Stay tuned to see who will be waving their baton for the Peterkin Symphonic Band.

Verna Ahner is the band director at Springbank Middle School near Calgary, where she has built a large and thriving music program over the past 18 years. With 35 years of experience in music education, she is a respected leader in Alberta’s band community.

Originally from Saskatchewan, Verna earned her Music Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan and holds a Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Victoria. She has studied with renowned educators including Gerry King, David Kaplan, Frank Battisti, Frederick Fennell, Marvin Ekroth, Betty Hanley, and Linda Pimental.

An accomplished clarinetist, Verna has performed with the Calgary Wind Symphony, Calgary Civic Symphony, and Edmonton Wind Symphony. Her conducting credits include the Calgary Civic Symphony, Foothills Concert Band, Metropolitan Winds, and the 2023 ABA Junior High Honour Band.

She is delighted to be conducting at MusicCamp Alberta this year.

Oboist Aidan Dugan is currently acting Assistant Principal Oboe of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Aidan holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Ottawa, and an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Aidan has performed frequently with many orchestras across Canada, including the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Regina Symphony, Ottawa Symphony, Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra, Ontario Philharmonic, National Youth Orchestra Canada, Red Deer Symphony and the National Academy Orchestra. A finalist in the NACO Bursary Competition in 2012 (honorable mention), he was also awarded Apprentice of the Year with the National Academy Orchestra in 2014. In 2018, Aidan participated in the orchestral program at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado and in 2023 completed the National Arts Centre Orchestra Mentorship Program.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Koch has been the Principal Flute of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra since 1987. On top of orchestral playing, she has been a soloist with the Edmonton Symphony and the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and many others. As a chamber musician, she really enjoys playing in the Edmonton Symphony Woodwind Quintet and with the award-winning WindRose Trio.

Elizabeth is committed to teaching and has taught students aged six to 87. In the past few years, Elizabeth has sponsored professional flute players from Edmonton and Calgary to give masterclasses for Edmonton flute students. And along with two colleagues, she organized the first flute solo competition which was held in the fall of 2025. Grateful for all the help from the Edmonton Flute Association in these endeavors, Elizabeth hopes these events will inspire flutists of all ages and abilities to keep learning and playing.

Clarinetist Don Ross plays some 100 shows a year, split between classical, jazz, world and experimental music. He plays regularly with such groups as Saint Crispin’s Chamber Ensemble, The West End Hot Club, the Gadjo Collective gypsy band, New Music Edmonton, the Alberta Symphony, Crescendo Orchestra, Opera Nuova, The Billie Zizi Swing Band, Mile Zero Dance and many others. He teaches clarinet at the University of Alberta, The Winspear Conservatory, King’s and MusiCamp Alberta. His work as a composer and project leader have won multiple grants from the Canada Council, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Edmonton Arts Council. He studied at the Universities of Alberta and Toronto and at Northwestern in Chicago. He recently served as board chair with the Edmonton Arts Council.
donrossclarinet.ca

Allison Balcetis is drawn to sounds that grab the audience with visceral force or nudge them to lean in deeper, catching ethereal textures. In a world where isolation and loneliness are an epidemic, Allison prefers playing with others, performing both composed and improvised music. Fulfilled by creative partnerships, she plays in several groups including echoradia, where she uses effects pedals on saxophone while improvising with Kelly Ruth on amplified spinning wheel; and Ultraviolet, a mixed instrument quartet focused exclusively on commissioning Canadian composers. For over 10 years Ultraviolet remains Edmonton’s only chamber ensemble to do so. Allison also performs in damn magpies an improvising sextet, avant-jazz combo Blackout Over Rio, indie folk rock band Next Stop, Otago!, and the Edmonton Saxophone Quartet. Having taught at the University of Alberta since 2011 Allison’s great passion is to help students: express themselves maturely on their instrument; interpret others’ compositions with critical thought; and work together effectively and artistically.

Peter has been a professional horn player for over ten years, freelancing in Edmonton and Montreal. He has performed with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Red Deer Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, L’Orchestre Metropolitain, as well as many other professional groups across Alberta. A founder of the Northern Horn Quartet, board member for the Edmonton Pops Orchestra and an avid music arranger, Peter loves to help enrich our artistic landscape by building opportunities and presenting new art. As a former camper at MusiCamp Alberta, it is his honour to be returning as a instructor.

Kevin Yue (he/him) is an in-demand freelance musician based in Edmonton, Alberta. With a rich background in orchestral music, Kevin can regularly be seen in the trumpet section of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. He is also active as a guest musician with other ensembles in Edmonton such as GFN Production’s FILMharmonique Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, Alberta Ballet, and the Royal Canadian Artillery Band. Kevin is also an active member of the Coyote Brass Quintet.

Kevin currently serves as a Conservatory Instructor at the Winspear Centre and a Teaching Artist with the ESO’s YONA program. This summer, he will serve as trumpet faculty for MusiCamp Alberta and the ESO’s Rusty Musicians program.

Stay tuned…

Matt Groenheide is a percussion performer and educator from Lethbridge, exploring classical percussion, world drumming, and drumset. Together with his wife – Jodi Groenheide (flute & percussion) – Matt performs in the jamani duo, playing a fun and energetic mix of classical, world, and popular music on a vast collection of instruments from around the world.

Matt is the Principal Percussionist of the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra and performs with the University of Lethbridge Global Drums, and Pan Rocks, a rock’n’roll steel pan orchestra. Matt’s favorite time of the year is the summer at MusiCamp Alberta!

