RAYMOND BARIL, M.Mus.
Section Head, WindsRaymond Baril is Section Head of the Wind and Brass Department at MacEwan. He is in his sixth season as principal conductor and musical director of the New Edmonton Wind Sinfonia. He has, for the past 20 years, been the director of the University of Alberta/MacEwan jazz ensemble. Prior to his appointment at MacEwan, he taught at Ross Sheppard High School and W.P. Wagner High School and was conductor of the University of Alberta Concert Band. Before that period, he was the Executive Director of the Alberta Band Association, and for many years taught woodwinds, music history and jazz studies at MacEwan as a sessional instructor. He was also a conductor for the Cosmopolitan Music Society in Edmonton for fifteen seasons.
Mr. Baril continues to work as a saxophonist and woodwind player and has performed with Doc Severinsen, the Harry James, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman Tribute Orchestras, Manhattan Transfer, Dionne Warwick and Rod Stewart. He was a regular member of the Tommy Banks Big Band for 25 years and has appeared with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra on numerous occasions. He was a guest soloist with the Edmonton Symphony during 2005 Symphony Under the Sky and in the past two seasons, he was a guest conductor with the ESO for the Enbridge Symphony Under the Sky, the Rexall Symphony for Kids series, the Holly Cole ‘Night Before Christmas’ concert, the AlPac Country series and the 2005 Royal Visit. In 2005, Mr. Baril’s ensembles released two CD’s First Time Out with the University of Alberta / MacEwan Big Band and Among Friends with the New Edmonton Wind Sinfonia. In addition, he has directed pit orchestras for shows such as Sweet Charity, On The Town and Candide.
Raymond attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where he received a Master of Music degree in conducting. He holds undergraduate degrees in both music and education from the University of Alberta. In 2004, Mr. Baril was honored with the “Tommy Banks Award” by The Alberta Foundation for the Arts for his contribution to music and music education. In 2001, he received the “Elkhorn Award” for director of the year by the Alberta Band Association. He was also a recipient of the “Best Teaching Practices Award” from the Alberta Teachers’ Association, a “District Service Award” from Edmonton Public Schools and an “Excellence In Teaching Award” from Alberta Learning.
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