Directors

Adam Mailman
Director Band on the Bow and Riverside Jazz

Adam Mailman is the music director of Cochrane Music society’s adult concert and jazz band programs, and the music teacher at Central Memorial High School in Calgary, Alberta.

Adam exemplifies self-improvement through musical growth. His approach to pedagogy focuses on teaching the whole musician, not just the performer. Guest conducting ensembles such as Westwinds concert bands, Valley Winds Concert Band and school ensembles at their band camps and rehearsals is becoming a great joy for Adam, as he shares what he’s learned from his mentors with a wider audience.

Adam is a leader in Calgary area professional learning through organizing professional development events for Calgary teachers throughout the year as part of the Alberta Teachers Association Music Professional Learning Community and the Calgary Board of Education Fine Arts Advisory Council. He performs regularly with the Prime Time Big Band, and the Alberta Winds Ensemble percussion section, where he has been section leader since the ensemble’s inception in 2003.

Adam has studied with Dr. Mark Hopkins, Dr. Dale Lonis, and Dr. Glenn D. Price in pedagogy and conducting, with degrees from University of Calgary (B.Mus, B.Ed) and Acadia University (M.Ed).
Recently, Adam’s school bands have been recognized at Whistler Cantando (Gold and Silver), Alberta International Band Festival (Superior), and the CMS Band on the Bow at Alberta Band Association Festival of Bands (Superior).

Diego Bechthold
Director Choral Waves

Trained as a singer and music director at Trinity Western University (TWU) and the University of British Columbia, Diego Bechthold attained the position as director of Choral Waves in 2012. He undertook conducting studies with Dr. Wes Janzen at Trinity Western, and as a member of TWU choirs had the opportunity to perform with Vancouver Chamber Singers and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and work with choral conductors such as Jon Washburn, Frieder Bernius, and Bramwell Tovey.

Diego has taught both instrumental (both Concert Band and Jazz Band) and choral music at various schools ranging in grades from 1 to 12 for over 20 years, including Banff Community High School, Bert Church High School (Airdrie), East Lake School (Chestermere) and Webber Academy (Calgary). Amongst his ensembles’ achievements include well-received performance tours in Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Kamloops, Revelstoke, and China. His High School Choir students placed first in their regional festival and were invited to perform at Alberta Provincial Choral Festivals, placing in the top 5 in Alberta for five consecutive years. His Jazz Band students developed a tremendous reputation for their musicality and performances, putting on an annual event in Airdrie called Swing City where they would perform three hours of music with dinner and dancing. His Beginner Concert Band students in Chestermere were named the top band at the RVSD Beginner Band Festival for three consecutive years, and his Junior Concert Band students were named the best Middle School Band at the Sun Peaks Music Festival in 2017.

Diego has a deep passion for music and the benefits of music in people’s lives.  His love of teaching music inspires all members of his ensembles to reach their potential regardless of their ability.

JS Ryu
Accompanist

Jung-Suk (JS) Ryu is the CEO of Spirit North, Canada’s largest sport for development organization headquartered in Canmore. Previously, he was the founding President and CEO of the National accessArts Centre (NaAC). An award-winning pianist and recipient of the Royal Conservatory Silver Medal, JS completed his ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory at the age of 13 under the direction of Dr. Mary Tickner at UBC.

In recent years, he has been engaged as an accompanist and music director, working with the Ottawa Symphonic Ensemble, the Cantata Singers of Ottawa, Coro Vivo Ottawa, and most recently, as the Music Director of the Valley Winds Concert Band in Canmore.

In 2019, JS was named one of Calgary’s “Top 40 Under 40” by Avenue Magazine in recognition for his work in the arts. In 2017, he was appointed one of five “Young Cultural Innovators” from Canada by the Salzburg Global Seminar.

Learn more about JS