We are pleased to introduce you to the fantastic folks who will be searching for the person whom God is calling to become our next Director of Music. The wardens and I have recruited a team whose backgrounds and experiences capture the depth and breadth of our St. Clement’s community. We invite you to pray for us, as we seek to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Harold Redekopp
Harold was born in Winnipeg (1942) into a Mennonite family with his father, the minister of a Mennonite Brethren Church, his mother, and 5 siblings. Faith, coupled with plenty of church attendance was the dominant theme of early home life. Harold was the only one of the siblings who early on demonstrated an interest in music. His mother – who had managed to scrape together enough money to buy a used upright piano before she married his father – saw to it that Harold began piano lessons at around age six. And with that, he may have sensed, intuitively, that music was destined to be a major interest and influence in his life.
After completing high school, Harold attended the University of Manitoba where he completed his B.A (1963), M.A (1968) and B.Ed. (1970). At the same time, he also earned three Organ performance diplomas – AMM (Western Board), ARCT (Royal Conservatory of Music) and ARCCO (Royal Canadian College of Organists).
In 1966 Harold was fortunate to marry Erna DeFehr, a fellow Winnipeg Mennonite. Shortly thereafter Harold was appointed Organist-Choirmaster at St. Stephens Broadway United Church – a position he held for seven years.
In an unexpected, surprise development in 1973, Harold was hired by CBC Radio in Winnipeg as a music producer. This fortuitous event marked the beginning of a deeply rewarding 32-year career at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Within three years Harold was transferred to Toronto. In 1981, Harold was appointed Head of the CBC English Radio Music Department. Seven years later he was appointed the Regional Director of Radio & TV in Alberta. Then In 1992 he was transferred back to Toronto as VP of all CBC Regional Operations. Next, he was appointed VP of the CBC English Radio Network. Finally in 2001, Harold was appointed as EVP of CBC English Television. He retired from the CBC in 2006.
Following his retirement from CBC, Harold has kept busy including as consultant to the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas, as President & Co-Chair of the Governor-General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation, President of the Kingston Symphony Orchestra & the Dean’s Warden at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral, Kingston.
Avila Lotoski
Avila Lotoski is a dedicated piano educator committed to working with students of all abilities. Avila emphasizes foundational and advanced technical abilities, effective practice strategies, and encourages students to connect their learning and lived experience to musical interpretation. To support a fuller understanding of music, she teaches her students music theory, history, composition, and improvisation. She maintains an active piano studio in Toronto and at the University of Guelph, working with students in-person and virtually. In the summer, she offers outdoor music composition camps. To satisfy her musical curiosity, Avila learns piano works by living and women composers.
Jayne Walter
Jayne Walter has been attending St Clement’s Church for a little over a year, and has greatly enjoyed the community and music at both the 9:30 and 11:00 services. As she moved frequently with her family during her youth, she had the pleasure of experiencing a wide variety of praise and worship music at many different denominations of churches, from the brass band stylings of The Salvation Army in Kitchener, to more contemporary worship at Tokyo Baptist Church, to traditional choral works as part of Pax Christi Chorale right here in Toronto. With her musical background and deep faith, she is looking forward to being part of the committee to select the next musical director at St Clement’s Church.
Mark Wettlaufer
Before attending St. Clements, Mark spent 40 years at St. Ansgar Lutheran until closure, and was involved in the successful search for a music director in 2019. He was educated at Western and Harvard, and has held senior roles at TD Bank and Fidelity Investments Canada. Cultural interests include playing the organ and piano. Fun facts: Tom Fitches was a guest organist on many occasions at St. Ansgar after his retirement from St. Clements. St. Clements was blessed to have Tom as Music Director for 43 years. St. Ansgar organist Bill Weldon, covered some events for Tom at St. Clements.
Chris Lewis
I joined the St. Clement’s choir in 2011 to be closer to my mother Joyce, who had been singing with the choir for many years. Before that, I had not been in a church choir, nor attended church regularly, since my days as a boy soprano. I later sang with the Queen’s University Chorus, the Victoria Choral Society, and the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, before taking what amounted to a 20 year pause from choral singing. I have worked in admin support, and volunteered, with three Taoist charities in Toronto, since 1989.
As we have been blessed with such an extraordinary music program at St. Clement’s, for such a long time, it is impossible to measure its full meaning to us. But this I know to be true. In our Eucharistic Prayer on Sundays, we are enjoined by our Leaders to lift up our hearts. And we respond by saying “We lift them to the Lord". Music plays an important part in helping all of us at St. Clement’s, and beyond, to do just that.
Rosalee Jackson
My journey at St. Clement's began in the fall of 2014. From the start, I felt welcomed into a supportive community that encourages personal growth and shared values. I’ve been especially inspired by the outreach work at St. Clement's. Through various ministries, this community demonstrates care and hope, making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Over the years, I’ve been actively involved in many aspects of life at St. Clement's. I’ve served as a warden, participated in the refugee committee, and most recently acted as an ambassador for our Giving for Growth Campaign. This role gave me the opportunity to engage with many community members, reaffirming how fortunate I am to be part of such a vibrant and caring place.
Lance Wiliford
Lawrence Wiliford is a celebrated, music educator, and entrepreneur dedicated to connecting people through vocal music and storytelling. He is the Managing Director, Co-Founder, and Co-Artistic Director of the Canadian Art Song Project (CASP), which champions Canadian art song through commissions, performances, and recordings. Under his leadership, CASP has commissioned over 20 new works and released seven acclaimed albums, including Summer Night (2020 JUNO-nominated), dedicated to the art songs of Healey Willan, and Known to Dreamers (2024), which highlights works by Black Canadian composers and writers.
Internationally recognized as a performer, Wiliford has collaborated with conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Helmuth Rilling, Matthew Halls and Nathalie Stutzmann, and has been lauded for his performances of works by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Britten, and others. His extensive discography includes a JUNO award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated recording with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and several acclaimed art song and oratorio projects.
Wiliford holds degrees in Church Music (B. Mus, St. Olaf College), Vocal Performance (M. Mus, University of Toronto), and Media Production (M. Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University), and is an alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. Born in Michigan, he was a member of the American Boychoir School and a founding member of the Minnesota-based male vocal ensemble Cantus.
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