Choral Studies Concert

“Come and Go To That Land”: Spirituals and Gospel
Chamber Choir, MacMillan Singers, Soprano-Alto Chorus, Tenor-Bass Chorus

This concert is performed in memory of Tenor Bass Chorus member, Sidney Forde. 

Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, University of Missouri, guest conductor

Kathleen Allan, Thomas Burton, Teri Dunn, Dr. Jamie Hillman, conductors

Eunseong Cho, Christopher Dawes, Dr. Joy Lee, Dr. Aaron Manswell, and Ruping Tai, collaborative pianists 

Brandon Davis, bass guitar

Chase Ward, drums

Choral Studies concerts are made possible in part by the Elmer Iseler Endowment for Choral Music at the University of Toronto. 

PROGRAM
 

Soprano-Alto Chorus 

This Is the Day                                                                       

Gerald T. Smith
Sophia Swain and Keava McCormick, soloists

Walk in Jerusalem                                                          
Spiritual, arr. Rollo Dilworth 

Tenor-Bass Chorus

Ndikhokhele Bawo                                            
Xhosa Prayer, arr. Mzwandile Mabuza    
Jalen Shi, Joon Lee, Dane Sevilla, soloist, Tom (Ziteng) Han, percussion   

I’ll Fly Away                                                                         
arr. Brandon A. Boyd

Chamber Choir

Living Things        
Ayanna Woods

Sign Me Up           
Brandon A. Boyd

In memory of our friend, Sidney Forde

Precious Lord        
Thomas Dorsey, arr. Arnold Sevier

INTERMISSION (20 minutes)

MacMillan Singers

The Battle of Jericho           
arr. Moses Hogan
Rosanna Scopacasa, soprano, Yuan Chen, conductor

This recital is in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting.
Yuan Chen is a student of Professor Jamie Hillman. 

Stick with Love           
Aaron Manswell 🍁
Norah Hoff and Benjamin Irani, soloists
Dr. Aaron Manswell, MacMillan Singers composer in residence (2022-2024), piano

Anthem of Praise                       
Richard Smallwood, arr. Keith Hampton
Joaquin Najar, tenor

Audience singing, led by Dr. Brandon Boyd

University of Toronto Choral Studies

Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler               
arr. R. Nathaniel Dett 🍁
Eve Channell, Norah Hoff, Joaquin Najar, and Nathaniel Kulin, quartet

Good! (The Lord is Good)             
Gale Jones Murphy

Until I Reach My Home           
Traditional Negro Folk Tune, arr. Brandon A. Boyd
Keava McCormack, soloist

Come and Go (To That Land)               
Spiritual, arr. Brandon A. Boyd
Mia Paunovic and Joaquin Najar, soloists

Acknowledgements

Donors to Choral Studies, including the Vern and Frieda Heinrichs Foundation

Advancement: Brittney Cathcart, Rachel Loo  

Dean’s Office: Professor Ryan McClelland, interim dean

Brainerd Blyden-Taylor and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale

Concert Office: Eric Chow  

Photography: Bo Huang

Promotion: Tam Nguyen, Jeremie Boudreau

Reception: Andrea Nussey Atherley

Graduate Choral Conducting Cohort: Yuan Chen, Hanwen Liang, Melanie Yirenkyi, Maura McGroarty 

Librarian, Performance Collection: Karen Wiseman  

Performance Office: Eddy Aitken, Amanda Eyer Haberman, Michelle Kitsis, Ilinca Stafie

Voice Studies and Faculty of Music Voice Faculty  

Collaborative Piano Studies and Professor Steven Philcox 

If you are interested in donating to Choral Studies at the University of Toronto, please visit: https://engage.utoronto.ca/site/SPageServer?pagename=donate&redirect=legacy#/fund/1734 We appreciate your support!

