Canadian Wind Conductors Development Program

Denise Grant

Denise Grant has earned respect and praise as a conductor and educator of great musical depth and artistic sensitivity. She has guest-conducted ensembles across Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and Southeast Asia, and in 2004 she was the Music Director for the National Youth Band of Canada. She returned to Asia this fall to conduct the Southeast Asia Honour Band in Indonesia and deliver conducting workshops in Malaysia.

A native of Nova Scotia, Denise earned her doctorate in music education and conducting at the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Craig Kirchhoff. She has also worked with noted conductors in intensive workshops and audited the Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow Program. She has held conducting positions at the University of Toronto, University of Regina, and Portland State University in Oregon. During her tenure, she founded the University of Toronto and University of Regina Wind Band Teaching and Conducting Symposiums, served as co-founding editor of the Canadian Band Association journal, Canadian Winds, premiered many new works for wind ensemble, and was a founding member of the Canadian Wind Band Repertoire Project. She is a strong advocate for the creation and performance of new music and of supporting Canadian and women composers. Ensembles under her direction have been lauded for artistic performances grounded in the composer’s intent.

Denise is currently Associate Professor of instrumental conducting and conductor of the Wind Ensemble at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She has a strong commitment to music education in Canada and her professional activities reflect that commitment – she is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician, and conducting teacher.

Dr. Dale J. Lonis

Dale J. Lonis was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in July of 2008 after holding a similar position with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.  He returned to the Chicago area after leaving his position on the Northwestern University conducting faculty in 1988.  He received his Bachelors and Doctoral degrees in Music Education from the University of Illinois and a Master of Music in Conducting degree from Northwestern University.  While completing his Masters Degree he was appointed to the conducting faculty at Northwestern University, and was also Assistant Director of the National High School Summer Music Institute. In 1988 he became Director of Bands and Coordinator of Conducting and Performing Organizations, and later Founder and Director of the Fine Arts Residential College, at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

In 2001 Dr. Lonis was appointed as Director of the School of Music at the University of Manitoba, a position that was later promoted to Dean of the Faculty of Music. While there Dr. Lonis developed a culture where student success was the highest priority.  During his tenure on the Faculty, he established new Graduate Conducting and Composition programs, Post-Baccalaureate Diploma, Collaborative Piano, and Jazz programs and increased enrollment from 120 full-time students to nearly 300 students.  He added several new faculty positions, increased student retention rates to a nation leading high of nearly 90% and developed an Artist-in-Residence program which brought performing artists from throughout the world to campus for periods of up to one year.  He also led successful fund-raising efforts in support of the Faculty of Music and student scholarships.

Dr. Lonis is committed to the development of collaborative efforts between community programs, school music programs and professional musical organizations throughout the world.  After joining the Elgin Symphony Orchestra he established the “Food for Tickets” program, which was later adopted by the League of American Orchestras as a national movement. He also brought a record number of Elgin area not-for-profit social service and arts programs together for collaborative fund raising efforts. Further, Dr. Lonis identified funding and brought back a “Family Fun Series” to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, which brought over 900 children and their families to the first performance. He is also the co-founder of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s Professional Conducting Program and Indigenous Music Festival; Australian Young Conductors Development and Leadership Program; Canadian Wind Conductors Development Program; and the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Fine Arts Residential College and Missouri Summer Music Institute. As a member of the Artistic Planning Committee and CEO of Educational Planning for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Dr. Lonis led the educational and presentational programming for the WASBE International Conference held at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in the summer of 2009 and established a new Mentor program for the organization.

Dr. Lonis is the former Artistic Director and Conductor of the Israel Wind Symphony and the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble. As a conductor Dr. Lonis has led Wind Ensembles, Brass Bands, New Music Ensembles and Orchestras across six continents regularly appearing on stages across North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.  His interpretation of new music has been noted for its “artistry and depth.”  He is also a frequent keynote and motivational speaker at professional music, educational and leadership conferences throughout the world. He is considered a noted authority on conducting and pedagogy, and has been an advisor and mentor to professional conductors and music educators from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, Spain, and Uruguay.

Dr. Fraser Linklater

Fraser Linklater is presently an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba, where he directs the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and Chamber Winds and teaches courses in music education and conducting.  A native of Winnipeg, Dr. Linklater holds a Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas and a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Michigan. He has published articles in the Journal of Research in Music Education, the Music Educators Journal, and the Canadian Music Educator.  He has also presented at national music education conferences.

