Our Conductor and Accompanist

Our Conductor, Dr. Joy Berg, assistant professor in music at Concordia University College of Alberta, holds degrees in Piano Performance and Choral Conducting from the University of Saskatchewan, The University of Alberta, and the University of Iowa. Her dissertation focused on the Christmas music of J.S. Bach. She has been a church musician for many years, participated in the Lutheran World Federation hymn selection committee as the Canadian representative, has presented at the ELCiC National worship conference in 2000 and has served the larger church as director of the Leadership Program for Musicians in Small parishes for the Alberta Synod of the ELCiC. Dr. Berg has been a clinician for Choralfest South in 1998 and 2001, an adjudicator of many music festivals throughout Alberta and B.C., in choral, vocal, and handbell areas, and is often a workshop leader for choirs and church music. Dr. Berg was awarded the 2008 Con Spirito Award from the Alberta Choral Federation. She is an active member of the professional group Pro Coro Canada. Joy serves daily as the Chapel Cantor of the Chapel Ministry at Concordia University College of Alberta.

Roxanne Classen, our accompanist holds a Master of Music degree specializing in Chamber Music from McGill University, a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Education degree specializing in Junior and Senior Choral Music and Drama from the University of Western Ontario. Ms. Classen works with vocalists, choirs and musical theatre ensembles. Her credits include Musical Direction of the MacEwan Theatre Arts Program and the Leave it to Jane Theatre Company and music instruction for Theatre Alberta’s Artstrek Program and Citadel’s Foote Theatre School. She teaches music courses for MacEwan College, gives private lessons from her own Grovenor Music Studio and accompanies the Concordia Community Chorus.