Caroline Olsen, soprano

olsen_carolineSoprano Caroline Olsen is a versatile emerging musician situated in Hamilton. She is soloist with St. James Anglican Church in Dundas and has held similar church positions since 2007. Past professional appearances with choirs in her community include roles with the Bach Elgar Choir, ExperiaMusic, Brott Festival Choir, and the Duet Club of Hamilton.

Currently principal violist of the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, Caroline has been a member of the National Academy Orchestra of Canada for the past three seasons and performs regularly as a freelance orchestral and chamber musician. She has been instructing private students for over a decade and maintains an active studio. When she gets a chance to let her hair down, she enjoys playing in local bands What the Folk and Chroi.

Caroline graduated with the highest honours from McMaster University with degrees in Honours Science and Music. When not performing or rehearsing, she enjoys reading science fiction or fantasy, playing poker, and amusing her cats.

Patricia Warnock, alto

warnock_patriciaPatricia Warnock received both her B. Mus and M. Mus in Vocal Music and Music Education from the University of Toronto. Solo vocal performances include the award-winning Ardeleana Chamber Trio and Oh Canada Eh?! in Niagara Falls. Patricia teaches vocal and choral music at the prestigious Etobicoke School of the Arts. Under her direction, choirs from the school consistently perform at the national level and receive Gold standards from Musicfest Canada and at US and Canadian Show Choir competitions. Patricia is also the former Artistic Director of the Mississauga Festival Youth Choir.

Russell Sweeney, tenor

sweeney_russellRussell Sweeney is an 18 year old tenor from Mississauga. He recently graduated from the Regional Arts program at Cawthra Park Secondary School as a vocal performance major. He is a self confessed choir geek and has participated in many choirs such as the Cawthra Park Chamber Choir, the Ontario Youth Choir, The Queensmen Male Chorus, and The Oakville Children’s Choir’s A Few Good Men. Russell is passionate about many types of music, not only the classical genre. He enjoys listening to jazz, indie and rock music. He also completed his grade 9 RCM in classical piano and currently studies jazz piano. He plays keyboard in his rock band, Jammer’s Waffle House on the side. Some of his non-musical interests include sports, especially football and golf, math and numbers, occasional video games, and reading. He is thrilled to be a part of Musikay!

Paul Hawkins, bass

hawkins_paulFollowing his retirement in 2010 as President and CEO of Bright Prospects International, Paul has committed time toward his passion of performing chamber choral music. After 10 years of singing professionally with The Heartland Chamber Chorale in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Paul has connect and engage with many church choirs, community choruses and chamber ensembles throughout the Greater Toronto/Hamilton area as both a chorale singer and soloist. He is now a Choral Scholar at Christ’s Church Cathedral in Hamilton.

Over the past years, Paul has worked side by side with Musikay’s Artistic Director, Stéphane Potvin, as the Choir Coordinator for the Brott Festival Choir. It is through this working relationship that Paul has become a part of the Musikay family. Paul brings to Musikay a strong business and administrative background in the area of donor and corporate relations as well as concert promotions and sales.

Paul has sung with the New England Conservatory and Boston Symphony Choruses under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, the Stuttgart German/American Chorus under the direction of Thomas Carter, as founding member of Vesper Chorale established by Wishart Bell and professionally with Heartland Sings under the baton of Robert Nance.

Paul now lives in Hamilton with his partner of 24 years along with their rescued long-hair Jack Russell. He is an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton and is actively involved in several community organizations including Prime Timers Hamilton as Board President.

Geoff Ball, bass

ball_geoffGeoff graduated from McMaster University in 2007 with an Honours Bachelor of Psychology and minoring in Music. After receiving his B.Ed. from Nipissing in 2008 specialising in Math and Music, he went on to teach math(s) in England for two years, before returning to Canada. Well settled now in his hometown of Hamilton, Geoff’s focus these days is on music nearly full time: he sings, and plays cello and/or guitar, with no less than six musical ensembles, from folk band What The Folk to the heavier sounds of The Plain Steel, and an eclectic assortment of choir groups, as well as studying cello under Kirk Starkey and working on his own music at home. When not engrossed in musical endeavors, he can be found working as an artists’ model at Sheridan College and Mohawk College, or working on silks routines with the Hamilton Aerial Group.