About Wendy

Growing up in a musical family in Wetaskiwin, Alberta brought piano lessons from age 6 to 15 and a clarinet chair in the Junior & Senior High School bands. My father, Harry Lomnes, as the band director for all public schools in the city, was a huge driver for band education in Alberta schools and certainly passed on the joy of participating in music to me. His influence and my mother’s radio stations as a child, introduced me to “The Great American Songbook” – that wonderful lexicon of popular music from the 20’s to 50’s, that forms the basis of my performance life today.

Then, along came other influences – 60’s Doo-Wap, The Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, Peter, Paul & Mary, Joni Mitchell, Carol King and James Taylor, musical theater – the musical world became a huge place, especially after adding classical music to my listening space.

The introduction to performance came through choir singing with the Westwinds Music Society but solo vocal jazz became my love through courses and workshops with Vivian Martin, Corinne Plomish, Brenda Earle, Sherry Kennedy, and Glennis Houston. Jazz Port Townsend in 2013 was a great experience to study with Rene Marie and Cyrille Amée in the USA. Since 2005, every August brings the opportunity to play music with world renowned musicians and to study with world renowned vocalists like Jennifer Scott, Karin Plato, Steve Maddock at BC Swing Camp in Sorrento, BC. Phil Dwyer’s Jazz Workshop in 2018 was a great opportunity to perform with several talented combos and in April 2019, I performed at the Gotham Jazz Festival in conjunction with the New York Hot Jazz Camp. I also enjoy big band singing and am a vocalist with the Wednesday Night Big Band led by Brian Thorlacius.

My 1st CD, Jazz in Koi-Land, was released in 2014. It is a tribute to so many friends and collaborators I have met through Café Koi in Calgary. Please go to my My Music page to listen. There, you will also find the opportunity to purchase.

Until retirement, my “day job” was finding oil and gas in western Canada as a geologist. Now I just enjoy geology by hiking and biking through our mountains, appreciating the “terroir” in wine regions and understanding other parts of the world when travelling.

I have so many thanks to give: to my father for influencing my musical aptitudes and curiosity about the world, to Deanne Matley for guiding my musical progress, to Andréa Petrity and the other talented musical collaborators on my CD and shows, to my wonderful and supportive jazz friends and to Murray Little for creating this lovely website.