Adjudicators
Adjudicators
The 2020 Festival of Bands has been cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for supporting our Festival and we hope to see you next year!!
Week 1 Adjudicators
Rita Burns is a retired school band and choral music teacher from Edmonton, Alberta. She currently conducts Cosmopolitan Music Society’s Wednesday Band. Rita is also a frequent guest conductor, band clinician, adjudicator, and conference speaker. She is delighted to be the sight-reading and fundamentals clinician for Festival of Bands. Rita is a two-time president of the Alberta Band Association and a past-president of Music Alberta, Pro Coro Canada, Choir Alberta, and Sing for Life Society of Alberta. She is currently on the boards of Alberta Summer Workshop Association and Pro Coro Canada. Over her career, Rita Burns has received several awards: the David Peterkin Award for excellence in band music from the international band fraternity, Phi Beta Mu (Mu Alpha Chapter); the Alberta Band Association Elkhorn Award for band director of the year; a provincial Excellence in Teaching Award; a Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence; and the Vondis Miller Legacy Award for lifetime achievement from Alberta Band Association.
Bill Kristjanson is currently a sessional instructor at the University of Manitoba, teaching music education courses. For many years he taught at Vincent Massey Collegiate, Glenlawn Collegiate and Minnetonka schools and served as Divisional Music Consultant. Bill has been invited to present at the International Association of Jazz Educators’ Conference, the Canadian Music Educators Conference, and provincial music education conferences in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Among guest conducting roles, he has conducted the Manitoba Provincial Junior Honour Band, Intermediate Honour Band, Honour Jazz Band, The Winnipeg Wind Ensemble and at the International Music Camp.
Bill is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing teaching excellence and service to music education including, the “Manitoba Band Association Award of Distinction”, “Manitoba Jazz Educator of the Year Award”, a “CMEA Builders Award” the “D.W. Penner Award for Exceptional Service in Education” and the Canadian Band Association “National Band Award."
Bill’s teaching philosophy revolves around, “Finding something good, and helping it grow.”
Bill is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing teaching excellence and service to music education including, the “Manitoba Band Association Award of Distinction”, “Manitoba Jazz Educator of the Year Award”, a “CMEA Builders Award” the “D.W. Penner Award for Exceptional Service in Education” and the Canadian Band Association “National Band Award."
Bill’s teaching philosophy revolves around, “Finding something good, and helping it grow.”
David Lum is a graduate of the University of Toronto (Mus. Bac. /Ed. 1988, B. Ed. 1990) and completed the Graduate Diploma program in Wind Conducting at the University of Calgary in the summer of 2001. David served as the Conductor of the Northern Ontario Music Festival Honor Band from 2008-2011 and is a past conductor of the Toronto Youth Concert Winds, and Assistant Conductor of the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra. In June of 2016, David was featured as a Guest Conductor for TYWO's 25th Anniversary Tour of New York City, culminating in a performance at Carnegie Hall. David served on the board of the Ontario Music Educators’ Association (OMEA) from 2000 to 2015. He initiated the creation of the Awards and Scholarships Committee in 2004 and served as Chair of the committee until 2014. David is a Past President of the Ontario Band Association (OBA), and currently serves as President of the Lambda Iota chapter of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters’ Fraternity. Other professional affiliations/memberships include the Canadian Band Association, the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE), and the Canadian Music Educators’ Association (CMEA). At present, David is with the Toronto District School Board, where he is the Assistant Curriculum Leader of Music (Pathways) at Agincourt Collegiate Institute. The 2013-2014 school year marked his 25th year with the Toronto District School Board. Ensembles under his direction have been recognized for excellence both provincially and nationally. From 2008-2014 David was a sessional instructor of the Summer Additional Qualifications course in Instrumental Music for the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He is currently an instructor at York University where he teaches a course in Instrumental Music Education, is instructor of the Tuba/Euphonium studio, and has served as interim conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony. David has been awarded an Honorary Life Membership by the Ontario Band Association and is a recipient of the Keith Mann Outstanding Band Director Award. In December 2012, David was inducted as a Laureate of the Legion of Honor for the John Philip Sousa Society. An active adjudicator and clinician, David has worked with students from across Canada and the United States. David is a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician.
