Douglas Dunsmore
Choral Conducting, Voice, Festival and Chamber Choirs
B.Mus. Ed. Saskatchewan
M.Mus. Regina
Ph.D. Wisconsin
Douglas Dunsmore, a Saskatchewan native has been working with singers in Canada for more than thirty years. A choral conductor of national and international renown, he has assumed leadership positions in many major national and continental professional associations for his discipline. His leadership in the regional community has mirrored the success of that activity. He is a founding artistic director of the widely acclaimed international choral festival, Festival 500: Sharing the Voices and a long time builder in significant national organizations including the National Youth Choir. On the podium within the University he has repeatedly brought Memorial choirs to success in national and international competitions and in the classroom he has been strongly influential in the development of the legion of highly successful choral conductors who have helped earn Newfoundland and Labrador the reputation of being "the singing province".
His podium experience includes appearances as conductor/clinician with various provincial choral organizations, festivals and workshop sessions including the Nova Scotia Youth Choir, the New Brunswick Spring Sing, and the Labrador arm of Festival 500. In addition to his presence as regular conductor of the NSO annual Messiah, he conducted the MUN Chamber Choir in first place finishes in the University Category in the CBC (2008) and most recently the ACCC competition for amateur choirs (2010).
Currently, Dr. Dunsmore is Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland’s School of Music (choral activities), choirmaster at Gower Street United Church, conductor of the NSO Philharmonic Choir, and continues as Artistic Director of Festival 500. He has served as Interim Director of the Memorial University of Newfoundland School of Music, and as a Past President of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities. This year in addition to working with the Edmonton Kiwanis festival, he has spent time in Brazil and France investigating opportunities for choral development here in Canada.
