Festival North Opening Celebration

With over three decades of dance experience, Alessandra Delaporte comes from a blended family of Macedonian and Métis heritage. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet & Contemporary Dance from Simon Fraser University and a Masters  in Ecological Education, Ali has been teaching interdisciplinary arts courses to all ages British Columbian schools for the last 12 years. Deeply connected to her roots and culture she loves to share stories, songs and dance just like her ancestors. 

A father and son extravaganza of guitars, fiddle, singing and absolute fun!  8-year old Oscar has been on stage with his dad for more than half his life. Clint has been in the music business for over thirty years, toured the planet and played for countless artists but this duo is the highlight of them all. This show will be a fun celebration of music and amazing playing, family and humour.

"Jeremy Berkman... turns phrases into characters with eloquent tone and smooth line in Underhill’s stunning Trombone Quintet…” - Elissa Poole (Globe and Mail)

A graduate of Juilliard School of Music as well as Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music (with degrees in music and economics) trombonist Jeremy Berkman currently plays with and leads the education and community engagement efforts of Vancouver’s award winning Turning Point Ensemble (TPE). He performs with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, One Two Trio (Brass Trio), and large jazz ensembles led by Jill Townsend, Daniel Hersog, and John Korsrud. With TPE, Jeremy has co-led a number of large scale collaborations and in 2011 was honoured with Vancouver’s Mayor’s Arts Award (Music). His most recent musical passion is music from the 16th and 17th century, which he plays on a sackbut made in 2020 by BC brass instrument maker Andrew Clark inspired by various instruments from the 16th century. He has contributed to over 40 commercial recordings, and is featured in Still Image (music of Owen Underhill on Centerdisc). With The Peggy Lee Band he has recorded five cds, toured nationally and internationally, and as a band member been nominated for a Juno Award. A student of Tim Atherton, Thomas Cramer, and Per Brevig, Jeremy taught for 30 years at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Jeremy's students have become successful professional performers, educators, and most importantly more passionate listeners.  Jeremy's first visit to Orchestra North was in 2017 as part of a collaboration with Turning Point Ensemble, and he is very happy to be working to develop a new project with Roxi Dykstra and Orchestra North for which this year's visit will hopefully advance!

Hyeonbeen is a Korea born violist currently pursuing her master’s degree in music performance at the University of British Columbia’s School of Music. Her music education began at the age of 7 on piano and at the age of 12 she had her first exposure to the viola from a community youth orchestra.

Hyeonbeen has earned her bachelor’s degree at UBC School of Music with high distinction under the tutelage of Marina Thibeault. She is currently studying with Ryan Davis, newly appointed assistant professor of viola at UBC School of Music. Hyeonbeen is a recipient of many awards and scholarships including a bronze medal at the 2023 Vancouver International Music Competition. She has previously participated in summer music festivals such as VSO Institute at Whistler in 2018, VSO Virtual Institute in 2020, and the Domaine Forget in 2023. She has performed in multiple masterclasses and has played for many artists such as Emerson String Quartet, Viano Quartet, Ivo- Jan Van der Werff, Lynn Ramsy, and Jennifer Stumm. As an aspiring young musician, she wishes to contribute to her communities with the healing and uniting properties of music.

To build community we are inclusive in drum ceremony as we use it to learn and promote Indigenous and Dakelh languages, knowledge, cultures and histories.

Cellist Isidora Nojkovic is an active soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. Praised for her "great control" (Chicago Classical Review), she has a passion for contemporary music and commissioning, having premiered over 50 works, and is one half of the contemporary violin/cello duo Orbit (“the new cross-continental duo to pay attention to.” – Classical Post). A founding member of Varo String Quartet, she also performs regularly with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Illinois Symphony, Vancouver’s Turning Point Ensemble, and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. She has completed two tours with Lincoln Center Stage, performing in twenty-two countries as part of a piano quintet. 

Isidora is currently cello faculty at Millikin University in Illinois and coaches chamber music for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. She is a graduate of University of Ottawa (BMus.) and Manhattan School of Music (MMus.). 

