Kelsey Ronn, Soprano

An adamant believer in the power of music to unite, inspire, and elevate, Shokhrukh (Shah) Sadikov is one of the most driven young conductors of his generation. From concert halls to classrooms, community centres and libraries, Sadikov leads an engaged career as a conductor, violist, and music educator. His work with numerous organizations, hundreds of people, and advocacy of access to the arts-for-all stands as a testimony to his belief.

In 2015, Mr. Sadikov co-founded and became the CEO and Music Director of a non-for-profit arts organization, NAVO Inc. (navoarts.com), whose mission is to create unique programs that challenge, entertain, and enrich the lives of underserved communities in the Midwest. In its only few years of existence, NAVO has already reached audiences in the states of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Illinois. During the 2018-19 season he also led the Overland Park Orchestra as the Music Director.

During his tenure as Music Director of the Hays Symphony Orchestra (2015-2019), the orchestra has reached its first pedestal of success in every direction: innovative programming that appeals to a wide range of audience (including two festivals: Cottonwood Chamber Music in the Spring and New Music in the Fall), high quality concerts with a strong regular following, the first HSO brand, website, and the Hays Youth Orchestra. The Children’s Halloween concert became one of the most successful family events of the city. Mr. Sadikov also worked as an assistant professor of upper strings and orchestra director at Fort Hays State University.

Sadikov appeared as a conductor, soloist, and principal violist with the National Symphony Orchestra and the National Radio Chamber Orchestra of Uzbekistan. He also conducted ensembles such as the Tokyo Philharmonic, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Aspen Chamber Symphony, Berlin Sinfonietta, Kazakh State Philharmonic, Kansas City Civic Orchestra, Kansas Wesleyan Chamber Orchestra, Medomak Symphony Orchestra, Taldykorgan Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra “Turkiston” and newEar Contemporary Ensemble among others.

As violist, Mr. Sadikov performed in festivals that include Aspen, Sarasota, Halcyon, Killington, Cottonwood, Lincoln Crossroads and Vladimir Spivakov’s “Moscow Meets Friends”. He produced two recordings with he rapper Tech 9 under the Strange Music label, and released two CD’s of viola works by Brahms, Schumann, Clarke, and Ingrid Stölzel. He recently performed recitals in Germany, Uzbekistan, and the United States, and played his Carnegie Hall debut in 2014.

As a founding member of Wakarusa Trio, Mr. Sadikov is a first prize winner of the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, American Protégé International Competition and MTNA Competition, as well as a Bronze medalist at the Chamber Music Foundation Competition of New England. As a soloist and conductor, he is a laureate of several international competitions such as the 2005 Young Artist Competition of the Republic (Uzbekistan), the 2006 International Competition in Almaty (Kazakhstan) as well as the Tolebaev Conducting Competition (Kazakhstan) in 2019.

Upcoming engagements include an invitation to conduct the Shenyang Symphony in China, Taldikorgan Philharmonic Orchestra and Kostanay Philharmonic Orchestras in Kazakhstan, National Symphony Orchestra and Turkiston Chamber Orchestras in Uzbekistan, as well as an opera debut at the State Academic Bolshoi Theater in Uzbekistan, conducing Donizetti’s Lucia de Lammermoor. Mr. Sadikov currently performs on superb contemporary instruments, both, viola and violin made by Douglas Marples.

https://www.shahsadikov.com/

Adam hails from Burlington, Ontario and has been performing live across North America for the last 25 years.

Apart from being a guitarist, Adam also has his audio engineer diploma from the Recording Arts Program of Canada, and is an active singer songwriter, and studio engineer.

Adam performs regularly with Jeans ‘n Classics vocalist Michael Shotton, and is an original member in Eagles tribute band, Hell Freezes Over.

Adam has been playing guitar with Jeans ‘n Classics for many years now and has loved working with the many great symphony orchestras they have met along the way.

http://www.jeansnclassics.com/band/adam-martin

Conductor, arranger, bassist and educator Mitchell Tyler is an Honours Bachelor of Music (Theory & Composition) and Bachelor of Education graduate of Western University, and has been a member of the Jeans ‘n Classics Band since 1992.

As a performer he has shared the stage with many artists including Rik Emmett (Triumph), Alan Frew (Glass Tiger), Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) and Lawrence Gowan (Styx), and played in the touring productions of Chicago (2015) and Mamma Mia (2012).

Mitchell is a part time contract teacher of string music and classical guitar with the Thames Valley District School Board in London, Ontario and has been a professional educator since 1993. He served as Orchestra London Canada’s Education Director from 2010 to 2013. He has extensive experience writing, developing, programming and conducting curriculum-linked educational content for symphony orchestras, currently offered through his company, Symphonic Kids. He has been the musical director for beloved children’s entertainment troupe, Dufflebag Theatre since 2008.

As a conductor, Mitchell has had the privilege of working with a wide variety of orchestras across North America. Recent guest conductor appearances include the Springfield Symphony, the Erie Philharmonic, the Duluth Superior Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. He continues to immensely enjoy his work as Conductor with the Jeans ‘n Classics Rock Symphony, a local symphony add-on to the JNC rock band, formed in 2012 for select performances closer to home.

In his spare time, Mitchell enjoys coaching high school and club travel baseball, touring the ballparks of Major League Baseball and supporting his beloved Boston Red Sox.

http://www.jeansnclassics.com/conductors/mitchell-tyler

Stephen Holowitz, from Thunder Bay, completed a B.Mus. in Performance (Pipe Organ, Church Music and Piano) and a B.Ed (Music, Dramatic Arts) at The University of Western Ontario. He teache music at A.B. Lucas Secondary School, and is the Director of Music for St. James (Westminster) Anglican Church.

A well-known pianist in jazz and pop styles, Steve has performed with the London Encore Concert Band (Duke Ellington and Hoagy Carmichael), the Amabile Choirs, London ProMusica, Brassroots, soloist Denise Pelley and frequently with the Karen Schuessler Singers (Missa Gaia/Earth Mass, Road to Freedom, et al). He is keyboardist and co-composer for the Antler River Project, an ensemble that blends jazz, world music, and contemporary compositions into a unique musical experience.

He has recorded two CDs of original arrangements of hymns and gospel music, in addition to playing piano on many recordings by various ensembles in London.

Stephen composed music for the Grand Theatre’s world premier of ‘North’ by Greg Nelson (2000) as well as ‘The Wind in the Willows’ (1998) and ‘Anne’ (1999). He frequently arranges pop songs for choirs.

Steve recently was Steven Hardy’s pianist of choice for his tribute, A Salute To Songwriter Steven Hardy, at Wolf Hall.