Music Directors
Meet the maestros behind the music, whose expertise and passion drive the artistic excellence of our ensembles
Richard Carnegie
SYO Music Director
A double bassist by training, Richard Carnegie is passionate about teaching young musicians and has served as music director of the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra (SYO) since 2009.
Under his leadership, the SYO program has seen the addition of a chamber orchestra, conducting classes, a composition contest for young Saskatchewan composers, an annual concerto competition, expanded enrolment and a unique partnership with the University of Saskatchewan Department of Music.
A dedicated teacher, he has been an instructor of double bass at the University of Saskatchewan, and from 2014-2018 Richard taught with Sistema Saskatoon, an after-school program for students in grades 3-8 which focuses on the the ideal that every child should have the opportunity to enrich their lives through music and teamwork.
His birth certificate says he’s from Ontario, but Richard has called Saskatchewan home since 2006 after studies at the Manhattan School of Music (New York) and the Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School (Toronto) with Timothy Cobb and Joel Quarrington. He became the principal Double bassist for the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, and served in that position until 2022.
As a double bassist, Richard has performed solo recitals and had appearances with Prairie Virtuosi, Elixir Ensemble, Ritornello Festival and the YouTube Symphony in Sydney, Australia.
Richard has been invited to guest conduct the Saskatoon Symphony on five separate occasions for Pops and Family series concerts in repertoire ranging from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Suite to the music of Frank Sinatra and Astor Piazzolla. He has also served as guest conductor at summer music programs including the International Music Camp and the Regina Summer Strings.
In 2013 he was named one of CBC Saskatchewan’s Future 40, a list of 40 leaders and change makers in the province.
Bernadette Wilson
Saskatoon Strings Music Director
Bernadette Wilson has been conducting the Saskatoon Strings since 2002. She has founded other groups such as the ‘Saskatoon Suzuki Cello’ program, the cello choir ‘Molto Cellissimo’, and under her direction the Mesh String Quartet won first prize at the Canadian Music Competitions in Toronto in 2004.
Bernadette has a B.A. with high honours as well as a B.Ed. with great distinction, both from the University of Saskatchewan. Before becoming a professional musician, she taught both music and French for five years in the Saskatoon School System. Bernadette studied cello for seven years with Gary Russell of the Montreal Symphony and with Janos Starker at the Banff School of Fine Arts. Her teaching skills were further honed through extensive training in the Suzuki Method. Piano was her first instrument, and she makes frequent use of those skills to accompany her cello students.
Bernadette has been a member of the Saskatoon Symphony cello section since 1976, and teaches cello to students ranging in age from 4 to 75. The growth in her students’ skills and musicianship has been a source of joy and satisfaction for her. From her Suzuki training Bernadette learned that you are “never too old and rarely too young to study and enjoy music.”
In addition to her dedication to music, Bernadette has a passion for palaeontology. She has collected fossils all her life, and has donated many of her finds to the University of Saskatchewan Geology Department. Before starting her family, she spent seven summers working in the field for the Royal Tyrrell Museum, and one summer for the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. When her two children left home, she took geology classes in the morning, and earned a degree in geology. She resumed palaeontology field work as a volunteer with the McGill Palaeontology field team, the University of Edmonton team and the East End Museum team.
Bernadette has two children; Robin, a cellist and professional animator, lives in Nanaimo and has two children. Heather has a Masters’ degree in music performance from McGill University. She is presently teaching violin and viola, performing and completing an Education degree. Both Robin and Heather were members of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Bernadette is the proud grandmother of two girls.
