Sing Summer Guest Conductors 2025

Sherryl Sewepagaham

Sherryl Sewepagaham, a dynamic Cree-Dene artist from Little Red River Cree Nation, Northern Alberta, blends her heritage with artistry, composition, and education. She is a doctoral student in ethnomusicology and devoted over two decades to music education from kindergarten to grade 6, infusing Indigenous musical traditions. Her compositions enrich Cree narratives celebrated in national choir commissions and international performances with the acclaimed trio, Asani.

Julia Davids – Artistic Director

A founding member of the Canadian Chamber Choir and its Artistic Director since 2003, Dr. Julia Davids has led the ensemble on concert and workshop tours of every province, and conducted four recordings including their Juno-nominated 2015 release, Sacred Reflections. Born in London, Ontario, she grew up singing in the Amabile Youth Singers, the Ontario Youth Choir, and the National Youth Choir, for whom she was the first Apprentice Conductor. She is currently the Stephen J. Hendrickson Professor and Director of Choral Activities at North Park University in  Chicago, Illinois. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of choral conductors and committed to giving emerging and established Canadian composers a forum for their work. 

Mark Ramsay is Coordinator of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor in Music Education at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music. He teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is the conductor of Western University Singers. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (Choral Conducting) and a Master of Music (Choral Conducting) at University of Toronto under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, and a Bachelor of Music Education (Piano) from University of Prince Edward Island.

Mark is the Artistic Director and Conductor of Toronto’s award-winning Exultate Chamber Singers. In recent years, the ensemble has been invited to perform at Podium: Canada’s national choral conference and festival, recorded their sixth album At First Light at the Glenn Gould Studio, and was named first place winner in the adult mixed-voice chamber choir category in Choral Canada’s National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs. Under his leadership, the organization has created programs to support both young conductors and composers, and has commissioned sixteen new works by Canadian composers.

As a writer and researcher, Mark’s work has been published in the official publications of Choral Canada, American Choral Directors Association, Canadian Music Educators’ Association, and Kodály Society of Canada. He has also contributed to three books from GIA Publications. In 2022, Mark co-developed the “Choral Connections” column for the Canadian Music Educator journal in collaboration with colleague Dr. Tracy Wong. He has also worked as a recording assistant for the Canadian Chamber Choir on their two most recent albums, Where Waters Meet with featured artist Sherryl Sewepagaham, and Seasons of Life and Landscape.