Haven is Edmonton’s Choir
of Professional Singers

See Haven in Concert

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Meet the Founder & Conductor,
Andrew Bortz

Andrew is a sought-after conductor, singer, composer, and collaborative pianist. He is the Artistic and Executive Director of the Edmonton Youth and Children’s Choirs, where he conducts both the Edmonton Youth Choir and Resound, a young adult ensemble for singers aged 18–30. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in choral conducting at the University of Alberta, where he also conducts the Mixed Chorus.

Andrew has had the opportunity to work as both a conductor and singer with several of Canada’s leading choirs, including musica intima, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Luminous Voices, Pro Coro Canada, and Chorus Inspira. Passionate about building community through music, he brings a creative and human-centered approach to his leadership on the podium.

Before moving to Edmonton, Andrew was the founder and artistic director of the Aurora Chamber Choir and served as assistant conductor for Vancouver’s Phoenix Chamber Choir and Chrysalis Vocal Ensemble. As a collaborative pianist, he is known for his sensitive and intuitive music-making, and has worked with high school, collegiate, and community choirs across Canada and the United States.

  • Dawn Bailey

    Soprano

    ABOUT

    Dawn holds a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from the University of Toronto, a Master of Music in early music performance from McGill, and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta. Dawn is a familiar face in Edmonton's choral and early music communities, performing often with Pro Coro Canada, Early Music Alberta, and the Alberta Baroque Ensemble.

    She has performed and recorded extensively with early music ensembles in Canada and Europe, including appearing as a soloist on Ensemble Caprice’s Juno award-winning album “Vivaldi and his Angels." In addition to making music every day with her own three children, Dawn teaches grade one at the WISE Charter School for Waldorf Education.

  • Ian Bannerman

    Tenor

    ABOUT

    Ian is a conductor, soloist, teacher, and ensemble member with a distinct interest in vocal music. Ian has performed with the Vancouver Chamber Choir, musica intima, Early Music Vancouver, Victoria Symphony, Okanogan Symphony Orchestra, Voicescapes, Luminous Voices, and Early Music Alberta. Ian conducts A Joyful Noise Monday Choir and teaches voice privately and as a sessional instructor of voice at Concordia University of Edmonton.

    Ian holds a B. Mus. from The University of British Columbia, and a B. Ed. and M. Mus. from The University of Alberta.

  • Jane Berry

    Alto

    ABOUT

    Jane is an award winning educator, composer, conductor, coach, and professional musician. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition, Bachelor of Education, Master of Arts in Music Theory, and PhD (abd) in Music Theory and Educational Psychology. She teaches music full time, conducts both ETown Minors and ETown Augmented, and performs with a wide variety of ensembles including FEMME Vocal Quartet, ProCoro Canada, and Vocal Renegades.

    As a composer and arranger her works have been performed around the world and she is well known for using her voice and platform to amplify marginalized voices. In her spare time Jane is an avid painter, equestrian, volleyball player, and proud mother.

  • Samara Bortz

    Soprano

    ABOUT

    Samara believes that the greatest joy in this world is making music with the people that you love. She is the conductor of the Edmonton Youth Choir, helping her singers grow as young musicians, empathetic leaders, and thoughtful community members. Prior to moving to Edmonton, Samara was the founder and artistic director of Crescent Choirs, an organization with more than 150 singers of all ages and levels.

    Samara has sung with Pro Coro Canada, Phoenix Chamber Choir, Aurora Chamber Choir, and UBC's University Singers. She holds degrees in voice performance, historical musicology, and choral conducting from Mount Allison University and the University of British Columbia. Outside of the rehearsal room, you'll find Samara running her design and mentorship studio, running in the river valley, and running after her toddler, Charlie.

  • John Brough

    Tenor

    ABOUT

    John has enjoyed a multifaceted career as a conductor, organist, tenor soloist and music educator. John has conducted and prepared choruses for numerous iconic choral works, working alongside internationally renowned conductors and soloists.

    He has appeared as conductor, chorister and soloist on commercial recordings with many ensembles, including Da Camera Singers, Ensemble de la Rue, Madrigal Singers and Richard Eaton Singers, and has taken choirs on tours throughout Canada, and Europe. John is currently Assistant Professor of Music, and Director of Choral Activities at Concordia University of Edmonton.