Dr. Darrin Oehlerking is Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, where he conducts the Wind Orchestra, and teaches courses in Conducting, Wind Literature and Music Education. He previously served as Director of Bands and Jazz at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota, and as Music Coordinator for the Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His post-secondary experience also includes assignments at the University of Manitoba and Iowa Wesleyan College. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Dr. Oehlerking earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting at The University of Iowa, where he studied with Dr. Myron Welch. He earned his Masters in Music Performance with an emphasis in Conducting at the University of Manitoba. His undergraduate work was also at Manitoba, where he earned separate Bachelors degrees in Music and Education. Prior to his appointment at Saskatchewan, Dr. Oehlerking taught a wide variety of students and musicians at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels. His ensembles have enjoyed success at the local, national and international levels, garnering outstanding performance awards and showcase invitations from a variety of organizations. In July 2015, the University of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra performed at the bi-annual conference of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in San Jose, California. In 2013 the ensemble performed at the Jungfrau Festival in Interlachen, Switzerland and the World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands. In 2017, the ensemble released their latest compact disc, Skyscapes: The Music of Peter Meechan. Dr. Oehlerking is Past President of the Canadian Band Association, a Past President of the Saskatchewan Band Association, and is also a Yamaha Artist/Educator. He belongs to several other professional organizations, including the Saskatchewan Music Educators Association, Manitoba Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, WASBE, and Pi Kappa Lambda. Dr. Oehlerking is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, conference presenter and clinician. He has conducted and presented across Canada, as well as in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Week 2 Adjudicators
Rita Burns is a retired school band and choral music teacher from Edmonton, Alberta. She currently conducts Cosmopolitan Music Society’s Wednesday Band. Rita is also a frequent guest conductor, band clinician, adjudicator, and conference speaker. She is delighted to be the sight-reading and fundamentals clinician for Festival of Bands. Rita is a two-time president of the Alberta Band Association and a past-president of Music Alberta, Pro Coro Canada, Choir Alberta, and Sing for Life Society of Alberta. She is currently on the boards of Alberta Summer Workshop Association and Pro Coro Canada. Over her career, Rita Burns has received several awards: the David Peterkin Award for excellence in band music from the international band fraternity, Phi Beta Mu (Mu Alpha Chapter); the Alberta Band Association Elkhorn Award for band director of the year; a provincial Excellence in Teaching Award; a Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence; and the Vondis Miller Legacy Award for lifetime achievement from Alberta Band Association.
Dr. Christopher Chapman is the Director of Bands for the Central Michigan University School of Music, where he conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and coordinates the wind band conducting area. His ensembles have gained notoriety and praise from composers and audiences alike and have been featured in performance sites from Carnegie Hall to concert halls on the west coast of the United States as well as Japan, China and Taiwan. Recent commercial recording projects include: The Five Changes; Currents; and Scenic Meditations with the Oregon State University Wind Ensemble, produced by Mark Records. This year, that ensemble will release David Maslanka's Mass for wind ensemble, full chorus, children's choir, and soloists. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Chapman holds degrees in music from The Ohio State University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Washington. Dr. Chapman has appeared as a conductor, clinician and lecturer throughout the United States. He has also been a contributing author in A Composer's Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and Commentary on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band, a series of books on contemporary wind band composers for Meredith Music Publications, a subsidiary of the Hal Leonard Corporation and Teaching Music through Performance by GIA Publications. Dr. Chapman's wind band compositions and arrangements, published by Timberline Publications, are receiving performances across the United States. In 2015, Dr. Chapman was elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. He has been the Northwest Division president the College Band Directors National Association and Northwest Divisional Chair of the National Band Association. An inductee into the Phi Beta Mu honorary Bandmasters Fraternity, he is also an honorary member of the Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity where he has served as the Co-Governor of the Western District, and an honorary member of the Tau Beta Sigma honorary band sorority. Other organizations include the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Oregon Band Directors Association, National Association for Music Educators, and Oregon Music Educators Association. Dr. Chapman has also served as the Musical Director of the Oregon Brass Society, a British-style brass band in Springfield, Oregon, the Portland Wind Symphony, a semi-professional adult band in Portland, Oregon, and the Clock Tower Wind Orchestra, a professional concert band.
Scott A. Jones is associate professor of music and associate director of Bands in the School of Music at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to conducting the Symphonic Band, he also leads the undergraduate conducting curriculum and serves as director of the Ohio State Youth Summer Music Programs. Prior to joining the faculty at Ohio State, Dr. Jones served as director of bands at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He also garnered 15 years of teaching experience in the public schools of Apple Valley, Minnesota and Ashville, Ohio.
