Larry Beckwith has been a creative and varied contributor to Toronto’s musical life as a conductor, violinist, singer, writer, educator, and programmer for over 30 years. He studied violin and musicology at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Toronto, and has since performed and worked with most of this city’s leading musical organizations. He has held past positions as a producer for CBC Radio Music, General Manager of Choirs Ontario, Director of Programming for the 2002 Toronto International Choral Festival and co-Artistic Director of Music at Sharon from 2010-2012. In 2003, Larry founded Toronto Masque Theatre, which under his tireless and imaginative artistic leadership from 2003 to 2018 presented over 85 innovative programs of interdisciplinary performing art, including a cycle of the five major music theatre works by Henry Purcell and stage works by Molière, Stravinsky, John Blow, John Beckwith, Monteverdi, Handel, Charpentier, and others. Through TMT, Larry commissioned and premiered new works by Canadian composers Abigail Richardson, James Rolfe, Omar Daniel, Juliet Palmer, Dean Burry, and Alice Ho. Ho’s The Lesson of Da Ji won the 2013 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best New Opera and was released on the Canadian Music Centre’s Centrediscs label in a November 2015 recording conducted by Larry. Larry has appeared at a number of Ontario’s summer music festivals, including Chamberfest in Ottawa, the Elora Festival, the Westben Festival, Toronto Summer Music, and the Festival of the Sound. In the summer of 2018, he conducted the successful Festival of the Sound world premiere and subsequent Ontario tour of Sounding Thunder: The Song of Francis Pegahmagabow by Timothy Corlis and Armand Garnet Ruffo; it was successfully remounted in the summer of 2022, toured to Winnipeg in 2024 and will be featured at the Invictus Games in Vancouver in February, 2025. Larry is a committed educator and runs the celebrated strings program at the arts-intensive Unionville High School in addition to conducting the Mooredale Senior Youth Orchestra.
Maggie Ho (M.Mus, B.Mus, B.Ed) is originally from Markham, Ontario, and a proud graduate of the Unionville High School Arts York Piano Program. Maggie began her piano studies at the age of four under the instruction of Sau Kiun Yeung and has her A.R.C.T. diploma for Associateship in performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She was the prize winner of the 2004 Concerto/Aria Competition, which subsequently led to a performance with the Queen’s Symphony Orchestra in November 2004. In 2005, she was a featured soloist with the Quinte Symphony in Belleville. She was the recipient of the Kingston Symphony Association Allen-Jack Award for outstanding musician of the year and received a provincial scholarship in music performance from the Imperial Order of the Daughters in the Empire in 2006. Maggie has received various scholarships and awards from the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association, Kiwanis Music Festival, Markham Music Festival as well as from Queen’s University and the University of Toronto for scholarships in chamber music, music education and music performance. She has performed at the Burgos Music Festival in Spain and at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Maggie is a graduate of the Queen’s University Concurrent Music Education program whereby she studied piano performance under the tutelage of Dr. Ireneus Zuk and completed her Bachelor of Education at the Queen’s Faculty of Education with Intermediate/Senior qualifications in music and mathematics. Maggie was a recipient of the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and graduated from the University of Toronto with her Masters of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy program under the instruction of Dr. Midori Koga. Maggie was a former teacher in the Toronto District School Board, and is an active piano soloist, chamber musician, accompanist, piano teacher.
Michelle Teh is an alumni of the Arts Unionville Vocal program and is excited to be returning as the AU Vocal Teacher. She received her Honour Roll from the University of Toronto Bachelor of Music where she studied and worked with many professors such as Elizabeth McDonald, Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, Cameron Walter, Uri Mayer, and many more. Following her undergraduate degree, she completed her Masters in Teaching with Honours at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education with qualifications in Intermediate/Senior Vocal-Music and History. She is the recipient of the Don Wright Scholarship Fund from OISE and has teaching experience working in both the Toronto District School Board and the York Region District School board at the secondary level. Michelle currently sings with the Cantabile Chamber Singers which is a non-profit auditioned Toronto-based chamber choir that focuses on not only the love for music, but to bring awareness to causes that impact society. Michelle started her singing journey at a young age participating as a youth chorister in many choirs across the GTA such as York Region Children’s Chorus, Toronto Children’s Chorus, Upper Canada Chorus, and Bach Children's Chorus. She also did private voice lessons with Michelyn Wright, and competed in multiple voice festivals such as NATS and Kiwanis. Michelle is proud to be back at Unionville High School working with the vocal and music students.
Jeff Wrigglesworth is a proud graduate of Unionville High School. He received his Honours Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Western Ontario and his Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University. He has been teaching in both elementary and secondary schools in York Region for 30 years and was thrilled to return to UHS as Head of Music in 2005. Jeff was a founding director of the Ontario Band Association as the Director of the Ontario Provincial Honour Band and continues to be a contributing member of that organization. He has been a clinician with the Ontario Music Educators’ Association most recently in developing a model for collaborative learning in the music class. Jeff is a multiple recipient of the Ontario Band Association Provincial Band Festival excellence in conducting award. In YRDSB he has been the chair of the York Region Music Heads Association and has been on the region’s Curriculum Rollout and Return to Play committees. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, music fraternity and is a recipient of a Tri-M Honour Music Society’s Honorary Lifetime Membership. Jeff’s ensembles at UHS regularly receive festivals' and competitions' highest awards including the Robert Rosevear Award from the Canadian Music Educators Association. Whenever possible, Jeff continues to work as a trumpet player and clinician around the GTA. He lives in Markham with his wife Michelyn and artistic kids, Tricia and Warren.
Niloufar Barazesh's love for music began during her pivotal high school years at Dr. G.W. Williams. Under the direction of Penny Sedore, Paul DeGassi, and Don Bowles, she pursued her degree in Music Education at Western University in London Ontario. She received her Bachelor’s in Music Honors at the Don Wright Faculty of Music in 2014, and her Bachelor’s of Education from Althouse University in 2015. She specialized in piano with Dr. James Hibbard, and over the years, she has been fortunate to collaborate and study with distinguished musicians such as Dr. Colleen Richardson, Dr. Kevin Watson, Prof. Jen Moir, Prof. Gloria Gassi, and Dr. Reginald Miller, whose mentorship has greatly enriched her professional journey. Since 2016, Niloufar has been honored to be part of the renowned Unionville High School Music Department, where she currently teaches the Grade 9 Concert Band, Grade 10 Symphonic Band, Guitar Ensemble, and both Junior and Senior Jazz Bands. She strives to mentor her ensembles to foster both technical skill and creative expression, and her students consistently rise to the challenges she sets for them. Niloufar is also an active participant in music festivals and competitions. Her bands regularly attend the Ontario Band Association Provincial Music Festival, where they have consistently received recognition for technical excellence, band development and artistry. Niloufar is honored to also be a recipient of the Conducting Excellence and Excellence in Band Development awarded by the OBA. Whenever possible, Niloufar loves to enrich her life by keeping up with her piano and classical and flamenco guitar playing, reading, painting and staying physically active.