Piano

Benjamin Gabbay

Benjamin Gabbay is a composer and classical pianist. He holds a Master’s of Music in Composition degree from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, having studied under Profs. Gary Kulesha, Alexander Rapoport, and Roger Bergs. He also holds an ARCT diploma in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Benjamin’s compositions have received recognition by Toronto’s St. James Cathedral (for i thank you God for most this amazing day, one of two winners of the cathedral’s 2018-2019 composition competition), the Amadeus Choir International Seasonal Song-Writing Competition (honourable mention, 2015, for Ave Maria) and the Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Competition (honourable mention, 2017, for Lux Aeterna). In 2018, he was commissioned to write a highlight premiere for the Mississauga Summer Chorale’s end-of-season concert (Requiem l’homme armé). His works have been described by conductors and composers as filling a demand in the Canadian choral scene for compositionally and technically adventurous choral music that still follows in a tradition with mainstream appeal. Through U of T, he has been the recipient of the Faculty of Music Graduating Award (2023), the Lothar Klein Memorial Fellowship (2020), the Gwendolen M Grant Music Scholarship (2019), the Robert and John Elliot McBroom Scholarship (2017, 2018, 2019), the Lobodowsky Choral Scholarship (2018), and the Susan Cale Award (2017).

For more information about Benjamin and his work, visit his website at www.benjamingabbay.com

Laura Pin

Laura Pin has worked extensively as a collaborative pianist playing with many talented soloists and choirs including Maureen Forrester, The Amabile Youth Singers, and The Faculty of Music Singers (Western). She completed music studies at the Banff School of Fine Arts and Western University where she studied with Arthur Rowe and was awarded the Alumni Gold Medal. She also holds an Associate of Music in piano performance from the Western Ontario Conservatory of Music. As a choral accompanist Laura has toured in Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada. Currently she plays for the Harlequin Singers, The Ambassadors Christian Male Choir, Pro Musica of Burlington, and Illumini of The Hamilton Children’s Choir. Laura’s intuitive musicality continues to win the admiration of many soloists, conductors, and music critics.

Greg Walshaw

Greg Walshaw holds the diploma of Colleague of the Royal Canadian College of Organists. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from McMaster University, where he studied organ with Paul Grimwood. He has been organist at St. Andrew’s United Church since 2003, and began a new position there as organist and choir director. Before coming to Brantford, Greg held organist and choir director positions in Hamilton at Laidlaw United Church and King St. Baptist Church. Greg is one of two accompanists for the Brantford Children’s Chorus, and has been the accompanist of The Renaissance Singers since the 2001/2002 season. As a continuo player, Greg has performed with the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, McMaster University Chamber Orchestra as well the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (with the McMaster University Choir). During six years with the McMaster University Choir, Greg served as accompanist for three years, and spent two years as assistant conductor. As a singer, he spent ten years with the Cathedral Church of the Redemer in Calgary, where he also performed several times with the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus. In Ontario, he has sung with the Bach Elgar Choir, the Te Deum Singers, Westdale United Church in Hamilton (as tenor section lead), and Arcady. As a composer, his focus is on music for the church. As most churches tend to have choirs and organs, most of his works are for choir or organ. However, he has composed scores and soundscapes for theatrical productions in Calgary and Hamilton, where he was active as an actor, director and playwright. He worked for two seasons in various capacities at Alberta Theatre Projects and Theatre Calgary, and spent six years as Artistic Director of the Alchemist Theatre in Hamilton