Cheryl & Darryl Ferguson

Darryl is active as an adjudicator, guest conductor, clinician, and freelance trumpet player and private trumpet teacher based in Regina, SK. For 18 years he taught at Acadia Junior High School in Winnipeg, MB. During his tenure at Acadia, the school's band program consistently received recognition for outstanding performance at festivals across western Canada and the northern United States. The Acadia band program received the George Douglas Award from the Winnipeg International Optimist Concert Band Festival and was the first junior high program to be awarded the Optimist Festival’s Jazz Award. Acadia’s ensembles participated in the Canadian Music Educators’ Association’s performance awards program, in which they were awarded the Robert Rosevear Award for the most outstanding junior high concert band and the Don Wright Award for the most outstanding junior high jazz band performances nationally.  

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He served as a sessional instructor for music education classes and applied trumpet lessons at Canadian Mennonite University. For 12 years he served as the conductor of the Rupertsland Brass Band, an adult community brass band, and has also served as the musical director for the Winnipeg Youth Wind Ensemble. He is the co-director of the Soho Sound Canadian Junior Honour Band through MusicFest Canada, an initiative for outstanding young musicians across Canada.  

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Darryl received a Bachelor of Music (Applied Trumpet) from Brandon University, a Master of Music (Trumpet Performance) from the University of South Florida, and a Bachelor of Education (After Degree) from the University of Manitoba.  

 

In 2021, Darryl was awarded the Manitoba Band Association's Award of Distinction in recognition of his outstanding contribution to music education in Manitoba. In 2018, Darryl was awarded the Fort Richmond MLA Community Hero Certificate for his service in the community. In 2023, he received the University of Manitoba Award for Significant Contribution to Excellence in Teaching.  

  

Darryl has adjudicated at numerous local and regional festivals, including the Regina Downtowner's Optimist Jazz Festival, the Saskatchewan Festival of the Arts, MBA Beginning Jazz Festival and MBA Level One Band Festival. As guest conductor, he has directed many honour bands, including the Manitoba Junior and Intermediate Honour Bands, the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra Honour Band, Canadian Association of Mennonite Schools Junior Honour Band, the Manitoba Provincial Junior Honour Jazz Band, and numerous divisional and regional honour bands.  

 

Darryl is active as a presenter of professional development sessions for teachers, with topics ranging from recruiting and retention, establishing and maintaining a thriving band program, enhancing literacy in the band room, developing student leadership in the band room and techniques for developing a young jazz ensemble. Sessions have been presented for music educators across Canada at divisional, regional, provincial and national professional development events.  

 

As a trumpet player, Darryl’s major private teachers include Henry Christian, Alan Ehnes, and Jay Coble. He has also worked in lessons and/or masterclasses with Vincent Cichowicz, Don Owens, Larry Knopp, James Thompson, Laurie Frink, John McNeil and Ray Sasaki. He has performed with the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble, the Winnipeg Brass Quintet, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the Cambridge Brass Quintet. 

  

Darryl's private trumpet students have demonstrated excellence in performance. His students regularly comprise a large part of the trumpet sections in provincial honour bands. His students have won or placed in major local and international competitions, including the International Trumpet Guild's Youth Competition, Winnipeg Music Festival, Houston Brass Band Competition, Winnipeg Winds Concerto Competition, Manitoba Provincial Music Festival and the MBA Solo Challenge.