Tiro has played tenor saxophone in the Gold Jazz North band since 2016, marking the end of a 27-year hiatus from playing music which in retrospect was far, far too long. He looks forward to working with everyone in the Westwinds organization in the upcoming year, and building on the prior efforts and accomplishments of others in making Westwinds the remarkable organization that it is.

Brendan joined the Gold Jazz South band as their drummer in 2012 and has played percussion in the Wind Orchestra. He also frequently plays as an accompanist for several of the concert bands and choirs. Brendan has always loved and played a variety of music, including performing in rock, metal and jazz bands, and graduated from the Jazz Performance program at Mount Royal University.

Sean Emery has been a part of various Westwinds ensembles since 2017. He has played clarinet in both the silver and symphonic bands and sang tenor with the mixed choir. He appreciates all of the effort that has gone into making the Westwinds organization possible and is excited to have the chance to contribute and to practice the skills he is learning as a U of C business undergrad.

Jane McLauchlin knew at a young age she wanted to be a teacher. Along with growing up in a house full of music, the decision to pursue a career as a music teacher became clear during a Grade 7 band class. Since then, she has had a successful career teaching Junior High School Concert and Jazz Band, Elementary and General Music and African Drumming in Calgary for 30 years.

Although now retired from full time teaching, her school bands regularly received ‘Superior’ rankings, won numerous awards, and travelled extensively throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. She has been guest conductor at the Calgary Summer Band Workshop, for Chinook Winds Junior and Senior Honour Bands and the Northern Alberta Junior High Honour Band as well as adjudicator for the ABA Festival of Bands and the Southern Alberta International Band Festival. She also now serves as Artistic Director for the Vic Lewis Band Festival in Canmore as well as for Westwinds and is a regular clinician and guest conductor for the MRU school music program.

She became involved in the Westwinds Music Society by joining several of the bands to try out life on the ‘other side of the baton’ and plans to continue to participate as a player. She has toured and performed in China and Eastern Europe with Westwinds and has been directing the dedicated and very fun group of adults in the Blue Concert Band since 2018. Jane is honoured to be able to step back into the position of Artistic Director following a one-year hiatus.