Originally from northern Ontario, John is an alumnus of the University of Western Ontario, London, where he studied Music Education. While a student there he studied clarinet with Jerome Summers, Robert Riesling and Robert Sheffield and conducting with Donald McKellar, Jerome Summers and William Gordon.
Conductor In the fall of 2017, John was nominated as one of five candidates for the Heinz Unger Award, a national honour administrated by the Ontario Arts Council, recognizing professional conductors. As the founding director of the Durham Chamber Orchestra and the Lakeridge Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Music Director of the Clarington Concert Band and as the former director of the Northumberland Orchestra & Choir, and the current music director of the Parkdale Symphony Orchestra, John has worked in many different genres and with many local and international talents, including Mary Elizabeth Brown, Anastasia Rizikov, Molly Johnson, Ron Korb, Quartetto Gelato and the Sultans of String. |
Performer and Radio host
As a performer, he has performed as part of funk bands, jazz ensembles, musical theatre pit orchestras, wind bands,
orchestras, choirs and chamber ensembles. Currently John is a performing member of the saxophone section with the Electric City Swing Band.
John began hosting Maestro's Picks, an hour long, weekly radio program Thursday mornings at 11am on
Northumberland 89.7 and Friday afternoons at 3pm & Sunday's at 12noon on CKLU 96.7, featuring interviews with local musicians of all styles,
in December 2020.
Educator, Clinician and Adjudicator
As a music educator, John has dedicated more than 30 years to working with high school students from around the world, sharing his passion for making Music. Many of his students have chosen to continue their studies at some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world. John works with students, professionals, and amateur adult musicians who have entered the arena for the first time or who have returned to something that they began as youngsters, where he was an instructor at the
Lakefield Summer Music Camp, Lakefield, Ontario and conductor with the Lift Lock Bands, Peterborough, Ontario.
As a member of the Ontario Music Educators Association, John has led workshops on 'best practices', creativity and composition, and technology in the Music classroom. John has been the sectional conductor and woodwind coach with the
La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra, Port Hope. He works regularly with ensembles in preparation for festivals as well as an adjudicator for local, regional and provincial festivals as well as Musicfest Canada regional sites.
John is a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators Association and regularly hears performances by woodwind, brass and string performers, percussionists, wind bands, jazz bands, orchestras and chamber ensembles.
As a performer, he has performed as part of funk bands, jazz ensembles, musical theatre pit orchestras, wind bands,
orchestras, choirs and chamber ensembles. Currently John is a performing member of the saxophone section with the Electric City Swing Band.
John began hosting Maestro's Picks, an hour long, weekly radio program Thursday mornings at 11am on
Northumberland 89.7 and Friday afternoons at 3pm & Sunday's at 12noon on CKLU 96.7, featuring interviews with local musicians of all styles,
in December 2020.
Educator, Clinician and Adjudicator
As a music educator, John has dedicated more than 30 years to working with high school students from around the world, sharing his passion for making Music. Many of his students have chosen to continue their studies at some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world. John works with students, professionals, and amateur adult musicians who have entered the arena for the first time or who have returned to something that they began as youngsters, where he was an instructor at the
Lakefield Summer Music Camp, Lakefield, Ontario and conductor with the Lift Lock Bands, Peterborough, Ontario.
As a member of the Ontario Music Educators Association, John has led workshops on 'best practices', creativity and composition, and technology in the Music classroom. John has been the sectional conductor and woodwind coach with the
La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra, Port Hope. He works regularly with ensembles in preparation for festivals as well as an adjudicator for local, regional and provincial festivals as well as Musicfest Canada regional sites.
John is a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators Association and regularly hears performances by woodwind, brass and string performers, percussionists, wind bands, jazz bands, orchestras and chamber ensembles.