Katalin Kiss, vocalist

Katalin Kiss is one of the most experienced and diverse vocalists currently working in Ontario. Katalin is originally from Toronto and now resides in Elora where she is an "in demand" session vocalist, performer and vocal teacher. She has appeared as back-up vocalist in concert with Ben E. King, Del Shannon and Gary U.S. Bonds and was a featured vocalist and dancer in a national bi-centennial tour show under the direction of Howard Cable. Katalin has recorded with Ray Lyle and The Storm, Laura Mattsson and Garnet Rogers as back-up vocalist and has also been in a variety of jingles and radio and television spots including the Variety Club and Easter Seals Telethon Productions.
A strong dynamic vocalist in her own right, Katalin currently can be seen in a number of Jazz, Acoustic and Rock projects in Toronto. When not in concert, Katalin continues to pursue a solo career as a writer and performer. She is a fabulous addition to the Jeans and Classics family.

Anita Krause, mezzo-soprano

Celebrated for her "gorgeous voice and impeccable musicianship" (Ottawa Citizen), Canadian mezzo-soprano Anita Krause is equally esteemed in the concert hall and on the opera stage.
She has performed with many of North America's leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Miss Krause has repeatedly appeared to enthusiastic acclaim with the Canadian Opera Company and has enjoyed success in Salome with Seattle Opera and Opera Lyra Ottawa, Madama Butterfly with Glimmerglass Opera, Semele with Chicago Opera Theater and Cornelia in Giulio Cesare with Pacific Opera Victoria. She has also performed with the opera companies of Vancouver, Calgary, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Miss Krause has demonstrated impressive versatility as a concert artist, and has been hailed as a �recitalist of rare intelligence and integrity� (National Post, Toronto). She has appeared at the St. Lawrence Centre on the prestigious Music Toronto series, in Mazzoleni Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music and at the Aldeburgh Connection series in Toronto.

A prize-winner at the Salzburg International Mozart Competition, Miss Krause has also garnered awards from the George London Foundation, the Jean Chalmers Fund, and the Canada Council. She was awarded lst Prize at the Canadian Young Mozart Singers Competition and the Silver Medal at the CBC Young Artists Competition
 

Jeanne Lamon , leader and violin

Music Director of Tafelmusik since 1981, Jeanne Lamon has been praised by critics in Europe and North America for her virtuosity as a violinist and her strong musical leadership. Her solo recordings of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Bach Violin Concertos with Tafelmusik have been widely praised. Ms. Lamon has received numerous awards: recent honours include the Prix Alliance from the Alliance Française, and the 1997 M. Joan Chalmers Award for Artistic Direction. In 1994 Ms. Lamon received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from York University, and in 1999 she received the Canada Council for the Arts' prestigious Molson Prize. In 2000 Jeanne was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her exceptional achievements as Music Director of Tafelmusik. Jeanne guest directs symphony orchestras regularly across Canada. Recent engagements include the Vancouver Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic and Symphony Nova Scotia. Ms. Lamon teaches at the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Paul Langille was born in Hamilton, Ontario Canada surrounded by a musical family. At a young age, he started singing and playing guitar with his father�s dance band throughout the Hamilton area.

In the early seventies, Paul moved to London, Ontario, and played coffeehouses and university and college concerts throughout Canada and the United States. In the late seventies, he formed the Lee Langille Band with longtime friend and premier Canadian guitarist Terry Lee. The band toured Canada with its hard-edged vocal and guitar based R&B music.

In 1984, Paul, released a solo album with the Kenny Marco Band and former members of Blood, Sweat & Tears. In 1986 he was honoured with the prestigious AMPAC (Advertising Music Producers Association of Canada) for his work on a Labbatts Beer commercial.

The nineties brought many musical changes. Paul was now working as a studio voice, frontman in various R&B bands, and solo performer doing concerts, clubs and working the summer Folk Festival circuit.

