uSing uSask Choral

Dr. Adam Jonathan Con | 簡仁翰

Adam was born and raised on the traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. As a 4th generation descendent of the Chinese Diaspora in Canada, he is grateful to be able to embrace his rich cultural and spiritual lineage while living and working as a guest on the beautiful traditional lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples in Victoria, British Columbia. 

Dr. Con is Associate Professor of Music at the School of Music housed in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. He currently serves as co-head of Music Education and conducts the 170-voice UVIC Symphonic Chorus which serves all majors of the university from first year to doctoral students, staff, faculty and a long-standing Victoria community participation. Dr. Con supervises Graduate Choral Conducting, and serves as graduate faculty supervisor for the accordion applied area.  His undergraduate teaching duties include music education foundations and methods courses and the Faculty of Fine Arts ADEI (Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) course.  At the university level Adam serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Curriculum and has recently completed 2 years as Acting Associate Dean for the Faculty of Fine Arts. Each fall and spring Adam coordinates all the music and student musicians for UVic’s convocations as well as serving as convocation organist.

Adam taught for 15 years in the Surrey and Vancouver School Districts as well as at York House Senior School before pursuing his Ph.D. in Choral Conducting and Music Education at The Florida State College of Music. As Director of Choral Activities and Head of Music Education, Dr. Con worked at Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, and California State University Long Beach.  A respected music educator, choral conductor and teacher of choral conducting, his invitations to perform, conduct and present keynotes and workshops include: Foro Coro Americano in Argentina, I Foro Internacional De Educación Musical in Mexico, HCES Music Festival in Australia, Podium Choral Conducting Symposium, ISME The International Society for Music Education, the Canadian GALA Conference, the Canadian and the American Orff-Schulwerk Conferences, the Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia Provincial Music Educator’s Conferences, the British Columbia Choral Federation, the Unitarian Universalist Musicians National American Conference, the Ohio and Georgia State Music Educator’s Conferences and the American Choral Directors Association. 

In 2016, Adam completed for the BC government, one of the most comprehensive surveys and studies on the State of K-7 Music Education in British Columbia and in 2021, he completed his role as principal researcher for the National Coalition for Music Education and the document: Everything Connected: A Landscape of K-12 Music Education in Canada.