The Ottawa Chamber Players Brass Quintet Members
Cynthia Yuschyshyn(Trombone) has been a professional musician and educator since 1981. Her early performing experiences include performing with the Foothills Brass Quintet based out of Calgary Alberta and several freelance dance and concert band engagements. She attended the University of British Columbia (UBC) and studied orchestral trombone in the performance program at UBC. In addition to various ensembles within the university, she also performed with the Vancouver Academy orchestra and the 15 Field Artillery Band based out of Vancouver. She performed with the Band of the Ceremonial Guard for and attended a summer session in the brass studio at the Banff School for Fine Arts. After a very inspiring summer, the Signature Brass Quintet was founded, resulting in numerous engagements throughout the National Capital Region including functions for External Affairs, bridal shows, and several summer festivals. She moved to Montreal in 1996 to obtain her Masters degree in trombone performance in chamber music. Her great adventures there led her to play with the 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron Band based out of St. Hubert as well as the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces based in Ottawa, Ottawa Symphony, and various chamber ensembles in the National Capital Region. In addition, she has found many opportunities to perform in Kingston, Brockville, Ottawa and Perth as a trombonist. Balancing performing and teaching is the perfect opportunity to share a love of performing with the public and to share her conducting and performing skills she has acquired with very talented and enthusiastic students.
Christa Lowry (Trumpet) worked and studied in Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto, Christa Lowry has returned to the Ottawa area where she is a sought after teacher, clinician and performer. She holds a Bachelor of Music from McGill, an Advanced Certificate in Performance from the University of Toronto and a double Masters Degree in Performance from Laval University. Christa also completed advanced studies at the Domaine Forget Music Academy and at the Banff Centre. Performing on both modern and baroque trumpets, Christa has performed with the symphonies in Ottawa, Gatineau, Kingston and Quebec City as well as many ensembles throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Christa was a founding member of the Toronto Brass Quintet and has performed with local chamber ensembles such as Thirteen Strings and Capital Brassworks. Christa has recorded for the Analekta label as well as TSN and has been broadcast on CBC Radio and Radio-Canada.
Lynn Peterson (Trumpet) has been performing in the Ottawa area since 2012. She is currently the second trumpet player of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. Lynn has performed with numerous orchestras throughout Ontario, including the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. In Toronto, she was principal trumpet of the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. Lynn was also one of the founding members of the Sneak Peak Orchestra, designed to promote the works of up and coming composers. Lynn has enjoyed a varied musical career. After joining the Canadian Armed Forces in April 2004, Lynn spent two summers performing daily for thousands of tourists in the Band of the Ceremonial Guard. From 2008 to 2013, she spent her summer months teaching reserve musicians of the Canadian Armed Forces at the Music Training Centre at Base Borden. Lynn began her musical studies in Ottawa with Robert Oades. She later attended the University of Toronto to study with Barton Woomert and graduated with her Bachelor of Music Performance. She studied with Andrew McCandless while attending The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music for her Artist Diploma. Lynn is currently working on completing her Master of Music Performance at the University of Ottawa where she studies with Karen Donnelly. She recently received her Master of Information Studies from the University of Ottawa and is currently a librarian for the Government of Canada.
Dr. Keith Hartshorn (Tuba)-Walton has had a chance to play in a wide variety of settings, exploring new sounds and venues for the tuba. From 2005 – 2008 he was a full time member of Calgary’s Foothills Brass Quintet, touring North America, and has also played with the Edmonton Symphony and Ontario Philharmonic Otchestras. An advocate for jazz and for improvisation on the instrument, his experience includes performances with Peter Turner, the Ratchet Orchestra, the Lemon Bucket Orkestra, The Boxcar Boys, Acid Brass, R. Murray Schafer’s outdoor opera “The Enchanted Forest” and his own small ensemble collaborations. Since relocating to Ottawa in 2015, he has played with David Renaud, Petr Cancura, Zakari Frantz, and is the Sousaphone player with Mike Essoudry’s Bank St Bonbons.
Guy Edrington (French horn) has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player across Canada, the United States and in Europe and on a CBC national radio French horn recital broadcast. He was principal horn for the Thunder Bay Symphony, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Touring Orchestra, the Shaw Festival and for Les Misérables in Toronto at the Royal Alexandre Theater for 2 years. As a free lance musician he has played with 3rd horn National Ballet of Canada, 3rd horn with the Canadian Opera Company, extra and Wagner Tuba with the Toronto Symphony, 4th horn with Hamilton Philharmonic, the principal horn with the Regina Symphony, 3rd horn with the Esprit Orchestra, prinicpal horn with the Toronto Chamber Players, 3rd horn with the Ontario Place Pops. In Ottawa has played in the Les Misérables production at the Centrepoint Theatre, principal horn in Pucinni’s La Bohème with the Pellegrini Opera. He has performed at the Aviation Museum, the War Museum and in many recitals and churches. Guy graduated from Florida State University where he studied horn with Dr William Capps and Froydis Ree Wekre In Oslo Norway. In Toronto he was a graduate of the Music Performance and Communication Program from the University Of Toronto where he also studied horn with Eugene Rittich.