2024 Clinician Bios
Choral Festival (April 24 - 26)
Jacinta Mackey Graham
Jacinta Mackey Graham is a proud graduate of Memorial University School of Music (B. Mus/B. Mus Ed) and also holds a Masters degree in Theatre from Eastern Michigan University.
Having taught for over 30 years, she brings with her a wealth of experience as a voice teacher, choral conductor, actor, theatre director, clinician and adjudicator. Her choirs have competed locally and nationally in Musicfest Canada, toured Ireland, performed at Carnegie Hall and for Pope Jean Paul in Italy.
As co-artistic director of Atlantic Light Theatre, Jacinta has directed numerous highly successful musical theatre productions here in St. John’s. In 2017 she was awarded the ArtsNL Hall of Honour Award for her contribution to the arts in Newfoundland and Labrador. Jacinta is delighted for the opportunity to work with choral singers at Rotary in 2024.
Melanie Tellez
As a choral artist, Melanie brings a unique combination of engagement and joy to her role, motivating singers to trust themselves, and one another, in their musical journey. As Artistic Director of the renowned Hamilton Children’s Choir, Melanie leads an incredible team of artistic staff and more than 200 singers as they learn repertoire, embody choreography, perform, tour, collaborate with orchestras and instrumentalists, and deepen their self-confidence as artists. Helping young people sing with open hearts is one of Melanie’s favorite ways to frame her work.
Originally from Nova Scotia, Melanie now considers herself to be a proud Hamiltonian. Outside of her work with HCC, Melanie is part of the music faculty with McMaster University’s School of the Arts, leading their treble and mixed-voice choral ensembles. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Music (Voice) from Dalhousie University in Halifax, and a Master of Music (Choral Conducting) from the University of Alberta. She has been thrilled to adjudicate and lead choral festivals and honor choir projects across Southwestern Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia, and proudly served for six years on the executive board of Choirs Ontario. Melanie was recently nominated for the 2023 Ontario Arts Council Leslie Bell Conducting Prize.
In her spare time, Melanie is often found attempting to sing in harmony with her two daughters, who would prefer to be reading graphic novels or swimming.
Jazz Festival (April 27 - 28)
Greg Bruce
Hailing from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Greg Bruce is a Doctor of Musical Arts currently teaching at the College of the North Atlantic. He has spent over 20 years in the music industry as a side-musician, soloist, composer/arranger, and band leader. During this time Greg has drawn on his training in classical and jazz to record, tour, and perform in every setting imaginable: from conferences in the US, to street parties in Canada, to palaces in Russia.
For his doctoral studies, Greg developed a “feedback saxophone” system whereby the saxophone is augmented by analogue media to manipulate acoustic feedback tones. He has since expanded this work to include various cassette tape media in a “post-digital” solo performance project. As an educator, Greg has taught privately for most of his career, led workshops and masterclasses at the University of Toronto, and worked as a per-course instructor at Memorial University.
Kevin Coady
Born and raised in Newfoundland, Kevin began his percussion studies with the late Don Wherry, performing with the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra and Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.
Kevin graduated with distinction in jazz studies from McGill University in 1994 and began performing professionally in a wide variety of musical genres. He also holds a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of Toronto.
Kevin has performed in many jazz and new music festivals in North America and Europe, and was a recipient of the Prix de Jazz award at the Montreal jazz festival as part of the Joel Miller Quintet.
Now residing is Toronto, Kevin teaches band at schools in the Toronto District School Board and performs, records and tours with a large and diverse array of musicians and ensembles. Most recently, he became a member of the Wintergarten Orchestra, which specializes in early jazz and cabaret music.
Band/Symphonic Festival (April 29 - May 2)
Danielle Raynes Gosse
A native of Mount Pearl, NL, Danielle has been an established music educator and advocate for the fine arts in London, Ontario, for the past 25 years. Her platform is to provide opportunities for all children to experience and nurture their talents through music and the arts, with a goal to enhance the learning environment for every child.
Danielle has conducted secondary school concert bands, choirs, jazz band/vocal ensembles and show orchestras, developing the curriculum for three vocal jazz courses offered at the grade 10-12 level with the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB). Her ensembles have performed across Canada and the US in regional festivals, Musicfest Canada, Walt Disney World and at numerous community performances venues.
An active french horn/trumpet player and vocalist, Danielle holds Bachelor of Music and Music Education degrees from the MUN School of Music and a Master of Music specializing in Music Education from the University of Western Ontario. She lives with her husband and daughter and serves as the Principal of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Choir, and Orchestra Program with the LDCSB.
Dylan Rook Maddix
Originally from Summerside, PEI, Dr. Dylan Rook Maddix is Assistant Professor of Instrumental Conducting and Community Engagement at Memorial University.
Before this position, Maddix headed the wind and brass studies department at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario. There, he conducted the wind ensemble and taught courses in music theory, wind/brass methods, and pedagogy. He also served on the conducting faculty at Laurentian University.
Maddix’s academic journey includes a Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University, a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Toronto, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree with in Conducting from Arizona State University. He is the founder and host of “The Band Room Podcast”, alongside composer Cait Nishimura, and hosts the conducting leadership podcast titled “Changing Your Pattern.” Along with his diverse professional trumpet career he has also provided his expertise in conducting and a music consultant for Netflix’s “Umbrella Academy” and Global TV’s “Private Eyes.
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