Faculty biographies
BassoonCelloClarinet
|
Percussion
PianoSaxophone
TromboneTrumpetTubaViolaViolin
Voice |
Bassoon
Christopher Millard
|
|
Cello
Paul Marleyn
|
Paul Marleyn has appeared in recital and as soloist with orchestras throughout Europe, North America and Asia, and is heard regularly on radio in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Recent engagements have included tours in Serbia, the United Kingdom and China. An active chamber musician, he has participated in many chamber music festivals in Canada, the United States and Europe, and has collaborated with members of the Tokyo, Vermeer, St. Lawrence and Hagen string quartets. Since 2000, he has been artistic director of the Agassiz Summer Chamber Music Festival and Agassiz Chamber Players series in Winnipeg. |
Clarinet
Shauna McDonald – clarinet
|
Shauna McDonald joined the Ottawa Symphony as principal clarinetist in September 2008, at the same time becoming a member of the clarinet faculty at the University of Ottawa. She also performs frequently with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. In September 2009, Shauna began coaching the Senior Wind Ensemble at the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy, a position she shares with OSO colleague Susan Morris. Shauna began her clarinet study with Stephen Robb in Vancouver, B.C. Her
first orchestral experience was with the Delta Youth Orchestra, with whom
she performed the Johann Stamitz Concerto at age 16. She subsequently
played and toured with the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra until
graduating high school. Shauna then moved to Montreal to study clarinet
at McGill University with Robert Crowley. After finishing her degree in
performance, Shauna was offered a full scholarship to pursue a Master's
degree in Performance with Larry Combs at DePaul University, Chicago,
Illinois. While there, Shauna won the principal clarinet chair in the
DePaul Symphony Orchestra. She also performed and recorded with DePaul's Shauna has been a two time prize winner in the Elora Music Festival, has performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra and several concerts at the Ottawa International Chamberfest. She has presented masterclasses for the National Arts Centre Master Musician program and keeps a full private studio. Shauna has played with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and L'Orchestre de la Francophonie, and under the batons of Pinkas Zukerman, Yoav Talmi, Bramwell Tovey, and Paul Nadler. She has performed throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. She can be heard on CBC broadcasts with NACO, NYOC, OFC and the McGill Contemporary Ensemble. |
Kimball Sykes – clarinet
|
Kimball Sykes joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as principal clarinet in 1985. |
Double bass
David Currie – double bass
![]() |
David Currie is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan. He joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1971, and retired as principal double bass in 1992. His conducting studies have been with Maestro Franco Ferrara in Siena, Italy, and Professor Morihiro Okabe of the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo. |
John Geggie – double bass
![]() |
John Geggie is greatly in demand as a versatile musician and creative composer both in Canada and internationally. He has toured extensively with the award-winning jazz group Chelsea Bridge and the Juno-nominated D.D. Jackson Trio. Past performances have included concerts with David Murray, Andrew Cyrille, Donny McCaslin, Billy Hart, Bela Fleck, Marilyn Crispell, Myra Melford and bassist Mark Dresser. |
Flute
Camille Churchfield – flute
|
Camille Churchfield joined the flute faculty at University of Ottawa’s School of Music in 2005 after having served as Principal Flute of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for 29 years. Now performing with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ms. Churchfield was a concerto soloist nearly every season in Vancouver as well as in other Canadian cities; her creative musicianship and luminous tone have earned the respect of audiences across the country.
