Our Staff
Information for Prospective Members of the Guelph Male Choir
Gordon Burnett, Director
Music Director Gordon Burnett maintains an active musical career as a singer, voice teacher and conductor. As a singer, his professional experience includes the Elmer Iseler Singers, Parish Choir St. John’s Elora, Elora Festival Singers, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir and Tactus Vocal Ensemble. He holds a Masters in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Toronto and operates a private voice studio from his home in Waterloo. His primary teaching interest is the “aging voice”.
In addition to the Guelph Male Choir, he has worked with children, youth and mixed-voice adult choirs, most notably, the University of Guelph Symphonic Choir, the University of Waterloo Choir, the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir, Menno Youth Singers, Milton Choristers, Jubilate Singers of North York and the Renaissance Singers (Kitchener). Advanced conducting studies have included work with Elmer Iseler, Jon Washburn, Don Neuen and Peter Phillips.
Mr. Burnett is also part of the conducting team for Guys Who Sing, a male choir in Waterloo Region. This ensemble is dedicated to helping the community through music. Proceeds from the group’s concerts generate funds to support local charitable organizations. This has resulted in fundraisers for House of Friendship, The Working Centre, Chalmers Community Services and Reception House.
In his spare time, he enjoys crossword puzzles, in particular the Sunday New York Times.
Krystyna Higgins, Accompanist
Accompanist Krystyna Higgins was born in Hamilton, Ontario where she began her piano studies, culminating in an ARCT in Piano Performance before finishing high school. She has been active for many years as a teacher, liturgical musician, chamber performer and accompanist. She has collaborated with choirs and soloists both in Ontario and in New Brunswick where she lived for nine years until relocating to Guelph in 2015. Earlier in her career, as accompanist for Kitchener’s Concordia and Music Alive choirs under the direction of Alfred Kunz, she toured in eastern Canada and in Europe. With an M.A. in English, Krystyna also does occasional work as a freelance writer and editor but music remains her first love, especially in a collaborative capacity.