Donna Rhodenizer, Composer, Children's Performer, Recording Artist

Canadian Music Educators Association (CMEA) "Jubilate Award of Merit" recipient Donna Rhodenizer is an accomplished songwriter, composer and music educator. Her song lyrics sparkle with creativity and humour that reflect a writer who has the ability to reach into the imaginations and hearts of children (and their parents!).

Donna's original songs are published in five song collections with companion CDs for elementary students:

     Dinosaurs, Dragons and Me (CD received a JUNO nomination and Music NS award)
     Computer Cat (CD received an ECMA award)
     Blue Skies and Pirates (co-written with fellow writer/performer/musician Andy Duinker. CD           received an ECMA nomination)
     It’s Christmas Time / C'est Noël (English / French bilingual with 2 CDs)
     La vie pour moi (Donna's first songbook collection adapted entirely in French)

In addition to their award-winning children’s CDs, Donna and her singing partner Andy Duinker have also released three recordings for adult listeners:

    Fine Company (featuring Andy’s vocals in easy listening, Maritime
         selections)
    Musically Yours (Donna’s original fiddle, violin and piano works)
    Come Dance with Me (4-song EP featuring Andy’s vocals backed by a
         17-piece big band)

New songs written by Donna are now available in a new format. Individual songs may be digitally downloaded with permission granted for the purchaser to make copies as required. These songs, called Registered Reproducible Masters, will provide music teachers with music for festivals, school events, concerts and assemblies.

In addition to writing music for children, Donna writes original songs and arrangements for adult audiences. Her songs reveal a writer in touch with people and life experiences, a strong wit and a unique way of seeing the world. Her ability to tell a good story, both in music and in general conversation, are strengths both in her role as a composer and as a performer. Many performances of Donna Rhodenizer's compositions can be found on YouTube.

Donna’s music reflects her love of harmony and beautiful singable melodies instilled through her choral experience and classical music training. These strengths have resulted in Donna being commissioned to write songs and/or arrangements for several leading choirs in Nova Scotia. Her music is well-loved by choirs who include her songs in their repertoire. Donna’s choral compositions now top 40 in a variety of voicing configurations for professional, community and school choirs. Her music is printed and promoted by Red Castle Publishing, the company she co-founded and co-owns with Andy Duinker.

In addition to writing and publishing, Donna is an active performer. She performs with Andy Duinker in a variety of musical settings. The duo “Donna & Andy” can be found singing for children and families. Adult audiences can expect to hear original, adult folk, contemporary and easy listening arrangements, depending on the venue.

Donna received her Bachelor of Music Education from Acadia University, where she majored in violin and minored in piano. She was a Masters of Music Education candidate at Brandon University in Manitoba.

	Donna shares her musical expertise as a *workshop clinician*, discussing her own composing journey as well as encouraging fellow educators to experience music with children in their classrooms. Her passion for music making is very evident in her life pursuits, her substantial output of songs, and her active involvement in performing, recording and publishing.

She has been a conference clinician at the International Society of Music Educators (ISME), Ontario Music Educators Association (OMEA), New Brunswick Music Educators Association (NBMEA) and the Nova Scotia Music Educators Association (NSMEA), as well as presenting music teaching workshops for teachers in Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick and Hong Kong. Donna also shares her music expertise as a choral adjudicator for music festivals.

Donna received the NSMEA Musica Viva Award in 2009 for her contribution to music education. At the October 2011 NSMEA conference, Donna's fellow music educators premiered her composition "Celebrate!" commissioned by the NSMEA. It was also at this conference that Donna was awarded the Canadian Music Educators' Association (CMEA) "Jubilate Award of Merit" for her significant contribution to music education in Canada.

Contact Us
Red Castle Publishing andy@redcastlepublishing.com donna@redcastlepublishing.com