, Margaret served on the Board of Directors of the KW Community Orchestra. She lives in Waterloo with 2 cats, Josephine Boulanger and Hester Latterly.

David Wadley

David Wadley joined the viola section of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1984. His chair is generously sponsored by Joanne and John Bender. In addition to teaching and coaching violin and viola students, he arranges and composes. David has been spending his summers at the Banff Centre as Orchestra Manager since 2007.

Cello

John Helmers, Principal

John Helmers joined the KWS in 1986. He studied at Queen's and Indiana University. John has played with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, and the Calgary Philharmonic. He appears regularly as a chamber musician at various summer festivals, including the Elora Festival, and the Sharon Festival.

Christopher Sharpe, Associate Principal

Chris Sharpe, Associate Principal 'Cellist, has been a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 1979. Originally from Sarnia, Ontario, Chris started learning the cello at the age of 11 with his mother, who enjoyed playing as an amateur in the International Symphony Orchestra. Chris then commuted to London, Ontario, to continue studies with Mary Evens during his high school years. He then studied at Wilfrid Laurier Orchestra with Gisela Depkat while playing part-time in the KW Symphony Orchestra under Raffi Armenian in between classes. After graduating with a B. Mus. degree in 1982 Chris became a full-time member of the KWS and continued to study privately with George Neikrug in Boston.

In addition to his Symphony work, Chris has been a cello teacher, chamber musician, and the conductor of the KWS Junior and Intermediate Youth Orchestras. He is currently the Director of Education and Outreach of the KWS.

Chris has been married to Julia Dixon, KWS first violinist, since 1991 and they have two young daughters, Andrea and Natalie.

Anthony Christie, Assistant Principal

Tony joined the KWS in 1994. Previously, he played with the Thunder Bay Symphony, and the Houston Symphony. Tony studied at the University of Houston, and the University of Cincinnati. In his spare time, Tony enjoys sailing and canoeing.

Cathy Anderson

A native of Guelph, Ontario, Cathy Anderson holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, where she studied cello with Paul Pulford and members of the Penderecki String Quartet. She also earned a Master of Music degree at Yale University under the tutelage of Aldo Parisot, where she received regular coachings from members of the Tokyo String Quartet. Cathy has had the opportunity to perform in concert with the St. Lawrence, Penderecki and Borealis String Quartets, and has been heard as a soloist and chamber musician on CBC radio. Cathy, along with three other members of the KWS, now plays in the Bremen String Quartet which performs frequently in the area and runs the KWS Youth Chamber Program. Before joining the KWS in 2007, Cathy played in the Thunder Bay Symphony and taught the cello studio at Lakehead University. She recently taught a semester at Wilfrid Laurier University, and maintains a small private studio in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Brunilda Perez

Brunilda has been with the KWS since 1976. She has also played with the Orquesta Filarmonica de Chile and Camerata Bariloche in Argentina, conducted by Yehudi Menuhin. When not performing, Brunilda is kept busy with her three boys.

Nancy Wharton

Nancy is a native of Kitchener. Her teachers have included John Trembath of Toronto, Ian Hampton in Vancouver, and Antonia Butler at the Royal College of Music in London, England. Nancy has been with the orchestra since 1978! Over the years she has been very active in the Players' and Negotiating Committees, as well as serving for several years as the KWS representative to the Organization of Canadian Symphonic Musicians. Nancy was also the President of Local 226 of the American Federation of Musicians from 1997 to 2000. In September of 2001, Nancy joined the KWS staff as the Education and Outreach Coordinator. Besides her duties of coordinating small chamber music groups to visit hospitals, nursing homes, preschools and elementary schools, she is an active participant in the KWS Adopt-a-Player programme, and this year will find her leading up to 100 Grade 3 music workshops for the Edward Johnson Music Foundation in Wellington and Peel Counties as part of their Musicians In the Schools programme.

When not on stage or in the office, Nancy shares renovating duties with her husband Dennis at their home on the outskirts of Kitchener. They have three sons, Geoffrey, Matthew and Timothy, two cats, and many guppies. In 2003 Nancy started taking classes in wheel thrown pottery. The family spends part of each summer in their 2 acres of bush near Barry's Bay, between Nancy's freelance engagements.

"One of my earliest musical memories is being taken, at the age of 3, with my sister, to dress rehearsals of the KW Philharmonic Choir. We'd get all dressed up like we were going to the concert, and sit together in the front pew with a vocal score on our laps. We'd follow the dots going up and down with our fingers. I can still hum along to the whole of Messiah from memory!"

