Presenters

BRIAN BALMAGES

Brian Balmages is an award-winning composer and conductor. His music has been performed throughout the world, including premieres at the College Band Directors National Conference, the Midwest Clinic, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. His commissions have ranged from elementary schools to professional symphony orchestras. He is a recipient of the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association and the Distinguished Alumni Award from James Madison University. His music was also performed as part of the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service with both the President and Vice President in attendance. As a conductor, Mr. Balmages enjoys regular engagements with all-state and regional honor bands / orchestras as well as university and professional groups. Conducting engagements have included the United States, Canada, Australia and Italy. He is Director of Instrumental Publications for The FJH Music Company and Assistant Director of Bands and Orchestras at Towson University.

LORELEI BATISLAONG

Lorelei is the Deputy Director, Lead Editor of Decolonizing the Music Room. Lorelei is a 14-year veteran of the elementary music classroom. She received a BM in Music with teacher certification from Southwest Texas State University and a MM in Instrumental Conducting from Texas State University. She served on the American Orff Schulwerk Association National Board of Trustees as Region III Representative and is a former chair of the AOSA Diversity and Inclusion committee. Lorelei is the State Director of the Texas affiliate of the National Association for Music Education. Along with presenting local, state and national clinics, Lorelei is completing a Ph.D. in Music and Human Learning at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include: Teacher noticing and decision-making, inclusivity in the music classroom and the teaching profession, and generally wondering why everything is the way it is and how it could be better.

KAREN BURKE

Karen Burke holds a Master of Education Degree from York University, an Honours Bachelor of Music Degree from McMaster University and an A.R.C.T. Diploma in Piano Teaching from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Karen and her husband Oswald own Burke Music Inc., a Gospel music production and publishing company, and in 1988 Burke co-founded the Toronto Mass Choir, a Juno award-winning gospel choir. TMC has recorded 12 albums and toured in ten different countries including Italy, Poland and the Dominican Republic. In 2005, Burke became a Professor in the music department at York University developing the first post-secondary gospel music curricular courses in Canada and establishing the York University Gospel Choir. Burke has offered workshops for many schools and organizations including the University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, the Ontario Music Educators Association (OMEA) and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

MARLA BUTKE

Marla Butke, Ph.D. , directs the Women’s Chorale and teaches General Music and Choral Methods at Otterbein University. She holds degrees from Miami University, Wright State University and The Ohio State University. She is a Master Teaching Artist with the American Eurhythmics Society and serves as the President of the board of AES. Dr. Butke regularly presents Dalcroze Eurhythmics workshops throughout the United States and internationally, including recent presentations in Spain, China, England, and at the OAKE, AOSA, NAfME, and ACDA National Conferences. Dr. Butke has been published in General Music Today , TRIAD , Update , The Orff Echo , and Enrollment Management . Her book, co-authored by Dr. David Frego, “Meaningful Movement: A Music Teacher’s Guide to Dalcroze Eurhythmics” was recently released.

AIMEE CURTIS PFITZNER

Aimee Curtis Pfitzner has been the Lower School Music Director at Cannon School in Concord for 23 years and has taught music for 27 years. She holds a Masters of Music degree from UNC-Greensboro and completed Level I Orff-Schulwerk Training at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, Levels II and III at UNLV, and Master's Level at the University of Memphis. Aimee is a frequent presenter at music workshops and conferences in the US and Canada. Her books, Hands to Hands, Hands to Hands Too, Painted Music, Sing a Song, Play a Game, and Playful Possibilities are available from Beatin’ Path Publications, where she also serves as an editor. She is passionate about music making, gardening, adoption, and anything and everything creative; painting, zendoodling, digital scrapbooking, making jewelry, writing music, crafting, and sewing. When not teaching or writing music, singing, or creating, she can be found musically musing on her blog, www.ofortunaorff.com.

