Northwest High School Honor Band

Dr. Gillian MacKay

Gillian MacKay is Professor of Music of the University of Toronto, where she conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches conducting. Gillian has an active professional career as a conductor, adjudicator, clinician and trumpeter. She has conducted honour ensembles throughout Canada and the United States, and is Associate Conductor of the Denis Wick Canadian Wind Orchestra. Dr. MacKay has adjudicated Canadian band festivals at local, provincial, and national levels in Canada. She has conducted honour bands and judged competitions in the US, Singapore, Thailand, and Korea.

Dr. MacKay enjoys presenting clinics and workshops at provincial and state conferences in Canada and the United States, and is known for her work on the relationship between conducting and mime. Currently, she is investigating the application of the Michael Chekhov acting technique to movement and meaning in conducting. Recognized as a conducting pedagogue, Gillian leads the University of Toronto Wind Conducting Symposium each July, and has been the guest instructor at other symposia in Canada and the United States.

Gillian holds degrees and diplomas from the University of Lethbridge, McGill University, the University of Calgary, and Northwestern University.

Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger

Jaclyn Hartenberger serves as Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Georgia where she conducts the Wind Symphony and teaches undergraduate conducting. Dr. Hartenberger received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from The University of Texas at Austin, under the tutelage of Jerry F. Junkin. While serving as a graduate conducting associate, she conducted various ensembles, wrote transcriptions and arranged and charted for the Longhorn Band. She received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of North Texas, where she performed and recorded with the prestigious UNT Wind Symphony. Dr. Hartenberger’s teaching experiences in developing successful award winning band programs at the secondary education levels include serving as Associate Director of Bands at Forestwood Middle School in Flower Mound, TX and Associate Director of Bands at Centennial High School in Frisco, TX.
As an accomplished clinician and guest conductor, Dr. Hartenberger has served as a visiting conductor in concert with the West Point Band in New York; the University of Missouri Wind Ensemble in St. Louis, Missouri; and most recently traveled to Zlin, Czech Republic to work with Larry Rachleff and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic. Dr. Hartenberger has presented professional workshops/clinics that focused on ensemble concepts for the developing performer at the Missouri State Music Educator’s Annual conference; at the Texas Independent School District In-Services, and at the National Association for Music Education – Southwest Division Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Her professional affiliations are the College Band Directors National Association, Texas Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education.