Howard Dyck

Howard Dyck, CM (born November 17, 1942) is a Canadian conductor and broadcaster. He was born in Winkler, Manitoba. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, he has had a long and distinguished career in classical music.

Howard Dyck
Background information
Born (1942-11-17) November 17, 1942
OriginWinkler, Manitoba,  Canada
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Conductor, broadcaster
Years active1964–present
Websitehttp://www.howarddyck.com/

He is the Artistic Director Emeritus of the Grand Philharmonic Choir (formerly known as the Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic Choir) and chamber singers and is the Conductor Emeritus of the Bach Elgar Choir of Hamilton. He currently serves as the Artistic Director of Consort Caritatis Choir and Orchestra.

Education

After studying in Canada and the United States, he took advanced studies in Choral, Orchestral and Opera Conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, Germany under Prof. Martin Stephani and the Internationale Bachakadamie, Stuttgart, Germany under Prof. Helmuth Rilling.

Professional experience

Howard Dyck's professional career has taken him to eighteen countries on three continents.[1]

He became the Artistic Director of the Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic Choir (later renamed the Grand Philharmonic Choir) in 1972, and served in that role until his retirement in 2010.

He is the co-founder (1994) of Consort Caritatis, a charitable performing ensemble that donates profits derived from musical performances and recordings to various humanitarian causes.

He has led choirs under his direction on eleven international tours, across Europe and to China. He has also conducted a variety of European, Canadian and Chinese orchestras.

Performers under Howard Dyck's direction

Many renowned soloists have performed under his direction. These performers include Sondra Radvanovsky, Karina Gauvin, Ben Heppner, Richard Margison, Michael Schade and Russell Braun.

Broadcasting

Howard Dyck is known across Canada as the former host of the CBC radio programmes Choral Concert and Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. He has also appeared as a freelance television host and commentator on topics that fall in his areas of expertise.

Public speaking

Mr Dyck is much sought after for his public speaking and was master of ceremonies at the Opera Canada Ruby Awards in 2002 and 2003. He gave the keynote address at the national convention of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors in 1990 and 2004, and was the first lecturer of the Slater-Maguire Lectures in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Honours and awards
  • 1990 - Kitchener Waterloo Art Award (Music).
  • 1996 - Ontario Federation Distinguished Service Award.
  • 1996 - Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degrees from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.
  • 1999 - Honorary Professor of Music by the Yunnan Arts Institute in Kunming, People's Republic of China.
  • 2000 - Member of the Order of Canada.[2]
  • 2002 - Awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.[2]
  • 2004 - Received the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors Distinguished Service Award.
  • 2007 - City of Waterloo Legacy of Leaders.
  • 2008 - Waterloo County Hall of Fame.
  • 2010 - Artistic Director Emeritus, Grand Philharmonic Choir
  • 2010 - Conductor Emeritus, Bach Elgar Choir
  • 2011 - Waterloo Region Lifetime Achievement Arts Award
  • 2012 - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal

Published music

Mr Dyck has conducted on a number of CD releases, including:

References
  1. About Howard Dyck, Grand Philharmonic Choir, archived from the original on 2009-08-12
  2. Dyck, Howard, The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, archived from the original on 2011-06-08
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