Wendy Grasdahl, B. Mus., M. Mus., Dip. FA

Wendy Grasdahl is well known across Canada as a conductor, adjudicator, clinician, teacher, and trumpeter. Her professional experience encompasses teaching at university and college levels, as well as military band work and private teaching.

As an officer in the Canadian Naval Reserve, Wendy has conducted military bands in Alberta, B.C., Ontario and Nova Scotia. She is in demand as a clinician and guest conductor for school programs, as well as summer music programs, including 12 years at the International Music Camp at the Peace Garden on the Manitoba/U.S. border where she received the Distinguished Service Award for conducting and promoting band in North America. Other awards include the Faculty Association Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of P.E.I., and the City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Citation Award in Arts & Culture in 2014.

Having appeared as a trumpet soloist and in professional ensembles across Canada, Wendy is a founding member of the brass quintet Five of a Kind, and has played Solo Cornet with the Mill Creek Colliery Brass Band. She is the founder, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Festival City Winds Music Society which is now in its 23nd season.

Wendy currently teaches trumpet and is Director of Bands at Concordia University of Alberta, and regularly adjudicates band festivals at both provincial and national levels.

Ms. Grasdahl holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music History from the University of Alberta, a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Calgary, and a graduate level Fine Arts Diploma in Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble Conducting and Literature from the University of Calgary.

Dr. Eila Peterson, Ph.D. (Northwestern)

Dr. Eila Peterson is an accomplished and versatile musician. She has worked across Canada and in the U.S. as a performer, teacher/educator, conductor, adjudicator, researcher, editor, composer and arranger. Her areas of expertise include Instrumental Music Education, Kodály-inspired Musicianship, and Music Cognition and Philosophy.

Eila has taught courses at the University of Calgary, the University of P.E.I., Northwestern University (Illinois), The King’s University College, and the University of Alberta, as well as public schools in Ontario and Alberta.

As a music director/conductor, Eila has worked with school, university, and community bands as well as early music ensembles, and chamber ensembles. She currently conducts the Novice Band with Festival City Winds Music Society, and directs the Edmonton Sackbone Express, a sackbut ensemble which collaborates with other early music enthusiasts.

Sought after as a guest lecturer/clinician, Dr. Peterson is an expert in Aural Skills Pedagogy. She has numerous publications as well as an independently developed instructional website. Other publications include original compositions and arrangements for wind and percussion instruments.

Primarily a clarinetist, Eila is an experienced performer on many instruments. She has played bassoon in orchestras, saxophone in jazz ensembles, flute in pit orchestras, percussion in concert bands, and baritone in brass bands. A clarinettist with the Opera Nuova Orchestra in Edmonton for the past 4 years, Eila also plays trombone in the brass quintet Five of a Kind.

Eila has earned Bachelor of Music (focus: Instrumental Music Ed.) and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Western Ontario, an Associateship Diploma in Clarinet Performance from the Western Ontario Conservatory of Music (now Conservatory Canada), a Master of Music (focus: Kodály Concept) from the University of Calgary, and a Ph.D. (focus: Music Education, Perception and Philosophy) from Northwestern University.

Personal website: www.audigraph.ca