An ardent supporter of the composers of today, Jones has commissioned more than 30 new compositions for wind band and chamber winds in the past decade. Commissioned composers include David R. Gillingham, Augusta Read Thomas, Libby Larsen, Clark McAlister, Michael Weinstein, Adam Gorb, Daniel Kallman, Scott McAllister, Timothy Mahr, Rolf Rudin, Lowell Liebermann, Elliott Schwartz, Shelley Hanson, Johan de Meij, Brian Balmages, and Martin Ellerby. A firm believer in creating opportunities for students to interact with great artists of our time, the musicians under Jones’ leadership have collaborated with Frederick Fennell, Eiji Oue, Aaron Jay Kernis, Frank Battisti, Seiji Ozawa, David R. Gillingham, Augusta Read Thomas, Eddie Daniels, Frank Ticheli, Mark Camphouse, The Empire Brass Quintet, The American Brass Quintet and a host of other distinguished musical figures. A native of Fairfax, Virginia, Jones received his undergraduate degree in Music Education from The Ohio State University, a master’s degree in Music Education from the Vander Cook College of Music (Chicago, Illinois), and a PhD in Music from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis). Jones was recently honored with a 2015 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching at Ohio State and was recipient of the 2013-14 Ohio State School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award. He was also named “Music Educator of the Year” by the Minnesota Music Educators Association, and was one of three school band conductors from the United States selected to participate in the National Band Association International Conducting Symposium in Rome, Italy. His guest engagements regularly include All-State Bands and Honor Bands, as well as international engagements throughout Asia. His professional affiliations include The National Association for Music Education, Ohio Music Education Association, Wisconsin Music Educators Association, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Iowa Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, and Phi Beta Mu.
An ardent supporter of the composers of today, Jones has commissioned more than 30 new compositions for wind band and chamber winds in the past decade. Commissioned composers include David R. Gillingham, Augusta Read Thomas, Libby Larsen, Clark McAlister, Michael Weinstein, Adam Gorb, Daniel Kallman, Scott McAllister, Timothy Mahr, Rolf Rudin, Lowell Liebermann, Elliott Schwartz, Shelley Hanson, Johan de Meij, Brian Balmages, and Martin Ellerby. A firm believer in creating opportunities for students to interact with great artists of our time, the musicians under Jones’ leadership have collaborated with Frederick Fennell, Eiji Oue, Aaron Jay Kernis, Frank Battisti, Seiji Ozawa, David R. Gillingham, Augusta Read Thomas, Eddie Daniels, Frank Ticheli, Mark Camphouse, The Empire Brass Quintet, The American Brass Quintet and a host of other distinguished musical figures. A native of Fairfax, Virginia, Jones received his undergraduate degree in Music Education from The Ohio State University, a master’s degree in Music Education from the Vander Cook College of Music (Chicago, Illinois), and a PhD in Music from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis). Jones was recently honored with a 2015 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching at Ohio State and was recipient of the 2013-14 Ohio State School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award. He was also named “Music Educator of the Year” by the Minnesota Music Educators Association, and was one of three school band conductors from the United States selected to participate in the National Band Association International Conducting Symposium in Rome, Italy. His guest engagements regularly include All-State Bands and Honor Bands, as well as international engagements throughout Asia. His professional affiliations include The National Association for Music Education, Ohio Music Education Association, Wisconsin Music Educators Association, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Iowa Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, and Phi Beta Mu.
Amy M. Knopps is the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Missouri where she directs Marching Mizzou, Mini Mizzou, Symphonic Band, and teaches courses in the music education curriculum of the School of Music. Prior to her appointment in the fall of 2017, Dr. Knopps served for seven years as Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands in the School of Music and Dance at Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Knopps holds degrees from The University of Georgia (DMA), University of Kansas (MM), and the University of Missouri (BS, Ed.) where her principal conducting teachers were Dr. John P. Lynch and Dr. Dale J. Lonis. Dr. Knopps continues to be an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator across the United States, and internationally having worked and performed throughout Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, and South America. Full biography can be found here: https://music.missouri.edu/people/amy-m-knopps
Dr. Alan LaFave formally began his service as President of Valley City State University, Valley City, North Dakota on Dec. 17, 2018. He previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. At Northern State, LaFave worked his way through the faculty ranks from instructor to full professor in the music department (1991-2015). He also served as the music department chair (1994-97) and associate dean and dean of the School of Fine Arts (1997-15). LaFave served as provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2015-2018. His teaching experience also includes three years at Aberdeen Central High School, Arizona State University, and Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. (1990-91). He is the executive director of Rushmore National Music Camp, Keystone, SD and remains active as a musician and conductor. An accomplished musician and conductor, LaFave holds doctoral and master’s degrees in clarinet performance from Arizona State University, where he studied with Robert Spring. LaFave also holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Northern State University, where he studied with James Gai. He is an elected member of the American Bandmasters Association. He has performed, conducted and adjudicated throughout the United States and Canada, including fourteen states and three provinces.