|
Robert Cram – flute
|
Robert Cram, a native of Montreal, studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and in France. While a student he won numerous competitions, including the CBC Young Performers Competition. He was the principal flutist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra for 23 years and as soloist he appeared regularly with the NACO both at home and on tour in Canada and abroad. He has also appeared as soloist with the Montreal Symphony, the Quebec Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, the Toronto Chamber players, Symphony Nova Scotia, the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. |
Guitar
Philip Candelaria – guitar
|
Already well established as one of Canada's top classical guitarists, Philip Candelaria is now becoming recognized internationally as one of the finest performers of his generation. Winner of several national competitions in Canada and the USA, Philip Candelaria was also the first North American to win the dégre excellence at the Bartoli International Guitar Competition in France. Now, Candelaria regularly tours across Canada, and has performed extensively in the United States and South America, as well as in Europe and the Caribbean. |
Denis Donegani – guitar
|
Denis Donegani graduated from the Quebec Conservatory of Music and then received his Master’s degree from the University of Montréal. He has taken masterclasses with some of the world’s best: David Russell, Roberto Aussel, Roland Dyens and Manuel Barrueco. Donegani is the recipient of numerous awards and grants and has been featured on FM-Radio Canada and on CBC-FM Radio. In 1991, he won the Guitare Mauricie Quebec Competition and in 1992 received a grant from the Office Franco-Quebecois pour la Jeunese, which allowed him to tour France and Canada. He continues to publish arrangements for the Canadian Guitar Quartet, of which he is a member, with Productions d’Oz. He served as an assistant professor at the University of Montreal and is presently the head professor of the guitar program at l’École de Musique de l’Outaouais as well as teaching at the University of Ottawa. |
Patrick Roux – guitar
![]() |
Patrick Roux won the Canadian National Guitar Competition in 1989, solidifying his reputation as one of Canada's finest guitarists. In 1992 he won second place at the prestigious Concours International de Duo de Guitare Classique de Montélimar, France with partner Robert Latreille. This outstanding duo then recorded their first CD in 1993. Roux is also an accomplished composer and his works are published by Productions d'Oz. |
Louis Trépanier – guitar
![]() |
Louis Trépanier was born in Ottawa in 1971 and grew-up in Hull, Québec, where he studied classical guitar at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Hull, under the guidance of Patrick Roux. Upon receiving the Prix en Guitare in 1998, he co-founded the Canadian Guitar Quartet with his former teacher, along with fellow former Roux student Denis Donegani, and renowned Canadian guitarist Philip Candelaria. |
Horn
Daniel Gress – horn / wind ensemble conductor
|
A well known musical figure in Canada, Daniel Gress is a graduate of the University of Evansville and was Principal Horn of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Band from 1971 to 1974, at that time the only international military band in existence. Stationed in Colorado Springs, the Band toured frequently as part of its role in support of the NORAD mission and made many trips to Canada, playing concerts from Victoria to St. John’s. A founding member of the Colorado Springs Chamber Music Society, Mr. Gress also held Principal Horn positions with the Colorado Springs symphony and the Colorado Opera Festival. |
Jazz
Yves Laroche
|
Yves Laroche was born in Pine Falls, Manitoba and moved to Ottawa as a child. He is a graduate of the School of Music of the University of Ottawa, and is currently music director and a teacher at the Bells Corners Academy of Music. |
Charles Hamann – oboe
|
Charles "Chip" Hamann, a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, is recognized as one of Canada's foremost oboists. In 1993 he was appointed Acting Principal Oboe of Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra at the age of 22, and after having served for two seasons in that role, was chosen to become Principal Oboe of the orchestra on a permanent basis. In addition to his regular duties with the NACO, Mr. Hamann's career has expanded to encompass the roles of teacher, adjudicator, and chamber musician, both in Ottawa and across North America. He is a member of the teaching faculty at the University of Ottawa, and has adjudicated for the NACO Bursary Competition as well as at the Conservatoire du Québec. |
Orchestra conductor
David Currie
![]() |
David Currie is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan. He joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1971, and retired as principal double bass in 1992. His conducting studies have been with Maestro Franco Ferrara in Siena, Italy, and Professor Morihiro Okabe of the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo. |
Percussion
Jonathan Wade – percussion
|
A native of Ottawa, Jonathan Wade received a Bachelor of Music in performance from the University of Ottawa where he studied with Ian Bernard and Pierre Béluse. He went on to obtain a Superior Studies diploma in orchestral repertoire from the University of Montréal where he studied with the legendary timpanist Louis Charbonneau. Jonathan Wade is presently a percussionist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, a position he has held since 1983. He is also principal timpanist of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. In great demand both as an orchestral player and a chamber musician, Mr. Wade performs with many other fine ensembles including Thirteen Strings and Capital Brass Works. He is heard frequently on prestigious concert series such as the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and Music for a Sunday Afternoon at the National Gallery. He has recorded for CBC and Radio-Canada and released numerous CD's with the NACO and other ensembles. |
Piano
David Jalbert – piano
|
Pianist David Jalbert is one of the most firebrand talents of the new generation. With his personal style, incomparable stage presence and refined ear, he has impressed audiences and critics everywhere in North America : “a deeply musical pianist” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), “an important talent” (The Montreal Gazette), “Jalbert dazzles with skill, style and taste… with all the exuberance and finesse a listener could want” (The Toronto Star). |
Stéphane Lemelin – piano
|
Acclaimed Canadian pianist Stéphane Lemelin commands a broad and eclectic repertoire ranging from the Classical period to the 20th century, from art song to the Romantic concerto, and is particularly praised for his interpretations of Schubert, Schumann, Fauré and Ravel. He tours regularly in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists such as Donna Brown, Peter Schreier, James Campbell, Wolfgang Meier, Jacques Israelievitch, Marc Grauwels, Martin Ostertag, and the St. Lawrence, Artur-LeBlanc, Muir and Vlach string quartets. Recital engagements have included London’s Wigmore Hall, the Phillips Collection in Washington, the Ladies Morning Musical Club in Montreal and the Vancouver Recital Society. |
Andrew Tunis – piano
|
Andrew Tunis has been living and performing in the Ottawa area for over 20 years. He has given concerts in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. Among the many musicians with whom he has collaborated are violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Martin Beaver, cellists Desmond Hoebig and Steven Isserlis, as well as the Philharmonia Quartet of Berlin and St. Lawrence String Quartet. He has appeared as guest soloist with many Canadian orchestras, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic and the Ottawa and Edmonton symphony orchestras. |
Saxophone
Trombone
Donald Renshaw – trombone
|
Born in Montreal, Donald Renshaw received his Bachelor degree in Music with distinction in trombone from McGill University in 1977 and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in New York City in 1982. |
Douglas Burden – trombone
|
Douglas Burden has been the Bass Trombonist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra for over twenty-nine years. He has taught at the University of Ottawa for more than twenty-six years and continues to do so. Recently Mr. Burden was invited to join the teaching staff of the McGill Faculty of Music. For a period of five years he travelled weekly to Kingston and taught at Queen's University. He was also a member of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra for seventeen years. |
Trumpet
Karen Donnelly – trumpet
|
Karen Donnelly was appointed Principal Trumpet of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in October 1999 following three successful seasons as Acting Principal Trumpet. |
Eric Rupp – trumpet
|
Born in the "cornfields of Ohio" into a musical family, Eric Rupp watched his older brother play trumpet, started lessons at eight years of age and soon found himself winning state competitions. Eric played both the trumpet and piano through high school, studying trumpet with Edwin Betts and piano with Elizabeth Gould. He graduated from the University of Michigan, with both a Bachelor and Master of Music, where he studied with the renowned teacher Clifford P. Lillya. |
Tuba
Martin Labrosse
|
Martin Labrosse is a native of Ottawa. Since the age of 22, he has been first tuba with The Central Band of the Canadian Forces, with which he has performed as soloist on several occasions. He performs with the band regularly across Canada, the United States and Europe for a variety of concerts and ceremonies for war veterans, political dignitaries, heads of state and for the general public. He also performs in various ensembles within the band as a jazz bassist. |
Viola
Rennie Regehr – viola
![]() |
As a performer, Rennie Regehr began his professional career with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 1971. Since that time, his career has taken him throughout Canada and abroad as chamber musician, soloist, recitalist, and orchestral musician. Quickly rising through the ranks at the Winnipeg Symphony, he was appointed Principal Violist in 1978 and concurrently, Principal Violist with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, positions he held until 1992. During his tenure in Winnipeg, Mr. Regehr appeared as soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony, the CBC Radio Orchestra, and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. In 1992 Mr. Regehr moved to Toronto to become the Dean of the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music. In that role he developed an internationally renowned orchestral program, and under his leadership the school produced many of Canada’s finest professional musicians and solo artists. He continued to be a much sought after chamber musician and recitalist, performing in most major Canadian venues on such series as Music Toronto, Vancouver Chamber Music Festival, The Tuckamore Festival in Newfoundland, Whistler Chamber Music Festival and the Courtenay Summer Music Festival on Vancouver Island. Internationally, he has been invited to