Edmonton Winds

Raymond Baril is Associate Professor of Music and Head of Performance Studies in the Department of Music at MacEwan University. Recently, Raymond accepted the position as Director of Community Engaged Scholarship in the Office of Research Services at MacEwan. He is in his 23rd season as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Edmonton Winds and is in his 6th season as director of the River City Big Band. He has been Director of the MacEwan University Jazz Ensemble for 37 seasons. Raymond remains a much sought after national clinician and adjudicator as well as a featured guest speaker at music education conferences across the country.

Raymond was a regular member of the Tommy Banks Big Band for 25 years and has appeared with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra on numerous occasions as an orchestra member, soloist, and guest conductor.

Raymond holds a graduate degree in conducting from Northwestern University, undergraduate degrees in both performance and education from the University of Alberta. In 2018 Raymond was inducted in the Edmonton’s Cultural Hall of Fame. In 2016 he was recognized with a Distinguished Teaching Award from MacEwan University. In the past, he has been the recipient of many awards for his contribution to music and music education from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Alberta Band Association, Edmonton Public Schools District Service Award and from Alberta Learning.