For more than 50 years, over 300 adjudicators have been engaged to officiate this Festival, coming from all over the British Isles and North America.

In their assessment of each performer - often mixed with a good deal of humor and camaraderie, - they offered sound advice and encouragement to the countless thousands of young musicians who participated, which no doubt encouraged each to pursue their love of music.

Often the adjudicators were greatly impressed by the depth and caliber of the music scene in the Province and praised the teachers and parents for their dedication to training and fostering the interest of the young musicians.

Cécile Desrosiers	Senior Piano
Pianist and harpsichordist Cécile Desrosiers holds diplomas from McGill University in Montreal, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London England, and the University of Western Ontario, where she completed her Masters of Music in Literature and Performance in 1995. Her thesis was entitled: François Couperin et les idées féministes de son temps; son influence sur quelques femmes clavecinistes. She was invited several times to give lecture-recitals on this topic, notably at the International Conference Feminist Theory and Music, held at the Eastman School of Music. As a pianist she has held positions at the Pré-Conservatoire de Musique in Montreal, the University of Saskatchewan, the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec in Gatineau, Brock University, McMaster University, and is currently teaching at Carleton University. Ms Desrosiers has given many chamber music and solo concerts in Canada and had the opportunity to premiere a number of specially commissioned Canadian works. She has been featured as soloist with the Brandon and McMaster University orchestras, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, the Niagara Symphony and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. She also performed as orchestra keyboardist with the latter three organizations and most recently with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. She has been heard on WQXR-FM (New York) and on numerous CBC and Radio-Canada broadcast, as well as in prestigious Canadian festivals such as the Festival of the Sound, the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. She remains very active as a collaborative pianist and is in great demand as an adjudicator and examiner for Conservatory Canada. She can be heard on the soundtrack of the recently released feature film “Gooby” and on Sinfonia Toronto’s new CD “The Hollywood Flute”.
Catherine Gardiner	Senior Voice
Soprano Catherine Gardner, a native of Stratford, Ontario, began her vocal studies at the University of Western Ontario where she completed her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance. She continued her education at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University where she completed her Masters degree, followed by a Graduate Performance Diploma. She has earned several awards and honours including Young artist of the Year (London Arts Plus), the George Castelle Memorial Award (Peabody Conservatory), first place in the Baltimore Music Club’s Voice Competition, Professional Division, two Peabody Career Grants and first place in Andrews University’s International Voice Competition. Operatic roles include The Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Teresa (The Reunion), Cercatrice (Suor Angelica), Gertrude (in Toronto composer Mark Richard’s Hamlet) and Ophelia (in the premier of Amy Kirsten’s Ophelia Forever). Highlights from her concert repertoire include Handel’s Messiah, Faure’s Requiem, Rutter’s Magnificat and Mozart’s Mass in C minor, which she performed as part of the Stratford Summer Music Festival. She is very fond of recital work and has performed numerous concerts with chamber groups, including an all-Grieg program with the Oslo String Quartet. Catherine is also a member of the Stratford-based trio “The Poet Sings” with pianist Sandra Mogensen and baritone Mark Gardner which has performed in various venues, including the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. Last season she performed opera arias and duets at the Stratford Symphony Orchestra’s “Five Star Opera Gala”. Recent performances include singing the role of Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in Sulmona, Italy as part of “The Centre for Opera Studies in Italy”, and performing for the Bel Canto Foundation’s Annual Gala. Her first place win at the Andrews University International Voice Competition allowed her the opportunity to perform Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” with their orchestra this past fall. Upcoming roles include Donna Elvira in Opera Kitchener’s production of Don Giovanni. As well as performing, Catherine enjoys teaching a busy studio of singers, examining for Conservatory Canada and adjudicating for various Kiwanis Festivals.
Sir William (Bill) Hughes	Bands, Brass & Woodwind
Sir William (Bill) Hughes is the Director of Music for the Burlington Teen Tour Band. Born in Holywood, Northern Ireland, Bill was the principal flute and piccolo player with the band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines for nine years, during which time he performed solos for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and other heads of state at many official functions. He performed as a freelance flautist throughout Britain and Europe and with many of the top orchestras in London (B.B.C., London Symphony) as well as doing recordings for television and radio. He has performed for H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Michael of Kent, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Princess Margaret, King of Norway, President Reagan and other Heads of State. In 1982 he became Captain and Principal Director of Music for the 48th Highlanders of Canada. In 1998 Sir William became the Director of Music for the Burlington Teen Tour Band – Canada’s largest and most award winning Youth Band. A frequent adjudicator and clinician Bill has judged throughout North America and at the World Championships for Marching Bands (Calgary, Germany , Japan ). Bill is a member of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Arts Council, Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and sits on the Music Advisory Committee for Mohawk College.
