MEET THE ARTISTIC TEAM
Thomas Burton, Artistic Director
Raised in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Thomas Burton is Artistic Director of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Conductor of the Tenor/Bass Chorus at the University of Toronto, and Artistic Director of Durham Region’s RESOUND Choir. Praised for his innovative and eclectic programming as well as his dynamic presence on the podium, Thomas is in-demand nationally as a guest conductor, clinician and educator.
Thomas is passionate about inspiring excellence in performers of all ages and abilities. He has had the privilege of working with such ensembles as the Pacific Chorale, The Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, Pro Coro Canada, the National Youth Choir of Canada, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir. An accomplished choral singer, Thomas has sung with some of Canada’s finest choral ensembles including the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, Voces Boreales, and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale.
Cheryl Duvall, Collaborative Pianist
Toronto-based pianist Cheryl Duvall has established herself as one of Canada’s foremost contemporary music interpreters. Her voracious eclecticism has led to her immersion in a wide variety of compositional aesthetics and collaborative endeavours and imparted versatility, a lucid sense of contour, and an evocative sonic and emotional presence.
Alongside violinist Ilana Waniuk she co-founded the “adventurous and smartly programmed” (Musicworks Magazine) Thin Edge New Music Collective. Since their inception in spring 2012 they’ve commissioned over 75 works, spearheaded imaginative multidisciplinary initiatives including Balancing On The Edge, and joined forces with leading creative performers such as Charlotte Mundy, Jason Sharp (Constellation Records), and Montréal’s Ensemble Paramirabo, with whom they recorded an album.
A dynamic soloist and in-demand collaborator, Duvall has immersed herself in a wide variety of compositional aesthetics and collaborative endeavours. In 2016 her formidable skill and commitment was recognized with a nomination for the KM Hunter Award. Recently, she’s embarked on her second commissioning project to gather concert length solo works from a diverse selection of Canadian composers. The project encompasses the open ended hush of Can/Japan-based composer Daryl Jamieson, Keiko Devaux’s vibrant cascades of colour, the dexterous texture of James O’Callaghan, Jason Doell’s hypnotic introspection, the visceral and immersive electroacoustic textures of Dutch-Canadian composer Lieke Vander Voort, the intimate and ecstatic compositions of Patrick Giguère and Anna Höstman, whose piano music is the subject of her debut solo recording, Harbour (Redshift Records). Harbour has been featured on the CBC radio and was chosen as the #1 Modern Composition Recording of 2020 by UK’s ‘The Wire’ Magazine and was nominated for a Juno for Classical Composition of the Year.
We are proud to have her as a part of the RESOUND Choir Team.
Kai Leung, Assistant Conductor
Kai Leung is a passionate choral conductor, singer, voice teacher, and composer. He is the Artistic Director of the Modern Sound Collective, an organization that provides young choral musicians with accessible opportunities for growth and collaboration. He is also the Artistic Director of Oakville Choral, a dynamic non-audition community choir, promoting choral singing and music appreciation to the communities of Halton and beyond. Additionally, he serves as the Assistant Conductor of RESOUND choir and sings baritone with the TMSingers and the Schola Cantorum of St. Basil’s Catholic Church.
Kai holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, where he studied voice and composition. His choral works have been performed by the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, the Vancouver Youth Choir, the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and many other choral groups around Canada, the United States, and Europe. Kai is the winner of the 2023 Debbie Fleming prize for choral composition, presented by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Kai’s works are available for perusal and purchase on his website and through MSC presents.
Kai is the recipient of the prestigious William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award from the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. This award is presented each year to one graduating student from any stream who is deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of Music. Kai has also been awarded the Arthur Plettner Scholarship, the Richard I Thorman Award, and the Lloyd Bradshaw Prize.
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