Director & Chamber and Concert Choir Conductor

 

Amanda Nelli is a distinguished children’s choir conductor and elementary music educator with more than 15 years of experience. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the St. Catharines Arts in Education Award, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce Women in Business (Cultural Arts) Award, and was nominated for the prestigious Leslie Bell Award for Choral Conducting. Her Fern Hill Chorus placed first at the National Music Festival in 2019, 2017 and 2014.  Her Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir (CNCC) Concert Choir won the gold award at the national competition MusicFest Canada in 2018. 

  

Amanda is entering her twelfth season as the Artistic Director of the CNCC. Under her leadership, the CNCC has become a dynamic organization with four choirs for children and youth ages 3-18. They have had the honour of performing with international artists such as Measha Brueggergosman and Pavlo Simtikidis. The CNCC enjoys many performances with accomplished groups such as Chorus Niagara, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra and Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts. The CNCC Chamber Choir was invited to perform a cameo concert at the prestigious Podium national choral festival in May 2020. The Concert Choir recently performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June 2023 under the direction of internationally renowned conductor Elena Sharkova. Amanda is a strong advocate for choral music education in the Niagara community. She collaborated with Brock University (Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff) and the Niagara School Boards to deliver inspiring music education and performance experiences for over 100 students for the past 4 years.  

  

As the Music Specialist at Fern Hill Private School in Oakville, Amanda designed and implemented a Music Program for Preschool to Grade 8 students with a focus on music literacy, choral singing, performance, and Orff pedagogy. She is the music director and producer for their annual staged musicals. Her accomplished Fern Hill Chorus have performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts. They performed at Carnegie Hall for the second time in June 2023.

  

Amanda holds a Master of Arts (Music Education) from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University (Artist in Community Education), Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance) from the University of Ottawa and studied choral conducting at the Westminster Conducting Institute in Princeton.

Intermediate Choir Conductor

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Jennifer specializes in teaching music, conducting, and designing curriculum for young children. She received her Hons. Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Brock University. During her musical studies, she was honored to receive performing opportunities at the Chancellor’s Inauguration (2001) and at over 150 Convocation Ceremonies (2001-present). She was also awarded for academic excellence, outstanding achievement, and exceptional performance ability in singing. These qualities, combined with 20 years of experience teaching, make Jennifer’s programming sought after by Montessori Schools, Music Studios, and Music Camps in the Niagara Region, including the Niagara Symphony Summer Music Camp. She also owns and operates her own studio, Grimsby’s FUN School of Music, where she offers private lessons and group programs in many instruments for all ages. Along with her active teaching career, Jennifer keeps a busy performing schedule singing throughout the Niagara Region and the GTA. She is currently studying Italian opera with Dr. Maria Vetere and legendary soprano, Aprile Millo, of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She has traveled to Italy twice to further her studies and while in Italy, made her Italian debut in a concert honouring the great Renata Tebaldi. She also had the privilege of singing for world-class opera Conductor Richard Bonynge. She is pleased to be working with the Training and Intermediate Choirs this season. Jennifer's heart truly lies in sharing her passion for music with others!

Changed Voice Ensemble Choir Conductor

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Brad Barnham is a musician from Burlington, Ontario. As a skilled conductor, adjudicator, composer and producer, Mr. Barnham enjoys a varied musical career, and balances his time between his many passions. He is the Director of Music & Choral Activities at St. George’s Anglican Church in St. Catharines, and is Music Director of Wavestage Theatre Company in Toronto. This fall, Brad will join St. Catharines’ own Avanti Chamber Singers as assistant conductor and tenor, and also looks forward to working with the Changed Voice Ensemble of Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir. Mr. Barnham has been regularly sought-out as a conductor and clinician for national and regional vocal festivals and competitions including MusicFest, Ontario Vocal Festival and Kiwanis. As a choral and symphonic composer, Brad has written for choirs and ensembles across Ontario and abroad, and has most recently premiered works with the Exultate Chamber Singers, Christ’s Church Cathedral Choir, the Woodstock Fanshawe Singers, and his own St. George’s Choir. 

 

When he is not writing in the choral/symphonic idiom, Mr. Barnham finds himself in world-renowned recording studios across North America where he writes, records and produces music. In the summer of 2022, Brad and his band “Family of Things” signed a record deal with Label Music Group out of Fort Worth, TX,  and is currently in the throes of making a record which will be released this summer. 

 

In 2016, Mr. Barnham graduated with a MMus (Hon. Choral Conducting) degree from the University of Toronto, as the youngest graduate of the program up to that point. Before that he completed a BMus (Hon. Theory & Composition) degree from Western University. During his professional education, Mr. Barnham had the opportunity to conduct in masterclass for the National Estonian Male Choir and the Gloucester Cathedral Choir, and from 2015-2017, he was the assistant conductor of the Ellison Canadian Honour Choir. 

 

Past experiences include assistant conductor positions for the Bach Chamber Youth Choir, Christ’s Church Cathedral Choir, University of Toronto Men’s Chorus, Church of Redeemer Choir, Western University Singers, St. James Westminster Choir, and the Woodstock Fanshawe Singers. In 2016, Mr. Barnham sat on the JUNO Awards panel, as a judge for the Classical Award that year.

Accompanist

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Julie Broomer has a passion for collaborative music-making and she channels that energy into her roles as a pianist and a classroom teacher. She was the music director at Niagara Christian Collegiate in Fort Erie from 2008-2018, growing its program to include award-winning instrumental, choral, and composition classes. Currently, she is pursuing occasional teaching in the DSBN while investing in the lives of two adorable little girls at home. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys freelance accompaniment, a private teaching studio, and spending her summers as a faculty member at the Niagara Symphony Music Camp. Julie holds a Performer’s ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of music, an Honours concurrent BA/BEd from Brock University, and an instrumental music specialization from the University of Toronto. She is pleased to be working with the excellent conductors and singers of the CNCC!