Ellison Travel & Tours is pleased to be a sponsor and
the appointed Travel Provider for Con Brio Festivals

Join Con Brio Festivals in 2024 as they celebrate their 25th year!

Con Brio Festival’s goal is to provide an exceptional festival experience for Concert and Jazz Bands, Concert and Chamber Choirs, and Orchestra.

The focus is on active learning through participation of both student and teacher while providing interaction and performances with adjudicators, clinicians and guest artists who represent the very best in music and music education.

The first Con Brio Whistler Music Festival was presented in April 2000 and Con Brio Sun Peaks Music Festival in April 2004. Each festival offers limited enrolment to ensure each registrant is able to participate in every activity. All activities are included in a single all-inclusive fee.

click here for the 2024 Brochure

Con Brio Whistler: April 18 –21, 2024

Con Brio Sun Peaks: April 26 – 28,2024


Start the registration process on-line today
www.ellisontravel.com/conbrio-register

Douglas Macaulay & Susan Magnan

Co-Founders, Artistic and Managing Directors

There are numerous festivals and festival companies for whom I have worked, and I have become very selective in lending my name or reputation. However, there are a select few for whom I have accepted a second, third or more invitations to work with student ensembles and teachers. Con Brio is as the very top of my list for offering an educationally driven festival that provides ‘once in a lifetime moments and goose bump opportunities’ that students and educators will remember throughout their entire lives. I recommend Con Brio to everyone at literally every level of ability and every type of ensemble.” Dr. Dale Lonis

Con Brio Festivals are proud to be the only Canadian festival organization elected to associate membership in the American Bandmasters Association.

The Con Brio Music Festival is excellent!   I thought the tour was well-planned and implemented by Ellison. The Concert Band Ensemble Intensive workshop was very good.  Our planner was – excellent – especially when unexpected issues arose. 

Kathie Van Lare , Centennial High School

Ellison was very accommodating and able to make changes to significantly eliminate a cost barrier for my students.  My students described their clinic with Dr. Dale Lonis as “life-changing”. They will never forget it. The massed band was an incredible entity to take part in.  Excellent service and communication.

Shannon Wolf, Grand Forks Secondary School

I recommend this festival to all the music directors I know as it full of high caliber professionals and really is a great weekend celebrating youth and music!  We like the fact that it is so well organized and there is very little for us to sort out!  We liked most our performance/clinic and the Malcom Aiken Jazz Ensemble. They are an amazing group and the kids connected with their set list.

Megan Frederick, Okanagan Mission Secondary School

Our clinicians were absolutely awesome – Chuck Maguire and Richard Saucedo. Our students also loved the Gala Concert, and the Massed Band. It was an excellent tour, and we definitely do it again.  Everything was well thought out, highly organized, and student-centered.

Steve Thompson, Glenlyon Norfolk School

Congratulations on running a superb festival!  Extremely well organized, plenty of volunteers to assist students and teachers. Fantastic selection of adjudicators and clinicians!  I really enjoyed the professional and positive vibe that exuded from all of the festival coordinators, volunteers and clinicians. I was genuinely impressed by the high level of organization and professionalism by the entire Ellison and Con Brio team.  This was my first time attending and I definitely plan to return to the Con Brio Music Festival in the future.

Edward Trovato, Gleneagle Secondary School
“I have become very selective in lending my name and reputation to a festival or a company. There are numerous festivals and festival companies for whom I have worked. However, there are a select few for whom I have accepted a second, third or more invitations to work with student ensembles and teachers. Con Brio is at the very top of my list for offering an educationally driven festival that provides “once in a lifetime moments and goose bump opportunities” that students and educators will remember throughout their entire lives. I recommend it to everyone at literally every level of ability and every type of ensemble.”
Dr. Dale J. Lonis, Artistic Director and co-founder of the Canadian Wind Conductors development program and noted authority on conducting and pedagogy.
“Thank you for a terrific first experience at Con Brio! Your festival was beautifully organized; Con Brio and Ellison staff were extremely helpful and friendly; the hotels and venues in Whistler were absolutely outstanding in terms of their welcome, communication and flexibility, and we loved the opportunity to listen to and learn from bands, vocal jazz groups, and other choirs. Professional development was a wonderful “extra” at the festival and your line up of adjudicators was commendable. And we loved the line up at the Festival Gala Performance – wow!! Many thanks to you and your crew for making the experience valuable and memorable.
Carolyn Duerksen Director, DISTRICT 57 Tapestry Singers