The Cheese Market - Gouda, The Netherlands - July 2019 Tour
Rob Cairns - Choir Director
Mr. Cairns comes to the St. Thomas Youth Choir with over thirty five years of choral and solo singing experience. As a youth he sang in both the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir and the Ontario Youth Choir, and at University he sang for four years with the University of Western Ontario Faculty of Music Singers. For 20 years he was a member of the Gerald Fagan Singers in London and as a soloist he has performed with the London Fanshawe Symphonic Chorus (now Chorus London), the Norfolk Singer, Parnasus Baroque Orchestra, and Arcady. Past awards include the Albert Whitlow Award in Choral Conducting from U.W.O., and the Don Wright Scholarship in Vocal Music from Althouse College. Recently Mr. Cairns retired from Teaching at Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts in London, Ontario where he specialized in Vocal Music and Drama. At Pearson he conducted four choirs: the Grade 7 Choir; the Grade 8 Choir; the Pearson Singers, which is an auditioned choir of grade 4 to 8 students; and Twelve, a group of twelve students selected from the grade 7 and 8 choirs. All of these choirs are gold winners in Kiwanis and received awards of outstanding performance level both nationally and at international competitions. As well, Mr. Cairns is director of the handbell choirs at Metropolitan United Church in London, Ontario, and is the Past-President of the Ontario Guild of English Handbell Ringers.
Graham Adams accompanying STYC at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Montreal.
Graham Adams - Choir Accompanist
Graham Adams has been with STYC since 2001. He is an accomplished accompanist, church organist and teacher. He received his A. Mus. for piano from the Western Ontario Conservatory of Music. Graham studied Piano Performance at the University of Western Ontario where he received his Bachelor of Music with Honours. Past accompanying experiences have included: the Kettle Creek Choir, the U.W.O. Choir and six years at Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts. He also sang with the Gerald Fagan Singers for 12 years. Graham teaches Kindergarten to Gr. 8 music at Centennial Central Public School in Arva, Ontario, where he directs the Primary, and Junior/Intermediate choirs. Graham is currently music director at St. George’s Presbyterian Church where he directs the church choir.