Meet our 2026 Music Adjudicators
Calgary-based pianist Dr. Elizabeth Clarke is active as a performer, collaborator, and teacher. She has performed numerous solo and chamber recitals in Canada and the United States, and has been a concerto soloist with the University of Victoria orchestra. She is an in-demand accompanist and frequently works with singers and instrumentalists of all levels. Elizabeth is also a founding member of the violin and piano duo, There is Room, an exciting new chamber group that exists to share music and hospitality across Canada.
As a teacher, Elizabeth previously held the position of Assistant Professor in Residence at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, where she taught piano, aural skills, and music history. She has also held teaching assistantships at the University of Victoria and Michigan State University. Currently, she is a sessional instructor at Ambrose University in Calgary, and maintains a private studio at Calgary Music Academy, where she teaches students from young children to adults.
Originally from Fort McMurray, Elizabeth studied at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus (B.M. in piano performance), University of Victoria (M.M. in piano performance), and Michigan State University (DMA in piano performance and M.M. in music theory). Throughout her studies she received numerous awards, including the Governor General’s silver medal, the Johann Strauss scholarship for advanced musical study in Austria, and a graduate student grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Elizabeth Clarke
Piano
Melanie Doderai is a dedicated musician, educator, and performer with a deep passion for inspiring the next generation of musicians. Holding a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, and Master of Education, Melanie combines her academic expertise with a wealth of experience in music education and performance.
An active member of the Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association, Melanie holds an Advanced Specialist Certification from the Royal Conservatory of Music and has published ten theory books for string instruments through Mel Bay Publications. She is also a proud recipient of the CMFTA Award for Recognition of Professional Achievement, which she has held since 2010.
Melanie currently serves as an early childhood music specialist with Elk Island Catholic Schools, alongside a diverse professional practice that includes private instruction, leading music camps and performance masterclasses, adjudicating, and freelance performance. Melanie is recognized as Canada’s first aerial silk violinist and was featured on Canada’s Got Talent.
Beyond performing, Melanie is a passionate advocate for music education, leading workshops, masterclasses, and community outreach programs to inspire musicians of all ages. She also serves on the executive board and volunteers for numerous music organizations, including the Alberta Orff Chapter and the Fort Saskatchewan Music Festival. In addition, she is an active member of several professional music organizations.
Melanie Doderai
Strings
Gloria Chu is a dedicated and passionate music educator, adjudicator, speaker, composer, and performer who brings joy and excellence to every facet of her work. She holds three Master’s degrees: an MA in Strings (Chichester), an MA in Piano (Ottawa), and is currently pursing an MA in Voice Pedagogy (Wales). She is EFP certified in Estill Voice Training® and specializes in coaching contemporary vocalists. Recognized for her outstanding contributions to music education; Gloria has received the Steinway & Sons Top Teacher Award and the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Teacher of Distinction Award. Her students, inspired by her nurturing and joyful approach to teaching, have collectively earned 22 RCM Regional Gold Medals - the highest mark in their regions - across Canada and the United States in voice, piano, and violin. She is also a respected member of the RCM College of Examiners.
Gloria is a sought-after speaker and has presented at local, provincial, and national conferences, including the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), American String Teachers Association & Suzuki Association of the Americas collocated conferences, and the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations (CFMTA) National Conference. As a composer, her works have been featured in the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects (ACNMP) Contemporary Showcase syllabus, earning recognition for their creativity and educational value.
Through her innovative and student-centered teaching methods, Gloria strives to empower today’s learners to express their unique voices with confidence - both in music and in life. www.gloriachumusic.com
Gloria Chu
Voice
Rhonda Sylvester has been a proud part of the arts community since an early age and over the years, her love and passion for music, theatre and performance have continued to grow and blossom.
Growing up in Stettler, AB, she was offered the wonderful opportunity to study voice with Elaine Pitt and her national winning award choir Pitt's Pets. It was through Mrs. Pitt that Ms.Sylvester first found that special spark of magic only music can give to your soul. With great nurturing and development, this gift of music became not only a passion for her, but also became her life career choice.
She has obtained degrees in both Teachers and Vocal Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (Distinction) and Conservatory Canada, a music Performance degree (Honours) from Red Deer College, and a Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance (Honours) from U of A Augustana Campus.
After obtaining her degrees, Ms.Sylvester lived in Kassel Germany for 2 years where she had the privilege of teaching English, Choral and Orchestra in the German school system for grades five to thirteen.
She has been the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards of her own, but she is most proud of the awards that her own students have earned in world wide competitions, including the Heritage Festival series in New York, where her Gracenotes Choir placed at a Gold level and were also the recipients of the esteemed Spirit of New York Award. Ms.Sylvester has had several students also hold successful auditions to be a part of the Honour Choir at Carnegie Hall series in the past several years and well as having numerous choirs, solo vocal students and musical theatre students go on to win top marks and placements at our own Alberta Provincial Choral and Music Festival as well as Canada West.
In addition to teaching, conducting and being a busy EA at an elementary school, Ms.Sylvester loves to perform any opportunity she gets. Some of her performance and musical directing credits include shows such as “Ready Steady Go”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Oliver”, “Little Women”, “Bring Them Home”, “Pets”, “Fiddler On the Roof”, “The Music Man”, “My Fair Lady”, “Matilda”, “Moana Jr.”, “The Big One-Oh!”, and her two most favourite roles as Sister Mary Amnesia and the Narrator in “Nunsense” and “Nunsense: the Second Coming” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”.
Ms.Sylvester is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator in the disciplines of solo voice, choral, musical theatre. She is thrilled to be with us at our festival and hopes all performers will “Go forth, and shine!”.
Rhonda Sylvester
Speech and Choral
Tyson Oatway is a dynamic and versatile performer who is equally comfortable in Classical music and popular music genres. He is a multi-instrumentalist who both teaches and performs many different genres of music. He has a Bachelors of Music from the University of Alberta and a Masters in Music with Distinction in guitar performance and pedagogy. As well, he has studied with and performed in numerous masterclasses with Roland Dyens, Benjamin Verdery, Scott Tennant, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Marcin Dylla, Similia Duo, Martha Masters and Pavel Steidl. He has performed in numerous festivals, musical productions, solo and ensemble concerts and recording projects as a session musician. He also composes and arranges a wide variety of music for both solo and ensemble music. As a teacher he is a very active teacher based in Edmonton. Teaching through his own studio and as a director of the guitar program at Suzuki Charter School, he teaches both private lessons and large group ensembles. He is a qualified teacher with both Royal Conservatory and the Suzuki of the Americas Association, also he is a registered teacher with ARMTA. Currently he performs in solo concerts, in Duo Nebula with Marek Orszulik and with the River Valley Guitar Quartet.
