Our Musicians

Joe Lanza has been the Concertmaster of London Symphonia and its forerunner, Orchestra London since 1987. He has been a regular soloist with the ensemble in every musical genre, and has also directed programs with his colleagues on numerous occasions.

Joe has appeared several times as the lead violinist of the Westben Festival Orchestra, and has been a concertmaster/mentor for many years at The National Academy Orchestra, a training program for young professionals which features guest concertmasters from Canada's finest orchestras.

A busy freelance musician across the region, Joe is particularly active on the period instrument scene in southern Ontario. In 2016, he served as one of four creative directors of Nota Bene Baroque Players in Kitchener. He is proud of and takes great satisfaction in being regularly engaged by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra since 1996, including numerous recordings and tours around the world.

Joe is quite active in music education. He has taught both violin and baroque performance at Western University since 1995; last year, he was appointed coordinator of Western's Early Music Studio. Joe coaches chamber music at Forest City Talent Education, and has become increasingly active as a private teacher. In the last two years he has become a frequently sought after adjudicator for music festivals across Ontario.

Joe is married to London Symphonia oboist Jennifer Short and they are the proud parents of a multi-talented daughter. The family is ably herded by a Laika, a fine Shetland sheepdog.

Émilie Paré holds the positions of Principal Second Violin in London Symphonia, Assistant Principal Second Violin in Symphony Nova Scotia, and Section Violin in the Windsor Symphony Orchestra.

Émilie started playing the violin when she was nearly three years old. She studied with Johanne Arel at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal where she obtained her Master’s degree with the highest honours in Violin Performance, Dictation, and Solfège. She also completed a post-graduate certificate in solo repertoire for the violin, focusing on new music.

After freelancing in Montreal and touring throughout America, Europe, and Asia with various ensembles, Émilie won the Assistant Concertmaster position in the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and a violin position with Orchestra London Canada. In addition to her current orchestral duties, Émilie regularly performs as a chamber musician on a variety of concert series and festivals. She appeared at the Scotiabank Northern Lights festival in Ajijic, Mexico, and she has spent a few summers with members of the Aradia Ensemble as part of the COSI opera festival in Sulmona, Italy.

Émilie is also a dedicated teacher and mentor. In London, she taught at the Aeolian School of Music where she worked with young musicians from El Sistema Aeolian. She has worked as a section leader and mentor with the National Academy Orchestra in Hamilton. She has coached the violin sections of the London Youth Symphony and the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and she recently joined the Board of Directors of the latter.

Andrew Chung (M.A./B.A.) is a violinist with London Symphonia, while also serving as Artistic Producer. He also performs regularly with the Hamilton Philharmonic and the Stratford Festival Orchestra. Andrew spent a number of years living in Sydney, Australia, where he was performing with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House. While in Sydney, he was awarded his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees with Distinction while studying under Alice Waten and Sophie Rowell. He has performed recitals in Australia and Canada, including appearances as part of Stratford Summer Music. On baroque violin, he has performed with Nota Bene Baroque Players (also serving as co-creative director), the Aradia Ensemble, and at the Grand River Baroque Festival. In 2010, Andrew started a chamber music series called INNERchamber in Stratford and is its Artistic Director.

A native of Sudbury, Ontario, Sheilanne began her violin studies under the guidance of Dr. Metro Kozak.  She continued her studies at the University of Toronto in the studio of David Zafer, receiving both a Bachelor of Music in Performance as well as a Bachelor of Education.  She continued in her studies at UofT to earn a Masters in Music Performance.

Sheilanne is currently a member of London Symphonia and was a member of the former Orchestra London since 1999.  She has held tenured positions with both the Windsor Symphony as well as the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, where she continues to play regularly.  Sheilanne lives in London, Ontario and enjoys spending time playing outdoors and chasing after her two sons.

Mel Martin has held the position of first violinist with London Symphonia, and formerly Orchestra London, since 1981. He has also served as guest concertmaster, assistant concertmaster, and featured soloist on several occasions.

Mel is also a member of the Stratford Festival Orchestra where his roles have included concertmaster and stage musician.In addition to chamber music collaborations at Stratford Summer Music, Mel has performed solo and chamber music recitals in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

In demand as a violin teacher for over three decades, he accepted an invitation to join the faculty of Western University in 2005.

A student of Francis Chaplin at Brandon University, and one of the youngest members of the National Youth Orchestra, Mel went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in performance at Indiana University with James Buswell and Franco Gulli, and a Master’s degree at the University of Michigan under Paul Makanowitzky and Charles Avsharian.

Violinist Calvin Tsang was born overseas and moved to the US at the age of 7. Starting the violin a year later, he garnered many awards/honors in his formative years, including concertmaster of Texas All-State Symphony Orchestra as a high school freshman and Austin Symphony concerto winner and soloist (at the age of 14).

A two-time full-scholarship recipient to both the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Tanglewood Music Festival fellowships, he completed both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in violin performance at Northwestern University (Chicago) and went on to perform with symphonies including the Virginia Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, and San Diego Symphony.  He also performed in principal roles with several professional ensembles, in addition to being a soloist featured on Charlotte's (North Carolina) classical radio station.  

Shortly after his move to Canada, he was appointed to the position of associate concertmaster with Orchestra London.  Since then, he has continued in this role through the group's transition to London Symphonia, acting as concertmaster on multiple occasions. Currently based in Toronto, he maintains a teaching studio and works with various orchestras in the region and beyond.

As an active freelance violinist, Sarah Wiebe has played with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, London Symphonia, the Hamilton Philharmonic, the Victoria Symphony, and the Toronto Concert Orchestra. She served as concertmaster of the Windsor Community Orchestra and also played with the Ontario Festival Symphony Orchestra in their China tour. Much of her orchestral training took place when she was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and then an apprentice with the National Academy Orchestra. She has recorded on Juno-nominated CDs with both the National Youth Orchestra and the children’s group, Splash’N Boots.
When not performing she is an active teacher, instructing both piano and violin at all levels. She holds a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from the University of Western Ontario where she studied with Mel Martin and upon graduating received the gold medal for orchestral performance and also completed the practical portion of an ARCT in piano performance.

Violinist Mikela Witjes hails from Kingston, Ontario and is thrilled to be performing with London Symphonia. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Masters Degree in Violin Performance from Western University where she studied with Prof. Annette-Barbara Vogel. A freelance violinist and teacher, Mikela has performed in a variety of orchestral and chamber ensembles across Southwestern Ontario on both modern and baroque violin. She has twice toured the country with the National Youth Orchestra and has attended summer music festivals including Orford Arts Academy, Scotia Music Festival and Domaine Forget.

She is a founding member of local chamber ensemble Magisterra Soloists both as a violinist and administrative coordinator. Mikela is passionate about teaching and keeps an active private studio while continuing to perform regularly.

Kelvin Enns is Principal Viola of London Symphonia.

As a performer Kelvin has enjoyed a wide variety of styles of music with many of Canada's finest musicians. As a soloist he has played concertos with such orchestras as the Toronto Philharmonia, Orchestra Da Camera and Orchestra London as well as playing recitals all over Canada. As an orchestral musician he has played as an extra musician with many of the best orchestras in Canada including National Arts Centre Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony Nova Scotia. He has held permanent positions with several orchestras including principal viola of Orchestra London. Kelvin has also performed as a jazz guitarist in many venues, from small jazz clubs to concert hall stages.

Kelvin began his studies in music at the young age of four on the violin. As a teenager his interests grew to include a strong focus on viola. Over the years his musical endeavours have included, teaching, jazz guitar, music composition and arranging, as well as recording.

Kelvin has enjoyed studying under some of the finest teachers in North America, including William Preucil Sr. (University of Iowa), Dr. Francis Chaplin (Brandon University ), Karen Tuttle and Lorand Fenyves  (Banff School of Fine Arts), Rennie Regehr (Royal Conservatory) and Andre Roy (McGill University).

As a teacher, Kelvin has taught at a wide variety of institutions, including a two-year position as violin and viola instructor at the University of Western Ontario. He has also relished the opportunity to give back to the musical community by starting a not-for-profit arts school which provided music instruction at no cost for low income families in Halifax.

Kelvin is passionate about what he does and is always looking for a positive way to share music with those around him.

Marie-Eve Lessard is a core violist of the London Symphonia. 

Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, she studied violin at the Trois-Rivières Conservatory of Music under Francine Dufour and at the University of Montreal under Jean-François Rivest. With a focus on new music, she pursued viola studies under Jutta Pucchammer-Sédillot and earned her Master’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of Montreal in 2003.

In addition to her formal studies, Marie-Eve has participated in numerous summer programs, including the Pierre Monteux School in Maine, USA, the Magic Music Farm in New York, USA, and The Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada. In 2009, she received a Professional Development Grant from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec (CALQ) to study new music in Paris under Christophe Desjardins, a violist for the Ensemble Intercontemporain.

In 2015, she was invited to act as Principal Viola for the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Throughout her career, she has held tenure with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and collaborated with numerous orchestras, ensembles, and artists, including the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal, QC), Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Tim Brady & the Bradyworks, and Brigitte Poulin. Additionally, she has performed with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra and the Montreal Contemporary Ensemble.

Marie-Eve has recorded Canadian and world premieres for CBC Radio and TV France. In 2006, she won the International Canadian Music Competition for viola with "Contes pour alto et vibraphone," composed for her by André Cayer. She also performed as a soloist at the 2006 International Viola Congress held in Montreal.

Marie-Eve considers St. Marys, Ontario, her home, where she resides with her partner and their family. Alongside her music career, she shares her passion by teaching music at David-Saint-Jacques Secondary School and is also the co-founder of the Thames River Paddling Club in St. Marys.

Jacqueline Milne is a native of Springfield, Massachusetts. She began playing the viola at the age of 13 and since has enjoyed an exciting career. She has attended many music festivals and was Principal violist of the Symphony of the Hills Festival for the Performing Arts for two years. Equally comfortable performing chamber music, she attended the Brunswick Music Festival in New England where she was coached by and performed with David Soyer, cellist of the Guarneri String Quartet.

Jacqueline became a member of Orchestra London in 1982 and continues to perform as a member of London Symphonia.

Jacqueline accepted a position with the 0rquesta de Veracruz in Mexico from 1979-1981. While performing as soloist in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, she was fortunate to have such world renowned teachers as William Preucil, Paul Doktor and Donald McInnes.

Ben Bolt-Martin is the principal cellist of London Symphonia. He is a founding member of INNERchamber, an inventive and intimate chamber music series in Stratford and has performed 20 seasons with the Stratford Festival of Canada, performing live and recording incidental music.

Ben has also featured as a soloist across Canada with a special interest in new music reflecting humanity's search for meaning. Ben was the featured performer on the JUNO nominated recording NotesTowards.

In addition to an active life as a composer, Ben has arranged music for performance and recording for Dayna Manning, The Sultans of String, Ron Sexsmith, The Bookends, The Steel City Rovers and many others.

Ben teaches cello and chamber music at University of Waterloo and conducts the London Youth Symphony.

Joe Phillips is one of Canada’s most versatile double bassists. He is thrilled to continue in his role as principal bass with London Symphonia after serving in this role with Orchestra London Canada since 2007. Joe performs with Toronto’s genre-defying Art of Time Ensemble, reimagines folk traditions learned from field recordings with banjoist Jayme Stone’s Folklife, struts his stuff with Payadora Tango Ensemble, and performs annually at Sweetwater Music Weekend with some of the best chamber musicians in the world.  Equally at home in a concert hall or at a folk festival, Joe has appeared as guest principal bass with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, has performed at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and toured Canada with chamber music supergroup, Octagon. He teaches double bass at Western University.

When not touring, Joe lives in London with his partner and their two children.

http://jaymestone.com

http://payadora.com

http://artoftimeensemble.com

https://www.sweetwatermusicfestival.ca

Laura Chambers has been principal flute of London Symphonia since 2019. She has appeared as a concerto soloist, orchestral player and chamber ensemble musician across North America. As a player of modern, baroque and world flutes Laura has been a featured soloist with the Mississauga Symphony, the Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and a guest artist with the Toronto Symphony, at the Glenn Gould Studio, and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. She has recorded for the Naxos label and award winning motion picture soundtracks, and is a member of the Quicksilver duo. An active member of the GTA freelance scene, Laura has appeared regularly with groups such as the Niagara Symphony, Orchestra Toronto, the Kingston Symphony Orchestra, and is a founding member of the Charm of Finches, Canada’s first professional flute quintet.

Ms. Chambers holds an Honours Bachelor of Performance from the University of Toronto and a Masters Degree from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California where she studied under Professor James Walker. She is currently a PhD candidate in music at York University.

Liesel Deppe was born in South Africa and received her undergraduate degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. A scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service enabled her to further her studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, Germany, where she obtained a Meisterklassendiplom. She spent one year with Alexa Still at the University of Colorado in Boulder, before moving to Canada where she obtained her M.Mus. degree from the University of Western Ontario. Liesel Deppe obtained the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in November 2011 from the University of Toronto where she studied with Leslie Newman.

She has played with various ensembles and orchestras in South Africa, Europe, the United States and Canada. In the USA she was a member of the Central City Opera Company and the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, while also playing as a substitute with the Colorado Springs Orchestra. In 2002 and 2003 she was a member of the National Academy Orchestra, with whom she also performed as a soloist. During the 2006-2007 season she was awarded a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, which enabled her to study with various flutists in the United Kingdom and Europe. Liesel is a member of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and a substitute musician with both the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. She has been teaching the University of Windsor since 2015 while also managing bookkeeping and ticketing for London Symphonia.

Graham Mackenzie is principal oboist of London Symphonia, Windsor Symphony, and Niagara Symphony. He has also appeared with orchestras in Brantford, Chicago, Indianapolis, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, and Winnipeg. Equally at home as a soloist, he has performed concertos by Bach, Marcello, Martinu, Mozart, Strauss, and Vivaldi, with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Windsor Symphony, Niagara Symphony, and Hamilton Philharmonic, among others. 

An avid chamber musician, Graham is a founding member of the Reed Minders Duo as well as Trio Pistachio, and has performed in many Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society concerts as well as the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In the contemporary music realm, he has performed with Soundstreams, New Music Concerts Toronto, and the Continuum New Music Ensemble.

Graham earned a Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University, studying with James Mason, and a Master of Music from DePaul University, studying with Eugene Izotov. He is pursuing doctoral studies at Indiana University, where he has studied with Linda Strommen and Roger Roe.

He is currently instructor of Oboe at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) and previously he was the oboe studio instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University. He has conducted master classes at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, National Academy Orchestra, University of Victoria, University of Western Ontario, and Kenyon College.

Jennifer Short is an Ottawa native, having performed as second oboe/ English horn of London Symphonia, and Orchestra London, for 25 years.

Jennifer has held full-time principal oboe positions with the Saskatoon Symphony, Orchestra London,  Edmonton Symphony, and assistant principal/ English horn with the Calgary Philharmonic.  She has performed as guest principal oboe with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Calgary Philharmonic.  Jennifer has frequently been featured as a soloist with Orchestra London, on both oboe and English horn.  She and her husband, London Symphonia concertmaster Joseph Lanza, have an abiding love of chamber music and have performed together virtually all of the standard chamber repertoire for oboe and strings.  Jennifer has spent summers at the New Hampshire, Waterloo (NJ), Banff, Grand Teton, and Aspen Music Festivals.

Jennifer received her high school training at Michigan's Interlochen Arts Academy.  She holds a Master of Music Degree in Oboe Performance from the Juilliard School, where she was a full-scholarship student of renowned oboe pedagogue, Elaine Douvas. Jennifer is the grateful recipient of multiple generous awards from the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Fund.

In demand as a music festival adjudicator and clinician, Jennifer has taught Oboe Performance at the Faculties of the University of Saskatchewan, University of Alberta, and Western University.

Jennifer is a Certified Seniors' Fitness Instructor for the City of London, teaches in-home private piano lessons, and manages her own original handcrafted jewelry design company.  The author of over thirty jewelry design tutorials, Jennifer has had her work published in multiple issues of numerous quarterlies as well as in hardcover anthology.  She is a figure-skater at the London Skating Club, where she has coached as a Program Assistant.

Originally from Maple Ridge, BC, Graham Lord is principal clarinet of London Symphonia, after being appointed to that position as a member of Orchestra London in 2008. He has frequently appeared as a soloist with the ensemble, most notably in works by Mozart, Copland, Brahms, and Martin. In addition to his work in London, Graham has performed with the symphony orchestras of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Halifax, Kitchener-Waterloo, Windsor, and Thunder Bay.

Graham received his BMus in 2004 from the University of British Columbia, where he studied with Wes Foster, then obtained his Master’s degree in orchestral performance from McGill University in 2007, where his teacher was Robert Crowley. During his final year, he was a first-prize winner of the CBC/McGill competition. His concerto performance was hailed as a “triumph” by the Montreal Gazette, citing his “formidable technical command” and describing his sound as “bright, direct and perfectly suited to Copland.”

Graham is an alumnus of both the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the Hamilton-based National Academy Orchestra. He toured across the country twice with NYOC (2005-06), garnering critical acclaim for his performance in Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin Suite. Since his summers as an NAO apprentice (2007-08), he has returned to play with the orchestra in a mentoring capacity. In 2010, Graham received a fellowship to attend Norfolk, Yale University’s summer chamber music festival, where he had the privilege of playing alongside and being coached by such artists as David Shifrin, Richard Stoltzman, and members of the Tokyo String Quartet.

During his summers, Graham joins members of the Toronto-based Aradia Ensemble to form the orchestra for the COSI opera festival in Sulmona, Italy. In 2013, he was featured as a soloist and chamber musician at the Scotiabank Northern Lights festival in Ajijic, Mexico. Locally, Graham has performed with the Light of East Ensemble, a band dedicated to classical and folk music of the Mediterranean and Middle East, and has also been featured with the London Community Orchestra as a soloist.

Hailing from Montreal, Marie Johnson is the second clarinet of London Symphonia. Much in demand as an orchestral clarinetist, Marie performs frequently with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Windsor Symphony orchestras. She played second and bass clarinet with Orchestre symphonique de Québec for their 2001-02 season. A versatile performer, Marie enjoys a wide variety of musical collaborations. She is a founding member and bass clarinetist with the London-based clarinet quartet, ƒƒourtissimo.  As a soloist, she performed the Canadian premiere of the Rautavaara Clarinet Concerto with Orchestra London, and the Krommer Concerto for two clarinets with the London Community Orchestra.

Highly regarded as an inspiring and dedicated teacher, Marie served on the music faculty at Upper Canada College in Toronto for nine years and since 2007 she has been a clarinet instructor at Western’s Don Wright Faculty of Music. At Western University she was a guest performer with both the Symphonic Band and the Wind Ensemble and she regularly appears on chamber music programs. Her teachers have included Robert Crowley at the Université de Montréal and Dieter Klöcker at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany. In her free time Marie enjoys baking and reading and spends her summers sailing on the Great Lakes.

Spencer (Fred) Phillips has been principal bassoon of London Symphonia and formerly Orchestra London Canada since 1995. He is also principal bassoon of the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra since 1983. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and of Duke University, Mr. Phillips also holds an M.S. degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (in Environmental Management and Policy) and a Premier Prix de Virtuosité (Classe de Basson) from the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève. Orchestras of which Mr. Phillips is a former member include Orquestra Gulbbenkin (Lisbon, Portugal), Orchestre des Rencontres Musicales de Lausanne, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Detroit's Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, Binghamton Philharmonic, and Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. Others with which he has performed include Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, North Carolina Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, and Windsor Symphony. He can be heard on recordings released by Naxos, Chandos, Nimbus, Lyrinx and Erato.

Julie is a native of Toronto and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from York University. She continued her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music and eventually earned a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. An active freelancer, Julie is also a member of the Windsor Symphony, plays with the Stratford Festival, and has performed with Hamilton Philharmonic, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and the National Ballet of Canada. She currently resides in London and enjoys cycling, swimming and tennis.

Ronald George is an active musician in a variety of roles: from teacher to soloist,chamber musician and orchestral player. He has held the position of principal horn with London Symphonia and Orchestra London Canada since 1979 and has appeared as soloist with the orchestra numerous times.

He has performed with the Toronto, Detroit, Kitchener-Waterloo and International Symphony Orchestras, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Hamilton Philharmonic, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Laval, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Aradia, Arion, the Talisker Players and Opera Atelier. He has also appeared with the Canadian Opera Company, notably in their production of the Wagner Ring Cycle. He has recorded with Pinchas Zuckerman and the NACO, Gary Cooper and Arion, and Bruno Weil and Tafelmusik. Tours have included Europe with the Calgary Philharmonic and Japan with Opera Atelier.

 A committed chamber musician, he has appeared at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Westben Arts Festival and has collaborated frequently with many Orchestra London colleagues presenting chamber concerts in and around London and at Western University.

Born in San Francisco, Ron’s studies began with Earl Saxton and then with Robert Creech through high school in Vancouver. The University of Toronto was the next stop, studying with Eugene Rittich. It was then on to Germany to work with Hermann Baumann.

 Ron is also a dedicated teacher and is very proud to have worked with some of Canada’s finest young musicians as an instructor at the Faculty of Music at Western University.

Kate was second horn with Orchestra London for 24 years and now is a proud member of London Symphonia. She also serves as personnel manager for the ensemble. Kate has been a member of the orchestra at the Stratford Festival for 21 seasons and has appeared on stage and has recorded music for many Festival productions over the years. She has held positions with Victoria Symphony and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the NAC Orchestra, Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, Windsor Symphony, Aradia Ensemble and Tafelmusik.

Ms. Stone has also been personnel manager for London Symphonia since its inception in 2014. Her 35 years experience as a professional musician has given Kate insight into the intricacy and balance of aligning players into an exceptional ensemble. Working closely with members of the Artistic Advisory Committee, her knowledge of the music and the advice of colleagues, she crafts each concert’s ensemble to fit the composer’s vision. For her, it is an honor to be a part of this unique orchestra as a musician and as personnel manager.

Shawn Spicer makes a number of important contributions to London Symphonia. In addition to holding the position of principal trumpet, he is also the music librarian and production manager charged with the responsibility for ensuring that each performance is designed for maximum effect.

Originally from Nova Scotia, Shawn has picked up degrees from McGill and Yale universities. For almost 30 years he has also worked with orchestras and chamber groups across Canada from Symphony Nova Scotia to the Calgary based Foothills Brass Quintet to the West Coast of Vancouver Island at Bamfield’s Music by the Sea Festival.

In 1999, Shawn was appointed principal trumpet of Orchestra London where he played for 15 years and now proudly continues to perform in that chair as a member of London Symphonia. Recent performances have taken Shawn to Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, and Nova Scotia. He also performs regularly as a musician at the Stratford Festival. As a soloist Shawn has played a wide variety of concerti and solo works by Haydn, Hetu, Ligeti, Bennett and Bach.

Shawn loves to play baroque and renaissance music on original instruments. Performances on baroque trumpet and cornetto have taken him as far away as Japan and Brazil. He has played with Tafelmusik, Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal, the Sante Fe Early Music Society and the Theatro Municipale do Rio de Janeiro.

A committed educator, Shawn was trumpet instructor at the Canadian Forces School of Music in Borden, Ontario for 8 years and since 2003 he has taught trumpet at Western University in London.

Scott Harrison is a freelance conductor, composer, and musician in the Toronto area. After graduating from the Etobicoke School of the Arts, Scott continued his studies at the University of Toronto, and toured Canada as a member of the National Youth Orchestra. Scott is a founding member of the Trillium Brass Quintet and has also performed with a number of ensembles and productions, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company and The Phantom of the Opera.  

Scott is a faculty member of the Interprovincial Music Camp, a Visiting Artist at the Etobicoke School of the Arts and is proud to continue working with his colleagues in London Symphonia.

For more than 20 years Tim Francom has enjoyed a diverse performing and teaching career.  Based in Toronto, he has performed and recorded with orchestras and ensembles across the  province. He joined the Windsor Symphony Orchestra as Section Percussionist in 2004, and  regularly performs with many other groups including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the  

National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and Tafelmusik Baroque  Orchestra. 

Tim holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree from the University of Toronto where he  studied percussion with Russell Hartenberger, John Rudolph, and Beverly Johnston. His research focused on elements of Indian tabla repertoire and technique. He was privileged to work with  Prof. James Kippen as his research advisor, and to study tabla with Ustad Ilmas Hussain Khan.  

Tim is also deeply committed to music education. He became a faculty member of Community  Music Schools of Toronto (formerly the Regent Park School of Music) in 2002, where, in  addition to teaching lessons and classes, he has played a roll in curriculum and program  development. He also maintains his own busy teaching studio in Toronto.

UNO award winning harpist Angela Schwarzkopf, DMA concertizes throughout North America as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. She is the newly appointed principal harp of London Symphonia and frequently performs with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. The first harpist to become Doctor of Musical Arts in harp performance in Canada, she now teaches at the University of Toronto and the Glenn Gould School. Outside of her university teaching, Angela maintains a thriving studio of private students in Toronto and is a harp examiner with the Royal Conservatory College of Examiners. Angela is President and Director at Large for the American Harp Society and a contributor to the international publications Harp Column and the American Harp Journal and serves on the editorial board of the latter. As an advocate for new music, she has worked on commissioning projects with many prominent composers. Her album, detach, comprised of all new Canadian music, won the 2020 JUNO award for Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber. Her newest album with The Topaz Duo, was named Record of the Week on In Concert with Paolo Pietropaolo.

2020 JUNO Winner
President and Director at Large, American Harp Society
Principal harp, London Symphonia
Director of Development and Faculty, Young Artist's Harp Seminar
Editorial Board, American Harp Journal
Sessional Faculty at the University of Toronto, the Glenn Gould School, and McMaster University