St. Andrew’s Announcements
Noon Hour Concert: James, MacDairmid, Williams
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About Karen James
Karen is a musician with an ARCT in flute performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Passionate about teaching, she has spent over 25 years guiding students to become the best version of themselves through music. As co-founder of the the Apple Valley Youth Chorus, she fostered musical growth and community engagement, earning two Paul Harris Fellow Awards for her volunteer work and contributions to the community.
Beyond music, Karen has embraced creativity. She channeled this passion into her former business, Ashtons Blinds, Draperies, Shutters. Following retirement, she redirected her artistic spark into writing and drawing. She is thrilled to announce her first children’s book, One Million Times I Love You, was released this spring and is available for purchase.
With a deep love of music, creativity and community, Karen hopes to inspire and engage with others through her work.
About Ann-Marie MacDairmid
Ann-Marie, a native of Thornbury, Ontario, is the founder, director and accompanist of Shoreline Chorus in Owen Sound. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from The University of Western Ontario.
In April 2022, Ann-Marie took the position as Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener. In addition to the usual church music director role, the position at St Andrew’s includes serving as the Artistic Director for the Noon Hour Concert Series. The schedule includes weekly performances by various musicians in the fall and spring. As a performer in the series, Ann-Marie plans her recital programs to reflect eclectic musical tastes, the most noted being her “Hallowe’en Special”.
Since 1999, Ann-Marie has been the accompanist for the Grand River Chorus in Brantford. Programs have included; Messiah, Elijah, Israel in Egypt, Missa Gaia and requiem masses by Brahms, Duruflé and Fauré. In 2010, the choir toured to Germany, Czech Republic and Austria. In Kitchener, Ann-Marie directs the Queen Street Singers.
Ann-Marie is an accomplished pianist, percussionist and choral conductor. She teaches music lessons locally and freelances as a piano accompanist and organist throughout Southwestern Ontario.
In June 2025 Ann-Marie received a June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism, which recognizes people for their “exceptional contributions to their communities and the province of Ontario.” Ann-Marie’s leadership of Shoreline Chorus, which she developed and continues to manage entirely as a volunteer, has created opportunity for engagement through concerts supporting many volunteer community activities including local food banks, therapeutic riding programs and church outreach initiatives.
Noon Hour Concert: Lepock & Bloss
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About Elizabeth Lepock
Elizabeth Lepock, soprano, holds a BMus in Voice Performance and Music History from Wilfrid Laurier University, and an MMus and DMA in Voice Performance from the University of Western Ontario. Over the course of her doctoral studies, in addition to honing her performance and pedagogy skills, Dr. Lepock also pursued ground-breaking interdisciplinary research into muscle tension voice disorders. Her passion for music includes a voracious desire to learn, a love for performing, and a nurturing attitude towards her students – while always attempting to challenge both them and herself.
Elizabeth enjoys performing in opera, oratorio, recital, and dabbles in CCM genres of musical theatre, pop and jazz. She is particularly happy when she has the opportunity to work on innovative and interdisciplinary productions. Recent opera and oratorio performance highlights include the role of The Governess in Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw with Grand River Opera, Messiah with many local organizations, Bach cantatas and motets with Spiritus Ensemble, Fauré’s Requiem and Haydn’s Creation with Masterworks of Oakville, and Bach’s St. John Passion with Saugeen Bach Chorale. Elizabeth’s first love as a solo singer was and is art song, as she has a real passion for poetry, foreign language study, and the intimate collaboration of the art song recital. Recent recitals include selections from Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch with her husband, baritone Michael Lepock, and pianist Heidi Gallas, and a program featuring Ned Rorem’s tour-de-force cycle Ariel: Five Poems of Sylvia Plath with clarinetist, Peter Shackleton, and pianist Anna Ronai.
In fall 2022, Elizabeth was thrilled to return to her alma mater, Wilfrid Laurier University, as a faculty member, where she instructs students in pedagogy, musician (especially vocal) health, foundational vocal techniques, lyric diction, vocal literature, and musicianship. She also operates a busy private studio of mostly professional and semi-professional singers, and vocal pedagogy students. However, once an avid pianist, she always has a few piano students on her roster. Her teaching style is collaborative and student-centred. She also teaches in a “form follows function” style in which she works to help students sustainably access as varied a palette of sounds as possible, to then apply to their stylistic goals, whether as a classical or CCM soloist, or choral/ensemble singer. She is also increasingly doing the rewarding work of a Singing Voice Specialist Vocologist - helping students who are retraining to find greater sustainability in their singing after experiencing vocal dysfunction.
About Michael Bloss
Michael Bloss has been described as an animated performer, sensitive collaborative musician and illuminative coach and who, during a career spanning almost half a century, has championed pastoral music ministry. Michael currently serves as Director of Music of St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and has held respected tenures at Christ’s Church Cathedral, Hamilton ON, The Cathedral Church of St. James, and Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, in Toronto. He has performed throughout North America, Europe and Japan, and appeared on the national networks of the CBC, American Public Radio and Swiss Radio. The most memorable experience would surely be becoming the first Canadian to be awarded the designation of Preisträger at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig, Germany playing in Bach’s own church. His discography includes numerous recordings collaborating with Noel Edison and is eagerly awaiting the release of the Trois Chorals and Grande piece symphonique of César Franck to be released on the Naxos label.
Rooted in Hope: Iona Service
Rooted in Hope: A Special Iona Service
Sunday, September 27 at 10:00 a.m.
Iona comes to Kitchener! Join us at St. Andrew’s for a special service of worship as we welcome Ruth Harvey, Leader of the Iona Community, as our guest.
Rooted in the Iona Community’s tradition of worship, justice, peace and community, the morning will include music from the Iona Community, including works by renowned Scottish hymnwriter John L. Bell.
Ruth is visiting Canada as part of the Iona Community’s Rooted in Hope pilgrimage and will be joining us at St. Andrew’s before travelling to Five Oaks for a three-day retreat.
Come experience a morning of thoughtful preaching, prayer and music shaped by the distinctive spirit of Iona. All are welcome.
Noon Hour Concert: Kamal & Yuan Lieu
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About Shahrizal Kamal
Shahrizal Kamal is a doctoral student in saxophone performance at Western University, studying with Dr. Bobbi Thompson. He finds great joy in sharing music through both performance and teaching. He has performed across Asia and North America with ensembles including the Philharmonic Winds of Malaysia, Apricity Quartet, and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and was the winner of the 2023 Malaysian Wind Music Prize. A dedicated woodwind instructor and saxophone clinician, he regularly works with individuals and groups of all ages and levels within the London community. Shahrizal holds a Master’s degree in Saxophone Performance from Northwestern University, where he studied with Taimur Sullivan.
