Dr. Gillian MacKay holds degrees and diplomas from the University of Lethbridge, McGill University, the University of Calgary, and Northwestern University. Previously, she served as Instructor of Brass at Medicine Hat College, and Director of the School of Music at the University of Windsor. Gillian MacKay is an Associate Professor of Music of the University of Toronto, where she conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches conducting and trumpet. She is also Associate Dean of Graduate Education. An award-winning teacher, Gillian has an active professional career as a trumpeter, conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. She has conducted honor bands throughout and the United States, including the National Youth Band of Canada. Dr. MacKay has adjudicated Canadian band festivals at local, provincial, and national levels, as well as competitions in Singapore and Thailand. Fraser Linklater is presently an Associate Professor in the Marcel A. Desautels 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.

At the provincial level, Dr. Linklater has been on the Executive Board of the Manitoba Band Association for almost two decades and coordinates all three levels of the MBA honour band program. In October 2002, he received the MBA Award of Distinction for his services to music education in Manitoba. Nationally, Dr. Linklater is an assistant editor of Canadian Winds, the national journal of the Canadian Band Association. Over the past decade, Dr. Linklater has contributed almost twenty articles to this journal.

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. For almost a decade, Fraser Linklater was a co-director (with Dale Lonis) of the Canadian Wind Conductors Development Program, an international conducting and instrumental music education summer workshop. In May 2006 Dr. Linklater was the guest conductor of the National Youth Band of Canada and has also conducted guest wind groups several times at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival. Gareth Jones is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary and is the director of the University’s Wind Ensemble as well as the Symphonic Band. He is also the Director of the Alberta Winds, Calgary’s professional wind ensemble in addition to being named the conductor of the 2014 National Youth Band of Canada. He was Assistant Principal Trumpet with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra from 1992 to 2007 and continues to play with the CPO whenever his conducting schedule allows. Before that, he held the same position with the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra. He has studied conducting with the renowned pedagogues Jorma Panula, Gustav Meier, Michael Haithcock, and Michael Jinbo. He has conducted ensembles from across Western Canada as well as Mexico and the United States. Mr. Jones’s musical activities are greatly varied. He has appeared as guest conductor and clinician with over two hundred orchestras and wind ensembles, been featured 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, been an adjudicator at music festivals across Canada, as well as conducting honour bands across Canada and was a reviewer for the recently updated Royal Conservatory of Music trumpet syllabus. He placed first among North American competitors in the 1996 Ellesworth-Smith International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition, placing third worldwide. He can be heard playing chamber music, jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues with various groups around Calgary. As a conductor he founded the Calgary Honour Band and the University of Calgary Brass Choir. He was also a founding member of the chamber ensemble “Rosa Selvatica” and has been a featured soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra on several occasions. He studied conducting at the Pierre Monteux Institute and Canada’s National Arts Centre and received his Master of Music in conducting from the University of Calgary. He studied trumpet at Northwestern University with renowned pedagogue Vincent Cichowicz, where he won the prestigious concerto competition and a scholarship for performing excellence. DR. FRANK TRACZ is Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. At K- State he coordinates undergraduate and graduate conducting activities, teaches classes in music education, and administers and guides all aspects of the K-State band program, which includes the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, University Band, Athletic Pep Bands, and Marching Band. Under his direction the Wind Ensemble has performed at the Kansas Music Educators Association Conference, the MENC National Conference, A CBDNA regional Conference, as well as regional and international tours. Under his direction, the “Pride of Wildcat Land” Marching Band has enjoyed the privilege of traveling to nationally acclaimed bowl games in support of the University.Dr. Tracz received the Doctor of Philosophy (music education) from The Ohio State University, a Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from The Ohio State University. Dr. Tracz has several years experience teaching in the public schools of Ohio and Wisconsin. He has also served as Assistant Director of Bands at Syracuse University. Prior to his appointment at K-State, he was the Director of Bands at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky.He has served as an adjudicator, clinician and guest conductor for all-state and honor bands across the nation, as well as in Canada and Singapore. Dr. Tracz is on the Faculty Board and a frequent clinician for the Conn-Selmer Institute at Notre Dame as well as a past member of the Music Education Journal Editorial Board and is a contributor to the series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. He also researched and developed a Master of Music Education program that is now in place at K-State. In addition to being an inducted member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, he is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Beta Mu, and Pi Lambda Theta. In March of 2012 he was elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. He currently serves as the advisor for the Kansas State chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma and the K-State Band Ambassadors. Dr. Tracz is Past President of the Big XII Band Directors Association, Past President of the Kansas Bandmasters Association, and Director of the Manhattan Municipal Band. Dr. Tracz has been honored with the prestigious Stamey award for Outstanding Teaching, and recognized as a Mortar Board Outstanding Faculty Member, and participates in the K-State Presidential Lecture Series. In 2007, Dr. Tracz was inducted in to the Mortar Board Senior Honor Society and was recognized by The Women in Engineering & Science Program for his outstanding contributions to the university. Additionally, he was honored with the Outstanding Bandmaster Award from the Kansas Bandmasters Association and Phi Beta Mu. In December 2006, Dr. Tracz was honored by being named a Lowell Mason Fellow by the National Association of Music Education.Recently (2011) he was awarded the First Annual Wildcat Pride award by the K-State Alumni Association, and the Tau Beta Sigma Paula Crider Outstanding Band Director Award. Dr. Tracz was also recently elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in February of 2012. Dr. Shelley Axelson is currently Assistant Professor of Music Education at Montclair State University in New Jersey where her responsibilities include conducting the Campus Band and teaching courses in instrumental music education. Before coming to New Jersey, she held a similar position at the University of Indianapolis. Dr. Axelson was also the Director of Bands at Central College in Pella, Iowa, Pasco Middle School in Dade City, Florida (co-author of the Secondary Music Curriculum) and Richardson Junior High School in Richardson, Texas.