Bass

Ian Whitman, Principal

A native of Edmonton, Ian Whitman was introduced to the bass at age 17 by Ioan Tetel of the Edmonton Symphony and spent 2 years studying jazz at Grant MacEwan College with the ESO’s John Taylor. Ian went on to get his Bachelor’s of Music degree at McGill University where he studied with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal bassists Brian Robinson and Eric Chappell. He completed his Master's of Music from Yale University School of Music, under the tutelage of Donald Palma, Founding Member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and during this time, made his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York and Symphony Hall in Boston. After a year of guidance from Boston Symphony Orchestra bassist James Orleans, Ian joined the KWS in 2008.

Ian was a member of the National Youth Orchestra, the Banff Festival Orchestra, and served as Principal Bass of L'orchestre de la francophonie canadienne. He has performed with Canadian orchestras including l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Calgary Philharmonic. Throughout his training, Ian studied with world-class bass players including Joel Quarrington, Edgar Meyer, and Jan Urke and has played for artists from ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Tokyo String Quartet. In 2009 Ian was one of only 5 Canadians chosen to be part of the very first “YouTube Symphony Orchestra,” where 90 musicians from 27 countries were selected from thousands of entries to perform a concert at Carnegie Hall, under music director Michael Tilson Thomas.

Ian is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys spending time at the gym. In his spare time, he also takes great interest in a science and history.

George Greer, Associate Principal

George Greer, Associate Principal Double Bass, joined the KWS in 1978, after playing principal bass with the City of Birmingham Symphony in England for six years. While in England he freelanced with the London Symphony Orchestra, making recordings with Andre Previn and Claudio Abbado.

George was principal bass for the Gilbert and Sullivan productions of the 80's in Stratford. He did a MusBach Performance degree at University of Toronto, where his principal teacher was the late Thomas Monohan. Later he studied with the late Stuart Knussen.

In addition to serving as principal bass of the KWS from time to time over the years, George teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he has performed often with the Penderecki Quartet. He is principal bass of the Sinfonia Mississauga Chamber Orchestra, and Elora Festival Orchestra. George's solo bass recitals in Waterloo, Barrie, Orillia and Simcoe have been acclaimed.

Bird watching has been an interest for some 20 years. His son Julian, his wife Heather and cat named Gryffin complete the family.

Milos Petrak, Assistant Principal

Born in Prague, Czech Republic, Milos Petrak began his musical training at age six, taking violin lessons from his father, a member of Czech Philharmonic. At age fifteen he switched to the double bass and continued his training at the Prague Conservatory of Music, where he studied under Frantisek Posta, principal double bass player of Czech Philharmonic, where, for seven years, he played under the direction of Vaclav Neumann. In 1981, he emigrated via Japan to Canada, settling in Toronto. In 1988 he joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. For the last eleven summers, he has participated in the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder.

In his spare time, Milos enjoys cooking and is an avid photographer.

Bruce McGillvray

Bruce has been playing with the KWS since 1976. He has played with the St. Catherine's Symphony, and Symphony Canada. Bruce developed a children's solo show for Double Bass, which he has performed in schools across Canada. When not busy performing, Bruce enjoys photography, gardening, and listening to music.

Flute

Thomas Kay, Principal

Thomas Kay has been the principal flutist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble since 1974. Tom grew up on Long Island, New York in a musical family. His father was a jazz guitarist who played with Paul Whiteman and the legendary Dorsey Brothers and for over 20 years was on the staff at ABC television. His mother studied to be an opera singer. Tom studied flute with Jack Fulton (a member of the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini), Gretchen Kander (former piccolo player in the Montreal Symphony), and at Boston University with James Pappoutsakis (who was a member of the Boston Symphony and for 40 seasons principal flutist of the Boston Pops). Upon graduation Tom received a Fulbright Scholarship for study with the principal flutist of the Berlin Philharmonic. In 1971, while attending the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood, Tom was asked by Leonard Bernstein to play the premiere of his MASS for the opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Tom also performed MASS at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

Tom came to Canada in 1974 to play chamber concerts and operas with the Stratford Festival Ensemble. At the urging of Raffi Armenian, Tom was then asked to join the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Over these many seasons Tom has played concertos by Mozart, Nielsen, and Vivaldi (including several of his piccolo concertos). He also gave the Canadian premiere of Bernstein's Halil. One of his most memorable performances was given in the great hall of the Leipzig Gewandhaus where he performed Bach's Suite in b minor with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble.

