Scott Leithead is the founder and Artistic Director of Canada's Kokopelli Choir Association and TIME Association from Edmonton, Alberta. He has been invited to conduct provincial, national and state/ACDA honour choirs on twenty-six occasions and he has presented workshops in North America, Africa, Europe and beyond.
Scott has a passion for music from southern Africa and he has been invited to work with choirs in South Africa and Namibia on numerous occasions. In 2008/09, Scott was on sabbatical in Namibia where he worked with the Mascato Youth Choir and many other choirs in southern Africa. Scott’s passion for innovative and unique choral music experiences has shaped the direction of the Kokopelli Choir Association.
Scott is a longtime member of the advisory committee for the Canadian Rocky Mountain Music Festival and the Cantando Festivals. He recently founded a new festival - The “Canada West Music Festival” scheduled to have it’s inaugural event in Kelowna in April 2020. Scott is the six-time director of the Ellison Canadian Honour Choir and he has adjudicated world choral competitions such as Finland’s Tampere Festival and Canada’s Kathaumixw.
This season Scott will guest conduct the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra with the River East Transcona School Division Mass Choir in October and the Ellison Canadian Honour Choir in Calgary in May. He will adjudicate the Ontario Vocal Festival and the Cantando Festival. He will present workshops with choirs in 7 provinces over the course of the year.
Scott has lead the Kokopelli Choir Association to first place finishes at the Canadian Music Festival and the CBC Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs. Under his direction the choir has been featured at Podium, ISME, Regional ACDA conferences and they recently returned from Portugal where they represented Canada in the prestigious IFCM (International Federation of Choral Music) 2019 World Choral Expo.
In 2015 Scott was awarded the Richard S. Eaton Award of Distinction in recognition of exemplary service in the Province of Alberta by Choirs Alberta. He was also awarded the Edmonton Salute To Excellence Arts and Cultural Citation Award that same year.