University of Toronto Soprano-Alto Chorus

Teri Dunn, conductor 
Ruping Tai, collaborative pianist 
Yuan (Alba) Chen, assistant conductor
Melanie Yirenkyi, assistant conductor 
Anna Caroline Boyes, vocal coach

Soprano 1

Mai Arai
Brianna Bauer
Lauren Chalmers-Rizzato
Mackenzie Chalmers-Rizzato
Yule (Fiona) Fu
Alethea Hindra
Branujah Kalaiselvam
Wan Tong (Doris) Li 
Keava McCormack
Varuni Papade
Ziyan (Fiona) Sun
Rein Teves
Yifan Tian
Brylinn Watford Morrison

Soprano 2

Milena Boryczko
Kiran Clarke
Jessica Dawdy*
Yuexi (Ceci) Li
Zige Lin
Kitari Loney
Ruo Lai (Joy) Luo
Sophia Swain
Xinyue (Selena) Miao
Ashley Wang
Elena Wu Gan
Christine Xu
Karen Yoshida

Alto 1

Karina Coleman
Kelly Du
Nazeli Ghanaghounian
Ana Gualdron Torres
Tsz Ling (Mia) Huang
Amanda Jiang
Zhuoyu (Jacqueline) Li
Emily Luo
Mingmao Ouyang
Atousa Rasekhinejadmoghaddam
Daiyue (Anny) Yue
Joanna Zhao

Alto 2

Therese Benoza 
Vanessa Chen
Roxolana Luzskov
Danielle Vachon
Claudia Wong*

*ensemble manager

University of Toronto Tenor-Bass Chorus

Thomas Burton, conductor 
Christopher Dawes, collaborative pianist 
Hanwen Liang, assistant conductor
Charlie Sadler, vocal coach 

Tenor 1

Kenny Cheng
Hansen Gao
Khaleel Baptiste Oduwole
Skyler Shen

Tenor 2

Cloud Bu
Ken Bui
Jayden Carter
Akeo Ichikawa
Tristan Stryinik*
Johann White
Kwan Wong

Bass 1

Morgan Chui
Carlo Cristiano
Daniel Fahimi
Emilio Wu Gan
Joon Lee
Dane Sevilla
Jalen Shi
Carlos Songcuan
Jeffrey Sun
Houtian Zhong

Bass 2

Jackson Adair
Brian Chong
Samuel Fong
Neil Gonputh
Oscar Hodgson
Josh Holme
Hanwen Liang
Jing Yang Tan
Antonios Vazintaris
Matthew Xie

*ensemble manager

University of Toronto Chamber Choir

Kathleen Allan, conductor
Eunseong Cho, collaborative pianist
Melanie Yirenkyi, assistant conductor
Marcel d’Entremont, vocal coach

Soprano 1

Kimiya Afkhami
Emilina Arduini
Esther Cabral
Eve Channell
Keira Clinton
Monday Earle
Lauren Fajardo
Annie An Nhi Hoang
Charis Li
Sophie Simms
Emma Sun

Soprano 2

Shabnam Bahrami Asl
Rasa Ghaedi
Amy Lee
Monica Lindsay
Juliana Papagni
Yolanda Qie
Mac Reid
Cynthia Yin
Amanda Yu
Anastacia Zavgorodniy

Alto 1

Julie Agnes Man-Wing Fung
Sarah Hume
Aimika Ketilson
Josephine Leung
Ellie Park
Melody Shui
Kirsten Marie Villegas
Fiona Xiao
Sophia Zhang

Alto 2

Tina Chen
YuLing Chen*
Sophia Jestadt
Elisa Ma
Marjorie Moskaluk*
Vani Natarajan
Frieda Yat Sang Yau
Yutong Zhang
Sunny Zhao

