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.

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 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.

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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

Sarah Drew (B. Mus, Ed Cert, Dip Wind Band Conducting) taught middle school music for 35 years endeavoring to impact her student’s lives with the love and power of music. Ms. Drew has taught K-9 music at a variety of schools in the Calgary area and her performing groups have consistently achieved high standards but she is most proud of who her students become as caring, creative and confident citizens. She loves starting young instrumentalists and co-wrote a beginning method, “Kodaly for Band” . Ms. Drew has directed bands at Calgary’s Summer Band Workshop, and MusicCamrose before it was Music Camp Alberta as well has adjudicated at many local provincial festivals. She has been involved with the University of Calgary music education students, the ATA Mentorship program and has had roles on the boards of ABA and ABIF, the Arts and Culture board in her hometown and is currently the Past-President of the WBDI (Women’s Band Directors Association) – Alberta Chapter. Through the WBDI, Sarah recently co-presented a new program called, “Girls in Jazz” to help encourage better gender parity within the jazz performance world. She was the Founder and Artistic Director of the Sher-Wood-Like-To-Play Adult Community Band in Calgary for 17 years, as well as the director of the Cochrane Children’s Choir. In 2020 she was presented with the Elkhorn Band Director of the Year award. Ms Drew retired in June of 2022 and since then has been involved in guest conducting, adjudicating, and mentoring new band directors. Living in Cochrane with her family gives Sarah quick access to the river pathways and the mountains where she loves to run, hike, x-country ski and cycle, although in winter you’ll have to head south to find her in Arizona playing tennis, swimming and playing in a local community band.

Matt Groenheide is a percussion performer and educator from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Matt loves the variety that comes from being a percussionist and is well-versed in classical percussion, world drumming, and drumset. Together with his wife – Jodi Groenheide (flute & percussion) – Matt performs in the jamani duo, a fun and energetic group that blends classical, world, and popular music together on a vast collection of instruments from around the world.

Matt performs regularly with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra and the University of Lethbridge Global Drums percussion ensemble. He also performs with Pan Rocks, a rock’n’roll steel drum orchestra, combining Caribbean steel pans with renowned rock musicians. Matt’s favorite time of the year is his summers at MusiCamp Alberta – the premier summer music experience in the province. Matt also volunteers with the Alberta Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.

Matt holds a Master of Music from the University of Southern Mississippi – where he studied with internationally 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 jamanimusic.com and by following “jamani duo” on Facebook and Instagram.

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Michael Hope joined the bassoon section of Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 1982, and is one of Calgary’s most respected artists through his musicianship and his dedication to the life of our musical community. In addition to playing the bassoon, he has a remarkable second career as a highly-praised vocalist. As a singer, he first gained recognition as the winner of the 1984 Calgary Kiwanis Music Festival Rose Bowl, and First Prize Winner in the 1988 CMC International Stepping Stones Competition. Born in Toronto, Michael is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In addition to making music, he is obsessed with NHL hockey. He also enjoys repairing his 25 year-old old Toyota Camry and watching vintage episodes of Dynasty with his Mom! Learn more about Michael by visiting his website at www.michaelhope.net.

Gareth Jones is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary where he teaches conducting as well as the trumpet studio and directs the University’s Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band in addition to directing the Alberta Winds. Mr. Jones has appeared as guest conductor and clinician with over two hundred orchestras and wind ensembles, been a featured trumpet player on Juno nominated blues CDs, appeared on CBC radio as a soloist and chamber musician, been a guest lecturer with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, as well as regularly playing with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and adjudicating and conducting at music festivals across Canada. He was a founding member of the chamber ensemble “Rosa Selvatica” and has been a featured soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra on several occasions. Gareth Jones is a Yamaha artist.

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.