About Sing Yuan Lieu
Sing Yuan Liew is a Doctoral Candidate in Piano Performance at Western University, studying under Dr. Kyung Kim. She performs regularly as a solo and chamber pianist across Asia and North America. She serves as a collaborative pianist with the Western University Singers and within the Don Wright Faculty of Music. As an experienced collaborator, she has worked with a wide range of instrumentalists, singers, and choirs, and remains an active musical partner in the London and Greater Toronto Area communities. Sing Yuan holds a Bachelor of Music from UCSI University, where she studied with Jaz Tan, and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Literature from Western University, where she studied with Tina Yanchus.
Women’s Association Annual Dinner & Roy Street Project Presentation
Join the Women’s Association for their Annual Dinner on Monday, October 5 at 6:00 p.m. in the Elizabeth Room, followed by a special presentation on the Roy Street Project.
Come hear the latest updates on this exciting project taking shape just across the street from St. Andrew’s. The Roy Street Project will create a permanent, affordable community of independent homes where adults with differing abilities can live with dignity, choice, connection, and individualized support.
Dinner will include salad, chicken strips, rolls and dessert, with a vegetarian option available upon request. The evening is by donation at the door and everyone is welcome.
Space is limited to 54 guests and registration is required. Sign up at the Gas & Grocery table on Sundays.
Noon Hour Concert: Joonghun Cho
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About Joonghun Cho
An avid performing artist, Joonghun Cho is a versatile pianist, chamber musician as well as a pedagogue. He has concertized widely giving performances across South Korea, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Slovakia, the UK, Canada, Japan and the United States in many prestigious venues. He has appeared as a soloist several times with orchestras such as Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Flint Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Philharmonia and Brescia Master Orchestra. Joonghun recently has been invited to perform as a guest artist at many music festivals, such as Gijón International Piano Festival, Palmetto International Piano Festival, Porto Pianofest, Yeon-Eum Summer Music Festival, Gilmore Piano Festival, Festival Internacional de Música José Luis Vega "Pelis" and American Liszt Society Festival. His recital in 2021 at Jardín Botánico Atlántico de Gijón in Spain has been acclaimed by El Comercio as “masterful performance in a magical setting which demonstrated the reason for his reputation.” He has also given recitals at various schools, such as Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oakland University, Western Michigan University, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Arizona State University, Eastman School of Music, University of Michigan, Conservatório de Música do Porto, Conservatorio Profesional de Música y Danza de Gijón, Seoul National University and University of Ulsan.
Joonghun has won many prizes in numerous competitions including gold medal Vienna International Music Competition, first prize Master Orchestra International Concerto Competition, second prize William C. Byrd Young Artist Competition, first prize International Chopin Piano Competition in Japan, second prize Schimmel USASU International Piano Competition, third prize Glasgow International Piano Competition for Young Pianists, first prize Sungjung Music Concours, second prize Kookmin Ilbo Music Concours and second prize Korea-Germany Brahms Association Music Concours.
Born in Suwon, South Korea, Joonghun received his early education in Seoul at the Yewon School and Seoul Art High School where he studied with Min Sook Jeon, Tong-il Han and Hyoung-Joon Chang. After immigrating to the United States, he went to Rochester, New York to study at the Eastman School of Music with Barry Snyder where he obtained his Bachelor of Music in piano performance. Thereafter he moved to Michigan to study with Logan Skelton at the University of Michigan where he completed his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts. He is currently based in Toronto, Canada, and serves as a faculty member at Palmetto International Piano Festival and an artistic director of the Gibson Centre Classical Concert Series.
Noon Hour Concert: Koichi Inoue
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About Koichi Inoue
Koichi Inoue earned a Doctor of Music in Piano Performance & Music Literature as well as Master and Bachelor degrees from Indiana University, (Jacobs) School of Music where he studied with Gyorgy Sebok for ten years and subsequently with Michel Block. He also studies with Reiko Shigeoka-Neriki, Dmitry Paperno and Carolyn McCracken-Forough. In addition, he participated in master classes in Europe with Pascal Roge, Hans Leygraf, Andrzej Jasinski, Karl Heinz Kammerling, Peter Feuchtwanger, and Tatiana Nikolaeva. At Indiana University he taught as an Associate Instructor for three years and won the university’s concerto competition twice. Shortly before his university studies he performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after winning a competition and toured in Germany with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. Since coming to Canada, he has held term-contract faculty positions at Memorial University of Newfoundland (2002 & 2003) and Wilfrid Laurier University (2004). He has performed with The Rose Orchestra and Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and has appeared in various concert series in Southern Ontario. He currently lives and teaches in Brampton. He founded Brampton Chamber Music Concert Series in which now it becomes Caledon East United Church Afternoon Concerts, and performs in its programs regularly.
Noon Hour Concert: Ladyfingers
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About Ladyfingers
Ladyfingers is a piano four hands collaboration of Ellen Meyer and Michelle Kyle. Ellen and Michelle began playing together in 2009 in Toronto. Michelle was then a member of the Toronto Heliconian Club and the founder and artistic director of The Birthday Series, a concert series that honoured composers with programs of their art songs and chamber music on their birthdays. Michelle invited Ellen to participate, and while preparing piano four hands music for concerts at Heliconian Hall, they enjoyed their shared enthusiasm for chamber music and cats. In 2025, they decided to renew their collaboration and continue exploring piano four hands repertoire.
Ellen Meyer is one of Ontario's most in-demand pianists. As a sought-after collaborator and soloist, Ellen has performed in eight Canadian provinces and several American venues, including Carnegie Hall, as well as in Germany, Spain, and Italy. Ellen has presented recitals with notable clarinetists including Ricardo Morales and Julian Bliss and has performed with participants in masterclasses of Karl Leister and Sabine Meyer, amongst many others. She is a graduate of the Music Performance program at the University of Toronto, studying with Pierre Souvairan and Jane Coop, and she also attended the Banff Centre of Performing Arts. Her musical activities include working with wind students at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, coaching aspiring vocal and string artists, and occasionally playing for choirs around the Greater Toronto Area. Ellen has contributed to Kitchener-Waterloo’s musical scene for decades, playing for auditions at Wilfrid Laurier University since 1984 and for the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute since 2000. Her recording credits include more than 15 commercial CDs, as well as soundtracks for feature film and documentaries. She has been seen and heard on CBC, CTV, MuchMusic, Bravo, TVO, CFRB, and WNED. Ellen is the caretaker for two Maine Coon cats, Penny and Caesar, who offer unsolicited opinions when she attempts to practice.