Kent Dykstra  (B.Ed. Trinity Western Univ., M.Ed. Univ. of Alberta) is the music teacher and principal at Credo Christian High School, Langley, BC. He trained as a youth in both violin and piano, and has served as church organist and choir director. From 2000 to 2008, Kent successfully built a band program at Parkland Immanuel Christian School, Edmonton, which sent groups on tours to BC, Manitoba, and Ontario. His passion is composing and arranging music for his students, for both band and stringed instruments, especially based upon the Genevan Psalms. He released three CDs of Genevan Psalms arranged for string orchestra.

He has been the director of the Reformed String Camp in Canada for seventeen years.

Former concert master of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. Delgado-Guevara has held principal positions in several orchestras in United States, Latin America,and Europe. 

Trained as a violin and viola pedagogue by Mimi Zweig, and Karen-Michele Kimmet, Mr. Delgado-Guevara has worked as part of the Gifted Young Violinists at Andrews University in Michigan.

José Delgado-Guevara is a trained composer as well as conductor. He is also a visual artist. Currently Mr.Delgado-Guevara runs his own private string studio as well as painting and composing. 

Jordan Daviel (M.Mus. Cello Performance, Univ. of Ottawa, B.Mus. Composition and Theory, Univ. of Victoria, B.Ed. Music, Univ. of British Columbia) has been working as a professional musician and educator since 2003.  He held the position of principal cellist with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra for seven years and director of the Prince George Conservatory of Music for four years before transitioning to teaching music in public schools for the last twelve years. 

Currently, Jordan is the music teacher at Smithers Secondary School, teaching concert band, jazz band, rock band, marching band, choir, and musical theatre.  He enjoys performing with his own jazz combo as well as other groups around town and has been directing the Smithers Community Band for the last nine years. 

Concert violinist Dr. Calvin Dyck wears many hats ​(literally and figuratively). He is in his 25th season as Concertmaster for the Vancouver Island Symphony (Nanaimo), and is in demand as an adjudicator for music festivals across the country. Calvin is the Artistic Director for Oceanside Classical Concerts, the Artistic Director of the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra, has a teaching studio with 25 students, and is a busy producer with his company Songs, Strings and Steps Events Ltd.  In his spare time he runs a Christmas tree farm in Mission.
 
Calvin has his Doctor of Musical Arts (in violin performance) from the University of Southern California​ with minors in conducting, music education and music history.  He has produced 4 CDs which help raise money for Communitas, a charity which supports people living with disabilities.

Highlights from the past few years include producing concerts with the Celtic Tenors, Barrage, and Cirque Musica. In 2012 Calvin was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to the community and in April 2013 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities by Trinity Western University. In 2024, Calvin was awarded the “Order of Abbotsford” to recognize his work with youth.

Roxi Dykstra (Doctorate Kunstuniversitat Graz, Austria, Masters, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Dance Lyon, France, M.Mus. Univ. de Montréal, ARCT Piano) has been working as a professional musician since 2004. She held the principal viola position of the Prince George Symphony for three years, an assistant principal viola position in the Orquestra do Norte in Portugal, and a permanent full-time position at the National Portuguese Orchestra (with the national opera at the historic Teatro Sao Carlo). She performs chamber, orchestral, and solo work across Europe and Canada, including with the Vancouver, Toronto and Okanagan symphonies and with chamber ensembles in the area, and most recently, has been filling in for concertmaster for the Prince George Symphony. 

​An enthusiastic northerner, Roxi works hard to promote musical opportunities and musical excellence in the north. She is the founder and co-director of the Orchestra North Summer Program, and director of its Academy program, which is committed to developing professional development opportunities for northern professionals and emerging artists from across BC.

​Roxi has extensive experience as a teacher, director and workshop host- she has been a Royal Conservatory of Music instructor for over 15 years, adjudicates with the British Columbia Performing Arts Festival Association, as well as on many occasions directed bands, choirs and orchestras, including most recently in 2021, a production of Peter and the Wolf with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. She is also the artistic director of the Spirit of the North Classical Music Festival which typically brings dozens of classical concerts annually in August to Smithers and area.