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Dave
Gignac – Member Profile
Tuba
The
father of four children, one girl and three boys, Dave is the founder
of the Southern Winds Brass Quintet,
the group
he formed in 2002. Presently working for Ford Motor Company in the
skilled
trades department, Dave is a machine repairman - a mould maker by
trade. He has
also worked for Crest Mould Technology and Active Mould and Design. He
was born
and raised in LaSalle, and earned a B.A. in Communication Studies,
before
becoming a licensed tradesman.
Dave
began music in 7th grade at Sacred
Heart
School
in LaSalle, simply
as an excuse to get out of school one afternoon a week, yet ended up
enjoying
and being good at it! Who knew? Not
only
can he play tuba, but he also plays trombone, euphonium, some clarinet
and alto saxophone. Dave
continued music in high school at
Ecole Secondaire L’Essor and St. Anne’s High. At that time, he was
involved in youth bands,
first in Windsor Optimist Youth
Marching Band for one year, then in Windsor’s
famous Scarlet Brigade (a.k.a. The
Beast from
the East.) With
that group, he flew to Calgary
and played in the
Calgary Stampede parade, and at the Calgary Saddledome. Recalling that
as a
highlight, Dave has many fond memories of his time in youth band. While at the University of
Windsor, he played
with the University Wind Ensemble
and
the Windsor Community Orchestra
under
the direction of James Tambourini.
When
he’s not working or playing with his children or playing tuba
Dave is an
accomplished ice hockey goalie, playing in at least two leagues at any
given
time. You can call him Road Hockey,
his latest nickname, (among others). His musical taste spans a few
decades,
including Led Zeppelin, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Counting Crows,
Eminem,
Ludacris, Bare Naked Ladies, Canadian Brass, Three Doors Down,
Destiny’s Child,
Usher, etc… Dave is always open-minded
about musical
styles and genres (except for country music or opera).
When
in his thirties, Dave rediscovered his love of music performance when
he joined
a community band and then by forming the Quintet. He
plays with the Greater Windsor Concert Band,
in which he’s serving his second term
as Vice-President, and can be seen playing tuba with the Silver
Ambassadors and the Windsor
Military Band when
called upon to
help out. Much of
his time and energy
goes into the Southern Winds Brass
Quintet, finding music, booking performances and maintaining
the website.
Dave’s
favourite quote: “It’s
better to remain
quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all
doubt.” -
Mark Twain.
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