Michelle Kyle is a Renaissance woman of diverse experience and skills. As a pianist, she graduated from Laurier and earned a Fellowship Diploma from Trinity College of Music as a student of Garth Beckett, then completed a Master of Music in piano performance at McGill University under Tom Plaunt. As a cellist, she participated in Kitchener-Waterloo music as the past principal cellist of both the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra and the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Orchestra, and she completed Laurier’s Chamber Music Diploma in 2025. Michelle has been a collaborative pianist for voice and strings in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo, music director and pianist for professional musical theatre in Montreal and Port Dalhousie, and a pianist and cellist for special events throughout and beyond Ontario for decades. Her love of learning and adventure led her to complete degrees in law at Osgoode Hall and adult education at Brock University and study German at Uni Wien in Vienna; work as a lawyer, web developer at a major bank, and certified rock climbing instructor; and ride her bicycle over 7,200 kilometres across Canada and throughout the Netherlands, race keelboats, and ride a CB450T Hawk motorcycle. Michelle enjoys rural life with her husband and many cats and chickens.
Noon Hour Concert: Hallowe'en Special (25th Anniversary)
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About Bruce Skelton
Bruce Skelton studied with Jacob Krachmalnick at the University of Michigan, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music in Performance. In addition to his work playing and managing The Leith Quartet, he regularly freelances in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and maintains a very active teaching career, both in private violin lessons as well as with the K-W Community String School. He also recently added the title of Concertmaster for the KW Community Orchestra and Co-Concertmaster for the Stratford Symphony.
About Ann-Marie MacDairmid
Ann-Marie, a native of Thornbury, Ontario; is the founder, director and accompanist of Shoreline Chorus. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from The University of Western Ontario. She is the Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener, the accompanist for the Grand River Chorus in Brantford and directs the Queen Street Singers in Kitchener. In June 2025 Ann-Marie received a June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism, which recognizes people for their “exceptional contributions to their communities and the province of Ontario.” Ann-Marie’s leadership of Shoreline Chorus, which she developed and continues to manage entirely as a volunteer, has created opportunity for engagement through concerts supporting many volunteer community activities including local food banks, therapeutic riding programs and church outreach initiatives.
Noon Hour Concert: Phoenix Trio
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About the Phoenix Trio
Wendy Wagler is an accomplished soloist and orchestral musician. She holds the principal flute chair in the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra and freelances with many ensembles, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. She has performed as soloist with the K-W Symphony Youth Orchestra, the K-W Chamber Orchestra and the Renaissance Singers and is a founding member of the Springdale Trio and flutist for the KW Woodwind Quintet. Wendy holds a Master’s Degree in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario and an Honours Bachelor Degree in Flute Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, having studied with Bonita Boyd, Dr. Amy Hamilton, Thomas Kay, and Prof. Fiona Wilkinson. She has directed flute masterclasses throughout Southwestern Ontario and maintains a full teaching schedule at Premier School of the Arts and Heritage College.
Cathy Anderson is the Associate Principal Cellist of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, of which she has been a member since 2007. She also plays occasionally with Drayton Entertainment and as a sub for the Stratford Festival. She has been heard as a soloist and chamber musician on CBC Radio and National Public Radio in the United States and holds music degrees from Wilfrid Laurier and Yale Universities. Cathy performs regularly in the Kitchener-Waterloo area both with the symphony and in collaboration with other local musicians, most recently at Bestival and Neruda Art’s All That Worldly Jazz Festival. She enjoys teaching the young musicians of the K-W Symphony Youth Orchestra programs and maintains a teaching studio at the Premier School of the Arts.
Beth Ann de Sousa has long been a sought after coach, accompanist and chamber musician throughout southern Ontario. She holds degrees from the Western Conservatory, Wilfrid Laurier and University of Western Ontario. Recently retired from Laurier after more than 45 years in the Faculty of Music, she continues to be active in the musical community of KW.
Noon Hour Concert: Keeler & MacDairmid
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About KatrinaLisa Keeler
Katrina actively performs in orchestral, chamber, and solo music. She has been awarded numerous times in different regions for Oboe Solo Performance as well as in New York for Outstanding Instrumental Solo. Katrina teaches oboe privately from her home in Kitchener. Performing is her life, and she plays for groups in many different regions including Kitchener-Waterloo, Durham, Exeter, Stratford, Guelph, the GTA, Durham Region, London and other locations across Southern Ontario. Currently, Katrina is the Principal Oboist for Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, Waterloo Chamber Players, Arcady, Venturi Winds Quintet, Symphony in the Barn, Oboe/English horn for Stratford Symphony Orchestra, substitutes for many orchestras, and freelances. You will also see Katrina in recital or soloing with orchestras.
About Ann-Marie MacDairmid
Ann-Marie, a native of Thornbury, Ontario; is the founder, director and accompanist of Shoreline Chorus. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from The University of Western Ontario. She is the Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener, the accompanist for the Grand River Chorus in Brantford and directs the Queen Street Singers in Kitchener. In June 2025 Ann-Marie received a June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism, which recognizes people for their “exceptional contributions to their communities and the province of Ontario.” Ann-Marie’s leadership of Shoreline Chorus, which she developed and continues to manage entirely as a volunteer, has created opportunity for engagement through concerts supporting many volunteer community activities including local food banks, therapeutic riding programs and church outreach initiatives.
Noon Hour Concert: Michael Bloss
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About Michael Bloss
Michael Bloss has been described as an animated performer, sensitive collaborative musician and illuminative coach and who, during a career spanning almost half a century, has championed pastoral music ministry. Michael currently serves as Director of Music of St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and has held respected tenures at Christ’s Church Cathedral, Hamilton ON, The Cathedral Church of St. James, and Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, in Toronto. He has performed throughout North America, Europe and Japan, and appeared on the national networks of the CBC, American Public Radio and Swiss Radio. The most memorable experience would surely be becoming the first Canadian to be awarded the designation of Preisträger at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig, Germany playing in Bach’s own church. His discography includes numerous recordings collaborating with Noel Edison and is eagerly awaiting the release of the Trois Chorals and Grande piece symphonique of César Franck to be released on the Naxos label.
Noon Hour Concert: Waterloo County Carollers
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About the Waterloo County Carollers
Founded in 1986, Waterloo County Carollers is made up of professional/semi-professional singers who get together every November to celebrate the beautiful music written for Christmas that we’ve all come to enjoy. Dressed in costumes that evoke the Victoria era, this collective makes itself available to provide one-on-a-part, unaccompanied choral music in many settings from shopping malls to private and corporate gatherings throughout the holiday season.
Noon Hour Concert: Queen Street Singers
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About the Queen Street Singers
Queen Street Singers (QSS) is a Kitchener based vocal ensemble. This nine member group is under the direction of Ann-Marie MacDairmid. Ann-Marie is a professional choral director, accompanist and church organist. (She sings too!) The other members of QSS contribute varied and extensive music experiences.
