Leadership
David Ambrose, Artistic Director
David Ambrose has served as Artistic Director for Mississauga Festival Choir since 2006. An award-winning conductor, singer and director, he is equally accomplished in choral music, musical theatre and opera. David is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, where he specialized in Voice and Conducting, studying under such distinguished teachers as Sir David Willcocks, Raffi Armenian and MFC Founding Conductor Lori-Anne Dolloff, and was the inaugural winner of the Elmer Iseler National Fellowship in Choral Conducting. Raised in Mississauga, David is currently a high school music teacher at Etobicoke School of the Arts, teaching Vocal Music and and conducting several choral ensembles including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Pops choir and the award-winning WoCo women's choir, David also works as the Director of Music at Runnymede United Church, and is active as a choral music clinician.
Matt Morrison, Bass Section Lead Matt Morrison has been performing in Peel Region and beyond for the past 25 years. Matt has experience as a performer, conductor, music director, and as a music teacher. Matt graduated from the University of Western Ontario, where he majored in voice. He has performed with numerous community groups in the GTA, including Brampton Lyric Opera and Opera Kitchener (The Magic Flute, La Cenerentola, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly), Etobicoke Musical Productions (Urinetown, Les Miserables), and Globe Productions (Beauty and the Beast). Matt has also appeared twice as the bass soloist for Messiah (Chatham, Ontario). Currently, Matt is a music teacher at a school in Mississauga. Devin Herbert, Tenor Section Lead
Devin Herbert is a singer, actor and emerging theatre director. As a choral singer, Devin was part of the Dora Award nominated ensemble of Apocalypsis (Luminato), spent four seasons with a cappella group That Choir, and is a soloist/tenor section lead at Humber Valley United Church. Favourite Theatre credits include: Aaron Jensen’s Everything There is to Know (Toronto Fringe Festival) The Wedding Singer (Stage West Calgary) La Cage aux Folles (Neptune Theatre)The Maple Leaves (Springworks Festival) A History of Summer (Summerworks) A Gift for Santa(Stage West Mississauga) and Sunday in the Park with George (Edinburgh Fringe). Assistant Director Obeah Opera (Nightwood Theatre) and Director/Producer December Songs (Theatre Passe Murielle CabStage). Devin received his M.A. in Musical Theatre Performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is a graduate of the Randolph College for the Performing Arts. Thanks to David, and the MFC team for the opportunity to share in such magical music making!
Glynis Ratcliffe,
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Vladimir Soloviev, Assistant Conductor
Vladimir Soloviev is a Toronto-based pianist, vocal coach, organist and conductor. As a soloist, Vlad has performed in concert across Canada, as well as the US, Italy, France, Spain and Russia. His past performances include appearances at the Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie), Bohemian National Hall (New York) and others. As a collaborative pianist, Vlad currently holds the position of a repetiteur at the COC Ensemble Studio. As part of his work there, he has played for a number of productions, including “Gianni Schicchi”, “Fantasma” (Co-music director), “Madama Butterfly” and “Magic Flute”. Vlad’s other work includes “Don Giovanni” and “Eugene Onegin” with the Highlands Opera Studio, as well as “Portrait de Manon” and “Der Schauspieldirektor” with the UofT Opera School. Vlad also remains active as a music director at Trinity United Church, Newmarket. His oratorio experience includes the Faure Requiem, Saint-Saens Oratorio de Noel, Vivaldi Gloria, Pergolesi Stabat Mater, and more. Vlad is very excited to be part of the team at Mississauga Festival Choir. Bob Anderson, Conductor, Resonance and Raising Voices
Bob Anderson holds Bachelor of Music and Education Degrees from the University of Western Ontario, where he studied choral conducting with Deral Johnson, and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati. He performed with the Elmer Iseler Singers for four seasons, and his choral arrangements and compositions are published with several Canadian publishers. He taught in the Peel District School Board for 25 years, joining the staff of Cawthra Park Secondary School in 1999, retiring in 2016.
At Cawthra Park SS, Bob taught vocal and instrumental music in the Regional Arts Program and conducted the Cawthra Park Chamber Choir, which has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Cirque du Soleil, the Elmer Iseler Singers, Mississauga Festival Choir, U. of T.’s MacMillan Singers, at Festival 500, and at the Toronto Vocal Arts Festival. In 2013 the choir performed at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto with The Rolling Stones. He also conducted Cawthra’s 350-voice concert choir, “The Ritz”. In 2015, Bob was invited by Choirs Ontario to conduct the Ontario Youth Choir, a one-week program of intensive choral training for high school and university students from across Ontario. Sabrina Santelli-Perez,
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