Mount Royal University Conservatory presents Sounds of the Season — Afternoon Show
Dec 13 | Bella Concert Hall
MESSAGE FROM MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR
Marked on calendars throughout the Mount Royal community is the Sounds ofthe Season concert. As we draw nearto the holiday season, this cherished tradition brings together people from every corner of the Mount Royal community.
We are truly honoured to have this opportunity to showcase the remarkable talents cultivated through the MRU Conservatory and are delighted to welcome our esteemed guest performers who greatly enrich the overall experience.
This experience is a testament to the power that music can bring us together as a community. I extend my deepest gratitude to the gifted artists gracing the stage this afternoon as well as the dedicated individuals working behind the scenes, ensuring that Sounds of the Season continues as a memorable experience year afteryear.
Thank you for being an integral part of the Mount Royal University community and for joining us today. Your support continues to elevate our institution and contributes to the engaging experiences that make Mount Royal University so unique.
Wishing you a joyous holiday season filled with warmth and happiness!
Timothy Rahilly, PhD President and Vice-Chancellor
Mount Royal University
GREETINGS FROM THE MRU FOUNDATION
It's a privilege to welcome you back to the Bella Concert Hall for this year’s presentation of Sounds ofthe Season.
I am inspired daily by the support of Mount Royal University’s donor community. You are helping MRU students grow beyond their expectations and supporting them in immeasurable ways. And so, this afternoon's performance is foryou - our donors - as a wayfor us to say thank you for your support. Whether you are a first-time donor, or a long-standing friend of MRU, you being here with us to enjoy these performances with these outstanding choirs and the Mount Royal Conservatory is a highlightthatwe all lookforward to.
The Conservatory has a unique and special place within Mount Royal University, with a long and outstanding history of providing students with a world-class education in music and the speech arts. We are so grateful forthe opportunityto share their greatworkwith you today.
On behalf of the MRU Foundation, I would like to extend my holiday greetings and bestwishes to you and yours atthis special time ofyear, and warm thoughts forthe newyear.
Terry Kellam Executive Director, MRU Foundation
Associate Vice President, Development & Alumni Relations
PROGRAMME
Mount Royal Kantorei Choir, Zhi-Yin, and CYO
“O Fortuna”from Carmina Burana
Carl Orff
Mount Royal Kantorei Choir, Zhi-Yin, and CYO Strings
“Sunrise”from Sunrise Mass
Ola Gjeilo
Mount Royal Kantorei Choir
12 Days ofChristmas
Traditional
Mount Royal Kantorei Choir, Zhi-Yin, CYO, and Audience
SingAlong #1: Hark!The HeraldAngels Sing
Traditional
The Heebee-Jeebees
CalgaryYouth Orchestra
HappyHanukkah!
Three KlezmerTunes
I. Lieberman’s FunkyFreilach
II. Processional
III. Come, Let’s Rejoice
Arranged by Edmond Agopian
Mount Royal Kantorei Choir, Zhi-Yin, CYO, and Audience
SingAlong # 2:JoytotheWorld
Traditional
The Heebee-Jeebees
Mount Royal Kantorei Choir, Zhi-Yin, and CYO
“Hallelujah Chorus”fromThe Messiah
G.F. Handel
PERFORMER AND DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHIES
The Heebee-Jeebees
The Heebee-Jeebees are a four-man Canadian comic a cappella quartet formed in 1993 to meet girls, who have over the past 30 years sung thousands of performances, appeared on local, national and international radio, television and print. The group has a reputation for being hilarious, entertaining and extremely talented. The Heebeejeebees have released nine recordings, all to international recognition including 4 CARA nominations and 2 CARA Awards (the Grammy's of a cappella). They have won the Canadian Championships of Harmony twice, as well as multiple Championships in the USA. They were inducted into the Canadian A Cappella Hall of Fame and have inspired many other groups to form & quit. The Heebee-jeebees continue to impress and entertain audiences across North America and are considered the very best of comedic a cappella entertainment.
The Heebee-Jeebees - List of Members
Jonathan "J-Lo" Love
Chris "Herard" Herard
Cédric "Sedge" Blary
Ken "KennyV" Lima-Coelho
Mount Royal Kantorei
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Mount Royal Kantorei is a 90-voice auditioned ensemble, known for its rich choral sound, artistic excellence and innovative programming. Founded in 1994, it is the flagship chorus of Mount Royal Conservatory and is United by values of diversity, inclusivity and compassion.