the Winnipesaukee Festival in New Hampshire, Park City Festival in Utah and the Oberlin Summer Festival in Casalmaggiore, Italy. Highlights of his performance collaborations include artists such as Leon Fleisher, Anthony Elliot, Tsyoshi Tsutsumi, James Campbell, Andrew Dawes, Richard Roberts, Mark Kaplan, Desmond Hoebig, and many of Canada’s leading musicians. Mr. Regehr’s performances have been broadcast on the CBC Radio networks, National Public Radio in the US and he has also recorded for the CBC Musica Viva and SM5000 labels. In July of 2006 he collaborated in a highly successful concert with the internationally renowned Shanghai String Quartet. During this time he has continued his orchestral career as well, performing with the Toronto Symphony, the Canadian Opera Company and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Mr. Regehr has also expanded his activities onto orchestral podiums. He was the resident conductor of the Royal Conservatory Orchestra from 1993-2006. Other engagements have included guest appearances with the Calgary Youth Orchestra and University of Laurier Orchestra as well as conducting ensembles of the Winnipeg Symphony, the Courtenay Summer Festival Orchestra, and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. He was the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra from 2003-2006. More recently he has conducted the University of Ottawa Orchestra. In 2004 Mr. Regehr directed the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on a highly successful three week, eleven-concert tour of China. On that same tour, he conducted the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra of Hangzhou for two performances of their high-profile New Years Eve concert. Mr. Regehr was re-engaged with the Zhejiang Orchestra both as soloist and conductor in May 2008 and has been invited to return during their 2009/2010 season. As a teacher, Mr. Regehr follows a tradition of great Canadian string mentors. Himself, a student of Gerald Stanick, he continues that level of teaching and has trained some of Canadian’s outstanding violists who have gone on to win positions in major North American orchestras. He has held teaching engagements at the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and the Royal Conservatory of Music. His numerous summer teaching engagements have included Oberlin Summer Academy in Italy, the Domaine Forget Music Academy, and the Courtenay Youth Music Centre. He is a permanent faculty member of the prestigious Morningside Music Bridge International Training School held in Calgary, Shanghai and Gdansk, Poland in 2009. He has been a visiting professor at the Shanghai Conservatory, and since 2007 has become a regular guest faculty of the Central Conservatory in Beijing, teaching, and conducting. In addition to his teaching activities, he has presented masterclasses across Canada and the US, including the Cleveland Institute of Music as well as in China and Hong Kong. In September of 2006 he became a member of the School of Music at the University of Ottawa and in the summer of 2008, he and his wife, pianist Jenny Regehr, relocated to Ottawa. In June of 2009 he will join the faculty of the National Arts Centre’s internationally renowned Young Artists Programme. |
Violin
Paule Préfontaine – violin
|
Paule Préfontaine, concertmaster of the Orchestre des Concerts symphoniques de Gatineau since 2002, is also a member of Thirteen Strings and often plays with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. She has enjoyed a versatile career as recitalist, soloist, orchestral player, and chamber musician. She has performed chamber music throughout Canada, Norway, Sweden, Austria and Finland, and in broadcasts on CBC Radio and the Norwegian Radio Kringkasting. |
David Stewart – violin
|
David Stewart is Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa. He served for many years as concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Norway), appearing often as soloist in this and other Scandinavian orchestras and performed with many Scandinavian chamber music ensembles.
|
Voice
Donna Brown – voice
|
Renowned for the floating golden-hued quality of her voice, celebrated Canadian soprano Donna Brown performs on the world’s great opera and concert stages of Paris, London, Tokyo, Geneva, Berlin, Vienna, Rome, Sao Paolo, Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. She has worked with such distinguished conductors as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Helmuth Rilling, Carlo Maria Giulini, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Bernard Haitink, Marek Janowski, Kurt Masur, Daniel Barenboim, Armin Jordan, Kent Nagano, Jeffrey Tate, Charles Dutoit, Semyon Bychkov, Mario Bernardi, William Christie, Pinchas Zukerman, and Trevor Pinnock. Ms. Brown has received critical acclaim for her roles as Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Almirena (Rinaldo), Gilda (Rigoletto), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Seviglia), Michaela (Carmen), Nanetta (Falstaff), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Servillia (La Clemenza di Tito), Serpetta (La Finta Giardiniera), Madeleine (Le Postillon de Lonjumeau) Aricie (Hippolyte et Aricie) Scylla (Scylla et Glaucus) and Morgana (Alcina). Ms. Brown also appeared as Chimène in the world premiere creation of Debussy’s unfinished opera Rodrigue et Chimène for the opening of the renovated Opera de Lyon. Recitals have always been of major importance to her, and she has sung in over a hundred recitals with such pianists as Michel Dalberto, Maria Joao Pires, Roger Vignolles, Alain Planes, Stephane Lemelin, Philippe Cassard, Bruce Ubukata, Stephen Ralls, Jean Marc