Al Ridgway is a career musician who recently retired from high school music teaching to pursue his other passion: specialty watercraft. (Be sure to visit the JAWDROPPING KAYAKS AND CANOES pages.)
His musical credits include (in reverse order): performances with The NorthWinds Brass Quintet (founding member), The Maple Leaf Brass Band (current concert master), The Ottawa Chamber Orchestra, The National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Valley Festival Orchestra, Ottawa’s Savoy Society, The Ottawa Brass Quintet, The Montreal Baroque Orchestra, les Cuivres de la Cathedrale d’Ottawa, The Hull Chamber Orchestra, The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, The Stratford Festival Orchestra (seven seasons), The Festival Trio (founding member), The Hamilton Philharmonic, The St. Catherines Symphony Orchestra (principal) and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Al is best known for his performances on baroque trumpets and modern chamber music.
In addition to his many performance credits, Al has had several original compositions published and has worked as an arranger and band leader. He’s recently added sound recording and editing to his interests, and is available for individual trumpet lessons.
Check out the NorthWinds Brass Quintet at the right for bios of the players, recordings and YouTube videos.