Underthe direction ofJohn Morgan, Mount Royal Kantorei performs a wide range of repertoire, from classical masterworks to contemporary compositions and Indigenous collaborations, and frequently collaborates with ensembles such as the Calgary Philharmonic, Calgary Youth Choir, Calgary Civic Symphony, and many choirs throughout our community.
The ensemble is deeply committed to artistic collaboration, education, and building community through music. In May 2025, the choir made its international competition debut atthe prestigious Cork International Choral Festival in Ireland, where it was awarded the P.E.A.C.E. Trophy, recognizing excellence in choral performance and intercultural understanding.
Mount Royal Kantorei also recently released its latest album, Witness, now available on all major streaming platforms. The album features powerful and reflective works that speakto justice, remembrance, and the human spirit. In addition, the choir has produced a growing catalogue of professionally filmed music videos, further extending its reach to national and international audiences.
A key initiative ofthe ensemble is the Kantorei Choral Festival, a multiyear project that brings together choirs, clinicians, and composers for shared learning and exceptional performances.
This fall, Kantorei will welcome world-renowned composer Ola Gjeilo and Conductor Dr. Irene Messoloras to Calgary for a special event culminating in a massed choir performance of 250 singers, showcasing his celebrated choral and piano works.
With a passionate membership and a bold artistic vision, Mount Royal Kantorei continues to inspire audiences locally and internationally, while championing the transformative power of choral music.
John Morgan, Artistic Director
John has a passion for music education and performance and believes in bringing out the best in musicians, vocal groups and individual artists he works with by creating a working environment that fosters learning, creativity, musical development, collaboration, and fun. He focuses on directing multi-genre vocal groups, as well as delivering full-service music direction for local artists, corporations and events through his studio Morgan Music in Calgary. He is a conductor, organist, pianist, recording engineer and published composer and arranger whose work has been performed by groups across North America. In addition to his work with Mount Royal Kantorei, John is the Artistic Director of Revv52, a 52-voice auditioned pop vocal group known for its innovative music videos and immersive performances. He also serves as the Vocal Director of the Young Canadians, a 120member auditioned vocal and dance group, and the Music Director and Organist at St. Anthony’s Church.
Mary Buckley, Accompanist
Mary was an elementary classroom teacher and music specialist for more than thirty years. Accompanying has also been an important part of her musical activities. She directed and accompanied her own elementary school choirs throughout herteaching career.
At present she is the accompanistforthe choir at St Gerard’s Catholic Church, and has accompanied for Mount Royal Kantorei since 2013. Mary enjoys the opportunity to enrich her musical experiences through learning new and challenging music with Mount Royal Kantorei.
- List of Performers
SOPRANO
Eunice Loudon
Eva Cortes
Jennifer Day
Joelle Haney
Melody Littel
Meraka Moulton*
Twylla Conn
Amanda Burke
Beth Walmsley
Christa King
Christine Horne
Corinne McDonald
Cristina Garcia
Diane Ward
Evelyn Scheibli
Farron Wielinga
Feckla Spaulding
Jyoti Mistry
Kaitlyn MacDonald
Laila Moos
Mara Sabater
Nazneen Doyle
Penny DeJager
Rachel Miranda
Shelli Orton
Simone Emery
Jiarong Yin
Mount Royal Kantorei
ALTO
Alex Guebert
Anne Livesey-Husak
Anne Pozzi*
Bobbi Lintner
Breanne Coady
Carol Bartel Nickel
Donna Flotre
Frances Vettergreen
Helen Goodchild
Jennifer Nakaska
Laurel Ward
Lisa Rude
Louise Neufeld
Lynne Brinkworth
Mary Campbell
Michaela Johnson
Ondrea Mann
Rebecca Frederick
Sabrina Reed
Stephanie Macdonald*
Toria Litvinchuk
Connie Friesen
Courtney Lee
Dree Thomson
Heather Roberts
Kathy Hanna
Kayleigh Suggett
Lisa Collins
Nikki Pieterse
Rebekah Mohr
Sheri DeBruijn
Susan Chambers
Svitlana Popovychenko
BARITONE
Alan Born
Bob Woodward
Bruce Anderson
Chris Downey
Dave Matthies
Ellery Sheasby
Gil Barber
Michael Chase
Neo Sabater
Nikolas Emmer
Peter Exner
PeterWong
Ricardo Avelar
Richard Gorecki
Ronald Chune
Stephen Wright
Tom Wong
Yilin (Stephen) Li
Alex Chumley
Arlan Anderson
Bill Mitchell
Charlie MacDonald
Hrafn Haugr
John Carey
Ken Melax*
Laverne Rude
Mark Louie
Ram Boyer
TENOR
Dean Taggart*
Heather Gamber
Julian Miranda
Roy Schultz
TylerWalmsley*
Adam Elkestawi
David Bullas*
Dwight Smith
Emily Peterson
Fred Hall
Gunnar Debruijn*
Mike Schuett
Paolo Sabater
YannickTchouptang Meyoupo
*Mount Royal Kantorei Society Board Member
CalgaryYouth Orchestra
Considered to be the flagship ensemble ofthe Mount Royal University Conservatory, the Calgary Youth Orchestra is recognized as one of the finest youth orchestras in the country. Under its music director, Edmond Agopian, the CYO has toured Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and New Zealand.
