Biographies

Daniel Warren has held the title of music director, conductor, occasional arranger and soloist with the Kitchener Waterloo Community Orchestra since 1998.

Through his tenure, the orchestra has undergone a significant rise in artistic excellence, size, and viability in the community.

On a personal level Daniel and his wife Rosanne have instilled the love of music and arts in their 2 adult children, one pursuing Theatre, the other Violin performance. He thrives as a music director & mentor to the Orchestra@UWaterloo Alumni and students since 2017.

Daniel served as Resident Conductor of the KWS for fourteen years and more recently, as Creative Advisor and conductor for Orchestra London, Canada. Guest conducting appearances include orchestras and chamber orchestras throughout Canada and the US and at the Westben Arts Festival Theatre. His opera experience includes the standard repertoire as well as the world premiere of “the pencil salesman” by Canadian com-poser Brian Finley. His most recent engagement was “Cendrillon” by Massenet with the WLU opera department.

As a conductor and trumpet soloist Dan has recorded both on CD and live television broadcast. He has toured extensively throughout Canada, the US, England, parts of Europe and Central and South America.

Also active as an arranger, Daniel’s work was recently played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, England. His symphonic arrangements span Classical, Jazz, Broadway and Rock styles and have been performed by orchestras and artists in Canada, the USA, England and Asia.

Bruce Skelton is our concertmaster. Bruce began his orchestra career at the age of 9 with the Georgian Bay Symphony, and later became Concertmaster of the group under the baton of Erna Van Daele.

While attending the University of Michigan to obtain a Bachelor of Music degree, he studied with Jacob Krachmalnick, former Concertmaster of the Philadelphia, Concertgebouw, and San Fransisco Symphony orchestras.

Currently, in addition to his work leading the KWCO and managing the Leith Quartet, he regularly freelances in Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, and Stratford, and maintains a very active teaching studio with more than 40 students.

Michelle Kyle (née Hunchak) is our principal cellist. At age 11, she started cello, and began playing piano professionally for Ukrainian dance groups in Ottawa. At 16, she was assistant principal cellist of the Saskatoon Symphony. Michelle studied cello with Malcolm Tait at Brandon University and Gisela Depkat at Wilfrid Laurier University. She completed a Fellowship diploma from Trinity College of Music and a Master of Music degree at McGill University, both in piano performance, a law degree at Osgoode Hall, and an adult education degree at Brock University.

Michelle has been music director for professional musical theatre in Montreal and Port Dalhousie; co-founder and artistic director of the Heliconian Choir and Orchestra in Toronto and Joyful Voices choir in Listowel; church music leader in Ontario and Nova Scotia; and undergraduate music instructor at McGill University. She has also been a lawyer, web developer at a major bank, certified rock climbing instructor, and adult literacy instructor. She studied German at Uni Wien in Vienna, climbed in the Shawangunks and Adirondacks, rode a CB450T Hawk motorcycle, raced keelboats, and rode her bicycle over 7,200 km across Canada.

Michelle has been principal cellist of the Saskatoon and Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestras, North York Concert Orchestra, Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed as a pianist, cellist, and chamber musician for weddings and special events throughout Ontario for decades. She lives in rural Princeton with her husband and many cats and chickens, teaches Traditional Japanese Reiki for all species with a focus on animals, plays piano with the trio, Tre Gatte, and plays cello with the Waterloo Chamber Players. Michelle plays a fine Canadian cello from the workshop of Jean-Benoît Stensland and Therese Girard in Montreal.

Ann Green, principal violist, holds an Honours Bachelor of Music in Church Music and a Bachelor of Education from Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as a Masters of Music from Western University. She performs as a violist, violinist, organist, pianist, and singer. She was the founding conductor of the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and has acted as Music Director for the Mayor's Celebration of the Arts and Music and Lights in the Village, both of Cambridge.

Ann owned and operated Beyond the Clef Music School in Downtown Hespeler Village for 11 years, where she taught lessons and conducted annual teacher training seminars. In 2005, Ann received The Bernice Adams Memorial Award for Music, recognizing her involvement in the arts. Her string trio, Harmonia, performs at weddings, concerts, and corporate events. She has acted as Music Director of many churches, most recently St. Mark's in Dundas and St. Andrew's Hespeler Presbyterian in Cambridge. Ann teaches privately at her studio, Music at 221 St. Andrews in Cambridge.