Choral Symposium
CLINICIANS
Jamie Hillman
JAMIE HILLMAN is a Canadian and American musician, active as a conductor, singer, pianist, music educator, and composer-arranger. He holds the endowed Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting at the University of Toronto where he is Director of Choral Studies and an Associate Professor. He conducts the U of T MacMillan Singers and leads the master's and doctoral degree programs in Choral Conducting, as well as the summer Choral Conducting Symposium. Professor Hillman is also cross listed as an adjunct faculty member in Emmanuel College's Master of Sacred Music program. In 2024, Dr. Hillman received the Faculty of Music's Teaching Award which recognizes excellence, commitment, and innovation in teaching.
Dr. Tracy Wong
Dr. Wong is the Assistant Professor of Choral Studies at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University, where she conducts Chorale and Les Choristes ensembles, and teaches choral conducting. Dr. Wong was previously an Assistant Professor at McMaster University where she conducted the University Choir and Cantemus Ensemble, and taught a variety of conducting, choral methods, music education and history courses.
Dr. Wong holds a Doctor in Musical Arts and Master in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) degrees from the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt. She is also a proud recipient of the 2016 and 2017 Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in Choral Conducting, and 2018–19 McMaster University Student Union Teaching Award.
She hails from Malaysia and is a choral conductor, music educator, composer, vocalist, and pianist. She is passionate about helping choral educators to provide unique experiences for their students through collaborative commissions, customized workshops, festivals, and artist residencies. She does this through focusing on the balance of performance practice considerations, vocal and acoustic explorations, and choral artistry and heart. As an active clinician and educator, Dr. Wong has conducted workshops for choirs in North America and internationally.
Her strong commitment to choral organizations is reflected in her work as Conductor of the 2024 Organization of American Kodály Educators (Concert Treble Choir), Keynote Speaker & guest conductor of the 2024 Kodály Australia National Conference, Conductor of the 2024 British Columbia Youth Choir, Co-Conductor of the 2023 Asia Pacific Youth Choir (International Federation of Choral Music), atelier leader of Europa Cantat Junior 2023 (Flanders/Belgium), former Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir (Kitchener, Ontario), and singer with BabÉ›l (Toronto). She is the 2023-2024 Composer-in-residence of Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, 2019 Canadian Composer Feature for the Canadian Kodály Journal, Alla Breve, and her choral works are featured at numerous reading sessions. Dr. Wong collaborates regularly with choral organizations on conducting events, commissioned projects, and residencies, and her compositions are widely published and performed internationally. (www.tracywongmusic.com)
Sarah Hicks
Mezzo-soprano Sarah Hicks completed her degree in Performance Voice at McGill University's Schulich School of Music. After returning to Toronto Ms. Hicks began her career as a singer, conductor and educator. Sarah also completed her Master's in Pastoral Studies and Psychotherapy at Emmanuel College and grounds her work in music ministry at Grace Church on-the-Hill in a foundation passion for both music and pastoral care. Sarah's love and appreciation for choral music began as a young chorister in the Toronto Children's Chorus, where she experienced firsthand the value of a foundation in choral music. Being a part of a choir community, especially in childhood and adolescence, provides choristers with a community which embodies values of mutuality, commitment and striving for artistic excellence. For Sarah, creating a community that celebrates and nurtures the uniqueness of every person and every voice is central to the artistic and spiritual process of creating choral music. Participating in music as ministry is also a way of serving others as we contribute to the liturgy and the spiritual lives of both choristers and parishioners.
Jordan Scholl
Jordan (he/him) is the founder and clinical director of Toronto Adult Speech Clinic. He is a registered speech-language pathologist and professional singer living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Jordan graduated from the University of Toronto and has spent his career as a speech therapist providing services to the adult population in rehabilitation hospitals, private practice, and research settings throughout Toronto. In caring for his clients, Jordan emphasizes a holistic, functional, and individualized approach. He believes everyone has a right to communicate in a way that is authentic to who they are, and has originated the term “identity-affirming" to refer to a therapeutic perspective that adapts to the needs of each individual client.
As a life-long learner, Jordan continues post-graduate training and learning in areas of speech, voice, and communication. Jordan frequently acts as a mentor and course instructor for training and practicing speech-language pathologists in areas of anatomy, physiology, voice therapy and training, gender affirming care, as well as workplace communication and assertiveness training.
Jordan is a sought-after speaker and educator in areas of voice and workplace communication for adults. He has held lecturing positions at universities, is a frequent guest lecturer, and regularly supports choirs and company teams on putting their best Selves forward. Most recently, Jordan brought his passion for education to course instructor positions for Speech-Language Pathology graduate programs at University of Toronto (Motor Speech Disorders: 2021) and McGill University (Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing: 2020-2023). Jordan also works in coordination with GRS Montreal to provide assessment and treatment as part of their voice program for transgender and non-binary people seeking gender affirming voice surgery or alternative options.
Prior to his training to become a speech therapist, Jordan received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Guelph, where he focused much of his attention on the anatomy and physiology of breathing, speech, and the voice. During his graduate studies, Jordan was a frequent lecturer for the Human Anatomy programs at both University of Guelph and Guelph-Humber, as well as masterclass clinician at McMaster University. His passion for the voice and communication was recognized by an invitation to give a TEDx Talk at the University of Guelph in 2012.
When he is not working as a speech-language pathologist, Jordan works as a spin instructor- using his voice to inspire an active and healthy growth mindset in his riders. Jordan can also be found working as a singer. He sings a variety of styles from Classical to Broadway to Jazz and has performed in venues around North America including Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Palais Montcalm, and Toronto's very own Roy Thompson Hall and Koerner Hall. Jordan's career as a singer has earned him two Grammy nominations and a Juno nomination.
Tanya Bénard
Tanya Bénard is a CANSTAT-Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique. Often sought out for her clarity as a communicator, she currently maintains a private practice in both Toronto and Halton. Since 2005, Tanya has also taught the Alexander Technique at The Royal Conservatory in various capacities – most notably, developing and teaching a popular and longstanding Alexander Technique programme for The Glenn Gould School.
In addition to offering private lessons, Tanya is also active as a workshop presenter and clinician. Equally at home working with small, illness-based support groups as she is presenting to large national conferences, Tanya enjoys the challenge of conveying the Technique to a wide range of audiences. Past presentations have included McMaster University, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, the Chronic Pain Association of Canada, the Parkinson’s Society, Whole Foods Market and the Hillside Festival. She frequently appears as a clinician and Alexander Technique teacher-in-residence for various musical organizations, summer institutes and festivals. Tanya is a graduate of the Toronto School of the Alexander Technique, where she served as an assistant on the teacher training course from 2006-2009.
Tanya became interested in the Alexander Technique while pursuing a career as a clarinetist. She has worked as a professional musician, and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts. Along the way, Tanya became curious about how people learn. She holds additional qualifications in pedagogy (with a focus on 'whole person learning' and the role of movement in music education) and in child development. Tanya also brings to her work as a teacher of the Alexander Technique extensive experience as an educator, working with both children and adults in a variety of settings. Her work with children has led to a deep appreciation for presenting things in simple and engaging terms, and for the role of play and exploration in learning.