Matt holds a Master of Music from the University of Southern Mississippi – where he studied with renowned snare drummer/steel pannist Dr. John Wooton (AKA “Dr. Throwdown”) – and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Lethbridge – where he studied with master educator Adam Mason.

More information on Matt’s adventures can be found at jamaniduo.com and by following “jamani duo” on Facebook and Instagram.

Tara Koett convocated from the University of Lethbridge (B.A./B.Ed) in 2006. She teaches Drama, Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre, and Improvisational Theatre at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School, and coaches the school’s Canadian Improv Games and Nosebowl Theatresports Improv teams. Past directing credits for Thurber are Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown, West Side Story, Anything Goes, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Footloose. Tara is also a senior ensemble member and instructor for Rapid Fire Theatre in Edmonton, and most recently directed The Blank Who Stole Christmas. Tara performs in RFT’s regular Theatresports and Chimprov shows, and has been featured at the Del Close Marathon in NYC, and the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. Tara has also trained and performed with the Magnet Theatre and Upright Citizens’ Brigade Theatre in New York, NY. She has worked as director for MusiCamp Alberta’s musical theatre intensive for the past three summers.

Kimberley Denis is known for her energy and enthusiasm both on stage and off, and is sought after as a soloist, vocal coach, choral clinician, and adjudicator for voice and choir. Upon completion of both a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Music degree at Mount Allison University, she returned to Alberta to complete Master degrees in both choral conducting and vocal performance. She is a singer with Edmonton’s professional choir, Pro Coro Canada and has a flourishing voice studio at her own music school – the Purple Door Music Academy She is also the voice instructor and choir director at The King’s University in Edmonton and presently directs Shumayela (a choir for treble and changing voices for singers between the ages of 11 and 16) with the Korora Choir Association and the River City Chorus (a non-auditioned adult community ensemble). In addition to her work as a singer, teacher, conductor and adjudicator, she arranges pieces for choirs.

Visit her website.

Emily has performed for over 15 years and appeared in more than 12 productions. She holds a Theatre Arts diploma from Grant MacEwan University and completed her Bachelor’s in Human Services from Athabasca University in 2025. Her true passion lies in teaching the performing arts. Emily has choreographed four musicals and has taught many students the art of dance, both in studios and at summer camps. She also offers vocal lessons and enjoys helping young performers grow in skill and confidence. Emily’s approach blends creativity and a deep understanding of storytelling through movement and music. Her experience on stage and in the classroom gives her a unique ability to guide and inspire her students. She is excited to choreograph and teach at MusiCamp Alberta for the first time and looks forward to sharing her love of musical theatre with this year’s campers.

Tova Olson obtained a BTS (CLBI) and a BA in Music (Augustana), studying both classical and jazz piano as well as hand drumming. She also holds her ARCT in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Tova is an experienced piano teacher, accompanist & organist and has served as worship & music coordinator and principal organist at various churches. She has taught Contemporary Piano and Hand Drumming at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus and worked with the Korora (formerly Kokopelli) Choir Association as singer, accompanist and percussion coach. Tova was the music director for About Time Productions, a children’s drama troop, for over 10 years and is now working with Phoenix Productions in the same capacity. In her spare time she plays with the Battle River Big Band and has arranged and composed music for numerous ensembles.

Nate Waters is a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist from Calgary. He has a MMus in Saxophone Performance and a BMus in Secondary Music Education from the University of Calgary, as well as a BEd in Secondary Music Education from the University of British Columbia. As an educator, he runs the Western Canada High School jazz program and the Bishop Carroll Gold Jazz band, and serves on faculty at the Calgary Regional Summer Band Workshop, Musicamp Alberta, and the Vic Lewis Band Festival. As a contemporary/classical saxophonist he has perfromed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Alberta Winds, and Friesen/Waters Duo, and has performed in concert series for New Works Calgary, Sled Island and Sound Atlas Festival. As a jazz saxophonist he leads a trio under his own name, fronts the Wallpaper Quartet, and has appeared with the likes of Maria Schneider, Walt Weiskopf, and Calgary’s 9th Avenue Big Band.

Elissa Moores is a professional trumpet player, educator, and director based in Edmonton, Alberta. As an established player in the local big band scene, she has shared the stage with several notable musicians, including Jim Walker, Melissa Aldana, Allison Au, Tara Davidson, and Jens Lindemann. With experience teaching private trumpet lessons, group clinics, and directing jazz bands at the junior high level, Elissa has a passion for music education and seeks to inspire a love for jazz at all skill levels.

Stay tuned…

Jeremy Doody has been a full time musician and music educator for over 25 years. He maintains a busy performing schedule, playing over 100 shows a year, spanning genres from jazz to classical, rock, blues, folk, and country. He was the jazz guitar instructor at Red Deer College from 2010-19, and the classical guitar instructor at the University of Alberta from 2019 to present. He received his MMus from the U of A in 2021

Originally from Edmonton, Lindsay Woolgar is a bassist and vocalist who now lives in Winnipeg. Her extensive musical training and experience allows her to play both double bass and electric bass in a variety of genres – although jazz remains her first love and main musical influence in all of its many forms. Lindsay is a member of Winnipeg-based bands Juvel, French Class, and the Grey Jays and has recorded and toured with other artists as Ben Sures, Selci, Matt Foster, Billie Zizi, and Jess Rae of Sweet Alibi. During the school year, Lindsay teaches strings at Sistema Winnipeg, an intensive daily after-school music program that focuses on children with the fewest resources and greatest need. In the summer, she serves at MusiCamp Alberta as the Assistant Camp Director / Bass Faculty.

Stay tuned…