Artistic Director Ian Juby’s encyclopedic knowledge of repertoire, skillful and respectful leadership are a huge factor in the success of the Kingston Choral Society.

Ian has been with the organization for 27 years, first as Chorus Master, and now as the Artistic Director. Ian began his career as an award winning vocalist, studying Western University in London, Ontario. While at Western Ian was a member of the Faculty of Music Singers and the newly formed Opera Workshop. He studied choral conducting with Lanse MacDowell, Deral Johnston, Gerry Summers, Wayne Strongman and Wayne Riddell, and with Joseph Flummerfelt at the renowned Westminster Choir College in New Jersey.

Ian retired from a 30-year teaching career having groomed award-winning choirs, bands and musical-theatre students in high schools across Eastern Ontario. He was music director for the annual Kinsmen musicals at the Grand Theatre, and is the founding Artistic Director of the Kingston Capital Men’s Chorus. Over four summers, Ian travelled to Europe as director of the North Lakeshore Chorus, Canada, and he maintains an active voice studio in Kingston.

Emily McPherson is a teacher, conductor and performer from Napanee, ON. She holds a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Ottawa, where she studied under Andrew Tunis and Frederic Lacroix, and had the opportunity to perform for renowned artists such as Andre Lapalante, Anton Kuerti and Amy Lin.

While in Ottawa Emily’s love of choirs flourished as she accompanied the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir and the St. Joseph’s Parish Choir, and was also featured as a soprano soloist with the Capital Chamber Choir, with whom she was a founding chorister. During her Masters, Emily made a special study of Art Song, focusing on the collaborative relationship between pianist and singer under the direction of Donna Brown. She was also the recipient of the University of Ottawa Choral Direction Scholarship, having studied with Lawrence Ewashko. 

Emily has been the accompanist and conductor of the Antigonish Choral Ensemble (N.S.) as well as the assistant conductor for the Nova Scotia Children’s Choir Camps. Upon returning to Kingston in 2015, Emily founded the Kingston Youth Choir, who since have received numerous invitations to perform with other local choirs, professional chamber music and opera ensembles at the Isabel Bader Centre and youth orchestras in the Ontario and Quebec regions.  She has been a collaborative pianist with Queen’s University and maintains a busy piano teaching studio. Emily is the Assistant Conductor with the “She Sings!” Women’s Choir, leads the youngest Cantabile singers  and is thrilled to have taken on the role of Assistant Conductor with the Kingston Choral Society. Emily also enjoys making music with her husband and two young children.