- Program -
Earth Fanfare - Joseph T. Spaniola
Northwoods: Of Might and Mettle - Robert W. Smith
Earth Song - Frank Ticheli arr. MacInnes
Earth Tones - Robert Buckley
Australian Bush Song Collection - Steven Capaldo
Intermission
Symphony No. 6 The Blue Marble - Julie Giroux
1 - The Blue Marble
2 - Voice in Green
3 - Let There Be Life
Aurora Awakes - John Mackey
Meridiem Wind Orchestra
Flutes
Judith Pazder, Michelle Cox, Ceci Valdes, Sheri Robertson, Risa McDonell + Piccolo
Oboes
Janine Webster, Delane Peters, Andrew Montgomery + English horn
Bassoon
Sylvain Lefebvre, Eilish McAree
Contrabassoon
Holly Edquist
Clarinets
Andrew George + Eb Clarinet, Le Lu, Tracy Harvey, Andrea Blair, Doug Arnold, Ann Thorup, Bob Buckley
Bass Clarinet
Rhonda Smeds
Alto Saxophones
Alexander Richards + Soprano Saxophone, Wendy Milton, Nathan Skip
Tenor Saxophone
Sylvan Wilkinson
Baritone Saxophone
Chuck Currie
French Horns
Norbert Ziegler, Lin Alexander Lloyd, Bill Blair, Jennifer Nadiger, Melissa Erletz
Trumpets
Dave Flello, Marianne Ing, Derrick Milton, Greg Sly, Bruce Hurn, Jim Stubbs
Trombones
Mike Wade, Brad Howland, Owen Engstrom, Andre Cossette
Bass Trombone
Zack Everett
Euphonium
Senora Dunford
Tuba
Andy Reljic, Nicholas Atkinson
String Bass
Don Cox
Piano
Cosette Victores Armas
Harp
Alana Johnston
Percussion
Greg Hodgson, Barb Tease, Gord Baumann, Lachlan Barry, Liv Carlson, Mark Arnison, Ethan Page, Kyle Reyes
Timpani
Rich Lang
Master of Ceremonies
Michael Forbes
Artistic Director: Scott MacInnes
Scott is most widely known for his trombone playing and teaching. He is a member of iTromboni, one of Canada’s most entertaining and versatile chamber music ensembles. He has been the trombone instructor at the University of Victoria and the Principal Bass Trombonist with the Vancouver Island Symphony since 2006. When Scott puts the trombone down, he can be found directing the BC Brass Collective as well as the UVic Vikes Band. He is tremendously honoured to be able to work with the fantastic musicians that constitute the Meridiem Wind Orchestra.
Conductor: Michel Wade
Michel Wade was born in Barrie, Ontario in 1978. As a child, he moved with his younger brother and parents to Victoria in 1990. He began playing the trombone in his school band program following this move to BC. This led to an undergraduate degree in Music from the University of Victoria in 2000, with a specialty in Music Education. Rather than take a job as an educator, in 2001 Michel started a career working as a professional musician on cruise ships. From 2001 to 2007, he travelled the world performing on large cruise ships, where he met his wife, Jennifer, in 2004.
After six years working full time on cruise ships, Michel returned to shore in 2007 to study at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. He began a two-year artist diploma course with the intention of winning an audition with a large-scale orchestra. During the summer break of 2008 Michel first joined the Canadian Armed Forces, becoming a reserve musician with the Ceremonial Guard Band in Ottawa. After several more summers working in Ottawa, Michel auditioned and won a position as a Regular Force Musician, and was posted to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2013.
In 2018, a trombone position came open in the Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific, and Michel asked for a posting to Victoria to reunite with extended family. Since then, Michel has worked with the Naden Band and has traveled to Chile as part of the 200th anniversary of the Chilean Navy in December 2018, Juno Beach in 2019 as part of the D-Day 75 commemorations, and most recently to Vancouver in February 2025 as part of Invictus Games support.
Most recently, Michel has completed a leadership and conducting course with the military and is looking forward to the opportunity to work with the excellent Meridiem Wind Orchestra.
conductor: Steven Capaldo
Dr. Steven Capaldo has distinguished himself as one of the most respected music educators, wind conductors and conductor educators in Australia, earning academic and musical recognition internationally.
Dr. Capaldo is currently an Associate Professor of Music Education & Conducting and Wind Symphony Conductor at the University of Victoria, Canada. He has previously held positions in Music Education at the University of Wollongong (Australia) and the University of Victoria, and was the Conductor of the Sydney University Wind Orchestra and the UNSW Wind Symphony.
An active writer, Dr. Capaldo composes, arranges and transcribes music for wind orchestras, symphony orchestras, festivals and concerts and his works have been performed by groups in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States, and recorded on Klavier records (US). He has been listed as a composer in the book The Band Down Under, a finalist in several international composition competitions and published with Brolga Music Australia.
An Assistant Producer for eight Klavier Records CD, Dr. Capaldo became a full voting member for the US Grammy Awards in 2010 and was Chair of the Australian Jury Panel for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest.
Dr. Capaldo is highly-active and in-demand as a conductor, clinician and adjudicator having worked at local, state/provincial, national and international levels including MusicFest and Chief Conductor of the British Columbia Honor Wind Ensemble. Committed to providing professional learning opportunities for music educators and conductors, Dr. Capaldo has been a conducting clinician at the 2017 Australian National Band and Orchestra Conference, the Chief Conducting Clinician for the 2017 Qld ABODA Conducting Camp and an Associate Instructor for the 2016, 2017 & 2018 NSW ABODA Conducting Camps. In 2018, Dr. Capaldo conducted a Qld State Honours Ensemble and presented at the Australian National Band and Orchestra Conference.
Community Climate Groups
Thank you to the following community climate action groups for sharing their initiatives before the concert and during the intermission. Please follow the links below for further information about each organization.
The Meridiem Wind Orchestra acknowledges that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Coast and Straits Salish Peoples. Specifically, we recognize the Lekwungen peoples known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, and that their historic connections to these lands continue to this day.
Acknowledgements
Lynne York - Poster Design
Brad Hart - Program Layout
Ben Mackie - Blue Marble Video
Paris Ford - Photography
Bruce Dagg - Front of House
Jeff Weaver and Steven Price - Oak Bay High School
Giuseppe Pietraroia - Rehearsal Conductor
Eric Schofield - Climate Action Community Outreach
The Mustard Seed Food Security Distribution Centre - Rescued Food
Dave Sabourin and Tapestry Music - Concert Sponsor
Board of Directors
Dave Flello, Jacqui Poulsen, Melissa Erletz, Norbert Ziegler, Sylvain Lefebvre, Andy Reljic, Janine Webster, Chuck Currie, Greg Sly
Visit meridiemwindorchestra.ca for more information about us including future and past concerts