Kokopelli - Canada
Founded in 1996, Kokopelli is in its twenty-seventh season in 2022-2023. As the flagship ensemble of the Kokopelli Choir Association, Kokopelli has received first and second place rankings consistently on the Canadian national festival stage. The choir also placed first in their division in the CBC/Choral Canada Competition for Amateur Canadian Choirs in 2015. Kokopelli has received several awards for its work with youth, music education, and its African Projects Fund. While Kokopelli takes pride in these accomplishments, the choir's focus remains centered on creating a learning experience for young singers while providing audiences with exciting and innovative musical performances.
Kokopelli has been a featured ensemble at many events both nationally and internationally. These include the Rocky Mountain National Music Festival, Podium (the biennial conference of Choral Canada), the Canadian Music Educators National Conference, the regional conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the International Society of Music Educators (ISME) conference, and others. In addition to performances in many North American cities, the choir has toured to Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Malaysia, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, and Zambia.
Scott Leithead is the founder and Artistic Director of Edmonton's Kokopelli Choir Association and TIME Association. He has been invited to conduct provincial and state honour choirs on twenty-five occasions and he has presented workshops in North America and beyond. Notable appearances include: adjudicating the Tampere International Festival in Finland; conducting the 2013, 2015-2019 Ellison Canadian Honour Choir; and headlining the 2017 University of Toronto Summer Conducting Symposium. He has adjudicated both the ACCC National Competition for Amateur Canadian Choirs and the Kathaumixw International Choir Festival (2014 and 2016). Under his direction, Kokopelli was the winner of both the 2015 CBC National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs and both the 2015 and 2016 Canadian National Music Competition. In the summer of 2019, Kokopelli was invited to perform at the IFCM World Choral Expo in Portugal, where they represented Canada on the world stage. Also in 2019, Kokopelli was featured on an episode of CTV's "The Amazing Race Canada”.
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 2008–2009, 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. In February 2023 he will conduct the ISSEA Mass Choir in Johannesburg South Africa featuring international schools from across the African continent.
Scott is a longtime member of the advisory committee for the Canadian Rocky Mountain Music Festival. He is also past president of the Braille Tone Music Society and three additional national boards in Canada, as well as the National Youth Music and Art Development Foundation of South Africa.
Scott was awarded Choir Alberta’s top honour, the Richard S. Eaton Award, in 2015. He also received Edmonton’s Salute to Excellence award in 2016. He has also been awarded the Syncrude Award for Innovative Direction.