  • Sable Chan

    Alto

    ABOUT

    Sable sings with ensembles such as, Pro Coro Canada, FEMME Vocal Ensemble, and Canadian Chamber Choir. Sable has also been working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in private practice and specializing in the area of voice therapy for the past 12 years.

    She is the author of The Choir Girl Blog, where she publishes articles and interviews with choral individuals from across Canada. In 2019, she named Top 40 Under 40 by Edify Magazine.

  • Graeme Climie

    Bass

    ABOUT

    Graeme is a Calgary-based singer, arts administrator, and choral specialist with experience across a wide range of ensembles and styles. He has performed with Luminous Voices, Pro Coro Canada, the Elora Festival Singers, Calgary Opera, Spiritus Chamber Choir, and others, and co-founded the Vocal Renegades Collective. A four-time member of the National Youth Choir of Canada, he is currently Bass Section Leader of the World Youth Choir, where he has represented Canada since 2019.

    Graeme serves as Assistant Director and Business Manager of Cantaré Children’s Choir, an organization he’s been part of for over 23 years. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and also works as a freelance marketing agent for arts organizations, combining business expertise with a passion for videography.

  • Lesley Dolman

    Alto

    ABOUT

    Lesley is a Mezzo-Soprano currently based in the Edmonton area in Alberta. She currently sings with A Joyful Noise, the Richard Eaton Singers, and the Edmonton Opera Chorus, as well as performing as a soloist with various ensembles around the Edmonton.

    She returned to Edmonton in 2020 after 5 years of living in Wales, where she completed her MA in Opera Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Lesley previously completed a Masters’ in Voice Performance at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, and a Bachelor’s in Opera Performance at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

  • Jolaine Kerley

    Soprano

    ABOUT

    Jolaine is active as a soloist, voice instructor, choral conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. She is currently Associate Professor of Music at Concordia University of Edmonton as well as artistic director of Ariose Choir and conductor of the Archbishop Jordan Choirs. Jolaine holds degrees in Voice and Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta and Indiana University.

    Jolaine has performed numerous times locally, nationally and internationally as a professional soloist and chorister with multiple choruses, orchestras, and organizations including the Stuttgart Kammerkor, Musica Ficta, Carmel Bach Festival, Portland Symphony Chorus, RES, Pro Coro Canada, ABE, Early Music Alberta, Westminster Choir, and was heard as soprano soloist in Allan Bevan’s Nou Goth Sonne Under Wode at Carnegie Hall.

  • Tyson Kerr

    Tenor

    ABOUT

    Tyson is a stylistically diverse composer, arranger, pianist, organist, singer, and accordionist. Tyson has collaborated with and written commissions for a variety of Edmonton groups, including Citie Ballet, Musango, 6 Minute Warning, Pro Coro Canada, and Cosmopolitan Music Society. An award-winning graduate of the University of Toronto, Grant MacEwan, and Banff Centre for the Arts music programs, Tyson has released several albums as leader/co-leader with free improvised classical folk quartet Myrtle's Turtle and jazz collective The Writers' Guild.

    Tyson is the organist for St Paul’s United, teaches through the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, Winspear Conservatory, and uses a degree in social work to help build more inclusive environments for artists and youth. He also once worked in a pie factory.

  • Andrew Malcolm

    Bass

    ABOUT

    Andrew had an early start in choral music thanks to parents who sang (and continue to sing!) in a number of choirs and groups around the city. He is the product of Edmonton's thriving choral community, having sung with many ensembles including Pro Coro Canada, Edmonton Children's Choir, Korora (formerly Kokopelli), the TIME Association, and Chronos Vocal Ensemble.

    He has also sung in several small vocal ensembles including 6 Minute Warning, of which he was a founding member. Andrew is a proud husband to his incredibly supportive wife, and also an adoring father to his 3-year-old daughter.

  • Christian Maxfield

    Bass

    ABOUT

    Christian is a Grade 2 teacher at SML Christian Academy in Stony Plain, Alberta. A graduate of Concordia University of Edmonton, he completed a B.A. in history and music (voice) in 2017 and a Bachelor of Education in 2019.

    Christian conducts the Spiritus boys’ choir of the Edmonton Youth and Children’s Choir organization and sings regularly with Pro Coro Canada and other ensembles in the Edmonton area. In his free time, Christian enjoys time with friends and family, cooking, reading, and keeping active.

