Guest Artists
Claire Duncan is a graduate of the University of Toronto in Psychology and Linguistics. While growing up in Kingston, Claire held leading roles in musicals such as 42nd Street, Oklahoma!, Hamlet, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Since moving to Toronto, she has appeared in several musicals and independent films and has made her professional debut in King David at the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre. In addition to performing, she also teaches voice and has had the pleasure of coaching several She Sings! members.
Flutissimo is a community flute choir of 14 members directed by flutist, Anne Palmer. Together since 2002, they play a repertoire of both original pieces and music of various periods and styles that has been arranged for a flute choir. The flute family includes piccolo, C flutes, alto, and bass.
Chris Giguere is a guitar teacher and director of the Kingston School of Music. He is also a singer/songwriter, performing and recording original music with bands such as Dog Tooth Violet and Fine Washables. He performs with flutist Anne Archer in the duo Caccia. They have produced a CD and regularly perform at weddings and other functions.
Carolyn Hetherington has worked professionally in theatre, TV and film in England, the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Canadian credits include the Thousand Island Playhouse, the Stratford Festival, and the National Arts Centre, to name a few. Most recently in Toronto, she can be seen in Tarragon Theatre’s hit play, “Half Life”. “Half Life” will tour in the spring to Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa and in the fall to Ireland and Scotland. In September she will be seen in “After the Orchard”, a new play by Jason Sherman at the National Arts Centre.
Jan LeClair is a certified music therapist, as well as Vice Principal at Lancaster Public School. She has over 25 years performing experience on the piano and the piano accordian. Her latest collaborations are in the duo “Soiree”, the klezmer band “Gypsy Jive” and most recently, with Nancy White, Roger James and “Night Sun”.
Emily McPherson accompanied She Sings! from 2004 to 2006. She has also been guest accompanist and soloist with the Open Voices Community Choir; principal flutist in the Kingston Youth Orchestra; and saxophonist, vocal soloist, and accompanist for the Ernestown Music Program. Emily, a former piano student of Martha Hill Duncan, has her ARCT in Piano Performance and is currently a student at University of Ottawa studying with Andrew Tunis. She returned to accompany She Sings! on their May, 2007 New York City debut.
Anne Palmer is a member of the Kingston Symphony, the Classically Hip Woodwind Trio, and the Espresso Flute and Classical Guitar Duo. She has been teaching flute classes with the Limestone Board of Education since 1990 and also has a large studio of private students. She is on faculty at the Kingston Summer Music School and the National Music Camp in Orillia.
Julie Paul studied piano, violin and oboe while growing up on a farm near Napanee. After completing high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, she received her Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. As a full-time musician with the Canadian Forces she traveled extensively, playing for numerous political figures and royalty, as well as Pope John Paul II. Now retired from the CF, Julie lives near Napanee with her husband and young son. She makes oboe reeds professionally and teaches both oboe and piano.
Tim Stiff, a graduate of Queen’s University with degrees in Music and Education, has performed with the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Toronto production of Phantom of the Opera (over 3,000 performances in eight years), and the Canadian Opera Company (four seasons), as well as giving voice to countless national television commercials. His oratorio repertoire includes demanding works by Bach, Britten, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, and Rossini, and his operatic roles have included Ferrando in Così fan Tutte, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, and Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He has also performed many musical theatre roles in our local Grand Theatre, including Curly in Oklahoma! (1982) and Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar (2005). Tim and his family now reside in Kingston.
Premiered Composers
David Archibald has spent many summers performing in National and Provincial Parks and has a series of songs and CDs based on the cultural and natural heritage of these spaces. His award-winning song-writing workshops have brought Ontario students closer to the majesty of Canada and the magic of music. David has recorded for RCA and produced pop star Avril Lavigne’s first recording. His recent musicals The Perilous Pirate’s Daughter and Love and Larceny (co-written by Anne Chislett and Douglas Bowie respectively) have been produced at the Blyth Festival and the Thousand Islands Playhouse. Much of his work has been in the field of children’s music having written for and performed on Sesame Street and CBC’s Mr. Dressup. www.davidarchibald.com
Mark Harris graduated from Queen’s University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Music. He studied composition with Dr John Burge and wrote a small musical entitled Well Rounded in 2004. He has produced a number of choral works and piano compositions. “Lamp of Love,” set to the poem by Rabindranath Tagore, is his first to be performed in 2007; his next commissioned work will be performed in Halifax in May.
Martha Hill Duncan has been writing for She Sings! since its inception as Aurora in 1997. Originally encouraged by the choir’s first conductor, Dr. Nadia Izbitskaya, Martha has had many original treble works premiered by She Sings! The group’s fearless musical attitude, combined with infinite patience and humour has created a nurturing and creative environment for this fortunate choral composer. www.marthahillduncan.com
Rebecca Oswald graduated from the Westminster Choir College in Princeton and the University of Oregon School of Music. She worked for 15 years as a freelance pianist, accompanist, and studio musician in Houston, Texas. Her song “Let Him Return,” featured by She Sings! in its April 2005 concert, was awarded Top Honours in the 2002 “Waging Peace Through Singing” international choral composition competition. www.rebeccaoswald.com
Lavinia Kell Parker has been the recipient of many composition awards, including the New York Treble Singers Composition Competition, the International Alliance of Women in Music New Genres Award and the Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Competition. Her works have been used as a medium of social activism addressing current issues including race relations, mental illness and aboriginal rights. Lavinia's greatest joy is being a member of the "pots and pans band' directed by her two young children, accompanied by her husband, pianist Brad Parker.
Dr. David W. Roe is a teacher, composer, author, and trombonist. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and at the same time, received the ARCT Diploma in Trombone from the Royal Conservatory. Soon after, he studied at the Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria, and later in his career earned a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Music Composition at the University of Miami. He owns his own publishing company, DWR Music, sings with the Amadeus Choir of Toronto and writes and arranges music of all genres. www.dwrmusic.com
Patty Smith studied music at Queen’s University and Toronto’s Royal Conservatory. A graduate of the Humber College Jazz Vocal Program, she sings locally as a member of two musical duos—“The Swelltones” and “Soiree”. Patty has recently returned to the dramatic stage and is excited to be performing the part of “Katisha” in the Kingston Meistersingers’ upcoming production of The Mikado. She is the married mother of two and lives in Kingston.