Adjudicators 2010 to date

Adjudicators 2010

ALFRED FISHER, PIANO
Canadian Composer, Alfred Fisher, is recognized as an independent voice in the international new music scene. His work is always dedicated to musical engagement and to values of coherence and personal expression that audiences around the globe have found compelling and accessible.The recipient of commissions from CBC, Canada Council and others, his works have been presented by such artists as David Burge, Peter Vinograde, Bruce Vogt, Jamie Syer, William Tritt, Dina Namer, James Ehnes, Tanya Prochzka, Mary Morrison, William Street, Stan Fisher, Harold Wiens, Paul Pulford, Bruce Kelly, Rivka Golani, the Silesian Quartet, Orford Quartet, Penderecki Quartet, National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Calgary Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, Symphony of Radio Telefis Eireann, the Kingston Symphony and others. His works have been performed and broadcast in Canada, the U.S., Europe, the Republic of Ireland, U.K., Middle East and East Asia. Dr. Fisher holds the PhD in Composition and MMus in Piano Performance from Michigan State University. His principal piano teachers have included David Burge, Alfred Kanwischer and Pierre Luboshutz. Experienced in both chamber music and solo performance, Dr. Fisher’s interests span the repertoire from the Baroque to recent music.He has been an active adjudicator at local, provincial, and national levels from Yukon to Nova Scotia and in the U.S. for over forty years. Dr. Fisher has taught music theory, composition and piano at the University of Western Ontario, Acadia, the University of Alberta and Queen’s University, retiring in 2009. He served as Chair at both Alberta and Queen’s.

MICHEL FOURNIER, PIANO
Praised both as a soloist and a chamber player, Canadian pianist Michel Fournier has performed with a number of orchestras and is widely appreciated for the many recitals he has given in Canada, Europe and United States. His repertoire covers a broad spectrum of keyboard music from different eras and styles. He has a special fondness for French music and has earned critical acclaim for the originality of his interpretation and his refined sound: " ...a perfect knowledge of the expressive resources of the piano, a tour de force that ranks him among the masters of impressionist music." (Adveratul de Cluj-Romania, March 1996). Michel Fournier toured extensively with the world-class ensemble Quartango. The group won "Prix Opus" (a prestigious award from Conseil Québécois de la Musique) for best performance in 2005. In June 2006, Michel Fournier was invited to give a TV performance for Telethon Operation Enfant Soleil, a well-known organization raising funds for sick children. He also has several Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) recordings and movie soundtracks to his credit. His CDs feature piano works by Debussy, Prokofiev , Bartok and Stravinsky.Michel has shared his artistry with numerous musicians and ensembles, including the acclaimed "Les Chambristes de Montreal" whose members also play with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. A regular performer in regional and inter-provincial festivals, he can be heard in Montreal's Mozart Plus festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and various Quebec-sponsored events. He is renowned for his extensive knowledge of the violin-and-piano repertoire and eagerly sought after as a player in this formation. Michel has made a series of recordings dedicated to composers of Central Europe, highlighting the works of Szymanowsky, Janacek, Dvorak and Suk . As a student of French pianist Yvonne Hubert, Michel completed a master’s degree in Montreal before continuing his studies abroad, primarily in France and Austria. He also attended the University of Indiana, where he studied under Menahem Pressler. Michel completed a doctorate in performance with Marc Durand and is currently associate professor at the University of Sherbrooke. Highly appreciated as an educator, he gives regular master classes and promotes his love of music by presenting frequent lectures and workshops. He also adjudicates numerous competitions and Festivals across Canada. His 2009-2010 tour includes recitals, lectures and masterclass in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and New Brunswick. Michel Fournier's latest CD 17:05, under MYR label is received by its listeners as "the most fantastic musical experience ever". Fournier's mastering of musical  tones and colors is rendering a unique approach to classical and jazz.

MARGOT JEWELL, STRINGS
For the past 30 years Margot Jewell has enjoyed working with young people and their families, first at the Hamilton Suzuki School where she taught violin and was also the director. Then in 1982 she founded the Etobicoke Suzuki School of Music, where she presently teaches. Margot has enjoyed performing in groups such as the Hamilton Philharmonic, Symphony Niagara, Te Deum Orchestra, the Aradia Ensemble, as well as many free lance groups. Margot has been a festival adjudicator across Ontario and is a member of the College of Examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music. She is also on the Board of the Suzuki Association of Ontario.

DR. METRO KOZAK, STRINGS
Dr. Metro Kozak is a native of Toronto, Canada, and studied violin under these famous teachers: Sydney Harth, Ivan Galamian, Broadus Erle, Roman Totenberg, and Angel Reyes. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree (University of Toronto), a Master of Violin Performance degree Yale University) and a Doctorate of Musical Arts (University of Michigan). He recently retired as Professor of Music at Cambrian College and as Conductor of Sudbury Youth Orchestra, and Sudbury and North Bay Symphonies. Dr. Kozak is in demand as an adjudicator and a teacher of master classes and workshops across Canada. Metro Kozak has been recognized by the City of Sudbury for his outstanding musical contributions to that city by receiving the Rotary Club's Paul Harris International Award presented by Northeastern Music and Film, and most recently the Community Builders Award of Excellence for commitment and leadership in the Arts.

