Music Composition

Thomas Francis is one of Toronto’s leading pianists and is well known for his extensive background in jazz and soul-based musics. Thomas played with Canadian artists such as Juno Award-winning music icon and jazz vocalist Kellylee Evans, Alexis Baro (Juno-nominated jazz artist), Dan Talevski (MMVA nominee), Melanie Durrant (Juno-nominated R&B artist), KC Roberts & The Live Revolution (Toronto funk band), The Reklaws (CCMA-winning country duo), George St. Kitts (Juno-nominated Toronto soul icon), and many more. 

Thomas completed his diploma in Jazz Performance at Humber College, and bachelor of fine arts at York University. In 2017, he completed his master's in Composition at York where his work focused on the relationship between jazz and hip-hop histories and musics and a new breadth course he created, “Hip Hop: A Study of Blackness.” His works received grants such as the 2019 Special Projects grant by the Toronto Jazz Festival and the 2021 Music Recording Project – EP Category grant from Ontario Arts Council. Additionally, he is well known for his musicianship skills in writing and arranging for strings, having established his own contemporary string ensemble, The Four Strings.  

Thomas is the host of The Jazz Gene, a weekly one-hour show on Toronto’s online jazz radio platform, Jazzcast.ca. Thomas has spent the last five years working as a professor of music at Centennial College and is looking forward to joining Humber’s music program as a full-time faculty member this year.

Justin Gray is a producer, bassist, composer, and educator based in Toronto.

As a producer, recording, mixing and mastering engineer, Justin has worked with artists from across the globe in a diverse range of musical styles (synthesissound.com). As a Dolby ATMOS mix and mastering engineer, Justin is also a leader in the field of immersive audio production (immersivemastering.com).

As an electric bassist, double bassist, and Bass Veena player, Justin performs in a variety of traditional and contemporary musical ensembles from around the world. Additionally, Justin leads his own contemporary world music ensemble, Justin Gray & Synthesis (justingray.ca).

Over the course of his career, Justin has received a number of awards and distinctions, including: nomination for World Music Album of the Year (CFMA 2020), nomination for Best Solo Artist (CFMA 2018), recipient of Emerging Jazz Artist Award (Toronto Arts Foundation 2015), recipient of Shanti Chakravarty Award for Excellence in Indian Classical Performance (York University 2015).

As a performing artist, Justin is proudly endorsed by Godfrey Guitars, Markbass, D’Addario Canada, Radial Engineering, Lava Cable and Source Audio.

Andrew Kesler is an award-winning Canadian musician, composer, arranger, orchestrator and producer based in Los Angeles.  

As a multi-instrumentalist music director and sideman his credits include industry heavyweights David Foster, Pentatonix, Michael Bublé, Seal, John Mayer, Babyface, Jacob Collier, Jennifer Holliday, Tom Scott, Jeff Hamilton, Michael Orland, Sara Niemietz, Dennis Chambers, and two seasons in the America’s Got Talent house band.   

In the studio, Kesler shifts his focus to writing, arranging and producing with established artists including Arturo Sandoval, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Take 6, Lalo Schifrin, The Manhattan Transfer, Siedah Garrett, Mervyn Warren, and Jorge Calandrelli in addition to composing for film & media (“I Wanna Dance with Somebody [2022]”, Netflix, TLC, Comedy Central, Google, Disney, Butter Music, Bigger Story Music, Sony/BMG).  

Often referred to as the "gadget man" for his ability to work seamlessly in many roles, Kesler has credited contributions on hundreds of recordings spanning all genres. Kesler has had the privilege to work with the WDR Funkhausorchester, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, Guy Barker’s Jazz Orchestra, and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.  

Kesler serves on the board of directors for the American Society of Music Arrangers & Composers (ASMAC) and is proud to endorse Nord Keyboards, Fury Guitars, Dingwall Basses, John Pearse Strings and 64 Audio. Kesler received his Bachelor’s Degree with Honors from Humber College in Toronto studying jazz piano and music production and went on to earn his Master’s Degree with Distinction from the University of Chichester, England studying orchestration for film, television and video games.  
 
Kesler has held residencies as a music educator at post-secondary institutions throughout North American and Europe including The Royal Northern College of Music (UK), USC Thornton School of Music (CA), University of Oregon (OR), Humber College (Toronto), McGill University (Montreal), Guildhall School of Music & Drama (UK), Chapman University (CA), and Tiffin University (OH).  

Watch the session video for "Tango de Mango" by Andrew Kesler.

Described as a “self-assured voice” (Barczablog) with a “masterful control over his idiom” (Classical Music Sentinel), Kevin Lau is one of Canada’s most sought-after composers. Awarded the 2017 Canada Council’s prestigious Victor Martyn Lynn-Staunton Award, Kevin’s work has been commissioned and performed by ensembles across North America, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Niagara Symphony Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampa Bay Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Made in Canada, Hannaford Street Silver Band, the Afiara String Quartet, the Dior String Quartet, and the Houston-based River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. His work has been performed abroad in countries such as Denmark, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. In 2021, he assumed the role of Composer in Residence of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.  