*ensemble manager

Precious Lord Choir

Thomas Burton, conductor

Soprano

Mai Arai
Emilina Arduini
Giuliana Barrow Lattanzio
Brianna Bauer
Josheen Bayabos
Lauren Chalmers-Rizzato
Mackenzie Chalmers-Rizzato
Eve Channell
Kira Clarke
Jessica Dawdy
Monday Earle
Muriel Falkenstein
Rasa Ghaedi
Branujah Kalaiselvam
Amy Lee
Kitari Loney
Charis Li
Keava McCormack
Mingmao Ouyang
Juliana Papagni
Isla Parekh
Kaela Peever
Rein Teves
Melody Shafiee
Sophia Swain
Karen Yoshida
Cynthia Yin

Alto 

Therese Benoza
Karina Coleman
Kelly Du
Ana Gualdron
Norah Hoff
Sarah Hume
Aimika Ketilson
Jacqueline Li
Roxolana Luzskov
Vani Natarajan 
Elly Young-Ah Park
Mia Paunovic 
Claudia Wong
Jane Zelcer
Yutong Zhang

Tenor

Jay-Daniel Baghbanan 
Ben Birrell
Brandon Chan
Akeo Ichikawa
Anson Lau
Joshua Duncan Lee
Aquila Li
Kwan Hon Wong

Bass

Jackson Adair
Carlo Cristiano
Sam Fong
Tom (Ziteng) Han
Joaquin Justo
Oscar Hodgson
Nathaniel Kulin
Jacob Manucdoc
Cooper Pearson
Dane Sevilla
Jing Yang Tan
Nicholas Wang
Emmanuel Wong

University of Toronto MacMillan Singers

Dr. Jamie Hillman, conductor
Dr. Joy Lee, collaborative pianist
Yuan Chen, assistant conductor
Minjoo Kim, composer in residence

Soprano

Jemma Pascal van Alphen
Josheen Bayabos
Anastasia Galarneau
Marina Kadri*
Giuliana Barrow Lattanzio
Isla Parekh
Kaela Peever
Emma Puscalau
Rosanna Scopacasa
Melody Shafiee

Alto

Yuan Chen
Norah Hoff
Benjamin Irani
Mia Paunovic
Ania Suri
Yu Xuan (Elienna) Wang
Jane Zelcer
Katherine Zhu

Tenor

Ben Birrell
Brandon Chan
Anson Lau
Joshua Duncan Lee
Aquila Ying Faye Li
Joaquin Najar
Alex Tipping

Bass

Kwun Yu Jordan Fung
Sebastian Morales Guerrero
Ziteng (Tom) Han
Alexandre Huneault
Noah James
Joaquin Justo
Nathaniel Kulin
Hanwen Liang
Zerui (Sampson) Liu
Alekasander Manda
David Alejandro Zuniga Molina
Mathias Séror*
Xiaoshuai (Adam) Wang
Nicholas Hongyu Wang

*ensemble manager

Biographies

Dr. Brandon A. Boyd

Dr. Brandon A. Boyd is the Mary M. and Harry L. Smith Endowed Chair at the University of Missouri. He is the Director of Choral Activities, Graduate Choral Conducting Program, and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Missouri, where he conducts MU University Singers, Sankofa Chorale, and Choral Union Symphonic Chorus. In addition to his conducting duties at the university, he teaches graduate courses in choral conducting, choral literature, and choral arranging. 

As a proponent of choral singing to build community, his research interests include organizing choirs for the homeless, identifying the social and physical effects of choral singing on senior citizens, creating authentic field experiences for music therapy and choral music education students. For three years, Dr. Boyd co-directed three choral community partnerships in Florida: The Tallahassee Senior Choir, RAA Middle School Partnership Choir (university students and middle school singers), and the MTC Women's Prison Glee Club (university students singing with women housed in a correctional facility).

As an active composer and arranger, his music is sung regularly by ensembles throughout the United States and abroad. He is also the curator and editor of the "Brandon A. Boyd Choral Series," a choral series with Hinshaw Music Publications helping promote exciting and innovative works composed by both established and new composers and arrangers. His music also appears in the catalogs of Gentry Publications, Hinshaw Music Company, MorningStar, GIA, and Kjos Music Press. In addition, he is the Executive Choral Editor of Gentry Publications (Fred Bock Publishing Group) and the Abbington African American Sacred Music Series (GIA Publications). 

