Helen Torney
Helen
Torney holds an ARCT Diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory
of Music, Fellowship and Licentiate Diplomas from Trinity College of Music,
London, England , a Bachelor of Music from the University of Western Ontario, a
Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia and an Associate
Diploma in Clarinet Performance from the Western Ontario Conservatory of
Music. She studied piano with Edward Parker,
Robert Rogers and Ira Swartz, and clarinet with Robert Riseling.
Ms.
Torney maintains a private studio where she teaches piano, clarinet and
theory. She is active as an
adjudicator/workshop clinician and is a member of Canadian Music Festivals
Adjudicators' Association. After several
years as an executive member and provincial delegate for the Coquitlam/Maple
Ridge branch of the BCRMTA, she moved, in 1997, to Cobourg, Ontario. She is now
also an Examiner of History, Harmony and Rudiments and served on the RCM
Council of Examiners from 2001-2003.
 Marion Stuart-Kosmala
Marion Stuart-Kosmala is a graduate of the
Faculty of Music at the University
of Western Ontario where
she earned the A. Mus. Diploma, as well as the B. Mus. and M. Mus. degrees, all
in piano performance. While there, she
studied piano with Howard Munn and Clifford VonKuster, who were the Principal
of the Western Ontario
Conservatory of Music and Dean of Faculty of Music respectively at that
time. She also studied pipe organ with
Dr. John S. McIntosh.
Ms Stuart-Kosmala has maintained a private
piano studio in Chatham
for over 30 years and thus brings with her a wealth of experience. Her students have had very successful results
in both Festival competitions and R.C.M. examinations. Ms Stuart-Kosmala has been a pianist for the
Royal Academy of Dance (ballet) examinations for 30 years. She has also been a member of the O.R.M.T.A.
for 30 years and has held various executive positions within that
organization. Ms Stuart-Kosmala has
played for numerous musical productions of Theatre Kent and the West End Revue,
and has also owned and directed her own theatre group called Stuart and Company.
In 1990 her career expanded when she was
asked to become the organist of St. Josephs Church and it expanded once again
when she became its choirmaster / music director in 2002.
Ms Stuart-Kosmala has been an examiner for
the W.O.C.M., has accompanied the Linda Vaughn Singers of London, has been the
pianist/harpsichordist in the Clarion Symphony of Sarnia and has been an
accompanist at the Chatham, Sarnia,
and London
music festivals.
In 2006 Ms Stuart-Kosmala was asked to
adjudicate at the Kitchener-Waterloo Music Festival, something she enjoyed
thoroughly and wishes to continue for years to come. In 2007 she adjudicated at the Norfolk County
Musical Arts Festival and will be adjudicating in Belleville,
Owen Sound, Sarnia,
and Windsor in
2008.
Keith Nicholas
Mr. Nicholas received his
undergrad degree from York
University and went on to
study the French horn at the University
of Toronto and Queens
University. He further acquired an Honours Specialist in instrumental music.
During his thirty-three year
teaching career Mr. Nicholas taught all levels of music specializing in
instrumental music, including concert band, jazz band and wind ensembles. His
philosophy was and continues to be the importance of each and every member of
the band and their contribution to the overall performance of the group.
Mr. Nicholas has had
experience with many music festivals over the years both as a participant and
an adjudicator. He has been a member of
the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators Association for the past seven years,
adjudicating festivals most recently in Peterborough,
Cornwall,
Bancroft, Port Perry, Bowmanville, Newcastle
and Port Hope.
He himself is still an active
player and conductor with community groups in and around Cobourg and is called
upon frequently to provide workshops, clinics and teaching support. He looks forward to listening and sharing a
love of music with all participants in music festivals throughout the province.
 Andrea de Boer-Jones
Vocal Music Specialist Andrea de Boer-Jones has
been teaching music to grades one through twelve for the past six years. She has
also taught literacy through the arts to primary and junior students. She is an
active adjudicator, clinician, educator and performer.
