CMU Faculty

Janet Brenneman she/her

Academic Dean; Professor of Music

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Dr. Janet Brenneman is Academic Dean and Professor of Music at Canadian Mennonite University, where she teaches music education and conducts the CMU Singers, the CMU Voices SA, and the CMU Festival Chorus. These choirs feature regularly in performance locally, across Canada, on Golden West Broadcasting, and as guest artists of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. During her time at CMU, the choirs have produced several recordings.

Originally from Ontario, Janet has conducted children’s choirs, community choirs, university choirs and taught elementary music education in Ontario, Michigan, and in Manitoba. Active in the Winnipeg music community, Janet was a conductor for Pembina Trails Voices from 2003-2014, where she conducted the boys and high school men’s choirs, and from 2012-2019, she was the conductor of Renaissance Voices, a chamber choir in Winnipeg that specializes in music of the 16th Century. Currently, she is the conductor of the Faith and Life Women’s Chorus, a community chorus of Mennonite Church Manitoba comprised of women from Winnipeg and regions across southern Manitoba.

Dr. Brenneman earned Bachelor and Master degrees in Music Education from the University of Toronto, where she studied conducting with Dr. Doreen Rao and Dr. Elmer Iseler. She completed a PhD in Music Education from Michigan State University, where she had the privilege of studying with conductor Dr. Charles Smith and music education expert Dr. Cynthia Taggart. As a graduate student, she was awarded the prestigious Sir Ernest MacMillan Award in Music Education for her research and scholarship. Her research interests include gender issues in choral music education, rehearsal pedagogy for the boys changing voice, and inclusive language in the choral rehearsal. In addition, Janet has worked extensively with world-renowned Bach expert, Helmuth Rilling, studying Bach cantatas and coordinating the conductor masterclass for the Toronto Bach Festival from 2004-2007.  These experiences served her well for CMU’s numerous Bach festivals where Janet conducts CMU choirs, alumni, and orchestra in performance of Bach cantatas. In addition, Janet has enjoyed recent collaborations with the Mennonite Community Orchestra conducting Bernstein, Copland, Elgar, and the MB premiere of Leonard Enns’ This Thirsty Land. Conductor and Master Teacher Doreen Rao has described Janet as a “truly gifted and accomplished conductor and teacher [whose choirs] are a new treasure, rare, brilliant and Canadian.” 

Janet frequently embraces the opportunities in the choral music education community across Canada serving as an adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician.  In recent years, Janet worked with choirs from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and in Prince Edward Island. In December 2017, she guest conducted the Elmer Iseler Singers and the Amadeus Choir in a performance of Bach's Weihnachts Oratorium. In 2021, Janet conducted the CMU Festival Chorus and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in their annual performance of Handel's Messiah.

Janet enjoys a busy family life with her husband John Balsillie and their two adult children, Lydia and Naomi. Each year, the family looks forward to spending time on the Severn River in Ontario at the family cottage.

Areas of Teaching

choral performance; music education

Education

PhD, Michigan State University, 2007; MMus, University of Toronto, 1995; BMus, University of Toronto, 1993

Work in Detail

Teaching

• CMU Singers
• CMU Voices SA
• CMU Festival Chorus
• Vocal and Choral Techniques
• Conducting Techniques I
• Conducting Techniques II
• Choral Repertoire and Interpretation
• Advanced Conducting
• Early Musical Development
• Ways of Knowing I
• Decolonizing our Music Learning
• Cultural Perspectives and Critical Pedagogy in Music Education
• Art of Music

Research

2012 – On the Podium: Exploring the Gendered Self-Identity of Women Conductors. In O'Neill, S. A. (Ed.). Personhood and music learning: Connecting disciplines and narratives, Biennial Book Series Research to Practice: Vol. 5. Waterloo, ON: Canadian Music Educators' Association.