As a global collaborator in the orchestral world, Dr. Boyd has served as chorus master, assistant conductor, and guest pianist with the London Symphony in London, England. He prepared the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Vokalensemble for Maestro Alan Gilbert for multiple productions of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, in Hamburg and Kiel, Germany. In the U.S., he has guest conducted the Nashville Symphony, Missouri Symphony, and the St. Louis Symphony. He has made multiple performances at Carnegie in the capacity of guest conductor, composer, and collaborative pianist. 

Dr. Boyd served as guest faculty at the Universidad Católica Boliviana - San Pablo of the Unidad Academica Regional Tarija to provide conducting workshops, in addition to serving as guest conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra, Sociedad Corla Andaluz, Symphonic Orchestra in a presentation of American music at the Historic Casa de la Cultutura de Tarija (Tarija's House of Culture). He also was a guest professor at the Universidad Evangelica in Santa Cruz, Boliviana. The Partners of the Americas sponsored both university partnerships.  

Dr. Boyd served as Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s Composer-in-Residence and Community Engagement Leader for their program Giving Voice to the Voiceless. The Chorale premiered a work commissioned by the SFDC, I Search, during their Summer Justice Concert Series. He served as assistant conductor, pre-concert lecturer, and guest pianist. He set to music a text written by "Poet V," a young participant in the Voces de Libertad program at the Santa Fe County Youth Development Center. His duties also included organizing and conducting the Interfaith Community Shelter Street Choir, thus creating a safe place for men, women, and children experiencing homelessness within the Santa Fe community. Other commissioning partners include Choirs of America Nationals for Top Choirs at Carnegie, Southwestern Adventist University, Florida State University/Tallahassee Community Chorus, New Mexico Music Educators Association, and the University of Nebraska-Kearney. 

He holds two degrees from Florida State University (Ph.D. in choral music education and M.M. in choral conducting) and earned a B.S. in music education (emphasis in piano) from Tennessee State University. He is a proud member of the Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity, Inc., Pi Kappa Lambda, American Choral Directors' Association (ACDA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), American Guild of Organists (AGO), and Chorus America. Dr. Boyd also serves as a member of the National ACDA Composition Initiative committee.  

Kathleen Allan

Kathleen Allan is the Artistic Director of the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, Artistic

Director of Chorus Niagara, and a member of the music faculty at the University of Toronto. In high demand as a guest conductor, commissioned composer, and clinician, she is equally comfortable working in early, contemporary, and symphonic repertoire. From 2016-2023, she served as the Artistic Director of Canzona, Winnipeg’s professional Baroque choir, with whom she conducted many of the masterworks of the Baroque era. Originally from St, John’s, NL, she has conducted orchestras and choirs across Canada, the US, and Japan, and recently made her conducting debuts with the Victoria Symphony (2022), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2019) and Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (2020). She was the 2016 winner of the Sir Ernest MacMillan Prize in Choral Conducting.

Her compositions have been commissioned, performed and recorded by ensembles

throughout the Americas and Europe and have been featured at two World Symposiums on Choral Music. Her music is published by Boosey and Hawkes, Oxford University Press, and Cypress Choral Music, and she is a MusicSpoke composer. Also an accomplished soprano, she has appeared as a soloist and professional choral singer with orchestras and choirs across Canada and the US, and with the Arnold Schoenberg Chor in Vienna. She holds a degree in composition from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in conducting from Yale University. <https://www.kathleenallan.com>

Thomas Burton 

Raised in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Thomas Burton is Artistic Director of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Conductor of the University of Toronto Tenor-Bass Chorus, and Artistic Director of Durham Region’s RESOUND Choir. He is co-conductor of the award winning Halifax based chamber choir, Eastern Horizon. Praised for his innovative and eclectic programming as well as his dynamic presence on the podium, Thomas is in-demand nationally as a guest conductor, clinician and educator. 
 
