Christene Gordon B.A., B.Ed., M.Sc. (ARCT – Performer voice)

After 20 years working in senior leadership with the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and
Northwest Territories, Christene retired in February 2024.

In addition to her work in the field of dementia care she has had over 30 years
experience as an educator; specializing in program design, development and delivery in
various settings including the Calgary Board of Education, Calgary Zoo, Calgary Health
Services and Heritage Park.

Musically her tastes lean towards classical, opera and musical theatre and she would
travel anywhere to hear Bryn Terfel, Cecilia Bartoli or Elaine Fleming. Her hobbies
include travel, gardening, baking for friends and family and walking her beloved border
terriers, Caper and Reiver.

She joined ARC in 2010 and found herself singing and loving every second of the
eclectic repertoire that the ARC choirs perform. She served on the ARC board executive
from 2013 -2019, with terms as Vice President, President, Past President.

Robyn brings to ARC over 25 years of experience in the charitable sector in event and project management, fund development, and leadership roles. She has enjoyed serving a variety of causes, including arts and festivals, animal welfare, women and children's services, professional associations, and disability supports.  She even spent 2013-2018 as ARC’s Executive Director!

 

There is music in the genes on both sides of her family and she remembers singing into the mirror as a kid, wholeheartedly believing she could be the next Olivia Newton-John. Her 2 years spent with Up With People primed her to be a member of ARC - though “Uppies” don’t call it choreo, they call it vamping! Robyn has no favourite songs but can never pass up a good show tune or a harmony with The Indigo Girls.

According to her siblings, Gail sang before she talked. Not surprising as the 4 older siblings were always playing piano or playing their records. Her parents enrolled her in dance lessons at age 6 and she adamantly exclaimed that she “didn’t want the slow dancing, just the fast dancing with the noisy shoes!” The tap dancer was born!

At 12, Ms. Kennedy auditioned for the local summer stock theatre in Helena, Montana, singing America the Beautiful. Her audition was successful and she sang and danced as a town child in her first musical Brigadoon. She continued to study drama, music, and dance through high school and university, eventually with a secondary education focus. Jobs for high school drama teachers weren’t to be found, so Gail pivoted sideways and started sewing costumes for the professional theatres in Edmonton. She was sought after as a makeup specialist and was given a grant by the Alberta Government to pursue film and television makeup and makeup effects artistry in New York State.

Ms. Kennedy has worked as a professional makeup and makeup effects designer and supervisor in Canada for nearly 50 years, garnering 6 Emmy nominations with one win.

Gail served as Vice President on the Board of The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 212 for 15 years. She is also on the Board of Performing Arts Lodges of Canada, Calgary chapter, an organization dedicated to pursuing affordable housing options for arts workers.

Ms. Kennedy is excited to be with the ARC family and to continue the ARC excellence with her new found friends.

Mike Smith has previously served as an ARCS Board Director and has rejoined the board to offer insight and experience as he is a member of more than one ARC choir and is one of the original ARC members still singing and performing. He joined the Second Chants choir directed by Brian Bowman around 1998 and moved with Brian to become a founding member of Up2Something in 2002. Mike has sung solo, terrified, in many year-end concerts and notes - "when you are the only person on the risers, they shake in rhythm with your knees". He has taught in Junior and Senior High Schools where he founded and ran the Calgary Region Schools' Programming Competition (1981 - 2000) that attracted Elementary, Junior and Senior High students from across Southern Alberta. He is a recently retired University of Calgary Engineering Professor having received Provincial and National awards for his innovations and enthusiasm in presenting Science and Engineering to Elementary and University students. Mike has put in many volunteer hours with a variety of organizations as well as ARC, currently contributing to the Alberta Disabled Sailing Association, the Spark Science Centre, the Alberta Science Network and the Harmony First Chorus .

Past President  

Carleen is a born and raised Calgarian. She attended the University of Lethbridge where she achieved her Bachelor of Fine Arts in New Media and is now a graphic designer for a Real Estate brokerage. 

Carleen has been singing her entire life and finds sharing her voice, both solo or with a choir, extremely exhilarating and something she can never stop doing. Her favourite things about ARC: the people and the amazing productions that consistently get better every year! Carleen's favourite song is: "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence and the Machine