Dr. Axelson has appeared as a guest conductor, clinician or adjudicator throughout much of the United States and Canada. She received an undergraduate degree in Music Education from the University of South Florida, a Master of Music degree in Conducting from the University of Michigan and the Doctor of Music degree in Conducting from Northwestern University. Her principal conducting teachers are Mallory Thompson and H. Robert Reynolds. Jonathan Dagenais Bio

Jonathan Dagenais holds a Masters degree (M.Mus) in Wind Orchestra Conducting from McGill University, supervised by Mr. Alain Cazes, a Bachelor’s degree in Composition from the Université de Montréal as well as a CEGEP Diploma in Music (classical percussions interpretation), In addition to orchestra conducting and CEGEP teaching (musical theory, composition, analysis, ear training, musicianship and music notation software), Mr. Dagenais is pursuing a career as a composer for wind orchestra. His first major work, the symphonic tone poem Stella has been performed by many Québec University wind orchestras and it has been professionally recorded by the Sherbrooke Wind Ensemble (EVS). Stella has also been part of MusicFest Canada’s concert band syllabus since 2009. Presently, Mr. Dagenais’s work is being distributed throughout Canada by GAM Publishing and throughout Europe, Asia and America by the belgium music publisher Hafabra. Jonathan McCaslin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. Jonathan began playing the drums at the age of nine. He progressed through the Regina Lions Junior Band and the music program at his high school, Campbell Collegiate, soon developing a passion for playing the drums and jazz. Ultimately, Jon’s interest in music led him to enroll in the Jazz Studies program at McGill University, graduating with distinction in 1999.

While at McGill Jon had the opportunity to study with some of the finest jazz educators in the country including Gordon Foote, Kevin Dean, Jan Jarcyzk, Chris McCann, Andre White, Michel Lambert and Dave Laing. He also attended the prestigious summer jazz workshop presented by the Banff Centre for the Arts in 1997, where he performed with Canadian jazz greats Hugh Fraser, Don Thompson and Kenny Wheeler.

Jon has also been fortunate to have performed with many of Canada’s jazz elite including Charlie Biddle, Brian Hurley, Louise Rose, Alaister Kay, Mart Kinny, Gary Guthman, Mike Rud, Hadley Caliman, Greg Clayton, Chase Sanborn, Andre White, Tilden Webb, John LaBelle, Kevin Dean, Dave Turner, Ralph Bowen, Don Thompson, Dionne Taylor, Jim Vivian, Kelly Jefferson, Ian McDougall, Brad Turner, Jim Brenan, The McGill Jazz Orchestra, Jeff Johnston, Lorraine Desmerais, Steve Amirault, Hugh Fraser, Chucho Valdes, Kieran Overs, The Altsys Jazz Orchestra, Pat LaBarbera, The Regina Symphony Orchestra and The Montreal Jazz Big Band.

In the spring of 2002 McCaslin completed his Master’s in Jazz Studies at McGill University where he studied jazz drumming, improvisation and composition.

In January 2003 Jon released his debut CD, “McCallum’s Island”. Featuring his quintet, the CD contains an exciting collection of McCaslin’s original compositions, featuring himself and his band. The release of this CD was followed by a twenty-day tour of Western Canada, performing to enthusiastic, capacity audiences. During March of 2003 Jonathan was the recipient of a fellowship from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and attended the “Betty Carter Jazz Ahead” residency in Washington, D.C. Along with twenty other distinguished young jazz artists, McCaslin was featured with such jazz icons as Terence Blanchard, Carmen Lundy, Winard Harper, Curtis Fuller and John Clayton.