LEELA GILDAY

If you’re from the North, Leela Gilday's music is home. If you’ve never been, it will take you there. Born and raised in Denendeh, she writes about the people and the land that created her. The power in her voice conveys the depth of love and life in a rugged environment and vibrant culture. This Juno Award-winner has toured extensively both nationally and internationally. She believes music has an inexplicable effect on people- a place where she can share light, dark and the most vulnerable moments. Her recent album North Star Calling is a raw, intimate, and beautifully revealing journey.

OLA GJEILO

Ola Gjeilo is one of the most frequently performed composers in the choral world. An accomplished pianist, improvisations over his own published choral pieces have become a trademark of his collaborations. Although Norwegian by birth, it is perhaps Ola’s adopted country of America that has influenced the composer’s distinctive soundworld the most, evolving a style that is often described as cinematic and evocative, with a lush, harmonious sound. Ola grew up in a musically eclectic home listening to classical, jazz, pop and folk, a broad background he later incorporated into his classical composition studies at The Juilliard School, the Royal College of Music in London, and currently as a New York City-based freelance composer. He is especially inspired by the improvisational art of film composer Thomas Newman, jazz legends Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny, glass artist Dale Chihuly and architect Frank Gehry. Ola’s albums include the bestselling Ola Gjeilo and Winter Songs on the Decca Classics label, featuring Tenebrae, Voces8 and the Choir of Royal Holloway. He also has two piano albums on the 2L label; Stone Rose and Piano Improvisations. All four recordings are available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and all major platforms.

JONATHAN HAMILL

Dr. Jonathan Hamill (artist name Jay Slay) is an accomplished pianist/electronic music artist/producer and medical doctor/specialist in psychiatry. A classically trained pianist, he holds a Bachelor of Music degree (B.Mus) and Royal Conservatory diploma in piano performance (ARCT) along with almost 30 years of experience in music. Musical accomplishments include 9 releases, a nomination for Electronic Recording of the Year at the 2017 Edmonton Music Awards for "I'd Do Anything," 4 remix competitions hosted by Digital Empire Records for his original tracks, and 4 Beatport Top 10 chartings/3 Staff Picks/1 Featured Track. He's had FM radio play on 110+ stations in Canada and the US, and his tracks have appeared on over 15 compilation albums to date. For many years he worked as a professional piano accompanist with the University of Alberta Concert Choir, Kokopelli Choir Association, and Edmonton Public Schools’ Music Enrichment Program. As a psychiatrist, he has a general adult practice, with particular areas of interest including adult ADHD and psychotherapy. He believes patients should be as informed as possible about the available evidence-based psychological and medication options for any given mental health concerns, so they can be empowered to make their own informed treatment decisions. As part of his residency training, he did a 6-month elective in medical education. www.jayslay.com

JAN JANOVSKY

Jan Janovsky is a dynamic musician and the owner of Classic Studios music academy in Sherwood Park. He is recognized as a highly sought after collaborative artist and master instructor. Performing internationally as a Music Director for cruiselines such as Holland America and as a headlining act for Seaborne, Princess, and others, he has been at the helm of cruise ship entertainment. Trained as a classical and jazz pianist, Jan received his piano performance degree with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan and a diploma in jazz performance with distinction from Humber College. He holds a Masters in Music in Jazz Studies with distinction from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

MICHAEL McMAHON

Pianist Michael McMahon is the preferred partner to many of Canada’s finest singers. He has performed and regularly throughout Canada, in Europe, Japan and the USA with singers such as Catherine Robbin, Karina Gauvin, Measha Brueggergosman, Gordon Bintner, Marianne Fiset, Lyne Fortin, Dominique Labelle, Wendy Nielsen, Maureen Forrester, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Annamaria Popescu, Monica Whicher. Joseph Kaiser, Nathan Berg, Brett Polegato, Benjamin Butterfield, Philippe Sly, Daniel Taylor, Kimy McLaren, Kevin McMillan, Gerald Finley, Michael Schade, Russell Braun and Richard Margison. In addition to his active performing schedule, Michael McMahon is a Professor at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal. He is also often asked to give Masterclasses for singers and pianists across Canada and in Europe. He has made numerous broadcast recordings for the English and French networks of the CBC, as well as for the BBC, RBTF, Radio Suisse Romande, and Radio France. His recordings on the Marquis, CBC , Atma, and Analekta labels have met with critical acclaim, including Juno nominations and the Prix Opus.

PETER MEECHAN

The music of Canadian-based British composer Peter Meechan (b. 1980, Nuneaton, UK) is extensively performed throughout the world. His music has been commissioned, recorded, broadcast and performed by some of the world’s leading symphony orchestras, wind orchestras, brass bands, conductors and soloists. In October 2020, Meechan was awarded the CBA (Canadian Band Association) ‘Canadian Composers’ Award’ – only the 9th recipient in since the award’s inception in 1991. He holds an undergraduate degree (BMus Hons) from the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, UK), where he studied with Dr. Anthony Gilbert, Dr. David Horne and Adam Gorb, a Master of Arts (MA) degree and a PhD (composition), both from the University of Salford (Manchester, UK), where he studied with Prof. Peter Graham. He resides in Winnipeg, MB.

ANDREW MERCER

For over 20 years Andrew Mercer has been exploring new ideas in online music education. Since 2002 he has been teaching music to CDLI students throughout Newfoundland and Labrador entirely over the Internet. Andrew’s work can be found in Canadian Music Educator, Popular Science, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, as well as the ISME Conference, TEDx, MTNA National Conference, NAMM, and MENC.

CARMEN MORIN

Carmen Morin made her orchestral debut as soloist at the age of ten in Calgary, Canada. An award winning concert pianist and pedagogue, she was inducted into the Steinway and Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in New York (2019); and was awarded first prize with her piano duo partner, Dr. Lana Henchell, at the 2018 Coimbra World Piano Competition. Carmen passionately combines her love of the arts with entrepreneurship. She leads a collaborative team of nearly 40 faculty and staff in her role as Owner and Executive Director of Morin Music Studio in Calgary, Canada one of Alberta’s largest and fastest growing private music education facilities. She is the founder of Morin Music Online, which currently provides online music training and lessons to students around the world.

SYREETA NEAL

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Syreeta Neal is an upper elementary music educator, 3rd generation Blues musician and activist based in Los Angeles. Syreeta was born into a family of artists and began her 21 year musical career as an international touring artist before moving to LA and transiting into music education in 2011, with an emphasis on racial equity in the music classroom. Aside from her lived experience and deep roots in Black American traditional music, Syreeta also holds a specialist certification in vocal jazz, R&B and pop/rock from Berklee College of Music and is a board member of The Los Angeles Orff Chapter.

MOLLY NOORI

Molly Noori is a professional opera singer, director, music educator, vocal instructor, and NATS member. She is currently the owner of OC Voice Studio, located in Irvine, CA. In addition to her performance career, Molly has taught voice lessons for over fifteen years to students ages 7-adult and general music and choir to pre-k-12th graders in Indian, Michigan, Ohio, and California. She has had the pleasure of working as a theatre director, music director, and vocal coach for Michigan Opera Theatre, Macomb Center, and more. Molly earned her B.M. in vocal performance from Indiana University-Fort Wayne, and both a M.M. in vocal performance and M.M.Ed from the University of Toledo. Molly is originally from Fort Wayne, IN and moved to Orange County, CA in 2018 where she lives with her husband and daughter, Anne.

SARAH PATRICK

Sarah Patrick was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She was a violinist with the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra and performed with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. Sarah taught violin lessons at the Saskatoon Academy of Music while pursuing her undergraduate degree. She currently plays with the Calgary Civic Symphony. She graduated from the University of Calgary Faculty of Law in 2017 and since her graduation has practiced civil litigation, family law and criminal law. She is a partner in the firm Knight Molloy Patrick LLP, established in 2017, and currently running a busy litigation practice. She has represented clients in all levels of court in Alberta.