QSS began early in 2013 with five members who met weekly to sing a cappella jazz music, just for the fun of it. As a few more singers joined the group, the repertoire evolved and gospel, spirituals, pop and folk music were added. For the most part, the songs are sung unaccompanied however a few numbers have been included with piano accompaniment. On some occasions we have included musical selections with cello and piano or piano duets.
Since the beginning QSS has rehearsed regularly at either St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church or Historic St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kitchener, (which is why QSS is named as it is). QSS have performed at a variety of local venues and functions including special events, church services, retirement homes and Christkindl Market. The group is available to perform at fundraisers.
QSS is a vocal ensemble that exists for the enjoyment of singing, in rehearsal and performance. Music brings everyone together and we look forward to continuing and growing in this community.
Noon Hour Concert: Premier School of the Arts Flute Choir
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About the Premier School of the Arts Flute Choir
Wendy Wagler has been the flute instructor at Premier School of the Arts for 27 years and director of the PSA Flute Choir since it began in 2004. The choir is made up of students of all ages who have been playing anywhere from under two years to over 45!
Noon Hour Concert: 33rd Annual Carol Singing featuring the Fiddlesticks Cambridge Girls’ Choir
Noon Hour Concerts are back with an incredible lineup of performers. Join us every Wednesday between September 16th and December 16th between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Plus, come a little earlier and enjoy a sandwich lunch available for purchase beginning at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the building is free, and all are welcome and encouraged to come out.
Can’t join us in person? No worries! Each concert is available for viewing on our YouTube page following the live performance.
About the Fiddlesticks Cambridge Girls’ Choir
The Cambridge Girls' Choir was formed in 1981 by H. N. Shartun, and he ran it until 2005. Mr. Peter West directed the choir from 2005 until 2018, and it has been directed since then by Ms. Jessica Strub. We are accompanied by Mr. Rob Krete. The choir is Waterloo Region's only all-girl choir, and we were all are very excited to celebrate our 40th season of music. The choir is so pleased to be back at St. Andrew's, and always enjoyed a close relationship with Doug Haas, so we are honoured to be part of this legacy series.
Welcome Back Sunday
Here’s what’s waiting for you:
Our 6th Annual Blessing of the Backpacks – kids and students, bring yours!
A delicious ice cream sundae– good treats & great company!
The choir returns – lifting voices together again.
The start of a new church season – a time for community, faith, and fresh beginnings.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
The Making of the Good Samaritan
Invitation to Worship – June 28, 2026
The Making of the Good Samaritan
Using the familiar story of the Good Samaritan we will explores both the realities of the need within our community and the experiences that shape people into compassionate disciples.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
Noon Hour Concert: Luke Welch
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Luke Welch (piano)
Award-winning Canadian pianist Luke Welch was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and grew up nearby in Mississauga. He played his first public performance at age seven, and his early private piano teachers include Catherine Kuzeljevich and John-Paul Bracey. He later graduated from Western University in Canada with Bachelor and Master of Music degrees and completed additional graduate studies at Codarts Rotterdam University for the Arts in the Netherlands.
Welch has performed extensively on the international stage including appearances in Canada, United States of America, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and New Zealand and highlight performances include recitals at Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Germany, St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland and St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, UK.
Welch made his debut as soloist with Durham Chamber Orchestra, and has since collaborated with a number of orchestras including the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Mumbles Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Winchmore String Orchestra, Greenway Strings, York Chamber Ensemble, and Oakville Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Welch is internationally recognized as a leading figure in the promotion and recording of repertoire Black and BIPOC composers, including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, R. Nathaniel Dett, Florence B. Price, and other preeminent musical figures and in addition to his performance commitments, he has also been highly sought after as an interdisciplinary collaborative pianist - including with Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Dans Ateliers, Holland Dance Festival, Codarts Rotterdam Conservatory, Royal Conservatory of the Hague, Dutch National Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada.
Welch's recordings have received international critical acclaim, and his performances have been broadcast extensively across Canada and internationally. In addition to his written contributions to the Globe and Mail, Wholenote Magazine, and La Scena Musicale Magazine he is also active as a podcaster. He is a Harry Jerome Arts Award recipient and has received numerous grants through the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and FACTOR.
Welch was appointed to the Faculty of Piano at York University in 2024 and also currently serves on the Faculty of Piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music Oscar Peterson Program.
Noon Hour Concert: Ian Sadler
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Ian Sadler (organ)
Ian maintains an active career as a Concert Organist and Choral Conductor. Highlights in recent seasons have included conducting his Cathedral Singers for a week of services at Westminster Abbey, guest organist for the Memorial Service for of Mr. Galen Weston in Toronto, and recital tours in Jamaica and Helsinki, Finland.
In August 2025 Ian was organist-in residence for a week at Salisbury Cathedral, UK. Ian was a chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England. He was awarded the organ scholarship at Bristol University and later, the organ scholarship for three years back at St. Paul’s Cathedral. His final engagement in the UK before moving to Canada was to play the organ in the movie Chariots of Fire.
In 1980, Ian moved to Canada following appointments in Toronto as director of music at Grace Church on-the-Hill and choral director at Upper Canada College. He has since held positions as organist of St. James Cathedral, Toronto, and most recently as director of music at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Ontario.
In 1986, he won first prize at the Syracuse International Organ Competition in the United States. Recitals have since taken him to Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Austria, Australia, the United States and United Kingdom.
In 2001, Ian was awarded a Juno for a choral album by his Burlington Chamber Choir, Pro Musica. In 2007, he was awarded the Fellowship Diploma from The Royal Canadian College of Organists for his promotion of Canadian organ music.
2026 began with a series of concerts in Barbados. In July, Ian will be organist-in-residence at Durham Cathedral and following Christmas his Cathedral Singers has been invited to act as choir-in-residence for a week at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, UK.
Noon Hour Concert: Shoreline Chorus
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Shoreline Chorus
Shoreline Chorus is a fifty-member mixed community choir based in Owen Sound celebrating its 27th season this year. Shoreline was founded by Ann-Marie MacDairmid of Thornbury.
Shoreline’s first show was presented November 21, 1999 with a program titled Showtunes.
Shoreline’s spring and fall programs have featured a wide variety of themes; broadway, movie, dance, jazz and blues, spiritual, gospel, folk, African, Remembrance and Canadian.
Summer programs were introduced in 2010 and include classical music from the baroque to contemporary.
In 2014 Shoreline started Christmas programs featuring sacred and secular music, vocal solos, instrumentalists and carol singing.
World travel has become a feature - Shoreline has toured in many cities and performed in solo and combined choir concerts. Destinations have been Cuba (2012), Netherlands (2014), Ireland (2016), Czechia and Germany (2018), Spain (2024) and the current trip to France in April 2026.