Thomas is passionate about inspiring excellence in performers of all ages and abilities. He has had the privilege of working with such ensembles as the Pacific Chorale, The Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, Pro Coro Canada, the National Youth Choir of Canada, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir. An accomplished choral singer, Thomas has sung with some of Canada’s finest choral ensembles including the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, Voces Boreales, and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale. 
 
Thomas is a recipient of multiple awards, including the Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship and the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Award. In 2024 he was selected by Jeunesses Musicales as the inaugural recipient of the Iwan Edwards Scholarship for Young Conductors. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Trombone Performance from McGill University and a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Michigan where he studied with Dr. Jerry Blackstone and Dr. Eugene Rogers. <thomasburtonmusic.com>

Yuan Chen

Yuan (Alba) Chen holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Memorial University. She is currently in the Doctor of Musical Arts program in Choral Conducting at the University of Toronto.

Recently, Yuan has been serving as the Associate Conductor of Chorus Niagara. As a former Assistant Conductor of Orchestra Toronto, Yuan earned wide recognition and praise for her musicianship and leadership. She previously served as Music Director at Nomad Stages in Stephenville, Newfoundland, where she led her choir to win the Best Choir Award at the Stephenville Rotary Music Festival. During her tenure, she took on the role of Music Director for eleven musical theatre productions. Yuan continued to broaden her artistic work as Music Director for the 46th Stephenville Theatre Festival, a role that highlighted her collaborative spirit and clear artistic vision. She also serves as a guest conductor for the Atlantic Boy Choir. With over a decade of experience conducting choirs of all ages—from children to university students and seniors—Yuan has garnered significant accolades. She led the Chorus of the Department of History at Fudan University to a Silver Award in the Annual Chorus Competition and directed the Chorus of East China University of Political Science and Law to a Third Prize, both starting from scratch with no prior music background. 

In addition to her choral accomplishments, Yuan brings a diverse artistic background, having worked for five years as an improvisational theatre actress, film producer, and director, enriching her approach to storytelling and performance.

Eunseong Cho

Being a versatile musician as an organist, conductor, harpsichordist and collaborative

pianist, Eunseong Cho has contributed her talent to Toronto’s music community for many years. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a master’s degree in organ performance under the tutelage of Dr. John Tuttle. She studied with Sir Colin Tilney and was a harpsichordist for the U of T Early Music Ensemble under the direction of Jeanne Lamon.

She also studied choral conducting with Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt. She serves as choir director at The Light Presbyterian Church and as collaborative pianist for U of T’s Chamber Choir.

Brandon Davis

Brandon Davis is a Toronto-based bassist, composer, and educator. He holds a Masters in Music from the Manhattan School of Music.

As a performer, Brandon has experience performing and recording in jazz, folk, and classical settings all throughout Toronto and New York City.

Brandon is currently studying at the University of Toronto for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Performance, studying the phenomenon of peak and mystical experience in improvisation. 

Christopher Dawes

Christopher Dawes is a Toronto-based keyboard performer, choral conductor and media professional. A nearly four-decade fixture of southern Ontario’s music community and frequent collaborator with many of its top institutions, he currently serves as Organist and Director of Music to Rosedale Presbyterian Church in Toronto. For two decades he has served as Collaborative Pianist and Coach to the graduate and undergraduate instrumental and choral conducting programs of the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, where he has also served as accompanist to MacMillan Singers and (currently) the Tenor-Bass Choir.  He has served as Director of Canada’s Summer Institute of Church Music since 2004.. Chris’ graduate work in the area of Music Criticism and musical genre has led to occasional blogging and podcasting under the banner “Ideas About Music,” speaking at conferences, and eventually founding the Celtic-crossover band Chroí in 2013.  He and his 21-year-old son Simon Dawes (a jazz guitar student at U of T’s Faculty of Music) perform together as the duo Dawezzworks.  A one-time career theatre music professional, he will make a long-awaited comeback in 2026 as Musical Director of “I Love you because” with Globe Productions in Georgetown, Ontario, where he resides​ with his partner Marcia Dawes and (occasionally) their three children.

