Heather studied recorder with Shannon Purves-Smith at Wilfrid Laurier University where she earned her B.Mus. and also received a minor in Geography. While at WLU, Heather sang in the Chapel Choir under the direction of Jan Overduin where she was a frequent soloist and also played and sang in the Baroque Ensemble under Michael Purves-Smith. She studied voice with Ronald Beckett, Canadian composer and director of the acclaimed ensemble Arcady. She has also taken lessons with counter-tenor Daniel Cabena and soprano Stephanie Kramer.
As a performer, Heather sings in the esteemed Parish Choir of St. John’s Anglican Church in Elora and was a member of the world renowned Elora Festival Singers for ten years, both directed by Noel Edison. She is a former soprano section lead with the Guelph Chamber Choir, directed by Gerald Neufeld. Heather is one of Arcady’s most prominent performers, directed by Ronald Beckett, and has served as President of the Board of Directors for many years. She has been a part of over a dozen CD recordings including one with the Elora Festival Singers that was nominated for a Grammy and has had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s finest conductors performing in cities across Canada and the USA as well as in Germany, Greece, and England. Heather was featured on TVOntario’s Studio 2 On Stage program, playing music of Ronald Beckett and appeared on Breakfast Television with the Elora Festival Singers. In 2011, Heather won the $500 Art Vogt Scholarship for a singer demonstrating excellence in performance and dedication to sacred music.
In 2012, Heather was appointed as Assistant Director of Arcady and began embarking on a career in conducting. For 2 years, Heather was the conductor of the choirs at Wellington Hall Academy, a private school dedicated to the performing arts and overall academic excellence. Heather was fortunate to act as assistant to Linda Beaupre with Choir I of the Guelph Youth Singers in 2013 and continued working with Markus Howard the following season. Heather was selected to become the Assistant Director of Guelph Youth Singers in the spring of 2014, conducting Choir I, the organization’s youngest choir, and is very pleased to be continuing in this role.
Heather is the Coordinator of the Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph. She has been a vocal coach, guest clinician and soloist for various ensembles. Heather has been teaching voice, recorder, and theory since 1999 and conveys her enthusiasm, creativity and love of music to her students, many of whom have achieved top marks in RCM exams and music festivals. She has been teaching at the Guelph School of Music for over a decade and serves as Chair of the Voice Faculty.