McCaslin’s quintet performed at the 2003 edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival and was nominated for the General Motors Grand Prix du Festival (awarded to the most outstanding Canadian group). From 2004 until 2006, Jon toured North America, Asia and Europe with the high-energy, critically acclaimed music production troupe “Barrage”. Featuring a cast of seven world-class fiddlers and a four-piece band, this dynamic show featured high-energy music and fiddle traditions from around the world set to upbeat choreography and movement.

McCaslin is a Doctoral Candidate through the University of Toronto and is completing his dissertation on the conceptualization of contemporary melodic jazz drumming. He is currently based in Calgary, Alberta where he maintains a busy performing and teaching schedule across Canada. Andy King

Montreal-based trumpeter, composer and educator Andy King has for many years been an in- demand talent in Canada and internationally. He has performed with Bernard Adamus, Nikki Yanofsky, The Barr Brothers, Juno award winners , The Luyas, Corneille, the Christine Jensen Big Band, the Joe Sullivan Big Band, as well as Eric Lapointe, Pierre Lapointe and Damien Robitaille, among others. He has recorded with many groups and artists including Pierre Lapointe, Nikki Yanofsky, The Luyas, Corneille, Dr. Noh, Ensemble en Pieces, and Hugo Lapointe.

Andy has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, Japan, Europe, South America, the Caribbean and Africa. His tours included three years with R&B singer Corneille, including a performance in Nagoya, Japan at Expo 2006.

Andy holds both Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees and a Bachelor of Music Education from McGill University, where he studied with Jan Jarczyk, Joe Sullivan, Kevin Dean, Ron Di Lauro, and Remi Bolduc. Also, in 1998, while attending the Banff Center for the Arts’ Jazz Workshop, he had the opportunity to study with Dave Liebman, Kenny Wheeler and Kenny Werner.

In addition to being an avid performer, Andy is also involved in education and was head of the music program at Centennial Academy High School in Montreal from 2009-2011. With a small group of students, he accompanied Regine Chassagne from the at a fundraiser for KANPE, wherein they raised over $60,000 for aid to Haiti.

Andy is currently finishing his debut album that will be released in the winter of 2014. He continues to perform and teach regularly in Montreal, where he resides. Donny Kennedy B. Ed. McGill, B.Mus(Jazz) McGill, M.Mus.(Jazz) McGill

Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, 38-year-old Donny Kennedy moved to Montreal, in 1995 to pursue a jazz performance degree at McGill University. During his stay as an undergraduate student, he was the recipient of the David Holt award for academic standing in jazz. He was also a member of the prestigious McGill Jazz Orchestra 1 with which he performed in Mexico, New York, Toronto, Quebec City and Banff. He also recorded three albums with the group (Something Personal, Sang Froid, and Conundrum). After graduating with high distinction in jazz saxophone, Donny continued his studies at McGill. He was awarded the graduate level entry scholarship to pursue a Master of Music in Jazz Performance. Donny received his Master’s degree in April of 2001.

Donny leads and composes for his own Sextet. The Donny Kennedy Sextet toured Mexico as part of Festival Internacional Cervantino. This group was also nominated for the GM Grand Prix de Jazz at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2003. In 2001, the group was chosen as one of five groups to perform in Toronto as part of a Canada Council initiative to promote emerging Canadian jazz artists. The group has released one recording entitled Horizons. The disc features original compositions by Kennedy. Donny has also recently embarked on a new quartet project (The Kennedy/McLeod Quartet). This group has one released recording entitled, Belaney’s Secret.

Donny teaches at McGill University, St. George’s School of Montreal and Vanier College. At McGill, he has taught Basic Jazz Arranging, Jazz Saxophone, Jazz Materials, Basic Materials of Jazz, Jazz Orchestra III, Jazz Philosophy and Instruction, and Jazz Combo. He is also the Jazz Combo Coordinator at McGill University. Kennedy has also taught Saxophone at Bishop’s University. He has also directed the Jazz Ensemble at Camp Musicale d’Asbestos (English session) and is a regular faculty member of the annual Prairielands Jazz Camp in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Donny remains active as a freelance musician and teacher in and around Montreal. He has performed with Kevin Dean, Andre White, Kirk MacDonald, Joe Sullivan, Remi Bolduc, Janis Steprans, Kieran Overs, Christine Jensen, The Montreal Jazz Big Band and many other local musicians. He is also a member of the Min Rager Quintet. This group has recorded two CD’s entitled Bright Road and First Steps. Donny also plays lead alto saxophone in both the Joe Sullivan Big Band and the Juno award winning Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra.