About Us

Organization

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Faculty

Susan Knight, C.M., O.N.L, Founder and Artistic Director
Kellie Walsh, Successor and Associate Conductor
Leslee Heys, Principal Accompanist
Jennifer Hart, Associate Accompanist
Cheryl Hickman, Vocal Coach
Beverley Lane, Flute Program
Rob Power, Percussion Program
Christina Smith (Director), String Program

SUSAN KNIGHT is a socio-cultural entrepreneur working in choral music. A conductor, educator and producer of international repute, she works through the arts to celebrate heritage while also invoking/provoking change. Her innovative practice works through the transformative power of music to create empathetic community, promote leadership and global consciousness and develop youth as critical agents-of-change. Founder of Shallaway (1992) and Festival 500 (1994), she is active as a consultant, speaker, clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor. She currently serves on the Boards of Chorus America , Irish Business Partnerships , World’s End Theatre Company , International Federation of Choral Music , the Canada Council for the Arts and the Canadian Commission to UNESCO . She is invested in the Orders of both Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Memorial University .

KELLIE WALSH, a proud native of St. John's, is an Associate Conductor of SHALLAWAY. She is also the Founder and Artistic Director of the award-winning Lady Cove Women's Choir and Newman Sound Men's Choir , both located in St. John's. Kellie spent eight years as an educator and performer in Toronto, Ontario, during which she taught choral and string music for the Toronto District School Board, and performed with a variety of ensembles including the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto under the direction of Lydia Adams. She currently operates a private music studio, conducts the Chamber Choir and Treble Choir at St. Bonaventure's College , as well as the choir at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist . She enjoys a busy schedule as a workshop clinician and adjudicator. Kellie has worked with such internationally acclaimed conductors as Jon Washburn of Vancouver, Maria Guinand of Venezuela, Sir David Willcocks and Alan Hazeldine of London, England, Pinchas Zukerman of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and Helmut Rilling of Germany. She holds Bachelor degrees in both Music and Music Education from Memorial University , from which she recently received a Masters degree in conducting. While at MUN, she studied with Dr. Douglas Dunsmore, Dr. Donald Buell, and Marc David. Kellie also serves as a sessional instructor for the MUN School of Music.

LESLEE HEYS is delighted to be the principal accompanist for SHALLAWAY. She enjoys a varied schedule of vocal coaching, chamber playing, adjudicating, composing, and she has recently retired from ten years with the Newfoundland Symphony as its principal keyboardist. In addition to a dynamic private piano studio, Leslee teaches keyboard harmony at Memorial University . Her skills as a coach/accompanist have led to her participation in the international choral event Festival 500 and national events such as the rESOund Festival of Contemporary Music in Edmonton, and the National Music Festival in Kamloops. Live recordings of her numerous collaborations with local and visiting artists have been frequently aired on CBC Radio. She holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of Toronto , and a Master of Music Performance from the University of Western Ontario , specializing in Collaborative Piano. Leslee lives in St. John's with her husband Howard, and two children, Erin and Bill.

JENNIFER HART is a recent graduate of Memorial University's School of Music where she studied piano with Timothy Steeves and completed the conjoint Music/Music Education program in May of 2007. Jennifer shares her love for choral music with various community choirs including, the Quintessential Vocal Ensemble , Lady Cove Women's Choir, the Philharmonic Choir of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra , and the Basilica of St. John the Baptist Choir . She is also a member of the newly formed percussion ensemble The Sleeveens and directs the Holy Heart Girls Choir. Jennifer teaches piano privately and in October 2007 joined the MUN School of Music staff as Concerts and Facilities Coordinator. Having been a choral scholar with Shallaway she is thrilled to be back as associate accompanist.

KI ADAMS, (retired) a native of Birmingham, Alabama, is an Associate Professor in Music Education and Organ at Memorial University . A Founding Artistic Director of Festival 500 Sharing the Voices , he is Co-Director of the festival's Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium. Ki is Music Director at St. Thomas' Anglican Church and has recently retired after 14 years as Associate Conductor and Accompanist of Shallaway (formerly NSYC). He is one of the national Directors of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors .

Board of Directors

Board of Directors 2009-2010

Karen Skinner, Chair
Robert Thompson, Past-Chair
Lisa Hutchens, Treasurer
Mark Dobbin
Ray Gosine
Luben Boykov
Mora Oxley
Bruce Cooper
Carolynn Spurvey
Karen McCarthy
Caroline Coady
Gerri Nicholas
Christine Healy
Susan Knight (ex-officio)
Kathryn Atkin (ex-officio)
Kellie Walsh (ex-officio)

Shallaway Honourary Advisors

The Shallaway Honourary Advisors are either Newfoundlanders or professional artists closely associated with our province and represent the spectrum of artistic endeavors.

Mario Duschenes*	Montreal	Conductor	Orchestral
Gwynne Dyer	London, UK	Journalist/Historian	Media
Christopher House	Toronto	Director	Theatre and Dance
Seamus O'Regan	Toronto	Broadcaster	Media
Gordon Pinsent	Toronto	Actor/Writer/Producer	Drama
Erkki Pohjola*	Finland	Conductor	Choral
Christopher Pratt	St. Mary's Bay, NL	Artist	Visual Art
Mary Pratt	St. John's/Vancouver	Artist	Visual Art
Doreen Rao	Toronto	Conductor	Choral
Sir David Willcocks	Cambridge, UK	Conductor	Choral

* In Memorium

Administrative Staff