Hello! My name is Dawn Deschamps, I’m an Elder from the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement, where I lived for many years with my husband and sons. Although an Elder, I consider myself a longtime learner and believe that everyone has good within them and a lesson to teach. I hope that by offering my guidance at Banff Centre, I can bring out the best in others and show them that they are capable of anything they set their mind to in their journey.

Joanna Gladue, Kihêw Iskwew (Eagle Woman), is a proud Cree woman from the Treaty 8 Bigstone Cree Nation whose healing work is deeply rooted in culture, creativity, counselling and community. With over a decade of experience as a trauma therapist, she weaves art therapy, somatic movement, and Indigenous knowledge systems through a two‑eyed seeing lens, witnessing powerful transformations as clients reconnect with cultural identity, expression, and ancestral strength. 

Joanna’s own healing has been shaped by powwow dancing, beading, drumming, singing, and teachings learned through ceremonies, round dances, powwows, and cultural gatherings. A dancer and former dance instructor, she honours movement and artistic creation as vital pathways to wellness and cultural continuity. Currently in her first year of her PhD in Psychotherapy and Counselling, Joanna continues to advocate for culturally grounded, land and art-based healing practices. She is grateful to be sharing her passion for the arts and culture with the Banff Centre for the Arts.

Richard Tognetti is Artistic Director and Lead Violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He has established an international reputation for his compelling performances and artistic individualism.

Richard performs on period, modern and electric instruments and has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras as director or soloist. In 2016 Richard was appointed the first Artist-in-Residence at the Barbican Centre’s Milton Court Concert Hall and he was Artistic Director of the Festival Maribor in Slovenia from 2008 to 2015.

Richard’s arrangements, compositions and transcriptions have expanded the chamber orchestra
repertoire and been performed throughout the world. He curated and co-composed the scores for the ACO’s documentary films Musica Surfica, The Glide, The Reef and The Crowd & I, and co-composed the scores for Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Tom Carroll’s film Storm Surfers. Richard collaborated with director Jennifer Peedom and Stranger Than Fiction to create the award-winning films Mountain, which went on to become the highest-grossing homegrown documentary in Australian cinemas, and River, which won Best Soundtrack at the ARIA, AACTA and APRA awards.

Richard was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010 and was made a National Living Treasure in 1999. He is the recipient of seven ARIA awards and in 2017 was awarded the JC Williamson Award for longstanding service to the live performance industry. He plays a 1741-44 Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù violin on loan to him by the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
 

Nandini Purandare is the Honorary Editor of The Himalayan Journal and President of The Himalayan Club in India. She treks in the Himalaya and writes for the Avehi-Abacus Project, a collection of children's curricula. Nandini Purandare along with Deepa Balsavar founded The Sherpa Project to collect oral histories of the Sherpas of Darjeeling.  Their research and interviews resulted in the award winning book  Headstrap: Legends and Lore from the Climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling which won the prestigious Boardman Tasker Award in the UK and the  Climbing Literature Award in Banff.

Muse Ye is a collaborative pianist, curator, and artistic leader, passionate about connecting with people and exploring humanity through collaboration. Highlights from growing up in New Zealand include being a national finalist in the New Zealand Chamber Music Competition, playing with the Christchurch Symphony orchestra, and touring the country with national choirs.

She relocated to Singapore for her Bachelors degree in piano performance and there she found further creative outlets for expression such as co-producing an original jukebox musical and curating a concert for the senior cohort.

She then moved to Ithaca, New York, to pursue a Masters in collaborative piano and subsequently a second Masters in vocal performance, where she curated concerts and performed across multiple continents.

Muse holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan, studying with Ana María Otamendi and Martin Katz. Her doctoral work includes research on New Zealand composer Jenny McLeod, a recital program of arrangements dedicated to folk songs, spirituals and well-known classics, and the production of In Search of Her, an interdisciplinary exploration of womanhood through the music of Jake Heggie and Gabriel Fauré.