2012 – MMEA Philosophy Statement. Manitoba Music Educators Association: Winnipeg, MB

2007 – Footsteps of My Own: Gender Issues that Influence the Formative Experiences of Exemplary Women Choral Conductors. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI

Performance

May 2024 – Conductor, Faith and Life Choirs concert – Manitoba

December 2023 – Director, CMU Festival Chorus for Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Handel's Messiah (Mathieu Lussier, conductor) – Winnipeg, MB 

May 2023 – Conductor, Faith and Life Choirs concert – Manitoba

December 2022 – Conductor, CMU Festival Chorus and Orchestra for Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium – Winnipeg and Gretna, MB 

December 2022 – Conductor, Faith and Life Choirs concert – Winnipeg, MB

October 2022 – Conductor, CMU Singers - Singin' in the Grain fundraising concert for Canadian Foodgrains Bank – Manitoba

May 2022 – Director, CMU Festival Chorus and WSO (Daniel Raiskin, conductor) for Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 

December 2021 – Conductor, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and CMU Festival Chorus for Handel's Messiah – Winnipeg, MB

March 2020 – Director, CMU University Choirs with WSO and Daniel Raiskin (conductor) for Beethoven's Choral Fantasy – Winnipeg, MB

December 2019 – Conductor, Faith and Life Choirs Concert – Manitoba

December 2019 – Director, CMU Festival Chorus with WSO and Jane Glover (conductor) for Handel's Messiah – Winnipeg, MB

November 2019 – Conductor, CMU Singers and CMU Festival Chorus with Mennonite Community Orchestra for MB premiere of Leonard Enns' This Thirsty Land – Winnipeg, MB

May 2019 –Conductor, Renaissance Voices, "A Garden of Song", Winnipeg, MB 

January 2019 – Director, CMU Singers with WSO and Daniel Raiskin (conductor) – Winnipeg, MB

January 2019 – Guest Conductor, Winnipeg School Division Senior Honour Choir – Winnipeg, MB

December 2018 – Director, CMU Festival Chorus with WSO and Daniel Raiskin (conductor) for Handel's Messiah – Winnipeg, MB

April 2018 – Conductor, Faith and Life Choirs Concert – Manitoba

March 2018 – Conductor, Prince Edward Island Junior Honour Choir – Charlottetown, PEI

December 2017 – Conductor, J.S. Bach Weihnachts Oratorium with Elmer Iseler Singers, the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, and Orchestra – Toronto, ON

December 2017 – Conductor,  Renaissance Voices concert – Winnipeg, MB

December 2017 – Conductor, Faith and Life Choirs concert – Manitoba

November 2017 – Director, CMU Women's Chorus in preparation of Liszt's Dante Symphony with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra – Winnipeg, MB

October 2017 – Conductor, J.S. Bach Reformation Concert: Cantatas BWV 79 and 80 with CMU Alumni Choir and the Mennonite Community Orchestra – Winnipeg, MB

May 2017 – Conductor, Renaissance Voices concert – Winnipeg, MB

April 2017 – Conductor, Faith and Life Choirs concert – Manitoba

Applied

Recent Workshops

October 2023 – Co-Presenter of "The Music of Mentoring and the Songs We Share" with Kelsea McLean (PEI), for A Time of Reckoning: Telling the CMU Story, Winnipeg, MB

October 2023 – Clinician, "Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in the Choral Warm Up" at Manitoba Music Educators' Association Tempo Conference, Winnipeg, MB 

October 2023 – Clinician, "Tell Me a Story: Making Music as Conversation through Choral Pedagogy" at Manitoba Music Educators' Association Tempo Conference, Winnipeg, MB 

October 2023 – Workshop, "What does it all mean? Gesture and the Relationship of Sound: Conducting Masterclass" at Manitoba Music Educators' Association Tempo Conference, Winnipeg, MB 

April 2023 – Cinician, Luther College Choir (Regina, SK) at Canadian Mennonite University

January 2022 – Presenter, "Score Study Practices and Techniques" for Forward Thinking (online) 

November 2021 - Clinician, Against the Grain, Gretna, MB – masterclass and rehearsal on Handel's Messiah with Mennonite Collegiate Institute 

April 2021 – Panelist (online), "Think Like an Adjudicator" for Manitoba Choral Association 

March 2021 – Workshop (online), "Vocal Technique and Healthy Singing for Older Adults" (Part Two) for Manitoba Choral Association 

March 2021 – Workshop (online), "Vocal Technique and Healthy Singing for Older Adults" (Part One) for Manitoba Choral Association 

