Events

Bradley Thachuk is not only the conductor of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, a leader and visionary in the world of music, but, he is an exciting and passionate speaker.

Bradley Thachuk is the Music Director of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Canada, entering into his 11^thseason as their artistic leader and conductor in September 2021. He is also the Conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s BPO Rocks! series, Conductor and Arranger for Steve Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited” project, and a lecturer in Orchestral Literature at the world-renowned Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

A versatile and diverse musician, Mr. Thachuk has also established himself globally as one of the handful of conductors who moves easily between the classical and rock worlds. He is a highly sought-after symphonic arranger, but he also has the legitimacy and skills as a symphony conductor, which allows him to see a project through from inception to performance. He is quite uniquely positioned in this capacity and has worked with artists in many genres. His work on Steve Hackett’s worldwide Blu-Ray/DVD/CD release “Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live at Royal Festival Hall”, and appearances in Europe with this project have been met with critical acclaim. Recent and upcoming projects include Blue Rodeo, Styx, Dave Mason of Fleetwood Mac and Traffic, Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Bahamas, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars franchise, Tony-Award winning Heather Headley, Sarah Slean, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Beach Boys, and Air Supply.

A native of Toronto, Canada, Mr. Thachuk started his music studies in classical guitar at the age of 5. Having established a performing career by the age of 9, he eventually began studies of the French horn and piano before entering the University of Toronto to pursue his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance as a guitarist. Following graduation, his sights set on conducting and he began the Special Program for Conductors at the University of Toronto. Following studies at the Janacek Academy in Brno, Czech Republic he relocated to Cincinnati to pursue his Masters and Doctorate degrees at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and completed his studies with NHK Symphony Orchestra (Japan), Orchestre de Paris (France), and Tonhalle Orchestra (Switzerland) Music Director, Paavo Järvi.

Tim Jennings, Executive Director/CEO of The SHAW FESTIVAL

A respected and awarded performing arts manager with more than 35 years of international professional experience, Tim Jennings is a passionate social advocate known for his creativity, financial acumen, leadership skills and energy. He joined the Shaw Festival as its Executive Director in the fall of 2015.
Beginning his career in theatre production and management, Mr. Jennings was appointed managing director of Toronto’s Roseneath Theatre in 2000 alongside its artistic director David S. Craig. In 2008, Mr. Jennings was asked to assume the role of managing director at Seattle Children’s Theatre and, in 2011, was recruited to the Tony Award-winning Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis (CTC) – the world’s leading family theatre – as its managing director.
During his time at these organizations, Mr. Jennings increased revenues,
built endowments, created new business alliances to enhance the reputation and scope of the companies, improved artist and artisan working conditions and supported the visionary work of his artistic partners.
In addition to his management accomplishments, Mr. Jennings has taught Theatre Production and Management at Toronto’s Ryerson University and Humber College. He has served on more than a dozen industry boards, including the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) – the national organization for the American theatre – where he held the position of treasurer until July 2018 and was a founding member of TCG’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Institute (established in 2013). Currently, he is a member of Theatre Sheridan’s advisory board, the treasurer of the Board of Tourism NOTL/Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce and a member of the COVID-19 recovery taskforce for TCG. Additionally, he was appointed to the Lord Mayor’s Niagara-on-the-Lake COVID-19 recovery advisory group and regularly collaborates with similar groups regarding arts and tourism across North America.
An astute move by Mr. Jennings to purchase pandemic insurance in 2016 allowed the Festival to keep most of its artists and workers employed during last year’s COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, with the assistance of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), he created the Education and Community Outreach Specialists (ECOS) program and rehired many of the Festival’s independent contractors as summer employees who worked the remainder of the season as ambassadors for The Shaw, creators of online content and artist-educators in education and outreach programs.
Mr. Jennings continues to lead the Festival through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Photo Credit- David Cooper)

Join us to celebrate the Alumni Graduates of our Rotary Youth Programming.

Rotary believes in supporting and developing the next generation of leaders.

Our programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education, and learn the value of service.

This evening will showcase graduates from our Rotary Youth Leadership Award program, Rotary Youth Exchange program, Adventures in Citizenship program, and introduce you to our newly accreditied Interact Club.

Come meet and Celebrate our Youth in Niagara On the Lake.

Join President Ken in our club assembly event.

Stay tuned for furthur details :)