Teri Dunn

Teri Dunn is a celebrated soprano, conductor, and music educator, widely recognized for her artistry and leadership in performance, pedagogy, and choral direction. A native of Ottawa, she was recently appointed Artistic Director of the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, where she has served as Music Director since 2015. Under her direction, the CCOC has presented critically acclaimed productions  including the world premieres of Alice Ho’s The Monkiest King (recorded for CMC), Serouj Kradjian’s The Nightingale of aThousand Songs and a European tour of Hans Krása’s Brundibar. She has also prepared the Children’s Chorus and soloists for numerous Canadian Opera Company productions, including La Boheme, Carmen, The Magic Flute and Hansel and Gretel. 

From 2008 2025, Teri served as Dean of Choral Studies at St. Michael’s Choir School, overseeing programming, and directing three of their internationally recognized choirs. A committed educator, she now leads the Soprano-Alto Chorus at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Earlier in her career, she was Assistant Artistic Director of the Toronto Children’s Chorus (2002-2012), and held posts at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Hart House Chorus. Teri’s choirs have been invited guests at Carnegie Hall, the Vatican, the Toronto International Choral Festival, and with leading Canadian ensembles such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Amici. Her choirs have earned top honours including first prize at the National Competition of Canadian Amateur Choirs. 

An acclaimed soprano, Teri has been praised as “outstanding” by BBC Music Magazine.  She has premiered works by Canadian composers James Rolfe, John Hawkins, Micheline Roi, Abigail Richardson, and Jeff Ryan and has sung operatic roles including Galatea (Acis and Galatea), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), Alice in John Beckwith’s Night Blooming Cereus and Eurydice in the world premiere of James Rolfe’s Orpheus and Eurydice. She has appeared with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Ottawa Bach Choir, New Music Concerts, Soundstreams, Toronto Masque Theatre, and others. Her discography features works by George Crumb, Osvaldo Golijov, Gloria Coates, John Beckwith and Harry Somers. 

Teri holds a Master of Music from the University of Toronto, where she studied with Mary Morrison. She was a prizewinner in the 1999 Eckhardt-Grammatté Competition and recipient of the 2002 Leslie Bell Prize in Choral Conducting, awarded by Choirs Ontario.

Dr. Jamie Hillman

Dr. Jamie Hillman is a Canadian and American musician, active as a conductor, music

educator, singer, pianist, 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. Professor Hillman is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and is cross listed as faculty 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.

Professor Hillman has served on the faculties of Boston University Metropolitan

College/Prison Education Program, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Kodály Music Institute, Longy School of Music of Bard College, and Tyndale University. As a Boston University Prison Arts Scholar, he co-initiated an innovative vocal music program in the Massachusetts prison system.

Dr. Hillman is an examiner for Conservatory Canada and has adjudicated, guest conducted, performed, and presented throughout Canada and the United States, and in Brazil, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Portugal, Taiwan, and Thailand. He has led All-State, festival, or honour choirs in Alberta, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and in Taiwan. Most recently he conducted three national festival choruses at Carnegie Hall with Manhattan Concert Productions and National Concerts. Hillman has conducted premieres by Shireen Abu-Khader, Matthew Emery, Norbert Palej, Sarah Quartel, and Marie-Claire Saindon, among others.

Dr. Hillman's schedule of upcoming engagements includes conducting

All-State/festival/honour choirs in British Columbia, Manitoba, Québec, Virginia, and in China, Italy, and the United Kingdom; serving on the international jury of the Bali International Choir Festival (Indonesia); and residencies at several Canadian and international universities.