Paul, began working with Orchestra London in their Jeans & Classics series in 1995 and has remained with the Orchestra ever since. He is also involved with a number of musical endeavors, including work with the Live Bullet Band (a Bob Seger tribute).
 

Joseph Lanza, violin

This season marks Joseph Lanza’s 17th as Concertmaster of Orchestra London. Joseph has an abiding love of chamber music, performing in countless smaller ensembles on Orchestra London programmes, concerts at Aeolian Hall and the University of Western Ontario as well as other concert series such as the New Hampshire Music Festival and the Glenn Gould Studio. Joseph’s interest in music of the 17th and 18th century has led to a journey into new musical territory; performance on period instruments. This has resulted in regular engagements with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Opera Atelier, several recordings and tours to Europe and the Far East.
 

Larry Larson has been the Principal Trumpet of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble since 1992. Before coming to Canada in 1987 as Principal Trumpet for Orchestra London, Larry gained considerable recognition in Chicago for the brilliance of his performances as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral artist.

A graduate of DePaul University of Chicago, Larry studied for for two years with Adolph Herseth, renowned Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony.

As a soloist, Larry has performed with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, playing both Classical and Pops repertoire. He has also enjoyed an extensive freelance career with the Toronto Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Montr�al Symphony and Detroit Symphony Orchestras and is in demand for his work in motion picture soundtracks and commercial jingles.

Larry's early trumpet training was very heavily influenced by the music of the swing bands of the 30's and 40's (Glenn Miller, Harry James, Benny Goodman) and the "horn-rock" bands of the 70's (Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears). It wasn't until his first year of university that Larry heard the legendary brass section of the Chicago Symphony, and decided that a career in orchestral music would be his pursuit.

Larry and his wife, trumpeter Mary Jay, live in Waterloo with their two beautiful children, Laura and Erik, and four mysterious cats.
 

Jo-Ann Lawton

Jo-Ann Lawton grew up in Burlington, Ontario. She studied and received a Visual Arts Diploma from Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. In addition to raising her children she has extensive classroom assistant experience and also developed a reading program in the library system. She plays guitar, bass and bodhran as well as writing and singing. Her style of writing is eclectic and incorporates many musical styles. She is influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, k.d. lang, Barenaked Ladies, and the Andrews Sisters.

David Lee, countertenor

David Dong Qyu Lee is establishing an enviable reputation among countertenors of his generation. He has been hailed as one of the three leading Countertenors in Canada by CBC Radio.

At the age of nineteen, he was named one of the six finalists at the 1997 Rosa Ponselle International Vocal Competition and two years later was among the Grand Finalists at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition in New York. He has also won the Debut Canada Auditions and placed Second in the Young Concert Artists International Competition 2000 in New York.

Mr. Lee made his Chicago Opera Theatre Debut in 2001/02 as Athamas in Handel�s Semele, a role he repeated at The Toronto Opera in Concerts. He made his Pacific Opera Victoria debut the same season as Tolomeo in Handel�s Giulio Cesare, which garnered him rave reviews. Lee returned to POV as Cherubino in Mozart�s Le Nozze di Figaro in 2003/04.

Lee is equally comfortable in the range of high Mezzo-soprano to contralto. He has sung Bach�s Christmas Oratorio with the Bach Consort, the roles of Pastore and Speranza in Monteverdi�s L�Orfeo with the Toronto Consort and Handel�s Messiah with Symphony Nova Scotia. He was also a featured artist at Winnipeg�s Centara New Music Festival in the Canadian premier of works by G. Kancheli and Leonid Desyatnikov, which were broadcast on CBC Radio.

In 2005/2006, Lee will make his Vienna debut singing the role of Oberon in Britten�s Midsummer Night�s Dream and tour the Middle East sponsored by the Music in Me organization. He will also appear with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra London and at the Montreal Baroque Festival, Young Artist Recital in Vancouver and Peace Concert in Korea.
 

