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.