  • Josiah Maxfield

    Bass

    ABOUT

    Josiah is an active member in the Edmonton choral community as a singer, section leader and soloist with numerous choirs. In early 2024, he was appointed as music director of the St. David’s Welsh Male Voice Choir, and in May 2024, he represented the province of Alberta in the National Youth Choir of Canada/Choeur national des jeunes du Canada.

    Josiah recently accepted a Johann Strauss Foundation Music Award and is excited to study at the Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria later this year.

  • Abby Mendola

    Alto

    ABOUT
    Abby is an Edmonton-based mezzo-soprano whose discovery of choir in high school opened the door to a career in singing. A recent graduate of Concordia University of Edmonton, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music (voice) and certificate in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance.

    Abby has appeared with many choirs in the Edmonton area, including Chronos Vocal Ensemble, Ariose Treble Choir and Pro Coro Canada, and she is a scholar with the Edmonton Youth and Children's Choirs. When she isn’t singing, Abby enjoys trying new latte recipes and walking around with her camera.

  • Caleb Nelson

    Tenor

    ABOUT

    Caleb has been a key figure in Edmonton’s music scene for over 20 years. A versatile tenor, he specializes in classical, contemporary, and pop vocal techniques. He has worked with Alberta’s top choirs, including the 2025 Juno-nominated Luminous Voices. Caleb’s recent performance highlights include Monteverdi’s Vespers, Carmina Burana, and For Always by Josh Groban. He is also the lead singer of Mixtape, a Top 40 cover band, and coaches over 10 community choirs in Edmonton.

    Caleb owns Silver Studios, offering voice lessons, group clinics, and workshops. He works as a recording technician and sound engineer for ensembles across Edmonton. Caleb’s current project, Vocal Renegades, supports professional development for vocal musicians, inspiring his collaboration on his first original choral composition To Wash the World co-written with poet Anna Marie Sewell. Outside of music, he enjoys camping with his family (including his three miniature schnauzers) and caring for his plants and fish.

  • Sarah Schaub

    Soprano

    ABOUT

    Sarah has performed as a soloist for music organizations throughout Western Canada. In addition to her work as a soloist, Sarah works as a professional chorister with Pro Coro Canada. Sarah Schaub has a Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Education, and a Masters in Education.

    Sarah is passionate about bringing high-quality music education to children. She teaches elementary music with Elk Island Catholic Schools in Fort Saskatchewan, is the Past-president of the Alberta Kodály Association, conducts the youngest singers in Angeli with Edmonton Children's Choirs, and is mom to Henry and Maggie.

  • Amy Voyer

    Alto

    ABOUT

    Amy is an all-round fixture of the Edmonton choral scene. She teaches elementary music, sings professionally with Pro Coro Canada and FEMME Vocal Ensemble, and conducts three children’s choirs: Luminaria and Harmonia with The Edmonton Youth and Children’s Choirs, and Tamariki with Korora Choirs.

    She holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees from Concordia University of Edmonton. Amy is known for her exuberance and her artistry, her ability to foster joyful and inclusive music-making communities, and the sound of her unmistakable laugh!

  • Jessica Wagner

    Soprano

    ABOUT

    Jessica holds a Masters in Performance at the University of Victoria, having studied under Benjamin Butterfield. As a singer, Jessica has a diverse repertoire and performance interest, and has studied at baroque academies and contemporary music labs here in Canada, The United States and in Europe. Jessica has performed as a soloist for choirs, orchestras and ensembles.

    Jessica is especially passionate about working with composers on new music and has performed many Canadian and world premieres. Jessica regularly sings with ensembles here in Edmonton including Pro Coro Canada and the St. Joseph’s Basilica Schola Cantorum.

  • Andrew Whiteside

    Tenor

    ABOUT

    Born in Richmond British Columbia, Andrew is an avid conductor, tenor soloist, and chorister living in Edmonton for the past four years. He holds a BA in Music degree from Trinity Western University and a MMus in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta.

    Choirs that Andrew works with regularly are ProCoro Canada, Kappella Kyrie as assistant conductor, the Richard Eaton Singers, and the Joyful Noise choirs. Andrew is also Worship Coordinator at Inglewood Christian Reformed church working as an organist and contemporary music worship leader.

  • Anthony Wynne

    Tenor

    ABOUT

    Anthony was born and raised in Edmonton, and has sung in a variety of choirs in the city throughout most of his life. He currently sings with Pro Coro Canada, the Schola Cantorum at Saint Joseph's Cathedral Basilica, and A Joyful Noise.