Carolyn Clappison

Carolyn graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a music degree. During that time she studied with Tom Kay, Nora Shulman and Jeannie Baxtresser and attended many master classes with world-renowned flautists. She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada after graduating from university.

She has taught numerous students privately and at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has played flute with the KWS since 1979 and has occasionally played and recorded with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble.

Carolyn is a mother of three young children.

Oboe

James Mason, Principal

Highly regarded as one of Canada’s most prominent oboists, James Mason is celebrating his 31st season as Principal Oboe of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble. He came to Canada in 1975, accepting the Principal Oboe position with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, moving to Kitchener in 1979. He has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher in Germany, Holland, Spain, South America and Japan as well as the United States and Canada. In fact, this weekend’s concerts bring the total number of appearances as soloist with the KWS organization to 65.

When Canada had a national radio company that actually cared about classical music, Jim was regularly recorded for live broadcast. He has been recorded as a soloist with the KWS a total of 7 times and has recorded most of the standard chamber music and solo oboe repertoire, along with several new works for oboe and orchestra written specifically for him. In January of this year the Gallery Players of Niagara released a CD of works for oboe and strings commissioned for and recorded with Jim, entitled Canadian Oboe Quartets.

In the summer months, Jim is active in festivals across North America. He performs regularly in the Elora Festival and Festival of the Sound. Jim and his wife, violinist Julie Baumgartel, were founding Co-Artistic Directors of the Grand River Baroque Festival.  He has also appeared as guest Principal Oboe with the Boston Symphony, Toronto Symphony and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, along with the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Jim is on the faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University. A dedicated teacher, in May of this year he was the recipient of the WLU Alumni Association’s Faculty Mentor of the Year Award. Jim’s former students started a scholarship fund at WLU in his honor, the James Mason Oboe Scholarship. His students are active in orchestras and musical organizations across the US and Canada as both performers and administrators.

In 1999 Jim Mason was awarded the Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Award for Music. He performs on a Yamaha oboe and is a Yamaha Artist.

Faith Levene

Faith joined the KWS in 1974 after studying with Lois Wann at both Sarah Lawrence College and The Juilliard School from where she graduated. One of her interests is teaching grade school students how to create and conduct their own compositions using techniques developed by the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Faith has become a practicing homeopath in recent years and studies Tai chi and Qigong. But really, she says, nothing beats camping and whitewater canoeing on Ontario's rivers.

Clarinet

Ross Edwards, Principal

Ross joined the KWS and Canadian Chamber Ensemble in 1994 after spending time as Principal clarinet with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony, to name a few. In addition to his duties with the Symphony Ross teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University. He enjoys listening to music, spending time at the library, and beer from microbreweries.

Barbara Hankins

Barbara Hankins has been a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 1980 and performs regularly with the Licorice Allsorts Clarinet Quartet, the K-W Symphony Woodwind Quintet, the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, and as a freelance performer.

Since 1972 she has taught clarinet, theory, and chamber music privately, in the public school system, and at the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Ms. Hankins holds a Bachelor of Music degree (performance, with Distinction) and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Calgary, a Master of Music degree (performance) from the University of Toronto, and an Associateship Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto. She is a member of the Board of Examiners of the RCM and recently compiled the new RCM Clarinet Syllabus.

Barbara is married to WLU Press computer technician Steve Izma and they have two daughters, Amelia and Gabrielle. She is a volunteer YMCA fitness instructor, sings with the Renaissance Singers and enjoys gardening, cycling, cross-country skiing, and hiking.

Bassoon

Principal - Open

Horn

Martin Limoges, Principal

A native of Montréal, Martin attended the Montréal Conservatory and was awarded First Prize in French Horn Performance and in Chamber Music. In 1988, Martin was a finalist in the Reims International Horn Competition, (Reims,France) as well as the American International Horn Competition (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) in 1991, the latter in the Natural Horn Division.

Solo performances have included engagements with Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse, I Musici de Montréal, Orchestre des Jeunes du Québec, Orchestre Baroque de Montréal, Amati Chamber Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra.

Martin has performed all of the Mozart Horn Concerti, the Mozart Symphony Concertante, the first Concerto of Haydn, the Quantz Horn Concerto, the Michael Haydn Concerto for Horn and Alto Trombone and the Joseph Haydn Concerto for two Horns, with renown solists Alain Trudel and Lowell Greer respectively, as well as the Telemann Horn Concerto and Schumann’s Konzertstuck. Martin was also invited to performed on baroque and natural horn at the Festival de Musique Baroque de Lamèque in New-Brunswick, the Smithsonian Chamber Players (Washington, D.C.), the Lyra Chamber Ensemble (St. Paul Minn.), the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, the Boston Bach Festival and l’Ensemble Arion in Québec.

In Febuary 2001, Martin played the Carl Maria von Weber Concerto in E Major with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, marking his eighth solo performance recorded live by the CBC for national broadcast. In October 1998, the composer Gilles Tremblay chose Martin to perform « Le Signe du Lion » (written for horn and tam-tam) at the prestigious « Governor General`s Arts Awards » broadcast from the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

Martin has been Principal Horn of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra since 1990, and has recently joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, as Principal Horn in September of 2002.

Martin can be heard on CD on the Eclectra label performing the Brahms Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano with violinist Darren Lowe, (Concertmaster of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra) and Suzanne Beaubien on Piano. "Limoges is a splendid horn player, at once solid and lyrical of tone, with consummate breath control, sweet and true intonation…… this is worthy to be ranked among the best modern versions of the work." Bernard Jacobs, FANFARE Magazine, March 2002.

Katherine Robertson

Katherine came to the KWS from l'Orchestre Symphonique de Québec in 2005. She has also played with the Freiburg Philharmonisches Orchester and the Winnipeg Symphony.

Katherine is a graduate of the University of Toronto where she studied with Eugene Rittich and the Freiburg Hochschule fur Musik where she studied with Ifor James.

Jessie Brooks

Originally from Toronto, Jessie completed a Bachelor of Music degree from McGill University where she studied with James Sommerville. She went on to receive a Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois.

Jessie held the position of Principal Horn with the Thunder Bay Symphony from 2003 to 2009 and was a featured soloist with the orchestra on several occasions during that time. Most recently, Jessie completed an eight month run of the hit musical “Billy Elliot” in Toronto.

As a freelance musician, Jessie has performed with numerous orchestras across Canada   including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Ballet of Canada among others. She has also played in other popular musicals in Toronto including Monty Python’s “Spamalot” and “Little House on the Prairie”.

Currently, Jessie lives in Toronto with her husband Philip and their three children Evan, Kate and Andrew.  She is thrilled to join the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony as Third Horn.

Deborah Stroh

Born and raised in Kitchener-Waterloo, Debbie comes from a very musical family. Music lessons started early and by age 11 she was playing the piano, violin, accordian and guitar. However, none of these instruments were available in her high school music program so almost by default she ended up learning to play the French Horn at age 15.

After high school she went on to earn her Honours Bachelor of Music in Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University with a double major in Violin and French horn. Summers during her undergrad years were spent focusing on the French Horn at both the Banff Centre of Fine Arts and as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada where she received training from several well renowned teachers from both North America and Europe. Debbie went on to do a year of post grad work at McGill University and ended up staying in Montreal for the next 3 years after winning the position of Principal Horn with L'Orchestre des Jeunes du Quebec. She returned in the summer of 1989 to work at the Stratford Festival then in the fall of that year, moved to Toronto to play in the orchestra for The Phantom of the Opera where she met her husband Ernest Pattison, a Bass Trombone player.

During the (ten year!) run of Phantom, Debbie continued a very active freelance career playing with many different groups including The Toronto Symphony, The National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Canadian Opera Company, The National Ballet of Canada, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Toronto's Esprit Orchestra, Orchestra London, The Hamilton Philharmonic and The K-W Symphony. Also during this time Debbie was busy in the studio scene playing on soundtracks for numerous movies, TV shows and jingles as well as playing for the shows of popular artists as they toured through the Toronto area. She was also a regular member of Rob McConnell's Boss Brass from 1999 onwards.

After The Phantom closed in 1999 Debbie won a position in the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and stayed there for 3 more years until she came to join the K-W Symphony. Glad to be home, Debbie now lives here in Kitchener with her husband Ernest Pattison and their two wonderful children Russell and Joelle. Debbie likes to keep up on her violin by playing occasionally in church where she also shares the job of Organist. Summers are spent up in the Bancroft Area where she and Ernest own a 150-acre farm and run The Old Schoolhouse Tea Room in their restored early 1900's one-room-schoolhouse, complete with a bell tower, antique woodstove, vintage oil lamps and a delicious menu!