As a tour fundraiser, Shoreline prepares a themed variety show and silent auction on the last Saturday of September. Past themes include “Piano Bar Lounge”, “New York, New York”, “Viva Las Vegas” and “An Evening in Paris”.
The chorus is available for special events: singing the American and Canadian national anthems at Owen Sound Attack hockey games, the opening of the new schoolhouse at Grey Roots Museum in Owen Sound, the dedication and unveiling of two new monuments at the Thornbury Cenotaph: one dedicated to members of the Canadian Forces and the other to first responders and guests of the Georgian Bay Symphony in December 2025 for a sold out performance of 'Home for the Holidays'. Shoreline often performs at fundraisers, most often for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
The choir motto is: "Leave your worries at home and come to sing!"
About Ann-Marie MacDairmid (Director)
Ann-Marie, a native of Thornbury, Ontario, is the founder, director and accompanist of Shoreline Chorus in Owen Sound. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from The University of Western Ontario.
In April 2022, Ann-Marie took the position as Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener. In addition to the usual church music director role, the position at St Andrew’s includes serving as the Artistic Director for the Noon Hour Concert Series. The schedule includes weekly performances by various musicians in the fall and spring. As a performer in the series, Ann-Marie plans her recital programs to reflect eclectic musical tastes, the most noted being her “Hallowe’en Special”.
Since 1999, Ann-Marie has been the accompanist for the Grand River Chorus in Brantford. Programs have included; Messiah, Elijah, Israel in Egypt, Missa Gaia and requiem masses by Brahms, Duruflé and Fauré. In 2010, the choir toured to Germany, Czech Republic and Austria. In Kitchener, Ann-Marie directs the Queen Street Singers.
Ann-Marie is an accomplished pianist, percussionist and choral conductor. She teaches music lessons locally and freelances as a piano accompanist and organist throughout Southwestern Ontario.
In June 2025 Ann-Marie received a June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism, which recognizes people for their “exceptional contributions to their communities and the province of Ontario.” Ann-Marie’s leadership of Shoreline Chorus, which she developed and continues to manage entirely as a volunteer, has created opportunity for engagement through concerts supporting many volunteer community activities including local food banks, therapeutic riding programs and church outreach initiatives.
WA Meeting
The next meeting of the Women's Association will be Monday, June 1st @ 7:00 pm in the Heather Room. If you would like to attend via Zoom, please contact Wanda Winterhalt for the link.
The Neighbourhood Food Program
Running every Sunday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm by appointment is The Neighbourhood Food Program. Hosted by St. Andrew’s and Nexus through the Waterloo Food Bank. Please book an appointment if you are in need for food items.
Book HERE
Only residents in the Ray of Hope and St. Andrew’s service boundary should be signing up for this program.
If you do not fall within this boundary, please call The Food Bank at 519-743-5576 x340 to find a program near you, or search your postal code using this map: https://www.thefoodbank.ca/find-food/
Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Note: the sign-up link for each week will be available Monday mornings and will remain open until all slots are filled. If all spots have been filled, please access the referral supports for assistance with accessing other services.
If you have mobility requirements we would be happy to assist you, please call the office ahead of time (519) 578-4430
**PLEASE only register for 1 time slot. If you register for more than 1 time slot, both of your registrations will be automatically removed.
Camp 5K Family Fun Day
Our Camp 5K & Family Fun Day Fundraiser will take place on Saturday, May 23rd at 11:00 AM at Laurel Creek Conservation Area. While the 5K walk/run is a big part of the day, there will be something for everyone to enjoy, including family-friendly activities and opportunities to connect as a community. You can find the link for tickets or donations here: [https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/annual-camp-5k].
Noon Hour Concert: Chomyn-Davison & Wyndham
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Darielle Chomyn-Davison (mezzo-soprano)
Darielle is thrilled to return with Jack for another Noon Hour Concert! You might have recently seen her in Christmas Cantata: Signs of Promise as Mary, and Grand River Opera’s Idomeneo as one of the Crete Women/ Idamante cover. Darielle also partakes in works by local composer, Justin Lapierre, such as The Gatherers, Stabat Mater and Masse de St. Anne. Every summer, she makes the drive up to Chapleau, Ontario, for the annual FriYAY Concert Series alongside Laurier alumni (and dear pals) Keiko Laroque and Cecila NguyenTran. Previous roles include "En Travesti: Who Wears the Pants?" as Nerone and Octavian (Grand River Opera), Chorus in Verdi’s La Traviata (Brott Opera), Miles in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw (GRO), and Aunt Cecilia in Adamo’s Little Women (WLU Opera). Darielle is currently studying with Dr. Elizabeth Lepock, who without her guidance, would not be the singer or teacher she is today.
When she's not on stage, crafting, cuddling with her two cats, or playing disc golf, Darielle shares her passion by teaching voice and piano in Oakville.
About Jack Wyndham (piano)
Jack Wyndham is an Ontario based pianist with training in both the jazz and classical mediums. Jack’s breadth of style has allowed him to fill many roles in the music community from wearing the hat of Musical Director in several local musical productions to playing with country and rock bands on meant stages. While Jack is happy whenever he gets to play or teach others to play the piano, his favourite thing is recording track-by-track albums that first go up on his self titled YouTube channel, then streaming services! Jack is currently composing the music for a new independently developed video game called HABROMANIA and is working locally as a musician and teacher while recording a few albums in the wonderful space I at Zion United Church in new Hamburg.
Noon Hour Concert: Vladimir Djurovic
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Dr. Vladimir Djurovic (piano)
Dr. Vladimir Djurovic is a pianist based in Kitchener-Waterloo. He is currently a piano instructor at the Laurier Academy of Music and Arts.
Vladimir received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2023 from Western University, where he studied under Dr. Leslie Kinton. Vladimir’s doctoral research is concerned with the interpretation and performance practice of Nikolai Kapustin’s piano music. His culminating analytical research paper was entitled ‘Musical Form and Performance Practice in the Piano Music of Nikolai Kapustin: An Analysis of Suite for Piano, Op. 92’.
A pianist keen on championing seldom-performed repertoire, Vladimir’s recitals often juxtapose the great composers of the past with new names worthy of the limelight. Audiences can always expect to hear something fresh and unique.
A sought-after accompanist in the KW region, Vladimir frequently accompanies soloists at the KW Kiwanis Music Festival and NATS voice competitions as well as accompanying for local RCM examinations.
Vladimir is also part of a Flute-Piano duo with flutist Bruce Gremo.