Professor Hillman is the curator and editor of The Jamie Hillman Choral Series published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing. He also edits Beckenhorst Press’ Concert Series and writes choral pedagogical curriculum with composer Dan Forrest. He has published articles on choral literature and pedagogy in several academic journals.

Dr. Hillman earned an associate diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music and a

Bachelor of Music from Western University. In 2024, he was inducted to Western's Don

Wright Faculty of Music's Alumni Wall of Fame. He completed the Master of Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Doctor of Musical Arts at Boston University, where he studied with Ann Howard Jones. He is the 2012 laureate of the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting from the Ontario Arts Council. <www.jamiehillman.net>

Dr. Joy Lee

Dr. Joy Lee is an accomplished Canadian pianist with a vibrant and multifaceted career as a collaborative pianist, teacher, vocal coach, soloist, and adjudicator. Driven by her deep passion for music and education, Dr. Lee has performed at prestigious events and venues, including the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. during President Barack Obama's inauguration celebration, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and locations across Canada’s Northwest Territories, such as Inuvik and Yellowknife.

Dr. Lee holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in solo piano from the University of Toronto. Her love for vocal repertoire led her to pursue a second Master of Music in

Collaborative Piano Studies at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and a Doctor of

Musical Arts degree at the University of Toronto.

As Assistant Professor of Music and Worship Arts at Tyndale University, Dr. Lee is dedicated to inspiring and mentoring the next generation of musicians. She is also in high demand as an adjudicator, having served at competitions including the Arcadia Academy of Music, OMFA Provincial Finals, Sudbury Music Festival, Toronto Kiwanis Festival, Peel Music Festival, and the ORMTA Eastern Zone Competition. In 2026, she will serve on adjudication panels for Beckettfest at Wilfrid Laurier University, Pickering GTA Music Festival, South Simcoe Arts Council Music Festival, and Yip’s Music Festival.

Dr. Lee’s musical achievements have been recognized with numerous accolades, including second prize at the 2017 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition and the 2018 Gwendolyn Williams Koldofsky Prize for excellence in collaboration. In April 2023, she made her Carnegie Hall debut as part of the Canada at Carnegie concert series. Later that year, in November, she and soprano Stéphanie McKay-Turgeon performed the works of French composer Henri Dutilleux at Maison Dutilleux-Joy in Candes-Saint-Martin, France.

A passionate collaborator, Dr. Lee was honored to serve as a faculty member at the

University of Toronto Choral Conducting Symposium in 2022 and 2023. She currently works with the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, MacMillan Singers at the University of Toronto, and Tyndale Community Choir. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors for the North Toronto Songbirds, exemplifying her dedication to fostering community connections and celebrating the arts.

Dr. Aaron Manswell

Aaron Manswell is a dynamic composer, producer, and conductor whose work transcends boundaries, weaving together classical, R&B, hip-hop and gospel into richly textured sonic narratives. Born and raised in Toronto, his compositions have been celebrated for emotional depth and contemporary resonance, earning performances and recordings by prestigious ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, and Choral Arts Initiative---whose 2024 album Tapestry of Becoming (featuring his acclaimed piece "Stick with Love") soared to No. 1 on Billboard's Traditional Classical Albums chart.

In February 2023, he was featured in the Canadian Opera Company's Showcase Series, presenting Off-Spring Live---a concert highlighting his genre-fluid compositions. His creative leadership extends to his appointment as Composer-in-Residence of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir for the 2024/2025 season, where he continued to shape the future of choral music.

Beyond the concert hall, Manswell is a sought-after music producer and keyboardist, collaborating with multi-platinum selling Canadian artists DVSN and Juno award-winning singer/songwriters Nemahsis, Dylan Sinclair, Savannah Ré, and Ryan Ofei to name a few. Recently he was tapped by multi-platinum American Alternative R&B artist Mariah the Scientist to orchestrate and conduct the strings for her live performance of "Burning Blue" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and also provided orchestration and production on the outro of her new album Hearts Sold Separately ("No More Entertainers"). His versatility also shines in film scoring, where he crafts evocative original music. A dedicated educator, he previously served as Wind Band Conductor at Crawford Adventist Academy, guiding students to top festival honours and live recordings.