In 2016 he composed the score for the National Ballet of Canada’s full-length ballet Le Petit Prince, featuring choreography by NBOC Principal Dancer Guillaume Côté. His second ballet (Dark Angels), commissioned by the National Arts Centre Orchestra and also choreographed by Côté, was described as “riveting” (Ottawa Citizen) and “extraordinarily accomplished and expressive” (Artsfile). One of his most recent large-scale works, an oratorio-film hybrid (Bound) commissioned by Against the Grain Theatre, was hailed by the Globe and Mail as “a brilliant creation.” 

Kevin’s discography includes two JUNO award-winning albums: Detach (Redshift, harpist Angela Schwarzkopf) and Mosaïque (Ensemble Made in Canada.) Other albums include Solo Seven (ATMA Classique, violinist Marc Djokic), which won Best Album at the 2020 East Coast Music Awards; the JUNO-nominated Spin Cycle (Centrediscs, Afiara Quartet and DJ Skratch Bastid); and Encount3rs (Analekta, National Arts Centre Orchestra.) His recent composition Little Feng Huang is featured on the album Lumena (Redshift, Topaz Duo) which was voted among the “best 22 classical albums of 2022” according to CBC. 

Born in Hong Kong, Kevin received his doctorate in 2012 from the University of Toronto under the supervision of Christos Hatzis; shortly after, he was appointed Affiliate Composer of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra till 2015. He is also an active film composer, and has written the scores to over a dozen films, including Charles Officer's acclaimed documentary Invisible Essence: The Little Prince (2018). 

Watch the Toronto Symphony Orchestra perform Kevin Lau's "For Home."

Rebecca Pellett is an arranger, orchestrator and composer living and working in Toronto, Canada. She arranges extensively for symphony orchestra; her work has been featured by premiere orchestras across the continent, including the Cincinnati Pops, Houston Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. She is an enthusiastic collaborator, arranging and orchestrating for a vast variety of artists and ensembles including Rosanne Cash, Joe Henry, Common, Ron Sexsmith, Adam West, George Takei, the USO, Aoife O’Donovan, Measha Brueggergosman, Natalie MacMaster, the Leahy family, The Barra MacNeils, Sarah Slean, The Rankin Family, Sultans of String, Hawksley Workman, Rose Cousins, Chris Hadfield, David Myles, Dan Mangan, Jenn Grant, Stars, Whitehorse, Kuné, Matt Andersen, & Ria Mae. Rebecca has also been commissioned to write original works for many prominent Canadian ensembles and artists, including Quartetto Gelato, Colin Maier, the Sultans of String, and the Viceroy Brass Ensemble. 

Rebecca has significant experience orchestrating for the screen, and has worked with many iconic filmmakers and composers, including Norman Jewison, Dan Petrie, Don McKellar, Guy Maddin, Jonathan Goldsmith, and Michael Small. Also at home in the recording studio, Rebecca has worked as an engineer and producer on many notable recording projects; she was an engineer on eight Toronto Symphony Orchestra recordings, one of which was nominated for a Juno award. 

Recently Rebecca has written several pieces which will bring to the stage books published by Scholastic and Penguin Random House. In 2022 a recording of her new composition inspired by Bobby Orr's children's book, Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates, and featuring narration by Peter Mansbridge, was released.

A staple in Canada’s music scene for over three decades, versatile, veteran vocalist Yvette Tollar has performed for audiences across Canada, the United States, Europe and South America. Yvette’s CD, Ima, was nominated for a JUNO Award (Best Vocal Jazz Album). Known for her velvety rich tone, keen musical instincts and soulful delivery of the lyric, Yvette transports audiences to unexpected places and keeps them coming back for more. She is a featured vocalist on numerous recordings including those of Canadian jazz, soul, folk and world music elites such as Elizabeth Shepherd, Michael Occhipinti’s Shine On project, Kevin Breit, John MacMurchy, Marito Marquez, Maryem & Ernie Tollar, Dominic Mancuso and Rich Brown’s Rinsethealgorithm. Yvette has shared stages with jazz masters Sheila Jordan, Dave Holland, Kenny Werner and Don Thompson. Tollar has composed, produced and sung extensively for film, television and radio. She has been the recipient of numerous grants, scholarships and awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, FACTOR, Banff Centre, Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council which awarded her the illustrious Chalmers Arts Fellowship. Inspiring generations of young musicians for over 25 years, Yvette has taught voice, piano, songwriting and ensemble performance. As well, she has acted as advisor for recording projects, coached audition hopefuls, conducted masterclasses and workshops, and offered detailtd and insightful feedback as a sought-after adjudicator. Uplifted by her personalized and passionate approach, Yvette’s students have gone on to nominations and coveted wins at The Grammy Awards, JUNO Awards, Canadian Country Music Awards, Indigenous Music Awards, Dora Awards, and more. Since 2015, Yvette has been a faculty member at Humber College where she has taught numerous subjects in the Bachelor of Music, Music Composition and Introduction to Commercial Jazz programs.