Welcoming Shane Guse as the New Director of ICE

Aug. 13, 2024

Join us in welcoming Shane Guse as the Director of our Improvisation Convergence Ensemble (ICE) for the 2024-2025 year!

Shane, an educator at the Laurier Academy of Music and Arts, is celebrated for his achievements, including five Canadian Country Music Association Fiddle Player of the Year awards and his induction into the Canadian Country Music Association Musicians Hall of Honour. She will also be teaching Improvisation courses.

We invite you to audition for ICE in the upcoming school year—whether you're a music major or non-music major. For audition details, visit this link.

We also wanted to extend our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to Kathryn Ladano, who has been the driving force behind ICE for the past 13 years. Under Kathryn's leadership, ICE achieved major milestones, including:

• Four Unique Silent Film Projects: Original, improvised soundtracks for films like Nosferatu (2012), Metropolis (2016), The Phantom of the Opera (2018), and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (2023).

• Collaborative Performances: Partnerships with York University’s Improvisation students and the University of Guelph Contemporary Music Ensemble.

• Innovative Collaborations: A 2016 project with Laurier Brantford's Game Design and Development students.

• Original Opera Production: The creation of "Entropy," an original opera through a devising process in 2024.

Thank you, Kathryn, for your dedication and visionary leadership. We look forward to the new adventures that Shane will bring to ICE!