Vocal Workshops

Adèle M. Wilding enjoys a busy career as a professional jazz vocalist, composer/songwriter and music educator. Having studied classical piano, voice and choral singing during her formative years, Adele led a dual career as a performer and music educator for 20 years in the United Kingdom. She was the inaugural Winner of the 2005 BWA Nina Simone Award in London, England. She has performed in venues and festivals in the UK and Western Canada and has collaborated with some of Canada’s finest jazz, blues, soul and gospel artists. From 2017-18, Adèle founded and toured her Caribbean & Blue live music project, performing a fusion of contemporary jazz and Caribbean grooves. Recent performance highlights include the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival (June 2022) and Black History Month Jazz Vespers, Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, Winnipeg (February 2023).

Adèle is passionate about sharing her skills with aspiring musicians. She has taught in a variety of contexts and considers one-on-one instruction and workshops as her favourite learning environments. Highlights of Adèle’s teaching career include contributing a curriculum on vocal improvisation for the UK document, A Common Approach 2002 (Publishers: The Federation of Music Services, The National Association of Music Educators and the Royal College of Music). She was Adjudicator for the Saskatchewan Music Festival (2015) and has delivered lecture series and a Spirituals workshop for the MCMA Outreach Program (2022-23 season).

What is your education?

Among other qualifications, Adèle holds a Master of Arts in Music Education (Institute of Education, University of London) and a Diploma in Jazz and Popular Music Studies (Goldsmiths University, London).

Tell us about one of your fondest musical memories.

Receiving the inaugural BWA Nina Simone Award in 2005 in London, England.

What made you decide to study music?

1. Listening to a variety of musical genres and artists during my formative years.
2. Transforming my own poems into song lyrics.
3. Discovering self-expression through the beauty and power of music.

What would you say to someone who is interested in studying music?

You are never too old to learn!