Beth Levia has played third oboe and substitute Principal Oboe with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and has played with several Edmonton based ensembles including the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and the Citadel Theatre Orchestra. A founding member of WindRose Trio, Ms. Levia can be heard on their debut recording “Path of Contact”, the 2009 winner of the Western Canadian Music Award for best classical recording. In 2015 WindRose trio performed a recital of Canadian music for reed trio at the International Double Reed Society conference in Tokyo, Japan, and in August 2016 they were the first Canadian ensemble to play at the Harbin Summer Music Festival in Harbin, China. Beth has been a featured soloist performing Albinoni’s Double Concerto Op.9 with the Alberta Baroque Ensemble; Bach’s Double concerto with the Wye String Ensemble and ESO Principal flutist Elizabeth Koch, and Vaughn-William’s Concerto for Oboe with the Concordia Orchestra. She is a teaching artist at the Kings University, the Conservatory of Music at MacEwan University, and maintains a private studio Ms. Levia holds a Master’s degree in Oboe Performance from McGill University and a Bachelor’s degree in Oboe Performance (with honour) from Michigan State University. Her principal teachers have been Suzanne Lemieux, Daniel Stolper, and Normand Forget.

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Born and raised in the Smoky River Region of Alberta, Ariane Lowrey received her Bachelor of Music Degree in piano performance at the University of Alberta in 2003, studying with Ayako Tsuruta and Janet Scott Hoyt. In the summers of 2001 and 2002, she attended the Summer Festival at the Orford Art Centre in Quebec, studying with piano professors Jean-Paul Sevilla, Jean Saulnier, and Richard Raymond. After completing her undergraduate degree, Ariane studied at the Université de Montréal with Paul Stewart and completed her Master of Music degree in piano performance in 2005. She then travelled and worked in the UK and Europe before returning to Edmonton in 2007. Ariane is actively involved in accompanying and collaborative work as well as teaching and adjudicating. She has performed with various chamber groups, choirs, vocalists, solo instrumentalists, dance and musical theatre productions in Edmonton and throughout Alberta. She is currently the resident accompanist for the i Coristi Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. Rob Curtis, accompanist for Korora’s upper voices choir ChandraTala under the direction of Laura Hawley and collaborative pianist for the department of music at King’s University. Ariane taught at the Alberta College Conservatory of Music at MacEwan from 2007 to 2017. She was adjudicator for junior piano at the St. Albert Rotary Music Festival in 2012, the Fall Music Festival at MacEwan University in 2016 and beginner piano at the Contemporary Showcase in 2020. When not at work, Ariane can be found with her husband Alden and three young children walking or biking to the playground, growing a garden, baking, crafting, dancing and singing in the living room to anything from Tchaikovsky to Disney or jamming with them on any musical instrument they can get their hands on. She is very excited to be back for her third year at MusiCamp!

Sarah MacDonald is a Juno nominated artist with extensive experience as a soloist, orchestral player, and chamber musician. Sarah plays regularly with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as a guest musician and has served as acting assistant principal flute for several seasons. She is a soloist on the Luminous Voices album “Sea Dreams”, nominated for a Juno in 2020. Sarah has served as the flute instructor for the University of Lethbridge since 2008. Sarah is also a co-founder of Green Banana Flute Studios, a partnership with CPO principal flutist Sara Hahn-Scinocco, committed to exploring excellence and wellness in the music industry. Sarah was recently appointed as the woodwind facilitator for the Academy and Advanced Performance program at Mount Royal University. Sarah holds a BMus from the University of Calgary, MMus from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester England and an Artist Diploma from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati.

Morgan McKee has a BMus from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. He has been active as a performer, clinician, educator, composer, conductor and recording producer and artist. He has been a featured performer at the Calgary, Edmonton and Sylvan Lake jazz festivals, conducted musicals all over North America and performed in the US and China with pop bands.

Morgan has been a private music teacher for 20 years, and has adjudicated festivals all over Alberta. His most recent performance credits include working with the RDSO on its jazz presentation Dec 2017, guest conducting Lindsay Thurber’s anniversary performance of “West Side Story,” March 2018 and ongoing featured work with both the Calgary and Edmonton Jazz societies. He works as a sought after sideman and solo performer all over western Canada. Morgan has also been a recording engineer and producer for countless projects including educational work with “Themes and Variations” that is used worldwide in classrooms, and rock, blues, and roots albums.

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

Clarinetist Don Ross plays some 150 shows a year, split between classical, jazz, world and experimental music. He plays regularly with such groups as Saint Crispin’s Chamber Ensemble, 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, MacEwan, Concordia, 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.

