Provincial Honour Choirs 2010

Guest Conductors

Carolyn Boyes

Senior Choir

Carolyn combines her love of teaching and singing in her work as teacher of Choral Music at Sisler High School, Director of the Winnipeg Boys’ Choir, Co-Director of the Winnipeg School Division Junior High Choir, and by preparing children’s choruses for Manitoba Opera productions. She also enjoys instructing Choral Techniques with the University of Manitoba’s Orff Certification Program. She has sung with the vocal ensemble Camerata Nova, The Little Opera Company, and is a long-time member of the Manitoba Opera Chorus. Carolyn is pursuing a Masters of Choral Conducting from the University of Manitoba. She is the first recipient of the Henry Engbrecht Graduate Fellowship and was awarded the Michael J. Proudfoot Award for Excellence in Choral Music teaching at the 2009 Winnipeg Music Festival. She is thrilled to be back conducting with the PHCC this year as she loved working with the Junior Choir in 1996 and the Intermediate Choir in 2006.

Millie Hildebrand

Junior Choir

Millie Hildebrand is familiar to Manitoba music educators as a teacher, choral director, voice instructor and festival adjudicator. She has taught music at every level, and has been active in implementing programs for young musicians through Prep Studies at the University of Manitoba, the WSO’s school concert series, the International Peace Gardens and especially in her community of Steinbach. Her performance background includes past productions with Manitoba Opera, Winnipeg Mennonite Theatre, the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, and Canzona, to name a few. In 2006, Millie together with husband Ed, accepted a two-year post at the American International School of Bucharest, Romania. This experience, coupled with her travels to numerous other countries, afforded her an exhilarating adventure into the art and culture of Eastern Europe. This fall season, Millie assumes the position of interim director of the University of Manitoba Women’s Chorus, co-conductor of the new University Concert Choir, as well as conductor of the Faith and Life Women’s Choir.

Vic Hooper

Women's Choir

Vic Hooper started his musical career as a self taught piano/organ player performing in community dance bands in the area surrounding his home town of Waskada, Manitoba. After obtaining a Bachelor of Music degree at Brandon University, his professional career began teaching general and choral music and art in The St. James-Assiniboia School Division. For the last 16 years in the school system, Vic held the position of Coordinator of Music. His choirs have won many awards including the Beth Douglas Trophy for the best school choir in the Winnipeg Music Festival, and many gold medals at Provincial and National Festivals and competitions. He has held board and committee positions with such organizations as Manitoba Choral Association, Winnipeg Music Festival, and Prairie Voices Inc. In his "retirement", Vic continues to work with choirs as director and clinician as well as further developing his love for all things computer oriented specifically graphics and website design.

Scott Leithead

Adult Choir

Mr. Leithead hails from Western Canada is the founder and artistic director of Edmonton’s Kokopelli Choir Association and the T.I.M.E. Vocal Jazz Association. Kokopelli is comprised of 4 choirs with a total membership of 180 members ranging in age from 7 to 30 years and the T.I.M.E. Association (Today’s Innovative Music Edmonton) is comprised of 3 vocal ensembles. His choirs have traveled to Africa, Asia and Europe and have participated in such renowned choral events as Podium, the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) Conference; the International Society of Music Educators (ISME) Conference; the International Association of Jazz Education (IAJE) Conference; the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Conference; Festival 500; and the Stratford Music Festival. Scott has been invited to direct honour concert and jazz choirs in 7 provinces and 1 state as well as the National Youth Choir of St. Lucia. Scott is the Chairman of Choral Music for the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Music Festival. His choirs are regularly featured with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and are often heard nationally on CBC Radio Canada. Scott has passion for music from Southern Africa and he has been invited to work with choirs in South Africa and Namibia on numerous occasions. His choirs have created numerous connections in Africa and annually raise funds to support choirs and choristers in Namibia and South Africa. Scott spent most of 2008 on sabbatical in Africa where he was fortunate to conduct Namibia’s Mascato Youth Choir and South Africa’s Siyacula Choir. Scott is the recipient of the Syncrude Award for Innovative Artistic Direction at the Edmonton Mayor’s Awards for Business and the Arts. He is also the recipient of the Con Spirito Award presented by the Alberta Choral Federation for outstanding service to the choral art in Alberta and an Edmonton Salute to Excellence award sponsored by the City of Edmonton.