Luisada, Philippe Bianconi,..... In May 2005, France Musique recorded a three hour program on Donna Brown which consisted of a live interview, (with 500 spectators) involving a retrospective of her career with excerpts from her various recordings, and a live performance in which she sang Mendelssohn, Brahms, Wolf, Debussy, and Michael Head, with Philippe Cassard at the piano With numerous recordings to her name, Ms.Brown is proud to have taken part in several ‘world premiere’ recordings, such as “Rodrigue et Chimene” - opera by Debussy/Denisov, with Kent Nagano conducting, “Scylla et Glaucus” - opera by Leclair, with Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting, “Messe Solonnelle” - Berlioz, with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, “Requiem der Versöhnung”, with Helmuth Rilling, “Fanny Mendelssohn Lieder”, with pianist Francoise Tillard, and “Gitanjali” for soprano and orchestra, written for Donna Brown by the Canadian composer R.Murray Schafer, with Mario Bernardi conducting. Donna Brown has been filmed for television in France, England, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Canada, and Japan. |
Laurence Ewashko – voice
|
Laurence Ewashko recently received tenure as an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa where he teaches choral techniques, conducts three choirs, teaches vocal repertoire and has a private voice studio. He has held the position of Music Director for the Cantata Singers of Ottawa from 1988 to 2005 and has been engaged as Chorus Master for Opera Lyra Ottawa since 1988. He has also recorded recitals as baritone soloist for CBC/SRC and is in much demand as choral clinician, vocal coach, conductor, consultant, guest lecturer and adjudicator. In May of 2003 he was heard in recital singing Schubert's Die Winterreise in Vienna and Ottawa. He has taught voice privately in both Austria and Canada since 19 85 and was invited to teach at both the University of Ottawa and McGill University in 2002. |
Sandra Graham – voice
|
Mezzo-soprano Sandra Graham has established a worldwide reputation with her sumptuous vocalism which led to top prizes in the International Vocal Competitions of s’Hertogenbosch in Holland, the Montreal International Competition, and the International Vocal Competition in Toulouse, France. |
Ingemar Korjus – voice
|
Ingemar Korjus, bass-baritone, teacher, adjudicator was born in Stockholm, of Estonian parents. His parents emigrated to Canada in 1952 and settled in Toronto, where Korjus studied voice with Megan Rutledge. He is an ARCT (Associate, Royal Conservatory of Music) performance 1970, ARCT teaching 1971. He also studied with Erik Werba in Vienna and Hans Hotter in Munich and with Pierrette Alarie and Léopold Simoneau in San Francisco. He made his professional debut in 1971 in a performance of Messiah with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. He won the top male prize in the 1973 International Hugo Wolf Lieder Competition and first prize (voice) and a special outstanding performer award in the 1974 CBC Talent Festival. In 1977 he placed second in the National Vocal Competition sponsored by the Edward Johnson Music Foundation. In 1978 he won first prize in the baritone and bass category at the International Competition for Singers at's-Hertogenbosch, Holland, and second prize at the International Music Competition in Munich. |
Yoriko Tanno-Kimmons – voice
|
Yoriko Tanno-Kimmons (soprano) is a busy and successful singing teacher in Ottawa and Toronto; with over one hundred students each year, she has one of the largest studios in Canada. She emphasizes healthy and effective vocal production for singing styles ranging from bel canto to belting and her students consistently excel in competitions and festivals at the local, provincial and national levels. Students have also achieved great success in international competitions. Since 1996, she has produced annual Operatic Showcases with students singing under internationally renowned directors. Consistently and over many years, students have moved on to professional operatic or musical theatre careers, appearing in leading roles in Toronto, Broadway and European productions such as: Madama Butterfly, La Wally, Tosca, Magic Flute, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Mamma Mia!, Wicked, Spring Awakening, Hairspray, Urinetown, The Evil Dead, Jersey Boys, Oklahoma!, Flower Drum Song, 42nd Street, Mary Poppins, The Pirate Queen, etc. |
Daniel Taylor – voice
|
An exclusive recording artist for SONY Masterworks, Daniel Taylor is one of the most sought-after countertenors in the world. Daniel is a remarkable classical recording artist appearing on more than 80 recordings which include Bach Cantatas/Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner for Deutche Gramophone Archiv and SDG; Renaissance duets with James Bowman /Actor Ralph Fiennes (BIS); Handel’s Rinaldo with Cecilia Bartoli /AAM/Hogwood (DECCA); Cantatas ‘Before Bach’ with Collegium Vocale /Herrewege (Harmonia Mundi); Sakamoto’s pop-opera ‘Life' with the Dalai Lama (SONY), Bach Cantatas with Bach Collegium Japan (BIS), Bach B minor Mass (DVD and CD) from Notre-Dame in Paris with EOP/Nelson (EMI), a second recording of the B minor Mass with the Kammerchor Stuttgart/Bernius (Carus) and Handel's Messiah also with Bernius (Carus). Daniel’s debut at Glyndebourne in Handel’s Theodora (recorded for Erato) followed on his operatic debut in Jonathan Miller’s production of Rodelinda (for EMI). He took the title role in Gluck’s Orfeo at the Edinburgh Festival in a coproduction with Opera North. His North American operatic debut was in Handel’s Cesare at the Metropolitan Opera New York. |