Noon Hour Concert: Leis & Ronai
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Brandon Leis
I perform regularly in southwestern Ontario and Michigan as an opera, oratorio and concert soloist, as well as a recitalist. Most recently, I have been a featured soloist with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, the Renaissance Singers, the Spiritus Ensemble, the Georgetown Choral Society, the Mennonite Mass Choir, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the International Symphony Orchestra, the Stratford Summer Music Festival, the Scaramella ensemble, the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, the Bach-Elgar Choir and the Guelph Chamber Choir.
I have served as a church musician, choral scholar and church music director for over 15 years, and I have served as an adjudicator and workshop facilitator for amateur musicians.
As an educator/lecturer, I have taught at Eastwood Collegiate Institute, Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, Heritage College and Seminary (Cambridge) and the Kanata Centre for Worship and Global Song at Martin Luther Univeristy College. As a choral conductor, I have served the Menno Youth singers, the Rockway Mennonite Collegiate Senior choir and the Rockway Concert Combo.
About Anna Ronai
I have collaborated with distinguished singers Michelle Breedt, Bernarda Fink and Robert Holl, and instrumentalists Ulrike Anton and Brooks de Wetter-Smith.
I have performed in venues across Europe, North America and China, including the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York, Gläserner Saal, Musikverein and Schubert Saal, Konzerthaus in Vienna.
Throughout the world, I have maintained vocal and instrumental coaching and accompanying positions at the Vienna and Innsbruck Conservatories, and the Institute for European Studies, also in Vienna, and have played for masterclasses with esteemed artists including Brigitte Fassbaender, Christa Ludwig, Thomas Hampson and Linda Watson.
I am a graduate of the Music University of the Arts Vienna, and hold two masters degrees, one in Piano Performance and the other in Collaborative Piano.
Brandon Leis and Anna Ronai are performing Schuman’s Song cycle, Dichterliebe (Poet’s Love), with sacred lyrics titled, Divine Love, composed by David Gast, a local Kitchener resident. The 16 inspirational poems about the life of Christ mesh meaningfully with Schuman’s music in texture and emotion. David will be introducing the work as to how it all came together.
David Gast
davidgast1@gmail.com
519-404-1330
Education
Bachelor of Sacred Music. ARCT in Piano and ARCT in Singing from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Master of Fine Arts in Singing from the State University of New York in Buffalo, NY
Experience
• Music Faculty at Ontario Bible College, now Tyndale University in Toronto, 1968 – 1976, teaching singing, music theory, and courses related to church music leadership.
• Missionary in Quito, Ecuador, 1976 – 1982, developing a national training program to assist in the music ministry development of Spanish and Indigenous churches focusing on creativity and worship within their cultural context.
• Pastor of Music and Worship 1982 to 2007 in various churches in Ontario and British Columbia.
Various performances:
Tenor role of Peter Quint in Benjamin Britton’s opera Turn of the Screw. Among many of the art song genre, Dvorak’s Gypsy Songs and Schumann’s Dichterliebe. Initial performance of Divine Love in 1988.
Tenor soloist in Benjamin Britton’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings and soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Quito Symphony, Ecuador.
Trained the choir and conducted the performance of Handel’s Messiah with the Prince George symphony in 1999, filling in for guest conductor Georg Tintner who had died on Oct. 2. Also trained the choir and sang in a performance of Bizet’s Carmen in Prince George, BC.
Choose Joy—Philippians in Person dramatic monologue, 60 presentations from 2004 to 2015. This can be viewed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Sj3Y007OEwg
Noon Hour Concert: Baxter & Xie
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Ryan Baxter (organ)
Ryan Baxter is a candidate in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music, studying solo piano performance. He also takes courses in Indigenous studies through the university’s Memegwaanh Indigenous Learning Honour program. Ryan has previously graduated from Brock University, Humber Polytechnic, the University of Manitoba, and Athabasca University, with additional diplomas in piano and organ performance, and piano pedagogy. Beyond academic life, Ryan is Music Director and Organist at Rowntree Memorial United Church in London. Previously, he held the same positions at Trillium United Church in St. Catharines. He has worked as a teaching assistant, collaborative pianist, piano and theory instructor, festival adjudicator, in-classroom mathematics tutor, course facilitator, English teacher in Thailand, and in various other education-related positions. When Ryan is not practicing, writing, or working, he can be found walking outside, cooking, baking, reading, and applying to more programs.
About Jingquan Xie (piano)
Jingquan Xie has been characterized by the Toronto Concert Review as a pianist who “… has found her own voice and is making music that goes beyond the technical and musical demands of the music." She has performed as soloist with the Symphonic Orchestra of Keimyung University in Daegu, the Symphonic Orchestra of the Shanghai Conservatory, and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, and played solo recitals at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre of the Canadian Opera Company, The Royal Occasion in Koerner Hall, University of Toronto’s Piano Laureates Concert, recital series in Hamamatsu, and at the Bianco Arts Concert Series as winner of the 11th Texas State International Piano Festival's Betty Dickinson Award. She is a top prize winner at The Asian Pacific International Chopin Piano Competition, the Concerto Competition and Chamber Music Competition of the Shanghai Conservatory, the VI Krystian Tkaczewski Competition, the Pacific Rim International Piano Competition, the Chicago International Music Competition, and The 3rd Paul Badura-Skoda International Piano Competition.
Afternoon Tea in the Chapel
Registration is now open!
Join us for Afternoon Tea in the Chapel on Saturday, May 2, 2026. You can select which seating time works best for you! 1st seating is at 12:00 PM, the second will be at 2:30 PM. Tables are available for up to 6 guests with tickets being $35/person. Tickets can be purchased through the link below or in person at the church office by cash, cheque or debit.
Reserve your table today: https://standrewskw.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3138749
Double Feature Noon Hour Concert: MacDairmid/Skelton & Ambrosia Quintet
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
Bruce Skelton (Violin)
Bruce Skelton studied with Jacob Krachmalnick at the University of Michigan, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music in Performance. In addition to his work playing and managing The Leith Quartet, he regularly freelances in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and maintains a very active teaching career, both in private violin lessons as well as with the K-W Community String School. He also recently added the title of Concertmaster for the KW Community Orchestra and Co-Concertmaster for the Stratford Symphony.
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Ann-Marie MacDairmid (piano)
Ann-Marie, a native of Thornbury, Ontario, is the founder, director and accompanist of Shoreline Chorus in Owen Sound. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from The University of Western Ontario.
In April 2022, Ann-Marie took the position as Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener. In addition to the usual church music director role, the position at St Andrew’s includes serving as the Artistic Director for the Noon Hour Concert Series. The schedule includes weekly performances by various musicians in the fall and spring. As a performer in the series, Ann-Marie plans her recital programs to reflect eclectic musical tastes, the most noted being her “Hallowe’en Special”.