Valerie Long	Non-Comp Voice & Piano
Dr. Valerie Long is always delighted to be an adjudicator at the St. John's Kiwanis Music Festival. Her academic background includes undergraduate degrees in music and music education from Memorial University in Newfoundland. Upon completion of these degrees, Valerie taught in a number of schools in St. John's, Ottawa and Madison, Wisconsin. She received her Master's of Music in Choral Music Education and a Doctorate in Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her broad teaching experience has included instruction in classroom, choral, and instrumental music from Kindergarten through high school and university. In 2008, Valerie was awarded Music Educator of the Year , from the Music Industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2010, she received the Founder's Award for achievement in the arts from Holy Heart of Mary High School. Among her many activities, Valerie directs the Holy Heart of Mary Alumnae Choir, who have toured extensively through Europe. This past summer the choir toured and performed over a two-week period in Scotland and Ireland. Valerie also directs Les Ms. who have, through their efforts with Sing for Care over the past six years, raised over $70,000 dollars for the Bliss Cancer Care Centre. Valerie is also an accomplished musical director/pianist, with numerous musical theatre productions to her credit and has earned a reputation for being an engaging and highly respected choral director, adjudicator and clinician.
Elizabeth McDonald	Junior Voice
Canadian soprano Elizabeth McDonald has been described as having “a gorgeous, gleaming tone and powerful coloratura attack” (Urjo Kareda –The Globe and Mail) after her successful last minute debut in the role of Elettra in the Canadian Opera Company’s 2001 production of Mozart’s Idomeneo. She garnered more rave reviews the following summer performing with the Company in their popular Altamira Opera Concerts. A former member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, Elizabeth appeared as Miss Jessel in the 2002 Studio production of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and understudied a number of roles including the Woman in Robert Lepage’s critically acclaimed production of Schönberg’s Erwartung, Madama Cortese in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims, and the title role in Janácek’s Jenufa. Elizabeth was an Apprentice Artist with the Santa Fe Opera and a recipient of the Judith Raskin Memorial Award for Singers. She covered the roles of the Prima Donna in the North American premiere of Venus und Adonis (a role she also covered for the COC during its Canadian premiere in January 2001), and the Overseer in Strauss’ Elektra. During Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Showcase Series of staged opera excerpts, she was heard as Musetta in La Bohème and in the title role in Tosca. On the concert and recital stage Elizabeth has sung David Del Tredici’s Child Alice: Part I In Memory of a Summer Day with the National Ballet of Canada, Beethoven’s Symphony #9, Orff’s Carmina Burana and Bach’s Cantata 64 with the Kingston Symphony, and opera excerpts with Chorus Niagara. She has covered Verdi’s Requiem for the Canadian Opera Company and Poulenc’s Gloria for the Eastman Rochester Chorus and Orchestra. Elizabeth has presented recitals for the Queen’s University Faculty Recital Series, Eastman Faculty Recital Series, the Virginia Polytechnic University Chamber Music Series, the Toronto Mozart Society, the Brantford Opera Guild, the Off Centre Music Series in Toronto at the St. George’s Cathedral Summer Music Series in Kingston. Named a Laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, Elizabeth was also a finalist and first Canadian representative at the Fourth International Festival of Operatic Singers “Marie Kraja” in Tirana, Albania, a semi-finalist at the Eckhardt-Gramattee Competition, and a winner of the Ontario Provincial Music Festival, the first ever Lotte Lenya Competition and the Great Lakes Districts in the Metropolitan Opera Competition. Elizabeth is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she received a Master of Music in Performance and Literature and was awarded a Performers’ Certificate. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto and has trained at the Banff Centre for the Arts in the Dramatic Integration Program, the Britten-Pears School in Contemporary Song Literature, the Orford Arts Centre, and at the Vancouver Early Music Festival. Elizabeth currently maintains a blog titled “from the voice of…” dedicated to informing and inspiring young Canadian singers. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA) and is on the faculty at both the University of Toronto and Queen’s University where she teaches applied voice.