Trumpet

Larry Larson, Principal

Larry Larson has been the Principal Trumpet of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 1993. Larry is a graduate of DePaul University of Chicago and was a student of Adolph Herseth, renowned Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony. As a soloist, Larry has been featured with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, performing both Classical and Pops repertoire, and has been featured on CBC Radio in performances of trumpet concertos by Malcolm Forsyth, Johnny Cowell and R. Murray Schaffer. Larry has also enjoyed an extensive freelance career that has had him performing with the Toronto Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Montréal Symphony and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

In addition to solo performances of classical repertoire, Larry has developed eight critically-acclaimed Pop programmes for orchestra with conductor/trombonist David Martin that he has shared with KWS audiences. Larry is also much in demand by Toronto recording studios for his work on motion picture soundtracks and commercial jingles. You can hear him every night, in fact, trumpeting in the CTV News with Lloyd Robertson. He has had the great pleasure to work in back-up orchestras for Diana Krall, Brian Wilson, Jann Arden, Holly Cole, Anne Murray, Dennis DeYoung, Roger Hodgson, and Yes.

After a dormancy of about 20 years, and with great encouragement from pianist and composer Glenn Buhr, Larry has enjoyed re-awakening the sleeping giant that was his jazz playing, performing in various venues in Kitchener-Waterloo – and loving every minute of it.

Larry is extremely proud to be a member of the faculty of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, passing along his knowledge and experience to the next generation of orchestral trumpet players. And yes, you’ve probably seen Larry at the Stratford Festival each summer for the past several years, fanfaring patrons into the Festival Theatre or performing in the pit for the musicals. Performances at the Elora Festival and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival round out his summer playing.

Larry and his wife, trumpeter Mary Jay, live in Waterloo, ON, with their two beautiful children and four enigmatic cats.

Daniel Warren

Mr. Warren started his musical career as a trumpet player, joining the trumpet section of The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1983. During his tenure with the KWS, he has been featured soloist on tour, performing the Phil Nimmons Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra, a work written especially for him. This was subsequently recorded on a CBC SM5000 compact disc. Daniel was also the soloist for a national television broadcast performance of Johnny Cowell’s Concerto for Trumpet with the KWS.

Daniel Warren has toured extensively with the Canadian Chamber Ensemble and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra throughout North, Central and South America, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain. He has competed in solo trumpet competitions in Paris, Geneva and Munich, and was a finalist at the International Trumpet Guild’s "Ellsworth-Smith Trumpet Competition". He resides in his owner-built home in a rural setting with his wife and two children.

Trombone

Jay Castello, Principal

Joseph Castello was appointed principal trombonist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble in 1983, after playing eight seasons as principal trombonist with Orchestra London. He has performed with the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago and was trombonist with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point for three years. Mr. Castello has taught at the University of Western Ontario, National Music Camp of Canada, and the New Mexico Music Festival of Taos. He is currently a faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier University. Mr. Castello holds degrees from Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford) and Northwestern University School of Music.

Rachel Thomas

Toronto-born Rachel Thomas has been playing trombone since the age of nine and at 13, studied and attended master classes with the renowned Canadian Brass. During high school, Rachel continued her studies and was a member of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra for three years. She graduated from the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto in 1988, studying with trombonist Gordon Sweeney and spending her summers either with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada or at the Banff Centre for the Arts. After graduation, Rachel joined the Great Lakes Brass Quintet, a highly acclaimed full-time touring ensemble. In 1992, she was awarded a Canada Council grant to spend a year studying with Joe Alessi in New York City. Shortly after her return home, Rachel joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony as second trombone.

During her tenure with the KW Symphony, Rachel has maintained a busy freelance career. She has been a regular extra with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, joining them on two European Tours (1991 and 2000), two trips to Carnegie Hall and a Florida Tour in 1999. In addition, Rachel toured with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Orchestra, and performed with Symphony Nova Scotia, Orchestra London and the Thunder Bay Symphony as principal trombone.

Bass Trombone

Doug Lavell

Doug joined the KWS in 1979 while completing his Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto having arrived from the West Coast two years earlier.

Raised in Caulfeild he began at 10 to play euphonium with the West Vancouver Band, adding trombone in his teens then devoting himself to the bass trombone, inspired by backgrounds in a Neil Diamond song. Formative dues paying years followed with two ARCT diplomas and a year of college with Roy Cornick (a Salvation Army euphonium/trombone virtuoso) and Doug's first professional job, a strip club band.

Serious orchestral study followed with Douglas Sparkes of the VSO, American soloist Donald Knaub and later in the east with Donald Miller, Frank Harmantas and Murray Crewe. A resident of Toronto, Doug has an active freelance career working with the opera and ballet orchestras, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, and various musicals.