JOE PORTER

Joe Porter is a multi-award winning Canadian Percussionist, teacher and composer. Based in Southern Alberta, Canada, Joe is a passionate educator, performer, and composer. He has founded many youth and community ensembles and has raised a significant amount of money for programs to expand their percussion instruments. Joe has a private teaching studio at the Casa Art Centre in Lethbridge and is an officer for the Percussive Arts Society Alberta Chapter which received the PAS Outstanding Chapter Award in 2015. Joe is a Ludwig-Musser, Innovative Percussion, Dream Cymbals & Gongs and Grover Pro Percussion artist.More information can be seen at Joe’s website: http://joeporteronline.com

ADAM ROBERTSON

A native of Burnaby, British Columbia, Adam Robertson is active throughout Alberta as a conductor, choral and vocal clinician, adjudicator, and teacher. Holding degrees in vocal performance from the University of Lethbridge (BMus) and choral conducting from the University of Alberta (MMus), he completed his DMus in choral conducting from the University of Alberta in 2018. During his time in Edmonton, Adam has conducted several ensembles including the Sherwood Park Festival Singers, Da Camera Singers, and Edmonton Children’s Choir. He is currently the director of the Concert Choir at the University of Alberta as well as the longest serving assistant conductor of the University of Alberta Mixed Chorus. In 2019, Adam founded the All Points West Chamber Choir, a 32-voice mixed ensemble whose goal is to advocate for musical inclusivity by creating programs that fuse traditional choral repertoire and popular music.

SCOTT RUSH

Scott Rush is the team lead for the “Habits” series published by GIA and is the former Director of Bands at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, SC. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music. He currently serves as conductor of the Charleston Wind Symphony. Under his direction, the Wando Symphonic Band performed at the 2007 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. Mr. Rush is active as a conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States and Canada. He is the author and co-author of twelve highly touted books published by GIA Publications. In 2010, Mr. Rush was elected into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.

PHILIPPA WAITE

Philippa Waite, Artistic Director of Consort de Danse Baroque, is well known as a teacher and performer of Early Dance. After training as a dance teacher, she specialised in Baroque dance, and studied with Wendy Hilton, internationally acknowledged expert in the field, in the USA, where Philippa subsequently acted as one of her teaching assistants. Philippa wrote and presented an edition of BBC Radio 3's The Early Music Show on Baroque dance music. As well as performing and choreographing in period style Philippa teaches regular historical dance classes in the UK and is a guest tutor of Period Movement & Dance at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff. Philippa is co-author with Judith Appleby of "Beauchamp-Feuillet Notation: A Guide for Beginner and Intermediate Baroque Dance Students" and has recently published A Collection of New Choreographies in the Baroque Style, to Telemann’s Hochzeit-Divertissement, notated by Judith Appleby. More information can be found on www.ukbaroquedance.com

BRANDI WALLER-PACE

Brandi Waller-Pace is the Founder and Executive Director of Decolonizing the Music Room. She taught elementary music for ten years in Fort Worth, Texas where she served as a mentor teacher, and wrote lower elementary music curriculum. Brandi holds a B.M. and M.M. in Jazz Studies from Howard University and is pursuing a PhD in Music Education at the University of North Texas. She has completed Orff Schulwerk certification, Kodály level I, and Music Learning Theory levels I and II. An educational equity advocate, she has been a member of the Fort Worth ISD racial equity committee since 2018. Brandi is an active musician performing most often jazz and early American roots music. She presents on topics such as decolonizing and anti racist philosophies in music education, the Black history of early American music, and incorporating jazz into the elementary classroom.

DYLAN WIEST

Dylan Wiest is a Calgary based musician and music educator who has taught with Regina Public Schools, Webber Academy, and is currently a band director at Highwood High School in High River, Alberta. Dylan was the recipient of the 2019 Keith Mann Young Band Director’s Award, and his bands have consistently received top honours at local and provincial festivals. His interests include jazz performance and history, percussion pedagogy, as well as composition and arranging. His current aim as an educator is to deliver an engaging band curriculum through the use of technology and online instruction in an effort to mitigate some of the current restrictions on instrumental performance.