Conductors of the Wellington Winds

Dave Davidson
Founding Conductor

Since graduating from the University of Western Ontario Dave has pursued an active freelance career. Currently, he conducts the Kitchener Musical Society Band and the New Horizons band of Guelph and has also performed in or conducted many local musicals. A long time music educator, he is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician. When not performing and/or recording with Brassroots, Windjammers, and the Slide by Slide Trombone Quartet, Dave freelances, teaches and pursues the solo repertoire for trombone.

Michael Purves-Smith
Artistic Director 1987-2009

Music Director Michael Purves Smith is a member of the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University where he directs the University Wind Ensemble and the baroque programme. Well known as a conductor, adjudicator, composer, arranger and performer, he brings a deep commitment to the development of fine community music-making.

Daniel Warren
Artistic Director 2009-2019

Daniel Warren is Resident Conductor and trumpet in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble. He is in frequent demand as a guest conductor of orchestras across Canada. For a number of years Daniel has also been conductor of the Westben Arts Festival Theatre in Campbellford and of the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Orchestra.

Andrew Chung
Artistic Director 2019-present

Appointed Music Director of the Wellington Wind Symphony in 2019, Andrew Chung also serves as Music Director of the Counterpoint Community Orchestra, Silverthorn Symphonic Winds, and the Mississauga Pops Concert Band. While attending the University of Toronto, he was appointed Music Director of the Pickering Philharmonic Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Andrew has also served as Music Assistant at Opera Mississauga. He has guest conducted the Hart House Orchestra, the North York Concert Orchestra, the Toronto Philharmonia, Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra, Northdale Concert Band, the Toronto Chinese Youth Orchestra, the Mississauga Youth Orchestra, the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, the Hong Kong Symphonic Band, the Hong Kong Youth Symphonic Band and the Hong Kong Chamber Wind Philharmonia.

As an orchestral musician, Mr. Chung served as the principal trumpet with the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, the Hong Kong Youth Symphony, the Asian Youth Orchestra (under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin and Alexander Schneider) and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. He made his solo debut with the Mooredale Festival Orchestra.

Mr. Chung attended the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the University of Hong Kong, the University of Toronto and the University of Freiburg, Germany. His trumpet teachers include Stephen Chenette, Robert Nagel, Henry Nowak, Jeffrey Reynolds and Larry Weeks. He also studied privately with Arnold Jacobs and Murray Crewe. A scholarship from the Centre d'Arts Orford allowed him to study conducting with Raffi Armenian and Agnes Grossman. He has also participated in the Conductors Apprentice Program with the Huntsville Festival of the Arts Orchestra. His other conducting teachers include Dwight Bennett, Tak-Ng Lai and Kerry Stratton.