The CYO was honoured to perform for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during hervisitto Calgary in May 2005, and for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, atthe Saddledome in 2009.
The orchestra has commissioned works from a number of composers, most recently Canadian composers Michael van der Sloot, George Fenwick, Laurie Radford and Scott Ross-Molyneux. The CYO has also presented the world premieres of works by Claude Debussy, completed and orchestrated by the renowned English musicologist Robert Orledge.
The CYO has worked with such illustrious conductors as Roberto Minczuk, Mario Bernardi, Bramwell Tovey, Ivars Taurins, Jean Lamon, Andrés Cárdenes and Hans Graf, among others.
The orchestra has performed in collaboration with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and with Jeunesse Classique Ballet, at festivals throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, and on-stage atthe 2008 Juno Awards.
CYO alumni can be found in such world-renowned ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as all major Canadian orchestras.
Edmond Agopian, Music Director
A violin graduate of the Juilliard School, Edmond Agopian began his studies in his native Romania. In 1991, he relinquished his post at Acadia University to take up positions as Professor of Violin and Conductor at the University of Calgary, and Artist-in-Residence at Mount Royal Conservatory. He was appointed Music Director of the Calgary Youth Orchestra in 2002.
He has been awarded the Calgary Arts Award, and the Alberta Centennial Medal “in recognition of outstanding achievement and service to the people and province of Alberta”. At the University of Calgary, he was awarded the John Peter Lee Roberts Distinguished Professorship in Fine Arts.
As a violinist, he has been featured on regional and national CBC, French and English radio programs, Radio Europa, and as soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He is First Violin of the University of Calgary String Quartet in Residence, whose recording on the American label MSR Classics has received enthusiastic reviews from radio broadcasters and magazines, including Fanfare Magazine (USA). Conducting work has included performances with the Canadian Chamber Orchestra (conductor and concertmaster), the Shanghai Opera Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, and conductor and soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. His Sundogs CD recording with the University of Calgary Orchestra, of Canadian orchestral music, was described by one critic as a “hands-down winner”. Under his direction, the Calgary Youth Orchestra has toured, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and New Zealand.
For thirteen seasons he was Music Director/Concertmaster of Calgary’s professional string orchestra, the Kensington Sinfonia and for twenty years he was on the faculty of the Morningside Music Bridge International Music Festival at Mount Royal University Conservatory, in Beijing, Shanghai, and Gdansk, Poland.
His violin method The No Time to Practice Technique Companion has been on the SHAR Music Company’s Bestseller List since 2002 and has been positively reviewed in the American String Teacher magazine. His students have won local, national and international awards, including the Rose Bowl – Calgary Performing Arts Festival, and are members of major orchestras, including four violinists in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
CYO Board Members
Kirk Linton - President
Maydelin Nunez - Past President
Bruce Nysetvold - Vice President
Beverley Erickson - Treasurer
Joanna Ho - Secretary
Terry Clark - Mount Royal Conservatory
John Thompson - Honorary Member
Nic Chan
Viviana D’Ambrosio
Jill Foreman
Trudy Kyba
Diep Lipkind
Renee Sward
Manager
Po Yeh
CalgaryYouth Orchestra - List of Performers
VIOLIN 1
Maya Brideaux ^
Ana Gonzales▵
Carissa Bai^
Emily Fakeley
Jinqi Hu
Conan Li
Jadyn Li
Oliver Linton
Eleanor Lipkind
Aedan Lowry
Chloe Luo
Jessica Muchiri
Serafina Oliva
Isaac Pang
Eden Swalm
Luca Todea
Josephine Wen
Aiden Wong
Yana Zubrytska
VIOLIN 2
Andrei Kycak*
Vivien Li*
Yehor Lukianchyk*
Hannah Audette
Franita Badenhorst
Estelle Broadhead
Sadie Broadhead
Nga Yin Chan
Danyil Holubka
Audrey Lee
Eric Liu
Maria Olson
Anne Shi
Yiting Zhang
Eric Wang
VIOLA
Hannele Agbunag*
Sophie Ryskine*
PatrickVu*
Zephram Gilson
Emily Gu
CELLO
Mateo Barcan*
Teaghan Krahn*
Eva Martino*
Oliver Cheng
Clare Fakeley
Curtis Fok
Avril Ge