Barbara Livingston, soprano

A former student of Selena James, Ms. Livingston made her professional debut with Pacific Opera Victoria as Amelia in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.

She has since performed with the Vancouver Symphony, the Victoria Symphony, Orchestra London, Opera Lyra in Ottawa, Opera Saskatchewan, Manitoba Opera, San Francisco Opera, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Recent performances include the Manzoni Mass conducted by Mario Bernardi in Ottawa; excerpts from Turandot with the Manitoba Opera, the role of Leonora in Il Trovatore, and solo roles in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 and No .8, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Her solo performances in Verdi's Requiem and Britten's War Requiem have been recorded and broadcast by CBC Radio Two.

Livingston�s 2003-04 Season was highlighted by her debut for the Florida Grand Opera in the title role of Turandot. She also starred in the title role in Norma for Pacific Opera Victoria and, in the spring of 2005, appeared as the soprano soloist in Beethoven�s Symphony No. 9 with the Victoria Symphony.
 

London Pro Musica

London Pro Musica performs an extensive range of classical music�from the medieval to the contemporary�both for accompanied and unaccompanied voices, especially works by Canadian composers. The choir also has a repertoire of popular music, including jazz and folk renditions, and selections from musical theatre. LPM remains the oldest unaffiliated concert choir in the region with a current membership of approximately forty-eight singers.

LPM offers an annual subscription series of three concerts, and it typically accepts 3-4 contracted engagements per year. In addition, the choir performs regularly with Orchestra London Canada, a collaborative relationship that dates back more than twenty-five years. LPM also appears as guest artist with other ensembles throughout southwest and central Ontario.

LPM has participated in several world premiere performances. Most recently, LPM presented the inaugural performance of Andrew Petrasiunas� Shingebiss, a work for choir and brass commissioned by LPM.

Since the 2000-2001 season, one of LPM�s priorities has been to showcase the exciting range of artistic possibilities available locally through collaboration with other music organizations. In the 2003-2004 season alone, LPM performed with Orchestra London, Antler River Project, The Aeolian Winds, the Amabile Boys Choir, the Amabile Chamber Choir, and the UWO Singers.
 

Aaron Macdonald, saxophone

Aaron MacDonald has enjoyed many appearances with Orchestra London over the past few years. His versatility as a saxophonist and vocalist, along with his dynamic stage presence has given him opportunities within the Pops series and as a Jeans �n Classics guest artist.

 Aaron was featured in the Brian Wilson tribute, �Endless Summer� and in �Music for Lovers and Other Strangers.� He also recently shared the stage with musical icon Roger Hodgson, formerly of Supertramp. Aaron plays regularly with the high-energy group �The Jitterbugs.�

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1955, Scott Macmillan is recognized as one of Canada�s leading musicians. Equally at home on the podium, in the studio or behind a guitar, Macmillan is in great demand as a music director, performer, conductor, arranger and producer, and he has played an integral role in widening the audience for the music of Atlantic Canada both nationally and internationally.

He completed a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at Dalhousie University, where he also took courses in music, and continued his musical training at Humber College in Toronto. During his school years he worked as a guitar player and subsequently spent five years touring as part of Rita MacNeil�s band. His Scott Macmillan Sextet was a winner in the Atlantic region for his original compositions in the Alcan Montreal Jazz Festival in 1987.

Macmillan is well known for his work with Symphony Nova Scotia (SNS), with whom he has been Host Conductor of the Mostly Maritime Pops Series since 1995. For SNS he has created shows with such top Atlantic Canadian artists as Natalie MacMaster, Rita MacNeil, Raylene Rankin, J. P. Cormier, and others.

His work with Atlantic artists has led to conducting and programming engagements with other major orchestras, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Winnipeg Symphony and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. His musical collaborations have contributed significantly to the exploding Atlantic pop music scene since the mid-l980's.