Dr. Wendy Zander McCallum is the Instrumental Music Education Specialist and director of the Symphonic Band at Brandon University where she teaches courses in music education and conducting. She has conducted junior high and high school regional, provincial and state honor bands, presented at provincial and international music conferences, and has worked as a solo and ensemble adjudicator and clinician for concert and jazz ensembles in Canada and the United States. McCallum has worked to create professional opportunities for students and music educators in the areas of performance and music education. In August McCallum hosts Avenues: Exploring Band and Jazz Methods, an annual summer professional development workshop at Brandon University. She is Faculty Advisor for the Brandon University Student Music Educators Association (BUSMEA) and an Educational Clinician for the Conn-Selmer Division of Education.
McCallum worked as Lead Writer of the Manitoba Grade 9-12 Music Curriculum Framework, has published in Canadian Winds, and is a regular contributor to the publication and recording series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band and Teaching Music Through Performance in Beginning Band. She is former President of the Manitoba Band Association and Canadian Band Association and conducted the National Youth Band of Canada in 2018. McCallum, active as a conductor and clinician, investigates areas related to teaching and learning, conducting, and instrumental literature as curriculum in the music classroom.
McCallum worked as Lead Writer of the Manitoba Grade 9-12 Music Curriculum Framework, has published in Canadian Winds, and is a regular contributor to the publication and recording series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band and Teaching Music Through Performance in Beginning Band. She is former President of the Manitoba Band Association and Canadian Band Association and conducted the National Youth Band of Canada in 2018. McCallum, active as a conductor and clinician, investigates areas related to teaching and learning, conducting, and instrumental literature as curriculum in the music classroom.
Week 3 Adjudicators
Robert J. Ambrose currently serves as Director of Bands at Georgia State University, a research institution of over 53,000 students located in Atlanta. Under his direction, the Georgia State Band program has received widespread recognition with invitations to perform at several prestigious conferences, and internationally-distributed recordings on the Summit and GIA labels. Ambrose is in constant demand as a guest conductor throughout the world and has conducted on four continents. Recent engagements include performances in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan as well as across the United States. He has also served as a guest conductor on tour with The United States Army Field Band. Ambrose is Founder and Music Director of the Atlanta Chamber Winds and the Washington D.C.-based National Chamber Winds. His transcriptions and editions are published by Presser Music, C. Alan Publications, and Fennica Gehrman. Ambrose studied at Boston College, Boston University, and Northwestern University, where he received the Doctor of Music degree in conducting. Ambrose is a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician.
Bill Kristjanson is currently a sessional instructor at the University of Manitoba, teaching music education courses. For many years he taught at Vincent Massey Collegiate, Glenlawn Collegiate and Minnetonka schools and served as Divisional Music Consultant. Bill has been invited to present at the International Association of Jazz Educators’ Conference, the Canadian Music Educators Conference, and provincial music education conferences in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Among guest conducting roles, he has conducted the Manitoba Provincial Junior Honour Band, Intermediate Honour Band, Honour Jazz Band, The Winnipeg Wind Ensemble and at the International Music Camp.
Bill is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing teaching excellence and service to music education including, the “Manitoba Band Association Award of Distinction”, “Manitoba Jazz Educator of the Year Award”, a “CMEA Builders Award” the “D.W. Penner Award for Exceptional Service in Education” and the Canadian Band Association “National Band Award." Bill’s teaching philosophy revolves around, “Finding something good, and helping it grow.”
Bill is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing teaching excellence and service to music education including, the “Manitoba Band Association Award of Distinction”, “Manitoba Jazz Educator of the Year Award”, a “CMEA Builders Award” the “D.W. Penner Award for Exceptional Service in Education” and the Canadian Band Association “National Band Award." Bill’s teaching philosophy revolves around, “Finding something good, and helping it grow.”