DIANE O'DELL, CHOIRS
Diane O’Dell is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and of the University of Windsor (School of Music). Her thirty-four year career as an educator in Lambton County included Classroom Teacher, Itinerant Music Teacher, Music Consultant, and Arts Consultant – the position from which she retired in June, 1998.
Throughout her teaching career she was actively involved in teacher inservice in Ontario, Quebec, and in the USA presenting workshops in all aspects of elementary choral music. (Ontario Music Educators’ Association, Quebec Music Educators’ Association, Kodaly Society, Federation of Women Teachers of Ontario, University of Windsor Faculty of Education, University of Windsor School of Music). As a Program Consultant, her greatest joy was her work with teachers and their students – refining their choral and performance skills and helping them to realize the positive power of music in their own lives as well as in the lives of their audiences. Diane is the founder and current director of the Lambton Youth Choir (est. 1994), a community children’s choir whose forty singers (grades three through college) are from twenty different elementary and secondary schools and thirteen different communities in Lambton County.

TOM OLIVER, VOICE
In 1993 Tom retired from the stage to continue his research in voice and teaching, studying Neuro linguistics and confidence structures courses to compliment his fast growing voice studio, Voice Concepts. He now has private studios in Hamilton, Oakville and Toronto. His studio has produced exceptional vocal majors in prominent Canadian Universities. (Western, Wilfred Laurier, McGill, and U of BC). Mr. Oliver has been a member of the Voice faculty of the Music Theatre Department of Sheridan College for the past five years. His music theatre students have been finalists in CBC production of “Triple Sensation”; others currently touring North America in productions of “Seussical the Musical” and “Camelot”. Tom’s inspiration in voice research have been influenced his work with Gordon Scott, Leopold Simoneau and Pierrette Alarie, Jaap Teer, John McLean, Richard Bradshaw, David Agler and Luciano Pavarotti.

GLENDA PENNINGTON, SPEECH ARTS
During her thirty-two years in education, Glenda was a teacher and Department Head of English and Drama at the secondary level, an Enrichment Resource teacher, an Intermediate Division Consultant, and a Drama Consultant for JK – OAC. Glenda is a professional storyteller and has been actively involved in acting, producing and directing shows in schools and the community. Her passion for the arts and belief in their vital importance in the lives of children led to her founding the London International Children’s Festival. Later, as its Artistic Director, she initiated the Circus Arts Mentoring Partnership, a circus camp for disadvantaged children. Among other volunteer work in the community, Glenda has served five years as a Board member of  London’s Grand Theatre and is an active member of First-St. Andrew's  United  Church. Recently, Glenda has taught Intermediate/Senior Drama, Elementary Drama and Children's literature at the Faculty of Education,  University of Western  Ontario.  

WENDY POTTER, PIANO
Ms. Potter holds a Bachelors Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Western Ontario, and a Masters Degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Michigan. Academic positions held include Lecturer in Piano Pedagogy at the University of Michigan, and Co-ordinator of the All-State Program at the Interlochen Centre for the Arts. She has been recognized with several awards in both teaching and performing, including the Alice B. Kern Excellence in Teaching Award (University of Michigan), and the UWO Gold Medal.Wendy has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Ontario and Michigan. Since moving to Toronto in 1998, she has performed as a soloist and ensemble member with such groups as the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra and The Toronto Wind Orchestra. Especially known for her collaborative work, she is in demand as an accompanist and chamber musician for recitals in the GTA. One of her great interests is in the music of Canadian Composers. She served as a Board Member for the ACNMP (Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects), and is currently on the syllabus committee for the same organization. She is also one of the Coordinators of Contemporary Showcase Toronto, an annual music festival devoted entirely to the music of Canadian Composers. Wendy is a member the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicator’s Association, and her work as an adjudicator takes her on travel throughout Canada. She is also an active member of the College of Examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music.

BOBBI THOMPSON, WOODWINDS & BAND
Bobbi Thompson holds a Master's of Music Education from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance from the University of Idaho. She is active as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician in Canada and the United States, including performances with Orchestra London Canada, the Irving Symphony Orchestra, the Plano Chamber Orchestra, the Toronto Wind Orchestra and the Toronto Saxophone Society. Highly sought after as a woodwind performer in both classical and jazz idioms, she has performed with the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, the Grand Theater, the world-famous University of North Texas Lab Bands, and numerous other big bands and musical theatre companies throughout North America. Her discography includes recordings as bass clarinetist with the University of North Texas Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, as well as alto saxophonist with the Toronto Wind Orchestra. As an educator, Miss Thompson has taught performance classes and private lessons for several Southern Ontario, Manitoba, and North Texas school districts, and is a certified All-Level Music Teacher through the State of Texas. She was the Assistant Band Director at The Bishop Strachan School in Toronto, and taught saxophone and chamber music at The Royal Conservatory of Music for eight years. Miss Thompson is currently completing a PhD in Education (Music) through the University of Manitoba. She teaches saxophone and chamber music at The University of Western Ontario and is a member of the College of Examiners for The Royal Conservatory of Music.

JIM WHITE, BRASS AND BANDS
Jim White is Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Education, The University of Western Ontario. He holds degrees from the Toronto Conservatory of Music, The University of Western Ontario and The Eastman School of Music. Until his retirement, he was a Full Professor of Music and Coordinator of Fine Arts. He is a Past President and Honorary Life Member of the Ontario Music Educators’ Association. Before accepting duties at the university level, he taught both instrumental and choral music for the London Board of Education and finished his tenure there as Music Consultant for Grades 7 to 13, conductor of the London Youth Symphony Orchestra for 10 years. He was also the founding Conductor and Music Director of Brassroots. He has guest conducted throughout Canada and the U.S. as well as in several other counties. An active trumpeter he continues a hectic performance schedule. As an adjudicator he has worked for Music Festivals in most major centers in Canada and the U.S. as well as in England, Bermuda, and Hawaii. During the 2003-2004 season he served as Visiting Professor and Conductor of the Wind Ensemble and carried out teaching assignments at both the Undergraduate and Graduate levels for the Brandon University School of Music, in Brandon, Manitoba.