In 2001 Macmillan created a new work for orchestra, bagpipes and tin whistles entitled MacKinnon's Brook Suite, which captured the immigrant story of Scottish settlers to Cape Breton. Recorded with SNS and soloist Ian McKinnon, this work won the 2002 East Coast Music Award (ECMA) for Best Classical Recording, and premiered as a television special on CBC's Opening Night in January of 2003.

Macmillan�s contribution to the cultural life of Atlantic Canada was recognized by the University of College of Cape Breton, who awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 1997.
 

Allyson McHardy, mezzo-soprano

An alumna of the prestigious Merola Program, mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, scored a great personal success as Olga in Eugene Onegin for the San Fansisco Opera in the fall of 2004 and was immediately re-engaged for the 2006-07 season. She will make her debut with New York City Opera in the fall 2005 as Marquise Melibea in Rossini�s Il Viaggio a Reims. Other recent appearances include engagements in Berlin, Montreal and Vancouver.

Ms McHardy has also appeared with Cincinnati Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Lyra, the Canadian Opera Company, Calgary Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, CBC Radio Orchestra, Canadian Children�s Opera Chorus, Chorus Niagara, Thunder Bay Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, Winnipeg Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Toronto Sinfonia and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Ms. McHardy made her European debut at the Schloss Rheinsberg festival and also sang in gala opera concerts there under the baton of COC General Director Richard Bradshaw.

Born in Oshawa, Ontario, Ms. McHardy holds an Honours Bachelor of Music Degree in Performance and an Opera Diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University.
 

Kevin McMillan, tenor

Kevin McMillan is one of Canada's most respected singers and pedagogues. His career has spanned 20 years with over 700 concerts, 15 professional recordings, a Grammy award, a Gramophone award, and numerous Juno award nominations.

Critics have praised his "elegant voice" and "singularly remarkable interpretive skills" in appearances with virtually every major North American orchestra. He has also established a presence in Europe, with appearances in the major concert halls of London, Berlin, Barcelona, Hamburg, and Prague.

After preliminary schooling at the Universities of Guelph and Western Ontario in Canada, Mr. McMillan studied at the Britten-Pears School in England, and attained a Master's degree at the Juilliard School in New York. His primary focus has always been the oratorio and orchestral repertoire, and his vocal flexibility and scholarly musicianship have afforded him a broad range of styles and periods - from Monteverdi and Bach to Britten and Penderecki.

Despite an unfortunate farming accident 20 years ago that left him a partial paraplegic, he has also had the opportunity to perform operatic roles in concert performances. Mr. McMillan is one of Canada's preeminent recitalists. He has been heard in recital on CBC/SRCbroadcasts, and he has been a frequent guest at summer festivals such as the Minnesota Orchestra's Viennese Sommerfest, Ravinia, Tanglewood, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and the Festival of the Sound.

He has also been heard on radio in quite a different capacity - as guest host for Canada-wide broadcasts of In Performance on CBC's Radio Two, filling in for Eric Friesen.

Jean Meilleur, vocalist

Jean Meilleur was born in Madison, Wisconsin and moved to Detroit, Michigan at a young age. This helped shape his passion for the Green Bay Packers and the Motown, Soul and R 'n B sounds of the early seventies.

He has been performing professionally for over twenty years and is thrilled to be involved with Jean 'n Classics, a London, Ontario based Orchestral Rock Show, that tours North American concert halls. Now in his eleventh year as a Jeans 'n Classics headliner, Jean has performed with major North American Orchestras. His sold-out shows include the music of Elton John, The Moody Blues, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Motown and the list goes on.  

Jean�s first solo C.D entitled "The Widow Compleat" is scheduled for release in Spring 2006. �It�s been a long time coming, but many of my experiences have taken until now to crystilize. It�s really about defining moments that change us forever�.  

In addition to an active career as a solo performer and songwriter he can also be heard on many national radio and TV ads. Go Pack Go!