Leadership

Experienced, Dedicated Children’s Choir Leadership

GERALD VAN WYCK conducted the British Columbia Boys Choir for over 13 years, and is a popular children’s choir clinician and adjudicator across Canada. He is Head of Choral Activities at Vancouver Community College, where he teaches Choir, Conducting, and Music History. He is also Music Director at West Vancouver United Church, and conductor of the Pacific Spirit Choir, West Vancouver’s finest community choir. He has been conductor of the Vancouver Island Opera, and assistant conductor of the Vancouver Island Symphony, and Sinfonia, Orchestra of the North Shore.

His greatest joy is inspiring artistic growth across the generations, whether through a children’s choir, community choirs, church choirs or college choirs. For this he received the 2003 FANS Award for his many contributions to the arts on the North Shore. But he is most grateful for the fact that his wife Cora, and their three children Thomas, Jennifer and Max, have all participated in his choirs and international tours.

CHELSEA EDWARDSON is passionate about working with children’s voices and singing. As a voice student, she has studied many years with Gail Suderman, Marissa Gaetanne and Paula Kremer, and is also experienced in Speech Therapy, attending workshops with noted leaders Shelagh Davies and Dr. Hamish Nickel.

Currently finishing her Bachelor of Music at Vancouver Community College, she also holds a diploma in Vocal Performance from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She has used the skills of her voice lessons with the VCC Madrigal Singers, the Good Noise Gospel Choir, the Orchid Ensemble, and the Kwantlen Chorus and Mad Jazz Ensemble. Chelsea has worked with the Vancouver Bach Children’s Choir, and teaches private voice lessons for children; she is sought after as a voice clinician in the public school system.

Gerald and Chelsea work together with both choirs to make the Pacific Spirit Children’s Choir a positive, respectful, and safe place for parents to send their children.