Born in 1957 in Vernon, British Columbia, Terry spent most of his first seventeen years there. Although he had originally intended to pursue a career in the then-new field of Computer Science, Terry was offered a chance at the end of his Grade 11 year to study at Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific as part of its first class. It was at Pearson College that he discovered his vocation for music, singing in the choir under Edgar Samuel, and getting his first taste of conducting in workshops given by Timothy Vernon and Jon Washburn.

After a year at UBC, studying Computer Science, Mandarin, and Music, Terry departed for undergraduate studies in Composition at University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music where he studied Composition and Theory with the likes of Oskar Morawetz, Talivaldis Kenins, Edward Laufer, Godfrey Ridout, and Walter Buczinsky; Musicology with John Beckwith and Tim Rice; and Conducting with William Wright and Victor Feldbrill. He was one of only two of his graduating class in composition to also give a performance recital.

Returning to Vancouver, Terry was invited by John Washburn to be his apprentice in the Advanced Performance Program at Vancouver Community College. For a year, Terry immersed himself in the artistic and administrative workings of the world-class Vancouver Chamber Choir and was Washburn’s assistant for the VCC groups. Terry’s work as a conductor of Community and Church Choirs then began, he spent a year teaching at St. George’s School, and eventually sang for three seasons in the Vancouver Chamber Choir.

In 1987, Terry decided he needed further credentials to pursue an academic career in conducting and with Canada Council assistance began Master’s Degree studies at the University of Wisconsin—Madison under the great American conductor Robert Fountain. He also studied conducting and musicology with William Weinert, and theory with Stephen Dembski, among others.

Master’s Degree in hand,. Terry returned to Vancouver in ’89 to renew his work with Church and Community Choirs, joining the North Shore Chorus in 1990. In the years since, he has worked as a sessional instructor at UBC, a production assistant with the Vancouver Chamber Choir, and Choral Specialist at Ward Music and Tom Lee Music. Since 2001, Terry has taught in the public schools and now teaches music at Fleetwood Park Secondary School in Surrey.
Terry has taken short courses with Eric Ericsson, Don V Moses, and David Willcocks.