Carsten Rubeling is one of Canada’s most active and dynamic trombonists and composers. Originally from Rocky Mountain House Alberta, Carsten performs a wide array of styles from jazz and classical music to salsa, hip-hop and nearly everything in between. His recorded works as a leader include VOLK//PEOPLE (2019) and Headwaters (2022), both on Inner Ocean Records. Carsten has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Sean Jones, Ingrid Jensen, Seamus Blake, Gil Goldstein, Brian Lynch, Brad Turner, David Braid, Nick Fraser, Laila Biali, Jens Lindemann, the Foothills Brass, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Jan Arden and Weird Al.

Once described by Classical Music magazine as a musician of “dazzling commitment and versatility,” Charles Stolte maintains a rich career as a saxophonist and composer. He enjoys frequent support from the Canadian provincial and national governments and from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for his composition projects and performance tours. Dr. Stolte is Chair of Music and Professor of Saxophone, Music History and Composition at The King’s University and Instructor of Saxophone at MacEwan University Conservatory of Music, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was the first Canadian citizen accepted for doctoral studies with the late renowned saxophonist, Frederick L. Hemke.

After beginning his musical education in Lethbridge, Alberta, Nick Sullivan received a fellowship to undertake graduate studies at the University of Victoria. Unable to escape the lure of the Canadian West Coast, Nick returned to B.C. to continue his studies at the University of British Columbia, completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Currently, Nick is on faculty at the University of Lethbridge teaching the low brass studio, and serves as the Recruitment and Retention Specialist for the Faculty of Fine Arts. Nick has a passion for brass chamber music, and has performed in numerous chamber music settings. In 2007, his quintet was featured in the Canadian premiere performance of Eric Ewazen’s Shadowcatcher, a concerto for brass quintet and wind orchestra. He is a founding member of Aeris Brass (formerly the U of L Faculty Brass Quintet), as well as the Southern Alberta Trombone Collective (SATbC). As a soloist, Nick enjoys searching for and commissioning new music for bass trombone, and has a keen interest in vocal works transcribed for low brass. Nick regularly performs as a recitalist throughout Western Canada, and has been featured as a soloist with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra, Lethbridge Community Gold Band, and the University of Lethbridge Wind Orchestra. Active as an orchestral musician, Nick has worked with several orchestras across Canada, such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and presently performs with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of the Kootenays. Away from his trombone, Nick is an avid runner and can also be found working away in his garden or tending to his collection of Bonsai trees. Years of counting rests in the trombone section have given him a reserve of patience required to care for his miniature trees! Nick Sullivan is a performing artist for Michael Rath Trombones.

Originally from Red Deer, Allison Trefanenko received her Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta in 2002 and then went on to lead the dance program at Eastglen High School in Edmonton Public Schools. She was the Department Head of Find Arts at Eastglen from 2007-2009. Since then, Allison has taught in Red Deer College’s Theatre Performance and Creation Program and she is currently a faculty member at Catalyst Dance Experience in Red Deer. Here, Allison is an ADAPT certified tap and jazz teacher for competitive dance students. Allison is also a grade 4 teacher at the Arts focused Annie L. Gaetz elementary school here in Red Deer.

Nate Waters has been studying and performing saxophone in a myriad of styles for almost twenty years. 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. Since returning to Calgary in 2014, Nate has shared the stage with such acts as Juno-winning vocalist Caity Gyorgy, drummer Jon McCaslin’s Jazz Composers Collective, and Albertan chanteuse Ellen Doty. His hard work culminated in the recording and subsequent release of the Nate Waters Quartet’s Fact Contrafact EP, an exploration of supplanting new melodies onto the extant chord progressions of classic jazz and songbook standards. By manipulating the function of something familiar, Nate strives to educate listeners on the inner machinations of bebop while introducing them to his playful and off-kilter compositional and improvisational style.

Russell Whitehead BM and MM in Performance Russell is a music educator and performer of many stripes: He teaches at the University of Alberta, Concordia University of Edmonton, MacEwan University Conservatory of Music, MusiCamp Alberta and he adjudicates and works with bands and musicians of all ages and levels throughout Alberta. Russell Whitehead has released his debut CD, Prairie Scenes on the Arktos label in June, 2006 and was appointed Acting Principal Trumpet of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for the 2004-05 season as well as playing Third Trumpet for many years. Russell is now a member of Bok Brass Quintet and free lances with many of the music organizations in Edmonton, such as the Citadel Theatre and the Edmonton Symphony.

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.