Ms de Boer-Jones holds a
Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Music
Specialist diploma from McGill and OISE Universities. Her vocal expertise and
conducting experience has enabled her to offer choral clinics to several
schools, as well as guest conducting the Canadian Independent Schools Music
Festival senior choir at Roy Thompson Hall. Ms de Boer-Jones sings with the
Elora Festival Singers and has been a core member of the Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir and Singers. She has given educational clinics at both the Ontario
Educators Music Association Conference and at OISE's Additional Qualifications
music courses for teachers. Recently, Ms de Boer-Jones was seen as the Baker's
Wife in the musical Into The Woods, and in a musical solo concert series in
Cobourg.
heather keith
heather has been ringing handbells since 1992 with The Bells of
St. Andrews at her church in Scarborough,
Ontario, and began ringing solo
handbells in 1997. Currently, she also rings with The Bronze Foundation, an
advanced auditioned handbell ensemble. heather is the Artistic Director
and a member of Quintessence Handbell Ensemble, a group of five
experienced ringers who regularly perform a wide variety of handbell
duets, trios, quartets and quintets.
heather has performed in worship and in concerts across southern Ontario, across western Canada,
in the United States,
and even on a Cruise Ship. heather and her duet partner/husband David were
chosen to perform in the International Concert at the 2004 International
Handbell Symposium in Toronto, representing all
of the handbell ringers of Canada.
heather was the first international ringer chosen to be a part of the Dream
Team teaching & performance quartet for the Solo/Ensemble Extravaganza in Philadelphia, PA
in July 2007.
heather frequently teaches workshops on solo ringing, small
ensemble ringing, 4-in-hand ringing and bell trees at local, provincial,
national and international handbell events. She is the Editor of "Clapper
Chatter", the newsletter of the Ontario Guild of English Handbell Ringers,
and she is serving as Coordinator for the Canadian National Ringing Link
Festival in London, Ontario in July 2008. heathers first two
solo handbell arrangements were published in 2007.
Gregory Cross
Gregory Cross has
appeared in Musicals, Theatre, Television & Opera across Canada and Great Britain. For five years he played the role of Monsieur Firmin in the award winning Toronto
production of Phantom of the Opera. He
has appeared on Londons West
End in such shows as Miss
Saigon. In Canada, Mr Cross has worked in Theatre coast to coast;
including appearances at the Charlottetown
and Shaw Festivals, at the St.
Lawrence Centre as 'Alfie Doolittle' in "My Fair Lady", at Orillia's Sunshine Festival as 'Dick
Deadeye' in "HMS Pinafore",
and with Opera Ontario and the Edmonton Opera as 'Baron Zeta' in "The Merry Widow". His operatic performances also include
appearances with the Vancouver
and Canadian Opera Companies,
and Opera in Concert in such roles as 'Goloud' in "Peleas
et Melisande", 'Ramiro' in "L'heure Espagnol", and 'Papageno' in
"The Magic Flute". His TV
credits include Due South, Wind at
my Back, The Twilight Zone and a recurring role as Ed Caruso (The Singing Telegram Man) on the children
series Noddy. Gregory has Bachelor of
Music in Vocal Performance from the University
of Toronto, and is currently on the
Voice Faculty of the Music Theatre program at Sheridan
College in Oakville, Ontario.
He is much in demand across the country as an adjudicator, his areas of
expertise being Musical Theatre, Speech Arts & Classical Voice. When
not adjudicating Music Festivals, Mr. Cross
performs concerts across the country with orchestras and choirs. His
repertoire ranges from oratorios and operas..
to his favourite The Best of
Broadway!
 Gordon Cleland
Principal cellist
of the Niagara Symphony, Gordon Cleland, has performed across North
America. He has appeared
as a soloist with the Niagara Symphony (Schumann Concerto in A minor and
Vivaldi Double Concerto in G minor with Gisela Depkay) and for the Debut Series
in Montreal. He has executive experience as a chamber
musician; notably with violinist Atis Bankas at the Niagara International
Chamber Music Festival, and with pianist Karin di Bella at Brock University. Gordon is a member of the Thorold String
Quartet with violinist Xiaoling Li and violist Andree Simard.
In
addition to his activities as a performer, Gordon has made a strong commitment
to music education. He teaches cello and
string techniques at Brock
University. He has been a featured performer for the
Concertino Program of Jeunesses musicales, whose artists are carefully chosen
for the pedagogical skills and their ability to communicate with young
people. Gordon has adjudicated music
festivals across Canada and
runs a private studio in the Niagara region.
Gordon
started his musical training in London, Ontario and completed his studies with a Master of Music
from Boston University. His principal teachers were George Neikrug,
Walter Joachim, and Gisela Depkat.
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