Music Director James Hawn

James Hawn, Director of Music since 2003, has been active with the Saskatoon Chamber Singers for most of its history, and has been involved with singing and choirs for as long he can remember. Prior to his current appointment as Director, he was a long-time member of the bass section, and served as the choir's President for about ten years. He was also Assistant Conductor under founding director Robert Solem and served as Director for the 1985/86 season. James has also been actively involved in the national and provincial choral communities for over twenty-five years, through the Saskatchewan Choral Federation (SCF) and the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC), including serving for a number of years on both organizations’ boards. In 2006 he was presented with the SCF’s Pro Musica Award, which recognizes "exemplary service to choral music in Saskatchewan."

James was an English language arts teacher for thirty-two years with the Saskatoon Public Board of Education. During that time he also taught some music, was involved in choral and church music, musicals, and drama both in the school system and in the community. He has regularly directed plays and musicals for Saskatoon’s Gateway Theatre and the Saskatoon Summer Players. Actively engaged with the broader cultural sector, he recently completed six years of service on the board (including a year as chair) of TCU Place, and is currently on the board of Broadway Theatre. For five years James was also chair of the Cultural Advisory Committee, the committee of SaskCulture responsible for adjudicating funding to provincial cultural organizations, and he is now an elected member of the SaskCulture board. He continues to teach part time in the Adult Basic Education department at SIAST, Kelsey Campus.

Photo: Shawn Bzdel, 2006