Considering a chair sponsorship investment with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra... 

Chair sponsorship dollars not only help one initiative, but also a series of events.  Our 2007-2008 season presents some exciting changes! A host of talented guest artists for our Master Series, The SSO Chamber Players was launched at Convocation Hall on the University Campus 26 September, strong Canadian content in all performances, not to mention a variety of children and community initiatives.

Meet the Artistic Director:  Maestro Douglas Sanford
Artistic Director’s Podium Generously Sponsored by
Ms. Teri Skwara & Mr. Colin Macdonald
$5,000.00

Maestro Douglas Sanford is Artistic Director/Conductor of the Saskatoon Symphony, an organization that has posted increased tickets sales and its first annual surpluses in over a decade, since his arrival in 2002.  He has conducted nearly every Canadian orchestra, and orchestras in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the United States.   His performances have been frequently recorded and broadcast on the CBC national radio.   An award-winning clarinetist, Douglas Sanford began his career with a Performance Degree from the University of Western Ontario and received the UWO's Lombardo Award.  He then pursued studies at Northwestern University, and developed his conducting interests. In 1985, as a clarinetist with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Mr. Sanford jumped into the conducting profession when called upon to conduct a public concert and CBC national radio broadcast.  Numerous guest-conducting appearances across Canada soon followed.  From 1992 until 2002 Maestro Sanford was Music Director of Orchestra Toronto and from 1997 until 2002 also served as Music Director of the Okanagan Symphony. Mr. Sanford has served on the Board of Directors of Orchestras Canada, and has trained young conductors in that organization's Conductor Training Workshop and across the country.    In 1999 a jury of his peers from the Canadian music establishment presented Mr. Sanford the Evens Memorial Award for "the beneficial force which he is exerting on the Canadian music community".    In November 2003, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, Maestro Sanford received the Queens Gold Medal from the government of Canada in recognition of his achievements, and in 2006 he was awarded the Centennial Medal of distinction from the province of Saskatchewan.

Michael Swan - Concertmaster Chair Generously Sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Henry & Cheryl Kloppenburg $2,500.00 Michael Swan became a member of the first violin section of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra from 1978 to 1980.  In 1979 he received the Gold medal for the highest standing in Canada for ARCT violin performance.  He studied at the Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario from 1980 to 1982, followed by the Curtis Institute of Music from 1982 to 1984, earning a Bachelor of Music in violin performance.  Mr. Swan has been the Concertmaster of the SSO since 1984.  He has been the featured soloist with the SSO. And other orchestras on several occasions.  Mr. Swan’s own compositions have also received public performances.  He has been featured on CBC Radio, both as a violinist and as a composer.

Marla Cole - Principal Violin II Chair Generously Sponsored by Dr. & Mrs. Hal & Donna Baldwin $2,000.00 Marla Cole has been a member of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra from 1983 to 1991, and from 2001 to the present.  She is a founding member of the University of Saskatchewan Amati Quartet, which recently performed for Queen Elizabeth II and made its international debut in Holland, and traveled to Italy in October 2006.  Ms. Cole received a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance at the University of Saskatchewan, and served as Artist-in-Residence for one year at the Banff Centre for the Arts. She was a scholarship and award-winning student at the Royal College of Music in London, England where she received both the ARCM performer’s diploma and a Master of Music Degree in Violin Performance. She has freelanced with many major London orchestras and has performed chamber music in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Hungary, Italy, Holland, and Austria in various ensembles.

James Legge - Principal Viola Chair Generously Sponsored by Miss Lorraine Ourom $2,000.00 James Legge, originally from Waterloo, Ontario, moved to Saskatoon in 1995 to take the position of principal violist with the Saskatoon Symphony after completing his Bachelor of Music Degree in Viola Performance at McGill University.  While living in Montreal, he won chamber music prizes in the Jeunesses Musicales and CIBC competitions. In Saskatoon, Mr. Legge has been featured soloist with the SSO, Saskatchewan Chamber Orchestra, and Prairie Virtuosi.  He has been a regular performer at the Calgary’s Mountain View Festival of Song and Chamber Music, Mountain View Connection, and Ontario’s Viola Camp.  He also co-directs Saskatoon’s Summer String Experience, a summer workshop for young string players.