Ruping Tai

Ruping Tai holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. She is currently in the first year of her Master's program in Collaborative Piano at the University of Toronto, where she studies with Professor Steven Philcox. She also serves as the collaborative pianist for the Soprano-Alto Choir. Ruping regularly partners with singers and instrumentalists to prepare for recitals, auditions, and masterclasses, and is focusing on improving her accompanying skills for singers, instrumentalists, and choirs.

Chase Ward

Chase Ward is a Toronto-based musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist originally from Victoria, BC. His work is guided by a simple conviction: to create art that invites people into a shared story. Rather than working within a single genre, Ward draws from the jazz tradition while weaving in Latin, Afro-Cuban, and New Orleans influences, dense harmony, and the occasional backbeat. The result is music that moves fluidly, reaching new heights with each performance while remaining grounded in feel rather than labels.

A dynamic presence on Canada’s live music scene, Ward has performed at venues including Hermann’s Jazz Club, where he has led sold-out shows, and The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar. As a sideman, he has performed and recorded alongside Juno Award–winning artist Jeremy Ledbetter, GRAMMY-nominated artist Joaquín Núñez Hidalgo, and ensembles including The West Coast Soul Collective, The Simon Williams Sextet, Michael Davidson, Kayla Hoshizaki, and The Mumbo Jumbo Combo. He is also the featured drummer on Ryan Van Winkle’s (20 EYES) debut album, Naught For Nothing, and has appeared as a substitute percussionist for Mirvish Productions’ Disney’s The Lion King.

Ward’s primary creative outlet is his trio project, an ever-evolving, improvisatory vehicle rooted in spontaneity, constant evolution, and real-time interaction. While the lineup has shifted over time, frequent collaborators include pianist/arranger Simon Williams and bassist Josh Warren. The trio’s sound is best described not by style but by momentum. A mosaic of kinetic highs and lows, The Chase Ward Trio is an ocean—untamed, untempered.

In September 2025, Ward released his debut record, Senary, a vivid statement of artistic purpose that traces his transition from the West Coast to Toronto. Featuring guest artists Joaquín Núñez Hidalgo and Kayla Hoshizaki, the album channels the conversational energy of classic small-group improvisation through contemporary rhythmic and harmonic language, offering moments of reflection, tension, and shared wonder.

Beyond the bandstand, Ward’s musical foundation has been shaped by mentorship from GRAMMY Award–winning artists Larnell Lewis and Hilario Durán, GRAMMY-nominated artists Joaquín Núñez Hidalgo and Justin Gray, and respected Canadian musicians Mark Kelso and Steve Mancuso. Working across roles as a drummer, percussionist, vocalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, educator, and producer, with a growing practice in mixing and engineering, Ward approaches music-making as both craft and conversation, always in service of connection. <www.chaseward.ca>

Brandon Davis

Brandon Davis is a bassist, improviser, composer, and educator in Toronto. With roots in Toronto’s avant-garde improvising and singer/songwriter communities, he is a versatile musician with experience in a wide variety of contexts. In each of these contexts, he is committed and intentional, motivated by a passion to create vulnerable and impactful music, and to help others do the same. Brandon is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto where he studies the phenomenon of unselfconscious decision-making in improvisation.

Ticket Prices: $30 Adult, $20 Senior, $10 Student.  
University of Toronto students with a valid T-Card are admitted free at the door (space permitting, some exceptions apply). No ticket reservation necessary. 
Livestream available on the Faculty of Music YouTube channel.

This concert is made possible by the Elmer Iseler Endowment for Choral Music at the University of Toronto.