2026 Senior Piano Adjudicator - Brett Kingsbury
Brett Kingsbury enjoys a diverse performing career as both a soloist and a collaborative artist. He has worked with many ensembles and performers including The Madawaska String Quartet, Magisterra Soloists, London Symphonia, The Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, and members of The Hamilton Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony Orchestras. He is very active as an adjudicator and masterclass clinician, working frequently with pianists across the province. His doctoral dissertation was written on Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica, a rarely heard work he has performed on numerous occasions. He has also been involved in the operatic world as a repetiteur for Vancouver Opera, TrypTych Concert and Opera, Opera York and other companies in Ontario. Brett is currently a member of the piano faculty at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University, where he teaches piano, performance research and piano literature. His research and teaching focus on exploring ways in which music theory and history can enlighten and enhance the performer's understanding of music and performance. Brett is also a former faculty member at The University of Toronto Scarborough and at Brock University. While a student at The University of British Columbia, he was named R. Howard Webster Fellow at Green College. Brett studied with Leslie Kinton at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and he received his Doctor of Musical Arts while studying with Robert Silverman at The University of British Columbia.
2026 Junior/Intermediate Piano TBA
Canadian soprano Allison Cecilia Arends is a versatile singer whose “voice is stunningly beautiful and [is used] with intelligence and great sensitivity” (Hnatyshyn Foundation). Active as an interpreter of opera, new music, and concert repertoire, she is noted for having “charmed listeners with her lyrical upper tones” and for her “empathetic acting” (Opera Canada).
Allison looks forward to a busy 2025/26 Season singing opera arias with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra in their 40th Anniversary Concert, joining Cantabile Chamber Singers as an ensemble member for their season, and as a soloist in the Toronto Classical Singers’ concert featuring music from J.S Bach and C.P.E Bach’s Magnificats in D. In addition to her busy teaching schedule, she looks forward to conducting workshops for the music studio of Kyra Milan and The Barrie Music Festival, as well as a choral workshop for the Forte Chorus. She will adjudicate the vocal assessments and the Contemporary Showcase for the Etobicoke-Mississauga chapter of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association, as well as music festivals in Oakville, Newmarket, Durham, and Brampton.
Having performed across Canada, the United States, Germany, Austria, Italy, England, Israel, and China, Allison is in high demand as an interpreter of opera, oratorio, and new music. Allison toured with the Brahms Symphony Orchestra across China in a series of Viennese concerts, and was honoured to perform at Rideau Hall, as well as for International Dignitaries in Calgary and Toronto. In addition to her performing, Allison maintains a busy private music studio in Toronto, is a voice examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music, and regularly adjudicates music festivals from coast to coast. Having formerly taught for St. Michael’s and Timothy Eaton Memorial’s Choir Schools, Allison has conducted choral, vocal, and educational workshops and masterclasses for the Edna Manley Music College in Jamaica, University of Mississippi, British Columbia Provincial Music Festival, Grande Prairie Music Teachers’ Association, Regina Conservatory of Music, Ryerson Oakham House Choir, Opera Atelier, and the Royal Canadian College of Organists.
Allison is a graduate of Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program, and completed a Masters of Music at the University of Toronto Opera School and a Bachelor of Music at the University of Victoria Voice Performance Program. Allison currently studies privately with W. Stephen Smith in Chicago, and has previously studied under the tutelage of Mary Morrison, Timothy Noble, Wendy Nielsen, Alexandra Browning, Selena James, and Diana Woolrich. She has completed summer studies at the Alliance Française, Goethe Institut, Britten-Pears Young Artist Program, Opera Workshop for Advanced Singers in St. Andrews, Highlands Opera Studio, Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, International Vocal Arts Institute in Israel, Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, Banff Centre, Franz Schubert-Institut in Austria, and Stuttgart Festival International Choir under the direction of Maestro Helmuth Rilling.
Allison’s awards include first place and audience choice in the Clifford Poole Voice Competition, being named a Laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, second place in the Barry Alexander International Voice Competition, third place in the Spazio Musica International Competition, first place in the Gordon C. Wallis Vocal Competition, the Hnatyshyn Foundation Governor General’s Award for Classical Voice, a Senior Award through the B.C. Arts Council, an Encouragement Award through the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Holbrook Opera Tour Graduating Award, and scholarships from the Johann Strauss Foundation, the Aldeburgh Foundation, the Wagner Society, ARIAS (formerly COVC), and the Universities of Toronto and Victoria. She was also a participant and semi-finalist in the Joy in Singing masterclass series and competition in New York.
Allison looks forward to a busy 2025/26 Season singing opera arias with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra in their 40th Anniversary Concert, joining Cantabile Chamber Singers as an ensemble member for their season, and as a soloist in the Toronto Classical Singers’ concert featuring music from J.S Bach and C.P.E Bach’s Magnificats in D. In addition to her busy teaching schedule, she looks forward to conducting workshops for the music studio of Kyra Milan and The Barrie Music Festival, as well as a choral workshop for the Forte Chorus. She will adjudicate the vocal assessments and the Contemporary Showcase for the Etobicoke-Mississauga chapter of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association, as well as music festivals in Oakville, Newmarket, Durham, and Brampton.
