Music Festival Logo
Adjudicator Heading
Top BAND, BRASS, WINDS, PERCUSSION RON GILBERT , ILDERTON & PETER STOLL, TORONTO
 

Ron Gilbert majored in trumpet at the University of Western Ontario where he received Honours BMus and MEd degrees. He recently retired from the Thames Valley District School Board (London, Ontario) where he was music consultant, music department head, and high school music teacher for almost 30 years. He has served as music camp faculty member, camp director, guest conductor, festival adjudicator, workshop presenter and conference organizer. Ron received his A.R.C.T. with the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto at the age of 18. As a professional musician, he has performed with numerous symphony orchestras, brass bands, Broadway show pit bands, dance orchestras, small brass ensembles, and as a soloist.

Peter Stoll teaches at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music and is Acting Principal Clarinetist of the Toronto Philharmonia Orchestra. A frequent and popular adjudicator up to the National level, he has worked across Canada and in the United States. Peter was a prizewinner in the International Clarinet Society Competition, and has been heard many times on CBC radio featured on several CD recordings and concert broadcasts. Tours as soloist and as clarinetist and saxophonist with various ensembles have taken him across Europe, to Russia and to the United States. In addition he is a member of the Royal Conservatory of Music's National College of Examiners.

Top CHOIRS, SCHOOL MUSIC, COMPOSITION GERARD YUN, WATERLOO
 

Dr. Gerard Yun is in demand as guest conductor, clinician, soloist, and composer throughout North America. He has conducted the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, The Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra, The Colorado Lyric Theatre, and The Sacramento Master Singers.  Before moving to Canada he was Director of Choral Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and Professor of Voice and Choirs at Southern Utah University.  He is currently Associate Director of Choirs at Wilfrid Laurier University and conductor with the Hamilton Children's Choir.

Top DANCE TEAM OF SPECIALISTS
 

Michel Faigaux is a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada.  He was hired into the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1990 where he was promoted to soloist.  He then danced with the National Ballet of Canada from 1995-1998, and also with Alberta Ballet from 1998-2001. Michel went on to have an extensive guesting career, performing and guest teaching in the USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Europe, China, Egypt and more. On film, Michel has had the pleasure to dance with Martin Short and Mikhail Baryshnikov. More recently Michel has been a featured dancer in music theatre productions, including three seasons at the Stratford Festival.  He currently teaches at the National Ballet School and is a guest teacher in Japan.

Marc Cassius is a renowned singer, dancer and actor and he is thrilled to be celebrating over 20 years as a theatre professional.  Mark wowed audiences at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as tap guru Mr. Magix in My One and Only.  More recently Mark was seen in the Theatre Aquarius Production of Dreamgirls.  Mark toured the world for seven years as the baritone with internationally renowned a cappella group The Nylons.  Mark will adjudicate music theatre and tap at our competition.

Additional dance adjudicators will be announced as commitments are confirmed.

Top ORGAN WORKSHOP TBA
 
Our organ workshop will be offered if there are enough entries to warrant it.
Top PIANO POP & JAZZ BRIAN USHER, LONDON
 

Brian Usher has been a performer, teacher, arranger and composer in the music field for over 30 years.  He has taught in elementary and secondary schools, was Minister of Music in many church music programs, has published many sacred choral and instrumental works, and has written and orchestrated over twenty stage shows and cantatas.  Active as a jazz piano player and studio piano and trumpet player, Brian has performed on many CDs recorded in Nashville, Toronto and in his own 24 track digital recording studio in London.

Top PIANO JUNIOR MARY FICZERE, OAKVILLE
 

Mary Ficzere received her ARCT in piano performance from the Royal Concervatory of Music, as well as Bachelor and Masters degrees in piano performance from University of Western Ontario. She also studied at the Golandsky Institute in New York City where she acquired in-depth training on piano technique and coordinate movement.  Mary currently teaches at the Merriam School of Music in Oakville, where she has served as Piano Department Head, Enriched Studies Department Head and Director of Examinations for many years.

Top PIANO NON-COMPETITIVE EARL CLARK, STRATFORD
 
Earl Clark was a music consultant for the Perth Board of Education for 24 years, and now teaches piano, theory, voice and organ in his private studio.  This year marks Earls 47th season as organist and music director at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Stratford.
Top PIANO SENIOR JENNY REGEHR, OTTAWA
 

Jenny Regehr is well known across Canada for her solo recitals, duo and chamber music performances, Lieder collaborations and piano duo performances.  She performs with many of Canada’s leading musicians in universities and concert series across the country.  As a faculty member of the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Ms Regehr was a senior piano instructor and for more than a decade co-ordinated its piano master class program which features a roster of international visiting artists. 