Linda Bardutz - Principal Cello
Available for Sponsorship
$2,000.00
Linda Bardutz has been Principal Cellist with the SSO since 1989. A student of the world-renowned cellist, Janos Starker, she completed Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University, with High Distinction. She was also an Associate Instructor of Cello at IU and was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. She is the only cellist to have won the Regina Symphony Concerto Competition, and has also played solos with the Calgary Philharmonic Players, the Saskatchewan Chamber Orchestra, the SSO, and the Tanglewood Centre Orchestra. Ms. Bardutz performed as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Solo Cellist on North American tours and earned tenure with the Vancouver Symphony in 1998. During a two year leave of absence in Victoria, she performed with the Vancouver and Victoria Symphonies and Aventa Ensemble; she performed chamber music with members of the Univeristy of Victoria faculty. She is the founding cellist of the U of S Amati Quartet, Black Pearl Alkemykal String Quartet, and Prairie Virtuosi. In May, she won the audition for Principal Cellist with the Victoria Symphony. Ms. Bardutz is also an accomplished luthier and bowmaker.

Richard Carnegie - Principal Bass Chair Generously Sponsored by PotashCorp $2,000.00 Richard Carnegie began his first season as Principal Bass with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra in 2006.  Mr. Carnegie studied at the Manhattan School of Music and at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. He has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra, the New York String Orchestra seminar and the National Academy Orchestra.  With Toronto Indie Artist Laura Barrett, he has recorded for CBC Radio 2, and has performed at the Music Gallery and Canadian Music Week.  After graduation from the Manhattan School of Music in 2003, Mr. Carnegie took a hiatus from bass to study Japanese at St. Mary's University and computer based sound art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.  Mr. Carnegie teaches bass privately and instructs the Double Bass Program with the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra.

Randi Nelson - Principal Flute Available for Sponsorship $2,000.00 Randi Nelson is the Principal Flutist of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and Flute Instructor at the University of Saskatchewan.  She has performed 33 seasons with the SSO.  Ms. Nelson was granted a Bachelor of Music degree in performance from James Madison University in 1978 and received additional training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Banff School of Fine Arts.  Ms. Nelson is in demand as a clinician, performer and teacher.  She has authored articles in several national journals and has been an active member of the National Flute Association.  She is a member of the Palliser Trio and can be heard frequently as soloist and chamber musician throughout Saskatchewan.  She is married to Terence Sturge, cellist, and has two children.  Ms. Nelson’s flute solo will be featured in the Jacques Ibert Concerto for Flute on April 12, 2008.

Caitlin Broms-Jacobs - Principal Oboe Chair Generously Sponsored by Mrs. Janet Postle & Mr. Art Postle $2,000.00 Caitlin Broms-Jacobs arrived in Saskatoon from Chicago, Illinois, and most recently from Toronto Ontario to join the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra as Principal Oboe for the fall of 2007.  Ms. Broms-Jacobs completed her Bachelors of Music from the Eastman School of Music and most recently has been working on a graduate degree from Depaul University School of Music. Ms. Broms-Jacobs has been principal oboist for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Eastman Philharmonia, Depaul Symphony and the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra in Japan. Her solo experiences include the R. Vaughan-Williams Concerto and the J.S. Bach Concerto for Oboe with the Cirrus Ensemble in Toronto.  She would like to thank her teachers who have supported thus far, especially Richard Killmer. We would like to welcome her to our city and to the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.

Margaret Wilson - Principal Clarinet Chair Generously Sponsored by Mr. Jack Vicq & Mrs. Sylvia Vicq $2,000.00 Margaret Wilson has been the principal clarinet for the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra since 1977.  She completed her Bachelor of Music Degree in Performance at the University of British Columbia in 1976 where she studied with Ronald deKant.  She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra in 1974 where she studied with Yona Ettlinger.  Ms. Wilson also received additional training at Banff with Robert Marcellus and Gervase dePeyer. She has been the featured soloist for both the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and the Saskatchewan Chamber Orchestra numerous times over the years.  In addition to extensive private teaching, Ms. Wilson has been a Sessional Lecturer for the Department of Music, University of Saskatchewan since 1979.  Many of her students have gone on to successful careers in various areas of music.

Peter Gravlin - Principal Bassoon Chair Generously Sponsored by Dr. Mary C. Marino Peter Gravlin has held the position of Principal Bassoon with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra since 1976. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance as well as a Bachelor of Education, and he has been actively involved over these years in exposing youth to the wonders of classical music, with experience teaching students from K to 12 and at the University level. Mr. Gravlin is the Founder and Director of Harmony Music Programmes. He has spent six summers as Bassoon Instructor and Player with the Comox Valley Youth Music Centre, and was involved in establishing The Parkland Pops, along with 3 other Saskatoon musicians. He has extensive experience as a private bassoon teacher whose students and former students play in orchestras such as the Toronto Symphony, the Saskatoon Symphony, the Regina Symphony, the Victoria Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra, the University of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra and Harmony Chamber Orchestra.