Dr. Darrin Oehlerking is Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, where he conducts the Wind Orchestra, and teaches courses in Conducting, Wind Literature and Music Education. He previously served as Director of Bands and Jazz at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota, and as Music Coordinator for the Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His post-secondary experience also includes assignments at the University of Manitoba and Iowa Wesleyan College. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Dr. Oehlerking earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting at The University of Iowa, where he studied with Dr. Myron Welch. He earned his Masters in Music Performance with an emphasis in Conducting at the University of Manitoba. His undergraduate work was also at Manitoba, where he earned separate Bachelors degrees in Music and Education. Prior to his appointment at Saskatchewan, Dr. Oehlerking taught a wide variety of students and musicians at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels. His ensembles have enjoyed success at the local, national and international levels, garnering outstanding performance awards and showcase invitations from a variety of organizations. In July 2015, the University of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra performed at the bi-annual conference of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in San Jose, California. In 2013 the ensemble performed at the Jungfrau Festival in Interlachen, Switzerland and the World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands. In 2017, the ensemble released their latest compact disc, Skyscapes: The Music of Peter Meechan. Dr. Oehlerking is Past President of the Canadian Band Association, a Past President of the Saskatchewan Band Association, and is also a Yamaha Artist/Educator. He belongs to several other professional organizations, including the Saskatchewan Music Educators Association, Manitoba Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, WASBE, and Pi Kappa Lambda. Dr. Oehlerking is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, conference presenter and clinician. He has conducted and presented across Canada, as well as in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Ken Rogers taught Middle, Junior High, and High School band for 32 years and attended the Provincial Festival of Bands annually for 30 consecutive years until retiring last June from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute where he taught Gr. 9-12 band, jazz band, and guitar. Ken has also taught low brass studio at the University of Lethbridge and currently conducts the choir at McKillop United Church in Lethbridge. He conducted the Lethbridge Community Bands for 20 years and enjoys conducting musicals, most recently “Titanic, the Musical” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” in benefit of the Lethbridge Seniors Organization and “Les Miserables” and “Sweeney Todd” with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra. He thoroughly enjoys adjudicating at festivals and has taught low brass and conducted bands several times at MusiCamrose, MusiCamp Red Deer, and Red Deer College Adult Community Band Workshop. Ken conducted the Alberta Band Association’s Northern Alberta Junior Honour Band in 2006 and 2019, as well as the University of Lethbridge High School Honour Band in 2019. Ken is a member of the band director fraternity Phi Beta Mu, an honourary life member of the Lethbridge Community Band Society, a Past President of the Alberta Band Association, and has served on the boards of the Canadian Band Association and Choir Alberta. He was the recipient of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s “Legion of Honor Laureate” award in 2015, the “David J. Peterkin Memorial Award” in 2010 for outstanding service to band music in Alberta, and the Alberta Band Association's “Elkhorn Award” for Band Director of the Year in 2002. Ken lives in Lethbridge with his pianist wife of 35 years, Christine, and they have 2 grown children attending university, Camille pursuing a Master of Music degree at the University of Toronto, and Christopher pursuing a Doctorate in Engineering Physics at Stanford University in California.
Ronnie Wooten is currently Professor of Music, Music Education and Conductor of the Wind Ensemble at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, where he teaches courses in undergraduate and graduate conducting, wind instrument literature and techniques of instrumental music. A native of North Carolina, Wooten received the Bachelor of Music Education Degree (with honors) from East Carolina University, a Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Applied Conducting from Michigan State University where he held both a teaching assistantship and a competitive doctoral fellowship in the School of Music. Dr. Wooten’s principal conducting teachers include: Eugene Corporon, Kenneth Bloomquist, Herbert Carter and Robert Hause. He has studied clarinet with Frank Ell, Deborah Chodacki and Herbert Carter and piano with Donna Coleman. Dr. Wooten has pursued additional conducting studies at the University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada), Campbell University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Michigan. Prior to his appointment at NIU, Dr. Wooten served as Director of University Bands and Chairperson of the Applied Wind/Percussion faculty at Florida International University and as Director of University Bands at SUNY-Fredonia. His teaching career began in the public schools of North Carolina where he served as Assistant Director of the three-time Bands of America National Champion Rocky Mount Senior High School Band and as Director of Instrumental Music for grades 8-12 in the Goldsboro School District. . Dr. Wooten is a recipient of the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award at Northern Illinois University.