Short Version:
Dr. John Wiebe is an accomplished conductor, pianist, educator, adjudicator, and clinician based in Edmonton, Alberta. He currently serves as the Director of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Alberta, Augustana Faculty, in Camrose, AB.
For over two decades, John was the Artistic & Executive Director of the award-winning Edmonton Youth & Children’s Choirs, a testament to his sustained leadership and impact in youth music. His extensive musical education includes studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Alberta, with renowned conductor Frieder Bernius in Stuttgart, Germany, and in Vienna, Austria.
Under his dynamic leadership, choirs have released eight CDs, toured extensively across Canada and internationally, and consistently received accolades for their exceptional performances. John is deeply passionate about fostering connection and community through shared singing experiences, notably through the development of two “town & gown” choirs at Augustana Campus.
A sought-after expert, John regularly serves as a clinician and adjudicator nationwide. He is a current member of the Choir Alberta board and a Past-President of Choral Canada. Outside of his demanding musical schedule, John enjoys staying active by traveling with his family and running.
Long Version:
Dr. JOHN WIEBE is an award-winning choral conductor, pianist, orchestral conductor, singer, educator, adjudicator and clinician from Edmonton Alberta. Known for the energy, craftsmanship and passion he brings to his music making, John has multiple recordings, awards and broadcasts to his credit.
After completing a B.Mus.-Honours in Piano Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University John moved to Edmonton to complete his M.Mus and D.Mus in Choral Conducting. His conducting teachers include Leonard Ratzlaff, Debra Cairns, Malcolm Forsyth, Noel Edison, Howard Dyck, Frieder Bernius, and Salvador Mas Conde. His numerous awards include the H.Leslie Staebler Award for Piano Performance; Beryl Barnes Memorial Award; Gordin Kaplan Graduate Award; William Rea Scholarship and the Province of Alberta Graduate Fellowship. John’s conducting mentorship has a significant international component – in 2000 John studied with Frieder Bernius (Stuttgart, Germany) at the Manitoba Summer Choral Academy (one of only six active conductors chosen from across North America) and in 2002 was awarded the Johann Strauss Foundation Scholarship for Study in Austria, which allowed him to study orchestral conducting at the Wiener Meisterkurse (Vienna, Austria) with Maestro Salvador Mas Conde.
John Wiebe completed his doctoral studies at the University of Alberta in 2006, where his dissertation focused on the choral music of Carl Czerny, a 19th century Biedermeier composer. This dissertation research has resulted in numerous awards (Andrew Stewart Memorial Graduate Prize for Doctoral Research (2005); University of Alberta Dissertation Fellowship (2005); Austrian Canadian Council Dissertation Prize (2008)), publication by the University of Rochester Press (2008), and presentations (Alberta Music Conference 2007, University of Regina 2011).
John is the Director of Music and Choral Activities at the University of Alberta – Augustana Campus, and for 21 years was the conductor of the Edmonton Youth Choir, and the Artistic & Executive Director of the Edmonton Youth & Children’s Choirs. Choirs under his dynamic leadership have recorded seven CD’s, been heard many times on CBC Radio, performed coast-to-coast across Canada and around the world (Europe, Russia, South America and China), and have received awards for their performances locally, nationally and at the Langollen Music Festival and the World Choir Games. John has presented numerous conference sessions at PODIUM, the national conference for Choral Canada, and at Music Conference Alberta.
Dr. Wiebe is active in the choral community as a clinician and adjudicator for events as diverse as the Western Canadian Music Awards, the National Youth Choir Apprentice Conductor Program, Kiwanis Music Festivals, Federation of Canadian Music Festivals, and chair of the Edmonton Arts Council Grant Jury. John has served on numerous boards, is a current Choir Alberta board member and is a Past-President of Choral Canada, the national service organization for the Canadian choral community. When not busy making music, John enjoys spending time travelling with his family and running.