Kristin Berardi and James Williams are two artists with a vision: Cultivating songs anchored by the deep roots of gospel and jazz, drawing vital nutrients from the rich soil of their musical craft to create a meaningful work grounded in storytelling and connection. This new body of work aspires to inspire, uplift and facilitate surrender and heartfelt resonance. BerWillDirt is a budding partnership of culture transplants. Berardi, an award-winning vocalist from Australia, now residing in Switzerland. Williams, a heavily sought-after touring/session drummer from the USA, now residing in Belgium. Both know the balancing act of migration, integration, and parenting while artists - each with two kids of their own. Lived experiences surround the music: making mistakes, learning, trying again, loss, love - all the many facets of what life brings us. They long to offer to others what music has given to them: a safe place to feel and be one’s self.

Julia began her musical journey on violin at age four in Albany, South Western Australia. A childhood immersed in the music of many world cultures, travel and adventure, undoubtedly influenced her musical trajectory. Julia completed Bachelor of music at the University of Western Australia under renowned violinist Paul Wright, and Masters of Research on violin at Edith Cowan University under internationally acclaimed violinist Alexander Da Costa. Julia’s Masters research focused on the collaborative possibilities of Western Art Music, particularly Baroque repertoire, and Middle Eastern musical traditions. Julia trained with today’s leading artists of Tango in 2019, from Buenos Aires, attended Silkroad Ensembles’ Global Music Workshop, and studied with David Darling of Guildhall, London in the art of Classical improvisation. Julia attended a residency at Banff Centre for Creativity, Canada, where she developed her project Subdued performing Bach’s D minor Solo Partita alongside Persian Radif. In 2019 Julia furthered her studies in the Persian Classical system, attending lessons with Kamancheh Master Shervin Mohajer in Tehran, Iran. Julia performs with Perth Symphony Orchestra, Australian Baroque, WA Philharmonic, and Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, and has performed nationally and internationally including tours within Australia, Southeast Asia, Europe, USA and China.

Julia is Artistic Director of Ebnima Ensemble, exploring intersections of Middle Eastern and Western Art Music in a multitude of cross-cultural creations that have been delighting and inspiring Perth audiences since the group’s creation in 2021.

Contemporary harpist Elisa Thorn (pronounced eh-lee-sah) makes music that drifts between folk, pop, jazz, post-rock, and experimental traditions—music she likes to think of as good bath-time listening.

Rooted in curiosity and accessibility, her practice embraces unconventional sound worlds while inviting listeners in with warmth and openness. An avid collaborator, Thorn has spearheaded projects including Gentle Party, HUE, and The Giving Shapes, and has contributed to recordings and performances with artists such as Haley Blais, Ora Cogan, Loscil, Khari McClelland, Wallgrin, and Mauvey.

Thorn is currently focused on her solo project, which debuted with her album xiik in November 2025.

Jamie Thompson is a multidisciplinary musician, photographer, and member of the Royal Conservatory Flute Faculty since 1994. He founded the acclaimed Urban Flute Project leading to ten seasons of Post-Industrial Classical performances with The Junction Trio at St. Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto.

Recent performances include appearances at X Avant, Exit Points, NFA Flute Convention (Chicago), and New Music Concerts’ Flutes Galore! under the direction of Robert Aitken. Jamie has premiered works by Canadian composers including the music of Patricia Morehead, Brian Abbott, and Frank Horvat, and chamber works dedicated to The Junction Trio by John S. Grey.

Co-editor of the RCM Syllabus and Overtones Series, Jamie adjudicates regularly for major festivals such as Kiwanis, Canadian Contemporary Showcase, and the Indian Summer Music Awards (Milwaukee). He is also a featured speaker at institutions such as Ivey Business School, Sheridan College, and UofT’s Rotman School of Management Creative Industries lecture series.

His photography has been exhibited at CONTACT, Nuit Blanche, and Audiopollination. Recent interdisciplinary collaborations include The Daughter’s Grimoire Literary, publication of 20 Artists 20 Answers, and guest appearances with Ten Tellers at the 2025 Toronto International Storytelling Festival.