Large Ensemble Adjudicators
Meet the Large Ensemble Adjudicators for Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festivals
Jodi Proznick | Jazz Band
Two time Juno nominated bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator Jodi Proznick has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s finest jazz artists. She has won numerous National Jazz Awards, including Bassist of the Year in ’08 and ’09. Her group, the Jodi Proznick Quartet, was awarded the Acoustic Group of the Year and Album of the Year in ‘08 and the Galaxie Rising Star at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in ’04. In 2019, Jodi was awarded the Western Canadian Music Award for Jazz Artist of the Year.
In addition to leading her own group, Jodi has performed with many of Canada’s top jazz musicians, including PJ Perry, Don Thompson, Phil Dwyer, Christine Jensen, Laila Biali, Robi Botos, Mike Murley, Dee Daniels and Guido Basso. She is regularly in demand to perform and record with visiting legendary jazz artists including David “Fat-head” Newman, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, Lewis Nash, George Colman, Sheila Jordan, Seamus Blake, Charles McPherson, Harold Mabern, Mark Murphy and Peter Bernstein. Jodi also regularly performs wth her own quartet featuring her husband Tilden Webb on piano and with Triology, which features pianist Miles Black and guitarist Bill Coon.
Jodi has been featured on over 40 albums as a side person. Some of her personal highlights and collaborations have been performing as a featured soloist with the
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Mark Fewer, recording and performing with Michael Buble at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Closing Ceremonies, opening for Oscar Peterson with the Oliver Gannon Quartet and collaborating with artists and ensembles such as Chor Lioni, The Vancouver Chamber Choir, Musica Intima, the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble, Terri-Lynn Williams Davidson with Bill Henderson, guitarist Itamar Erez with Mohammed Assani and Hamin Honari, and the Four Jay’s featuring violinist Jane Blackman, pianist Jane Hayes and saxophonist Julia Nolan.
After completing her B.Mus. at McGill University, Jodi’s deep passion for education lead her to pursue a Masters Degree in Education at Simon Fraser University. She was previously a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Capilano University and currently holds the position as Jazz Department Head at the VSO School of Music and Artistic Director of the Summer Jazz Workshop. In 2019/2020, she was the Manager of Education and Community Outreach for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. She has been a guest adjudicator and clinician at many festivals, colleges, universities, and conferences across North America and recently cofounded a music education arts hub called Music Arts Collective with fellow JUNO nominated composer and educator, Amanda Tosoff and arts administrator Francesca Fung.
Morna Edmunson | Chorale
Morna Edmundson is one of Canada’s best-known choral conductors with a strong reputation for excellence. Based in Vancouver, she is Artistic Director of Elektra Women’s Choir and also EnChor Choir, an auditioned SATB choir. Passionate since childhood about choral singing, Morna obtained degrees and diplomas in vocal music in Vancouver, Bellingham, and Stockholm, Sweden where her teachers included Eric Ericson. Under her leadership, Elektra is a proud leader in the women’s choir community, programming a season of concerts, commissioning, recording, and engaging with women of all ages and their conductors through a suite of outreach programs. For 14 years Morna shared her love of quality repertoire with a new generation of singers in her role as Associate Artistic Director of Coastal Sound Music Academy. Morna has adjudicated in North America and Asia, conducted state honour choirs, co-directed the American Choral Directors Association National Women’s Honour Choir, and gives frequent workshops with choirs of all ages. Her accomplishments have been recognized with the BC Choral Federation’s Healey Willan Award (2000), a BC Community Achievement Award (2009), YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, Arts and Culture category (2011), and UBC Alumni Builder Award (2017). Since 2013, she has served as a Board member of Chorus America, the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that gives voice to the choral field.
Wendy J. Grasdahl | Concert Band
Wendy Grasdahl is a conductor, trumpet performer, educator and adjudicator. Her professional work encompasses teaching at university and college levels across Canada, military band work and private instruction.
As an officer in the Canadian Naval Reserve, Wendy has conducted military bands in Alberta, B.C., Ontario and Nova Scotia. She is in demand as a clinician and guest conductor for school programs, as well as summer music programs, including 12 years at the International Music Camp at the Peace Garden on the Manitoba/U.S. border where she received the Distinguished Service Award for conducting and promoting band in North America. Other awards include: The Faculty Association Excellence in Teaching Award, University of P.E.I.; 2014 City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Citation Award in Arts & Culture. In 2019 the Alberta Band Association awarded her the “Vondis Miller Legacy” Award.
Having appeared as a trumpet soloist and in professional ensembles across Canada, Wendy is a founding member of the brass quintet “Five of a Kind”, and has played Solo Cornet with the Mill Creek Colliery Brass Band. She is the founder, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Festival City Winds Music Society which in 2020 celebrated its 25th season.
Wendy currently teaches Instrumental Conducting and Brass Techniques at The King's University, Edmonton.
She has adjudicated festivals at local, regional, and national levels in 8 provinces to date.
Ms. Grasdahl holds a B.Mus. in Music History from the University of Alberta, an M.Mus. in Trumpet Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Calgary, and a graduate level Fine Arts Diploma in Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble Conducting and Literature from the University of Calgary.