Top SPEECH & DRAMA JULIA PAL, TORONTO
 

Julia Pal is a graduate of University of Toronto, with a B.Ed from Queen’s, and a Diploma in Speech Arts and Drama from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She is a teacher and workshop leader with RCM, the Toronto District School Board and the Kingsway Conservatory of Music, conducting classes in creative drama, improvisation, scene study and speech arts.  In addition to teaching speech and drama, Julia examines for RCM, and is an active theatre artist, storyteller and singer.

Top STRINGS IRENE TANDBERG , LONDON
 

Irene Tandberg is Co-Director of Forest City Talent Education, a performance school comprising 250 violin, viola, cello and classical guitar students and 28 faculty. She has overseen the artistic direction and administration of the programme in addition to teaching master classes, coaching quartets and conducting ensembles and orchestras.  She is also a frequent guest master-class teacher, workshop clinician and adjudicator. Currently, she is teaching in the Performance Department at the University of Western Ontario.

Top STRINGS - GUITAR, FIDDLE, CHAMBER MUSIC, HARP TEAM of SPECIALISTS
 

Sharlene Wallace is one of Canada’s most prolific and influential Celtic harpists. Classically trained on piano and having studied classical harp at the University of Toronto, Sharlene discovered the lever (Celtic) harp to be her creative and expressive vehicle for writing, arranging and recording. She has won two international lever harp competitions, recorded five independent CDs, and tours constantly across North America giving concerts and master classes. On the Faculties of York and Guelph Universities, Sharlene is Principal Harpist with the Kingston and Oakville Symphony Orchestras.

Nicole Guse, a performer and teacher from Waterloo, will be our fiddle and pop strings adjudicator.  Her bio will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

We will announce our guitar adjudicator when the commitment is confirmed.

Top VOCAL JUNIOR ANDREA DE BOER-JONES, ROCKWOOD
 

Andrea de Boer-Jones holds an Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University, and Music Specialist diplomas from both McGill and OISE University of Toronto Universities.  She is an active choral workshop clinician, educator and singer with the Elora Festival Singers and the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers and Choir. Her favourite musical theatre roles include Sally Bowles in "Cabaret" and the Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods."

Top VOCAL SENIOR LESLIE FAGAN, HAMILTON
 

Leslie Fagan has delighted audiences and critics alike at Royal Albert Hall, Bordeaux Opera House, Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall.  And the 2007-2008 season marked her official Carnegie Hall debut and her Lincoln Center debut.  On the opera stage, Ms. Fagan has sung the title role in Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix, Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Sophie in Massenet's Werther, Musetta in Verdi's La Boheme and Nanetta in Verdi's Falstaff, Tytania in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni


Top VOCAL POP & MUSIC THEATRE TEAM OF SPECIALISTS
 

Marion Adler is an actress, singer and award-winning lyricist, whose work has been seen across Canada, the US and Europe.  She has performed many principal roles during her five seasons at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.  And her musical collaborations Gunmetal Blues and Enter the Guardsman, with husband Scott Wentworth and co-writer Craig Bohlmer, have seen hundreds of productions. In 2000, she won the prestigious Kleban award of $100,000 for her fine body of work as a lyricist.

Lou Burgess teaches Musical Theatre at George Brown and Sheridan Colleges in the Performance Departments, and maintains a busy private voice studio in Toronto.  Her favourite roles as singer/dancer/actor include The Soprano in “Side by Side by Sondheim”, Lily in “The Secret Garden”, Sally in “Me and My Girl”, Jenny in “Company”, Ado Annie in “Oklahoma!” Rita in “Educating Rita”, Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls”, and Eva in “Evita” concert. 

In her 14th season at the Stratford Festival, Barbara Fulton plays Queen Elizabeth in The Taming of the Shrew.  She has performed a variety of roles, comedic and dramatic, in musicals and dramas since 1991.  Barbara has hosted and performed many concerts for the Festival's Night Music series and is soloist with the Celtic band Shaggy Haggis.  Her popular debut CD of jazz standards was released in 2007.  Barbara will adjudicate pop vocal classes.