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Kimberley Denis
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Dr. Jennifer Lang
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Philip Lapatha
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Kimberley Denis is known for her energy and enthusiasm both on stage and off and is sought after as a soloist, conductor, adjudicator and choir clinician. Upon completion of both a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Music at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, she returned to Alberta to pursue a double Masters degree in choral conducting and vocal performance at the University of Alberta. She has won many accolades for her work as a soprano soloist and conductor, and was recently awarded a Con Spirito Award from Choir Alberta for her work supporting choral music in Alberta and the Alberta Band Association Award of Distinction for her contributions to supporting music education in the province. She is a singer with Edmonton’s professional choir, Pro Coro Canada, and has a flourishing voice studio at her own music school – the Purple Door Music Academy. She is also the voice instructor at The King’s University in Edmonton and presently directs Shumayela (a choir for treble and changing voices for singers between the ages of 11 and 16) with the Korora Choir Association and the River City Chorus (a non-auditioned adult community ensemble). In addition to her work as a singer, teacher, conductor, and adjudicator, she arranges pieces for choirs.
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Dr. Jennifer Lang (Ph.D University of Western Ontario) is a Professor of Music Education, Director of Choral Activities, and the Interim Vice-Dean Academic in the College of Arts & Science at the University of Saskatchewan. She is a co-lead for the University of Saskatchewan’s Signature Area in Health & Wellness and serves as the Pillar Lead for Music, Arts, and Wellbeing. She is the organizer of the Department of Music’s Music Education in Action Series, the founder and organizer of the uSing uSask Choral Festival, the conductor of the Greystone Singers and the Founder and Artistic Director of Aurora Voce. Her choirs recently returned from their guest performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and they regularly perform with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and other celebrated ensembles and composers. Jennifer has been awarded the University’s Publicly Engaged Scholarly Team Award (2024), the Publicly Engaged Scholar Award for Research, Scholarly, and Artistic Work in the College of Arts & Science (2023), and the USSU Teaching Award (2020).
Dr. Lang has adjudicated most recently at the Moose Jaw Band and Choral Festival (2024), Cantando Whistler Festival British Columbia (2024), Edmonton Music and Speech Arts Festival (2024), Vancouver Kiwanis Festival (2024); Rotary Music Festival in Medicine Hat Alberta (2024); Saskatchewan Music Festival in Saskatoon and Regina in 2023; the Manitoba ChoralFest in 2022; Cantando Festival 2019 in Alberta; ChorFest 2019 in Saskatchewan; the Moose Jaw Band and Choral Festival 2019 in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan; ChoralFest North 2018 in Alberta; 2017 Cantando Sun Peaks Festival in British Columbia; and ChorFest 2016 in Saskatchewan. Before moving to the province of Saskatchewan, Jennifer taught high school music in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Jennifer’s research examines engagement and agency in music education programs, including informal music learning in a variety of educational contexts, intergenerational singing programs, and language and music development for Newcomer Youth to Canada for which she holds several research grants. Jennifer is also active as a conductor, choral adjudicator, clinician and conference presenter. Her forthcoming edited book, Music and wellbeing in education and community contexts, presents a variety of contributed chapters exploring the intersections of music education and wellbeing. |
Philip is excited to listen to and work with choirs at ChorFest 2025!
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Philip has a strong passion for music education and the growth that happens for individuals and communities who invest in musical pursuits. He loves the dynamic of community building that is fostered by choral singing, and he has conducted a broad range of choral groups - from a rural Panamanian church choir, to a Japanese exchange-student choir, to a youth choir in Louisville, Kentucky, to a mass choir in Vancouver, to a core area inner-city choir in Winnipeg. Philip is a choir teacher at Maples Collegiate (Winnipeg) and loves inspiring and being inspired by his students. He is also active in Manitoba’s choral scene as a guest director, artistic director, clinician, church musician, and arranger. Past highlights include artistic directorships with Ecco Singers and Prairie Voices, as well as guest directorships with the Western, Central, and Eastern Manitoba Youth Choirs. He is a board member of the Manitoba Choral Association and the Foundation for Choral Music of Manitoba. Philip is married to Kimberly Lapatha, a talented collaborative pianist and choral director herself. They enjoy eating at interesting independent restaurants, promoting positive downtown attitudes, and improving their century-old West Broadway home. Philip's parents are part of the first Filipinos to immigrate to Winnipeg (back in 1972), and he is thankful to his parents for the piano lessons in his early years and the continued support through life’s musical journeys. |