Roy Menagh, Music Director of the Orillia Wind Ensemble

After a thirty year career in music education and school administration which spanned Canada from Toronto to Yellowknife and Inuvik in the Northwest Territories to Prince Edward Island, Roy continues to contribute to community musical life in Orillia. He has led community bands, musical theatre shows, choirs, and student groups. While in the Northwest Territories, Roy was the recipient of the Commissioner’s Award for Public Service for bringing music performance to northern communities and developing community and school music programs. He has encouraged many amateur performers to go beyond their musical expectations and produce musically pleasing results, while maintaining a recreational tone in rehearsals and performances.

In recent years with the Orillia Wind Ensemble, Roy has prepared concerts with many professional performers, including composer and conductor Howard Cable, conductor Gino Falconi, clarinettist Peter Stoll, trumpeter Stuart Laughton, euphonium player Curtis Metcalf, accordionist Joseph Macerollo, French horn player Joan Watson, and this year, trombonist Alistair Kay. Collaborations with the King Edward Choir and the Lyrica Choir from Barrie, and the Jubilee Chorale and the Orchard Park school band from Orillia have been highly successful.  Commissions by Jeffrey Ryan, Walter Buczynski, and Bruce Sutherland were also performed under Roy’s musical direction.

Roy’s goal for all of his musical endeavours is performance excellence in a recreational context.