Ian Guo
Aaron Janse-Deng
Isaac Park
Liam Scullen
Charles Sunie
Phoebe Xu
Nathan Yep
Jasmine Wang
BASS
Reiss Challoner*
Kristen Cousins
Madeleine Ryan
Thomas Tass
FLUTE
Bella Nguyen*
Sweta Babladi
Grace Chang
Yuki Qian
Rhianna Stafford
OBOE
Sasha Adderley
Yuta Formella
CLARINET
Alexander Sunie*
Kaleb Thannhauser*
Harry Kang
Ethan Yang
BASSOON
Michael Weaver
SAXOPHONE
Nicolas Luzzi º
Aidan Rigor º
HORN
Abi Adedeji*
Shellbie Chayeski*
Nolan Asplund
TRUMPET
Sarah Dennison*
Edward Hergott*
Federico Martino*
TROMBONE
Charlie Reid*
Henno Johnson*
Ronan Favell
BASS TROMBONE
Ben Kyba
PERCUSSION
Sydney Ball
Eric Chan
Minsol Kim
Emily Lyu
Abram Schwonik
Mount Royal Zhi-Yin Choir
TUBA
Omari Holaki
^denotesConcertmaster–eveningconcert
▵denotesConcertmaster–afternoonconcert
*denotesPrincipal ºdenotesUofCguest
Founded in 2004 as a non-profit organization in Alberta, the Mount Royal Zhi-Yin Choir plays an important role in Calgary, especially among the local Chinese community. Led by its founder and conductor, Shana Yang, the choir is made up of diverse adults from different backgrounds and professions who share a passion for music.
The Zhi-Yin Choir focuses on both popular and classical music, with a name that means ‘friends in music’, reflecting its goal to build musical connections and promote multiculturalism in Canada. Through their performances, the choir aims to bring people together, encourage cooperation, and establish connections. Under the guidance of Shana Yang and with inputfrom guest speakers, the Zhi-Yin Choir provides valuable vocal coaching to its members, enhancing their skills and contributing to the choir’s overall excellence. The choir also connects with the audience by hosting annual concerts in Calgary and performing in other cities like Edmonton, Vancouver, NewYork, and Taipei.
With a strong history of community involvement and a dedication to musical proficiency, the Mount Royal Zhi-Yin Choir symbolizes unity, cultural exchange, and artistic accomplishment.
Acknowledgement
The Calgary Zhi-Yin Choir wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Alberta Foundation of Arts for providing operation grants from 2009. The money was used to support the cost associated with operations and programming.
Shana Yang, Director
Shana Yang, the founder, conductor and vocal teacher of the Calgary Zhi-Yin Choir since 2004, has played a pivotal role in elevating the choir's reputation within Calgary's art communities. With more than two decades of expertise as a university graduate from China, specializing in vocal music and choral conducting, Shana's exceptional talent has garnered provincial and national recognition.
In addition to her work with the choir, Shana extends her influence through private singing lessons, focusing on vocal techniques and stage performance. Her students have achieved remarkable success in competitions around the world.
Drawing from her extensive experience in chorus conducting and concert management, Shana actively engages in various art activities, taking advantage of Canada's multicultural climate. She is determined to continue serving the art communities in Calgary, devoting her time and effort to this purpose.
Furthermore, Shana's commitment to the arts extends beyond her work with the choir. Currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA), she remains dedicated to advancing her contributions and making a difference in the artistic landscape.
James (Zixin) Chen, Accompanist
James began studying piano at the age of 7, and at the age of 12, he began studying with Marilyn Engle. Under her guidance, James was a finalist in the RBC Concerto Competition and competed in the Canadian Music Competition, Calgary Concerto Competition, and several Calgary Kiwanis Festivals (now the Calgary Performing Arts Festivals). He performed for artists such as Aleksandar Madžar, Pavel Kolesnikov and attended the ACMUIN (Académie Musicale Internationale Barbara Krakauer) in Provence, France, and the Coimbra World Piano Meeting in Portugal. Having great interest in both engineering and music, he has completed a double majors program in Electrical Engineering and Piano Performance and achieved both a Master of Music in Performance and a Master of Engineering in Software Engineering. During his studies at the University of Calgary, James has been awarded with the Seymour Schulich Scholarship for Academic Excellence for 3 years as well as numerous scholarships from the Music division.