While recently on leave from the KWS he studied with trombone jazz great Ian McDougall attaining a Master of Music from the University of Victoria.

Tuba

Jane Maness, Principal

Jane Maness received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto, where she studied tuba with Charles Daellenbach of the Canadian Brass. She has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.

Jane joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 1975 and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble in 1978. She is the tuba and euphonium instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo. She has taught at various summer music camps in Southern Ontario, including Inter-provincial Music Camp, as well as the Banff Festival of Youth Orchestras.

Jane revised the Royal Conservatory of Music Tuba Syllabus, which will be published in 2003. She has also recently revised the RCM Sight Reading and Ear Tests for Brass.

Harp

Lori Gemmell

Lori Gemmell has been a musician all her life. Growing up in Montreal, as the child of a Presbyterian minister and a musically passionate mother, singing, and playing music were her natural state of being. She taught herself the flute in high school, played trumpet in the band, and spent her weekend mornings at harp lessons at L’ecole Vincent D’Indy.

University studies in Toronto with the renowned teacher and harpist Judy Loman were the obvious next step. Between an undergraduate and Masters’ degree from the University of Toronto, Lori played summers with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, studying with the octogenarian Alice Chalifoux, and a year in Paris, studying with Catherine Michel.
When she returned to Canada, Lori played on the only stage that was immediately available: the street corner. Busking in Toronto and Montreal, Lori gradually began building a career that took her to harp positions with Orchestra London, The Calgary Philharmonic, a chamber music residency at the Banff International Festival, on the frontlines of new music at the Darmstadt Festival in Germany and touring Europe and Japan with Montreal’s Nouvelle Ensemble Moderne.

In 1999, Lori won the position of Principal Harpist with the KWS, where she still plays today. One year later she was a prize-winner at the Canadian Concerto Competition. She also has been a teacher for many years, both with a private studio and a faculty position at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Lori has earned a strong reputation among Canadian Composers for her passion and dedication to their music. Over the years she has worked closely with R. Murray Schafer, Srul Irving Glick, John Weinzweig, Alexina Louie, Glenn Buhr, Marjan Mozetich, Jeff Ryan and many others.
In addition to all of that, Lori also makes time for playing and creating with others in small groups. In recent years she has made chamber music with Yo-Yo Ma, Joseph Silverstein, Sara Sant’Ambrogio, Jamie Parker, Joe Macerollo, Oliver Schroer, Mark Fewer, Robert Cram, Etsuko Kimura, Camille Watts, with singers Patricia O’Callaghan, Monica Wicher and Julie Nesrallah and Feist. She also plays in the Four Seasons Harp Quartet, and in her duo with Jennifer Swartz.

Lori has one solo recording, Prelude, and a harp duo recording, The Garden of Peacocks. She is married and lives in Toronto.

Percussion

Lori West, Associate Principal

Lori has been a member of the orchestra for 24 years and in addition to playing percussion, also does property management part-time, for her own properties as well as for a small investment company. She plans to begin courses this fall in order to become accredited in this field.

Lori also enjoys gardening and has a certificate in gardening and landscaping. Her husband, Peter, is now the Vice-Principal at Chalmers Public School in Cambridge and is also the music director for the Cambridge Girls Choir, and is organist for St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Guelph. Daughters Annika and Carly are starting grades 12 and 10 and Malcolm is going into grade 2.

Timpani

Ron Brown, Principal

Born in New York City in 1950, Ron Brown moved to Canada in 1975 to begin his present tenure as timpanist of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and principal percussionist of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (at that time known as The Stratford Festival Ensemble).

Ron's early education included percussion lessons with Ronald Gould of The New York City Ballet Orchestra. In 1972, Ron received his Bachelor of Music degree in Applied Percussion from The New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Vic Firth, timpanist of The Boston Symphony.

Ron received a Fellowship to attend the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, Massachusetts in 1971 and 1972 where he performed under such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Colin Davis, Michael Tilson Thomas and James Levine.

Ron was director of percussion studies at Wilfrid Laurier University from1975-1984. His musical compositions include Membrana for percussion quintet, published by Shirmer Music.

In addition to performing many recordings and broadcasts locally with the KWS and the CCE, Ron has performed throughout the US, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Spain, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Puerto Rico.

Ron is also the publisher and author of The Body Fat Guide, distributed in bookstores throughout North America. He has a background as a Registered Massage Therapist.