Since 1999, Ann-Marie has been the accompanist for the Grand River Chorus in Brantford. Programs have included; Messiah, Elijah, Israel in Egypt, Missa Gaia and requiem masses by Brahms, Duruflé and Fauré. In 2010, the choir toured to Germany, Czech Republic and Austria. In Kitchener, Ann-Marie directs the Queen Street Singers.
Ann-Marie is an accomplished pianist, percussionist and choral conductor. She teaches music lessons locally and freelances as a piano accompanist and organist throughout Southwestern Ontario.
In June 2025 Ann-Marie received a June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism, which recognizes people for their “exceptional contributions to their communities and the province of Ontario.” Ann-Marie’s leadership of Shoreline Chorus, which she developed and continues to manage entirely as a volunteer, has created opportunity for engagement through concerts supporting many volunteer community activities including local food banks, therapeutic riding programs and church outreach initiatives.
About Ambrosia Quintet
Featuring violinist Shakoor Henson, clarinetist Anita Brooks Kirkland, horn player Judith Douglas, cellist Michelle Kyle, and pianist Gavin Yeomans, this unique intergenerational ensemble includes Generation Z and Baby Boomer musicians. Michelle met Anita and Judith in various orchestras in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph. Judith and Anita perform together in the Venturi Wind Quintet, Spindrift Wind Quartet, and Wellington Wind Symphony. Gavin, Shakoor, and Michelle all completed Bachelor of Music degrees at Wilfrid Laurier University, then returned to Laurier for another music performance diploma. Shakoor completed the Chamber Music Diploma in 2024, Michelle completed the Chamber Music Diploma in 2025, and Gavin completed the Opera Diploma in 2025. At Laurier, Gavin and Michelle played together in the Topaz Trio, including music of Robert Kahn, a German Jewish composer strongly influenced by Brahms. Kahn’s music is relatively unknown, as its publication and performance were prohibited by the Nazis. The Ambrosia Quintet is currently exploring and performing beautiful, rarely heard quintets of Robert Kahn and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Anita Brooks Kirkland, clarinetist
Anita studied clarinet performance and music education at Mount Allison University, Michigan State University, and the University of Toronto, and also holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from San José State University. She has balanced her busy career as a music teacher, teacher-librarian, education consultant, teacher educator, and professional library association leader with a lifetime commitment to music-making. Anita is a longtime member of the Wellington Wind Symphony, and is principal clarinet of Waterloo Chamber Players and a member of Spindrift Wind Quartet and the Venturi Wind Quintet. She enjoys frequent opportunities to play with other local groups, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Orchestra and the Guelph Symphony Orchestra. Playing chamber music gives Anita particular joy, and she looks forward to new opportunities with Spindrift and with Ambrosia Chamber Ensembles.
Gavin Yeomans, pianist
Gavin Yeomans grew up in Stratford, Ontario and began piano lessons at the age of four. Thanks to endless support from both of his parents who worked in the arts, he has always felt a great kinship for artistic expression and performance. While in high school, Gavin was a member of numerous student and community music ensembles, playing both piano and French horn, as well as singing in choirs. After completing his ARCT in piano performance, Gavin attended Wilfrid Laurier University to study classical piano with Elaine Lau, then went on to specialize in collaborative piano during his Diploma in Opera accompaniment under the instruction of Kate Carver. Through the support of Laurier International, Gavin had the opportunity to study abroad in Lyon, France at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Lyon with Manuel Schweizer. Gavin now lives in the Waterloo region and works as a collaborative pianist for singers and the Music Ministry Leader at Westside Church in Cambridge. He also plays French horn in the Stratford Concert Band and Waterloo Concert Band, and loves to read and bicycle.
Judith Douglas, French horn player
Judith grew up in Puslinch, attending Centennial CVI in Guelph. Having been a vocalist and pianist, she first studied flute, but discovered the horn and made the change when she was 15. Studying at a music camp, she connected with a student of Gene Rittich of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She began horn lessons soon after, studying with Gene at the University of Toronto. At the same time, she was principal horn with the Kitchener Waterloo Youth Orchestra and third horn in the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra under Raffi Armenian. Choosing not to follow the professional musician route, Judith completed an Honours BA in Economics and Finance, all the while playing and teaching privately, most recently at University of Guelph. In order to keep playing, she helped found the Venturi Wind Quintet and then the Wellington Winds. She was principal horn in the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Orchestra, still assisting them when needed, and the Windjammers, a position she still holds. More recently, she became the coordinator of the Gallery Concert Series in Elora, a member of Spindrift, a wind quartet founded as an online group during Covid, and principal horn of the Waterloo Chamber Players. She still lives in Puslinch, having built a home next door to her childhood farm home, which is now owned by her daughter. When not doing musical activities, Judith can be found on the golf course or in the gym.
Michelle Kyle, cellist
Michelle Kyle began playing cello at age 11 in Ottawa. At 16, she was Assistant Principal Cellist of the Saskatoon Symphony. She studied cello performance with Malcolm Tait at Brandon University and Gisela Depkat at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has worked with the Regina Symphony, Alberta Ballet Orchestra, Stratford Symphony, and Guelph Symphony, and has been principal cellist of the Saskatoon Chamber Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra and Community Orchestra, North York Concert Orchestra, and Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra. Michelle also studied piano with Garth Beckett at Laurier, then completed a Master of Music in Piano Performance at McGill University under Tom Plaunt. While she studied law at Osgoode Hall, people who heard her busking in the Toronto subway as a cello soloist asked her to play at their weddings. She became a lifelong wedding musician, and worked as a collaborative pianist and in law, web development, and education. In 2022, Michelle acquired a fine Canadian cello from the workshop of Stensland and Girard in Montreal. She completed Laurier’s Chamber Music Diploma as a cello student of Katie Schlaikjer in 2025. She currently plays chamber music with Ladyfingers, Ambrosia Chamber Ensembles, and Trio Terrifico! Michelle enjoys singing with the Grand Philharmonic Choir and Bach Elgar Choir and lives in rural Princeton with her husband, many cats, and chickens.
Shakoor Henson, violinist
Shakoor began studying the violin at the age of six and continued formal training at Canta Arya School for Strings until 2017. During this time, they gained extensive performance experience, including participation in an international competition and performance tour in China with the Montreal Suzuki String Orchestra, as well as competitions across Europe in 2018 with the same group. They earned a Bachelor’s degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, studying violin with Jerzy Kaplanek, where they also completed a Chamber Music Diploma, studying violin with Jeremy Bell. While at Laurier, they performed as a member of the SEAM Quartet, further developing their collaborative and ensemble skills. In addition to chamber and solo work, Shakoor has performed with the Kingston Symphony Orchestra as a substitute violinist. They are currently an active musician in the Kitchener–Waterloo region, performing across a variety of genres including pop, country, and folk music, and occasionally filling in on guitar. They teach violin in a private studio in Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge. Outside of music, they enjoy reading.
