Bill Dimmer

Bill Dimmer has been described as a “cornerstone” of Edmonton’s music scene. The structural metaphor
explains his selection as an Artist/Builder in Edmonton’s Arts and Culture Hall of Fame 2014. Between
his arrival in 1971 and his retirement from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2014, Bill served as a
teacher, mentor, administrator, conductor, and performer, including a potential Canadian record 43
seasons as ESO assistant principal trumpet. Bill played a seminal role in creating the ESO’s educational
concert series, which he was involved in for over 20 years and introduced a generation of Edmontonians
to the orchestra. The ESO has been at the forefront of educational programming in North America and
much of the credit is due to Bill’s talent for engaging young people – he‘s been known to don eye-
popping theme costumes, from green cats to aliens, to win their attention. Bill has shared his musical
knowledge with countless private students, teaching at post-secondary institutions such as the
University of Alberta and Grant MacEwan University, acting as clinician and adjudicator at workshops
and festivals in Western Canada, and, with students at the MusiCamrose summer music camp, where he
served as managing director for several years. He has performed with several groups including the
Tommy Banks Band and the Plumbers Union, and is currently music director of the Nova Musica Concert
Orchestra and is active as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator. A skilled pilot, he is an active air
crew member and Provincial Training Officer with the Civil Air Search and Rescue and ground school
instructor at the Edmonton Flying Club. He has been known to fly colleagues to remote northern
communities as part of the National Arts Centre’s music outreach clinics.