A trumpet player, Dr. Linklater has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Genève (Switzerland), and the Ron Paley Big Band, as well as being a founding member of the Winnipeg Brass Quintet.  His trumpet teachers have included Vincent Cichowicz, Armando Ghitalla, and Edward Tarr.  Dr. Linklater has studied wind conducting in numerous workshops with clinicians such as Frank Battisti, Eugene Corporon, Craig Kirchhoff, Allan McMurray, Larry Rachleff, and Mallory Thompson, as well as with H. Robert Reynolds at the University of Michigan.  Dr. Linklater has guest conducted and adjudicated at various festivals and music camps across Canada as well as the United States.

A co-director of the Canadian Wind Conductors Development Program, Dr. Linklater is also Secretary-Treasurer of the Manitoba Band Association and coordinates all three levels of honour bands for the MBA. In October 2002, he received the MBA Award of Distinction for his services to music education in Manitoba.  Dr. Linklater is an assistant editor of Canadian Winds, the national journal of the Canadian Band Association. In May 2006 Dr. Linklater was the guest conductor of the 2006 National Youth Band of Canada.  The University of Manitoba Wind Ensemble has released two CDs devoted to Canadian wind band music — “North Winds I and II” with a third CD on the way.   Under Dr. Linklater’s direction, the University of Manitoba Wind Ensemble has been a guest ensemble at the Cantando Band Festival in Edmonton on four different occasions, and has performed at the past three Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra New Music Festivals.

Dr. Linklater is also interested in transcribing orchestral works for wind ensemble, having recently completed transcriptions of Frenergy by John Estacio and Tabuh-Tabuhan by Colin McPhee.  In March 2007, Dr. Linklater presented a session on the wind band music of Colin McPhee at the College Band Directors’ National Association Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan.   Last summer, Dr. Linklater, in collaboration with Tim Maloney and Keith Kinder presented a session on Canadian wind band music at the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles biennial conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Jason Caslor

Jason Caslor is currently completing a Doctorate of Music Arts (Conducting) at Arizona State University. His principal conducting teacher is Professor Gary Hill, Director of Ensemble Studies at ASU. Other mentors include Dr. Dale J. Lonis, CEO of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Wayne Bailey, Dr. Timothy Russell, and Dr. Fraser Linklater.

From 2005-2008, Jason was Resident Conductor with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, a thirty piece professional orchestra in Ontario, Canada.  During his time with the TBSO, Jason conducted over 75 concerts (including a CBC Radio broadcast), designed and implemented numerous education and outreach initiatives, and recorded a full-length CD with Canadian blues artist Rita Chiarelli.   He also served as Assistant Chorus Master for the Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus.

Other orchestras conducted in concert include the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Civic Orchestra, the Mennonite Community Orchestra, the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, and the Arizona State University Chamber Orchestra.   Jason has also conducted several professional new music ensembles including The Group of Seven Contemporary Ensemble.

In 2004, Jason became the first ever Resident Conductor with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, working with Music Director and Conductor Earl Stafford.  A position supported by the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the University of Manitoba Faculty of Music, Jason?s professional debut was made with the RWB and the WSO in their production of the Nutcracker.

Jason has had the privilege of being an active participant at numerous conducting workshops and competitions including the National Arts Centre Conducting Program, the Conductors Guild International Workshop, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Symposium, and the Cadaques Orchestre Conducting Competition (Spain). Workshop mentors have included Gustav Meier, Jorma Panula, Pinchas Zuckerman, Alexander Mickelthwate, Raffi Armenian, Felix Hauswirth, Dr. Glenn Price, Dr. Denise Grant, Rodney Winther, Timothy Reynish, Craig Kirchhoff, and Michael Haithcock.

Prior to earning a Master of Music (Conducting) degree from the University of Manitoba, Jason earned his Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Saskatchewan.  During this time, he was a member of the Scherzo Quartet, winner of the Chamber Music category at the 2000 National Music Festival.  He has spent several years teaching in the public school system as both an instrumental and choral instructor.  At the post-secondary level, Jason has served as assistant conductor of numerous university ensembles, most recently was the Wind Ensemble Director at Lakehead University, and has served as a sessional lecturer at the community college level.  He has spent many years acting as clinician, adjudicator, and conductor for festivals, honour bands, and music camps across Central and Western Canada.