Carol-Marie Cottin - Principal Horn
Available for Sponsorship
$2,000.00
Carol-Marie Cottin has been the Principal Horn for the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra since 1993. Ms. Cottin began her musical studies in Regina, where she completed her degree in Music. She continued with studies at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto and McGill University in Montreal. As a freelance musician, Ms. Cottin has performed with Prairie Virtuosi, Saskatoon Opera, Saskatoon Summer Players, Saskatchewan Brass, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed in many solo recitals throughout Canada, and teaches private lessons.

Terry Heckman – Principal Trumpet Chair Generously Sponsored by Harris Rebar $2,000.00 Terry Heckman has been the Principal Trumpet of the Saskatoon Symphony since the fall of 1991. A member of the Saskatchewan Brass and the Metro Jazz Ensemble, he is the Bandmaster of the Saskatoon Brass Band and an instructor for the University of Saskatchewan Music Department. He has been an instructor for the Prairie Region Cadet Summer Training Camps, Saskatchewan Band Association Summer Band Camps, Saskatchewan Orchestral Association Summer Orchestra Workshops, Music Camrose Summer Music Camp, and the International Music Camp, and an adjudicator at various SMFA festivals. Mr. Heckman holds a Bachelor of Music (Education) from the University of Victoria and a Licentiate in Music (Performance) from McGill University. He has been a member of the Regina Symphony Orchestra and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Heckman has been on the Executive Board of the Saskatoon Musicians’ Association, and the Saskatoon Symphony Players’ Association.

Don Schmidt – Principal Trombone
Available for Sponsorship
$2,000.00
Don Schmidt first became a member of the SSO in 1977. He has served as principal trombone since 1984. Mr. Schmidt is a graduate of the music program at the University of Saskatchewan, and has taught low brass at the University since 1992. He also performs with the Saskatchewan Brass Quintet, Metro Big Band, The Saskatoon Opera Society, and many seasons in the Saskatoon Summer Players Orchestra. Mr. Schmidt teaches privately, and is active as a clinician. “It is such a privilege to belong to an organization dedicated to bringing fine music to our community. It is wonderful to thin back and remember all the exciting concerts, talented guest artists, dedicated local musicians, and our fine audiences.”

Brent Longstaff – Principal Tuba
Available for Sponsorship
$2,000.00
Brent Longstaff was born & raised in Saskatoon. This is his 15th season as principal tubist with the SSO. He has also performed as a guest artist with the Edmonton Symphony and as the principal tubist of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Mr. Longstaff has performed as a soloist with the University of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra and as a soloist with the SSO. His teachers have included John Griffiths, Rick Lett, and Richard Erb. In 2000, he worked as the assistant coordinator for the International Tuba & Euphonium conference in Regina. Mr. Longstaff is a band teacher for the Saskatoon Public School Division. He and his wife, Casey, have three daughters.

Darrell Bueckert – Principal Timpanist Chair Generously Sponsored by Ms. Betty Reynolds $2,000.00 Darrell Bueckert is a graduate of the University of Manitoba (B.A.), the Canadian Mennonite Bible College (B.Th.), and the University of Saskatchewan (B.Mus., Mus.Ed. and M.Ed. in instrumental music). He has performed with many professional organizations including both the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra where he is now Principal Timpanist. His first solo CD, Out of the Blue, received a nomination for Outstanding Instrumental Recording at the 2003 Western Canadian Music Awards. Mr. Bueckert has been an itinerant band teacher and is now on faculty with the Department of Music at the University of Saskatchewan as Applied Percussion Instructor, Sessional Lecturer in Music Education, and Director of the U of S Concert Band.

Roy Sydiaha – Principal Percussionist
Available for Sponsorship
$2,000.00
Roy Sydiaha is the Principal Percussionist with the Saskatoon Symphony. He freelances with many groups in Saskatoon, including The Martin Janovsky Orchestra, The Metro Jazz Ensemble and his own jazz quintet. He can be heard playing drum set and percussion on several recordings, and has been broadcast on CBC radio many times. Mr. Sydiaha teaches private percussion lessons, gives master classes in schools, and teaches at the SBA Summer Band Camps. He holds a B. Mus. from the University of Saskatchewan, and attended McGill University, studying with Peter Magadini.