Irene Tandberg	Strings
Over the last thirty years, Irene Tandberg has established a large private studio of students who have been the recipients of many prestigious scholarships and awards. In 1991, Irene’s vocation for teaching drew her to Prof. Patrick Burroughs, the founder of Forest City Talent Education (FCTE), and they began working together to develop a performance string school. Irene, Co director of FCTE and 28 faculty members, has watched it grow to over 250 violin, viola, cello, harp and classical guitar students, offering weekly master classes, piano coaching, orchestra, chamber music and recitals. Irene Tandberg's studies began in Denmark with Wolf Notkin. She studied with Gwen Thompson and Dana Mazurkevitch at the University of Western Ontario and has had extensive Suzuki teacher training. She has performed with many orchestras and a principal player for Nota Bene and Arcady, who have produced a number of C.D.’s. Irene also performed with the quartet Octo Mani, which she founded in 1997. Ms. Tandberg is a very active master class teacher, guest speaker, workshop clinician and adjudicator. She spends her summers performing and teaching at institutes and summer music schools. Irene is also a part time faculty member in the Performance Department, Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario and in 2010 a recipient of the "Excellence in Teaching Award".
Stella terHart	Junior Piano
Stella Claire terHart was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan on January 31, 1960 and is directly descended from the composer/violinist, Tomaso Vitali. At age 17, she was the first winner of the University of Regina Concerto Competition, and won numerous awards at local and Provincial Music Festivals in flute and piano. At present, she is the only individual in Canada to have received all four degrees from the Toronto Conservatory of Music: Teachers, Performers, Composition and Theory. Her teachers include Mary Murakami, Lyell Gustin, Bill Moore, Marilyn Engle and Jane Schudel (flute). Her Theory and Composition work at the Royal Conservatory of Music was overseen by Dr. Anthony Dawson and John Beckwith. Since 1982, Ms. terHart has taught music in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. Stella greatly enjoys adjudicating music festivals and has adjudicated festivals in Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. From 1997 - 2002 she was the Head of Music at Rothesay Netherwood School, where she taught classroom music for Grades 6 - 12, directed the Junior and Senior Bands as well as the Senior Jazz Ensemble, Middle School Chorus and Senior Girls Choir. All of these experiences greatly contribute to Ms. terHart's work as a composer of music and resources for young performers. Her performance career has included being the official accompanist and recitateur for Opera New Brunswick in their productions of the Marriage of Figaro, La Bohème and Carmen, as well as performing numerous concerts and recitals with various soloists. She has accompanied internationally famous singers, including Measha Brueggergosman, Stuart Howe, Wendy Nielson and Cindy Townsend. As a composer, Ms. terHart has works published in the United States (Treble Clef Press) and Canada (Frederick Harris Music Publishing Co., Contemporary Showcase, CFMTA Diamond Jubilee Collection, Oceanna Music), is commissioned regularly and heard on CBC radio. Stella was the 1st place winner (instrumental category) of the 2005 Pacific International Song Writing Competition in New Zealand for her flute and piano work, "as the light shimmers". She was the only Canadian composer to win any of the categories. Her work "In a Corner of the Stable" can be heard on the newly released CD "Chestnuts & Sugarplums" available through http://www.oceannamusic.com/. She is a member of the International Association of Women Composers (IAWM), the Association of Canadian Women Composers (ACWC), SOCAN, the Canadian Music Festivals Adjudicators Association (CMFAA) and is the editor of the national journal of the ACWC. The mother of three children, also wonderful musicians, Ms. terHart presently lives in Ontario, Canada.
Barbara Young	Musical Theatre
Barbara Young has been involved in Drama and Musical Theatre for over thirty five years as director, performer and teacher. An Honours Music graduate from the University of Western Ontario with postgraduate work in England, she has worked in most Canadian theatres - from the Arts Club in Vancouver to Confederation Theatre in Charlottetown. Barbara spent 4 years directing and teaching at The Banff Centre and 8 years as Music Director of Huron County Playhouse, where she earned a Thea Award for Musical Direction. Barbara founded music and music theatre programs at Etobicoke School of the Arts. She also founded or directed music theatre programs at the National Music Camp, St. Lawrence College and the Shakespeare School, Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada. She has completed 15 seasons with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as Music Consultant on the musicals (1996-2008), composer/arranger (Henry V, To Kill a Mockingbird) and teaching artist at the Shakespeare School and Shakespeare on Wheels. Barbara’s adjudication work includes the Toronto International Music Festival, Ovation Music Festivals, the provincials finals in Ontario and Alberta (Music Theatre and Speech Arts) as well as many local Ontario Festivals.