University Wind Ensemble Concert

Matthew Lepain is an aspiring trumpeter, conductor and music educator in the Windsor-Essex County area. He is currently in his fourth and final year at the University of Windsor, studying music to obtain a bachelor of music degree. Matthew may be in an early stage of his career but he has already become well known in both the classical and jazz/pop scene. He is an active soloist and performer with many local ensembles including his jazz combo “The Border City Collective”, the University of Windsor Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble, Windsor Regiment Band, Band of the Ceremonial Guard, Arts Collective Theatre Pit Orchestra and many more. Matthew also had the privilege of being a featured soloist and performer with the Windsor Symphony Brass Quintet. In addition, he is currently the conductor of the Essex District High School Jazz Band, and has held the position of assistant conductor of the Essex Community Concert Band. He also volunteers with local schools and music programs like the High School Honour Jazz Ensemble, mentoring young ambitious musicians as well as touring schools promoting the performing arts.

   Matthew is also an up-and-coming composer, music technologist, and multimedia artist. With his musical capabilities and background in computer science, he was invited to become a member of the Noiseborder Multimedia Performance Lab (NMPL). Matthew has passion for contemporary music and incorporating technology into live performance. He is especially interested in generative music and algorithmic composition. He recently finished his first generative system called “Project Scratch”, a max patch that produces an ostinato to be manipulated in real time. After completing his undergraduate degree, Matthew plans to further his music education in performing arts technology. Matt is a student in the trumpet studio of Mr. Ross Turner.
 

Tomi Xhelili, clarinet soloist
Tomi Xhelili comes from a musical family. His father, a well-known clarinettist in Albania, has been his role model and was his first clarinet teacher. He started music lessons at the age of seven, while the first clarinet lessons began at the age of ten. Throughout his life, Tomi has always been fascinated by the sound of clarinet. His interest in the clarinet was cultivated during his teenage years, and further developed when he opted to enrol in the bachelor of music program in Clarinet.

He graduated from the University of Arts in Tirana in 2014, where he also earned the Master in Fine Arts as a Clarinet Major in 2016.  During his time in university he worked with Dr. Fatos Qerimi, who is a well-known clarinettist, conductor and composer in Albania. Tomi has performed regularly as a soloist, chamber, wind ensemble and orchestral musician. In 2014, he competed at the Clarinet Festival “Clarinpro” in Albania and won the first prize. Recently, he performed with the Albanian Young Orchestra in Paris in 2018 as the principal Clarinet.

Since January 2019, Tomi started studying at the University of Windsor in the bachelor of music program (Clarinet Major). His Clarinet instructor is Trevor Pittman, who is developing his clarinet skills and guiding him towards a solo and orchestral career.