Noon Hour Concert: KW Woodwind Quintet
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About the KW Woodwind Quintet
The KW Woodwind Quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon) has delighted audiences in Waterloo Region for 40 years. Their eclectic music for all ages has been heard in schools, seniors' homes, noon-hour series, and universities.
The Quintet has an extensive library, which over the years has been supplemented with special arrangements by the group's horn player, Trevor Wagler.
The group's programs include classical favourites both old and new, popular tunes, movie music and some surprises.
About Trevor Wagler
In addition to teaching at Laurier, I am a freelance French horn player (both modern and historical instruments), conductor, organist, composer, arranger/orchestrator, music editor/copyist and clinician.
I received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition, a diploma in Performance, and a diploma in Chamber Music from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Masters of Music degree in horn performance from Western University.
I am conductor of the historic Waterloo Concert Band, conductor and Artistic Director of the K-W Youth Concert Band (KW YCB), organist at Zion Lutheran Church in Philipsburg, as well as owner/Director of Premier School of the Arts (“Waterloo Region’s Finest Arts Education Centre”).
While maintaining an active performance schedule, I am also a busy arranger/orchestrator and composer. My work has been performed by symphony orchestras (and smaller ensembles) across Canada and around the world, and has been broadcast nationwide on CBC radio.
About David Vanbiesbrouck
David Vanbiesbrouck is a Guelph based oboist who has performed extensively throughout Ontario over the previous decade. David completed his Bachelor of Music in oboe performance at Wilfrid Laurier University studying with Jim Mason and Graham Mackenzie, and owns and operates Oboerific Reeds (www.oboerific.com), where he handcrafts and sells dozens of oboe and english horn reeds each month. Last year, David performed a noon hour concert here with Beth Ann De Sousa and Judith Souman. Residing in Guelph, David maintains a private teaching studio of oboe students and plays Principal oboe with Guelph Symphony.
About Barbara Hankins
Barbara Hankins has been a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 1980 and performs with the K-W Woodwind Quintet and as a freelance performer.
She enjoys teaching Clarinet, Recorder, Theory, and Chamber Music. She sings with various local choirs, and enjoys gardening, cycling, pilates, hiking, and reading.
Ms. Hankins holds a Bachelor of Music degree (performance, with Distinction) and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Calgary, a Master of Music degree (performance) from the University of Toronto, and an Associateship Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), Toronto. She is a member of the Board of Examiners of the RCM.
About Wendy Wagler
Wendy Wagler is an accomplished soloist and orchestral musician. She holds the principal flute chair in the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra and freelances with many ensembles, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. She has performed as soloist with the K-W Symphony Youth Orchestra, the K-W Chamber Orchestra and the Renaissance Singers and is a founding member of the Springdale Trio and flutist for the KW Woodwind Quintet.
Wendy holds a Master’s Degree in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario and an Honours Bachelor Degree in Flute Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, having studied with Bonita Boyd, Dr. Amy Hamilton, Thomas Kay, and Prof. Fiona Wilkinson. She has directed flute masterclasses throughout Southwestern Ontario, and maintains a full teaching schedule at Renaissance School of the Arts and Heritage College.
About Oskar Martinez
Oskar Martinez is a graduate of Western University where he studied under Alexandre von Wartburg to get his Master’s degree in bassoon performance with a focus on contrabassoon. Oskar finished his bachelor's degree at Northern Michigan University in 2022, where he also studied bassoon performance.
He is originally from the small town of Ishpeming, Michigan in the USA, and has played with many ensembles from the area, such as the Marquette Symphony Orchestra and Marquette City Band, even performing as a soloist with the same groups. In 2023, his woodwind quintet “Ventis Concorddiae” won the Young-Ja Park chamber music award. Oskar also plays with the Soo Opera Theatre in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan as a bassoonist and contrabassoonist.
During his time in Canada, he is grateful to have played with the London Symphonia, Stratford Symphony, the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, and more, and looks forward to performing with other groups in the future!
Noon Hour Concert: Iormetti & Teican
You’re invited to come and see a brand new line of performances in our Spring 2026 Noon Hour Concert Series! Admission to the building is free, and a sandwich lunch is available for purchase prior to each recital between 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., with the concerts beginning at 12:15 p.m.
About Charmaine Iormetti
Charmaine Iormetti recently completed her MMus in Literature and Performance (Voice) degree at Western University. In Western Opera’s production of Albert Herring, she took on the role of Mrs. Herring. Outside of the university, Charmaine served as chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral and was a regularly featured recitalist in St. Paul’s Music at Midday Series. Other performance highlights include participating in the Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition, giving a lecture-recital on Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder at Western’s 25th Graduate Symposium on Music, as well as solos for Stratford Concert Choir and Capilano University’s Choirs in North Vancouver, BC.
While at Western, Charmaine took DMA Vocal Pedagogy as a “Special Topics Course.” Her paper won the Canadian Federation of Teachers’ Association Essay Competition in 2024 and was featured at the university’s “Inspiring Minds” collection that same year. She is currently active as a music instructor and teaches at the Academy of Music and Sound in Motion in London, ON.
About Catalina Teican
Catalina Teican is a highly trained Romanian-born pianist whose career has spanned several countries, offering a special blend of performance and teaching experience. Catalina holds degrees from The National University of Music Bucharest (BA), Bowling Green State University, USA (MA, Artist Diploma), and the University of Iowa (ABD). She is laureate of numerous national and international piano and chamber music competitions, and has performed in workshops and master classes with renowned pianists such as Gerard Frémy, Andre Watts, Garrick Ohlsson, and Daniel Shapiro.
Before moving to London, Ontario, Catalina lived in Cyprus for 14 years, where she maintained an active performing and teaching schedule and was recognized for her achievements as a chamber musician and piano teacher. She held teaching positions at the Nicosia Music School and G. Menelaou School of Music, and for ten years, served as the collaborative pianist for the Cyprus Young String Soloists.
Catalina is currently pursuing a DMA degree in Collaborative Piano at Western University, studying with Dr. Angela Park.
Guest: Graham Cubitt
We invite you to join us for a special worship service on Sunday, April 12. Graham Cubitt, President of Flourish, will be our guest preacher, sharing about the Christian values that guide Flourish/Indwell and how they resonate with the values of St. Andrew’s.
Following worship, please join us in the Heather Room for an informal Q&A session, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet members of the Flourish/Indwell team and representatives of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Easter Morning Breakfast
Start Easter morning with food and fellowship in the Elizabeth Room at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church beginning at 8:30 a.m.
A joyful morning. A shared meal. A celebration of new life.
All are welcome.
Register here: https://standrewskw.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3515007