Having performed across Canada, the United States, Germany, Austria, Italy, England, Israel, and China, Allison is in high demand as an interpreter of opera, oratorio, and new music. Allison toured with the Brahms Symphony Orchestra across China in a series of Viennese concerts, and was honoured to perform at Rideau Hall, as well as for International Dignitaries in Calgary and Toronto. In addition to her performing, Allison maintains a busy private music studio in Toronto, is a voice examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music, and regularly adjudicates music festivals from coast to coast. Having formerly taught for St. Michael’s and Timothy Eaton Memorial’s Choir Schools, Allison has conducted choral, vocal, and educational workshops and masterclasses for the Edna Manley Music College in Jamaica, University of Mississippi, British Columbia Provincial Music Festival, Grande Prairie Music Teachers’ Association, Regina Conservatory of Music, Ryerson Oakham House Choir, Opera Atelier, and the Royal Canadian College of Organists.
Allison is a graduate of Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program, and completed a Masters of Music at the University of Toronto Opera School and a Bachelor of Music at the University of Victoria Voice Performance Program. Allison currently studies privately with W. Stephen Smith in Chicago, and has previously studied under the tutelage of Mary Morrison, Timothy Noble, Wendy Nielsen, Alexandra Browning, Selena James, and Diana Woolrich. She has completed summer studies at the Alliance Française, Goethe Institut, Britten-Pears Young Artist Program, Opera Workshop for Advanced Singers in St. Andrews, Highlands Opera Studio, Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, International Vocal Arts Institute in Israel, Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, Banff Centre, Franz Schubert-Institut in Austria, and Stuttgart Festival International Choir under the direction of Maestro Helmuth Rilling.
Allison’s awards include first place and audience choice in the Clifford Poole Voice Competition, being named a Laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, second place in the Barry Alexander International Voice Competition, third place in the Spazio Musica International Competition, first place in the Gordon C. Wallis Vocal Competition, the Hnatyshyn Foundation Governor General’s Award for Classical Voice, a Senior Award through the B.C. Arts Council, an Encouragement Award through the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Holbrook Opera Tour Graduating Award, and scholarships from the Johann Strauss Foundation, the Aldeburgh Foundation, the Wagner Society, ARIAS (formerly COVC), and the Universities of Toronto and Victoria. She was also a participant and semi-finalist in the Joy in Singing masterclass series and competition in New York.
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2026 Classical Voice/Musical Theatre/Choir Adjudicator TBA
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2026 Original Music/Composition/Pop Adjudicator - Juliette Jones
Juliette Jones she/her/any is an Ontario based video game composer with a strong background in vocal and hybrid orchestral production. Most recently, Juliette Jones composed additional music and wrote lyrics for Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2, provided additional orchestration and music editing on Sony Guerrilla's Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, and vocal coached Malia Baker for Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red. Juliette has also done a significant amount of ghost writing for large composers in the game industry, primarily working with AAA level Chinese studios. After departing music and audio production company Interleave in 2025, Juliette started her solo music venture Sparks & Comet, where she continues to compose, perform, and orchestrate for the video game and film industries. Juliette specializes in vocal & hybrid sci-fi fantasy soundtracks, with full string orchestration, experimental synth & field recordings, and strong thematic melodies.
Prior to her professional work in these fields, Juliette Jones was a theatrical composer and music director. Juliette completed her Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance from Sheridan College in 2019 and promptly started working as a composer and music director all around the Greater Toronto Area. Having done extensive piano training in her youth, Juliette was able to write, coach, direct, and do copyist work for a number of theatre companies and schools from 2019-2020 including but not limited to; The Musical Stage Co., YES Theatre, Nightwood Theatre, Bravo Academy, Sheridan College and George Brown College. She was also selected to be the Music Apprentice for The Musical Stage Co. in 2019 where she did copyist work for Kelly v. Kelly under the mentorship of Broadway orchestrator and music supervisor Lynne Shankel and was the music director and orchestrator for Best of Hamilton Fringe's A Time of Future Tales.
At the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Juliette continued to coach online and finish her music apprenticeship before making a career change to film and video game composition. After working as the composer for Hands of Hypatia - a sci-fi podcast by Dandelion Theatre - Juliette found work as music assistant on the Netflix Adaptation of 13: The Musical where she worked alongside 3 time Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown and Broadway music directors Georgia Stitt and Lily Ling. Juliette also monitored the on set lip sync for the duration of principal photography, working closely with the cast as well as the direction and choreography team.
After her stint with Netflix, Juliette returned to her studies and completed the Music Scoring for Screen and Stage Graduate Program at Sheridan College before joining Interleave in 2022 and departing in 2025.
Prior to her professional work in these fields, Juliette Jones was a theatrical composer and music director. Juliette completed her Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance from Sheridan College in 2019 and promptly started working as a composer and music director all around the Greater Toronto Area. Having done extensive piano training in her youth, Juliette was able to write, coach, direct, and do copyist work for a number of theatre companies and schools from 2019-2020 including but not limited to; The Musical Stage Co., YES Theatre, Nightwood Theatre, Bravo Academy, Sheridan College and George Brown College. She was also selected to be the Music Apprentice for The Musical Stage Co. in 2019 where she did copyist work for Kelly v. Kelly under the mentorship of Broadway orchestrator and music supervisor Lynne Shankel and was the music director and orchestrator for Best of Hamilton Fringe's A Time of Future Tales.
At the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Juliette continued to coach online and finish her music apprenticeship before making a career change to film and video game composition. After working as the composer for Hands of Hypatia - a sci-fi podcast by Dandelion Theatre - Juliette found work as music assistant on the Netflix Adaptation of 13: The Musical where she worked alongside 3 time Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown and Broadway music directors Georgia Stitt and Lily Ling. Juliette also monitored the on set lip sync for the duration of principal photography, working closely with the cast as well as the direction and choreography team.
After her stint with Netflix, Juliette returned to her studies and completed the Music Scoring for Screen and Stage Graduate Program at Sheridan College before joining Interleave in 2022 and departing in 2025.