January 2021 – Workshop Presenter, "Singing Behind the Mask and Beyond the Screen" for Saskatchewan Choral Federation (online) 

January 2021 – Juror, CMEA (Canadian Music Educators Association) 2020 National Undergraduate Essay Competition 

June 2020 – Panelist, "Teaching Conducting in a Remote/Hybrid Format" for Choral Canada College-University Roundtable (online) 

May 2020 – Juror, Choral Canada National Awards 

April 2019 – Clinican - Grant Park High School, Winnipeg, MB 

March 2019 – Adjudicator/Clinician, Steinbach Arts Council Choral Festival, Steinbach, MB 

January 2019 –Workshop/Conducting Masterclass, Pembina Trails School Division Music Teacher Professional Development, Winnipeg, MB 

January 2019 – Workshop Presenter, "Conducting Gesture and Relationship with Vocal Technique" at Winnipeg School Division, Winnipeg, MB 

November 2018 – Guest Conductor and Adjudicator, "uSing uSask" at University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK.  

October 2018 – Workshop Clinician, Gordon Bell High School Choir, Winnipeg, MB 

September 2018 – Workshop Presenter, "The Boy's Changing Voice" at National Association for Teachers of Singing Professional Development session, Winnipeg, MB 

August 2018 – Workshop Clinician, "Singing 101: Take a Deep Breath – Foundations of Successful Vocal Techniques for Choirs" at the 30th Annual Conference on Church Music, Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, Psalter Path, NC 

June 2018 – Presenter/Panelist, "Collegiate colloquium: Roundtable discussion/forum for collegiate choral colleagues" at Choral Canada PODIUM Conference, St. John's NFL 

June 2018 – Juror, Choral Canada National Choral Dissertation Award 

April 2018 – Clinician, Linden Christian School Choirs, Winnipeg, MB 

February 2018 – Guest Conductor and Clinician, Sirens (Women's Choral Ensemble), Charlottetown, PEI 

February 2018 – Workshop Clinician, PEI Choral Music Educators, Charlottetown, PEI 

February 2018 – Adjudicator and Clinician, Music Celebration 2018 (St. James-Assiniboia School Division choral festival), Winnipeg, MB 

February 2018 – Workshop Clinician, Pembina Trails School Division music educators, Winnipeg, MB 

February 2018 – Adjudicator and Clinician, Pembina Trails Sings (Pembina Trails School Division choral festival), Winnipeg, MB 

February 2018 – Clinician, Sisler High School, Winnipeg, MB 

January 2018 – Clinician, Windsor Park High School, Winnipeg, MB 

November 2017 – Adjudicator, Manitoba Choral Association ChoralFest, Winnipeg, MB 

November 2017 – Clinician, Swift Current Oratorio Choir and Swift Current Comprehensive High School, Swift Current, SK 

October 2017 – Clinician, Kelvin High School, Winnipeg, MB

October 2017 – Clinician, Gordon Bell High School, Winnipeg, MB

August 2017 – Workshop Clinician, 29th Annual Conference on Church Music, Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, Psalter Path, NC

April 2017 – Adjudicator, Regina Music Festival, Regina, SK 

Recordings

2008 – Conductor, Twilight Live, Collaborative recording of Pembina Trails Voices, Winnipeg, MB

2007 – Conductor and Artistic Director, "hope, faith, life, love...", Collaborative recording of CMU Choral Ensembles, Winnipeg, MB

2004 – Conductor, On Earth as in Heaven, Collaborative recording of CMU Choral Ensembles, Winnipeg, MB

2004 – Conductor, Passages, Collaborative recording of Pembina Trails Voices, Winnipeg, MB

1998 – Assistant Conductor, A Boy Was Born, Collaborative recording of Toronto Children's Chorus, Elmer Iseler Singers, and MacMillan Singers, Toronto, ON

Community

Active Member of Bethel Mennonite Church, Winnipeg

Active member of the following professional organizations:

• Association of Music Adminsitrators in Manitoba
• Manitoba Music Educators Association
• Manitoba Choral Association
• Choral Canada
• American Choral Directors' Association

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