Adjudicators
Meet the Adjudicators
Craig Johnson
Band Adjudicator
Craig, originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, has a rich musical background. He studied trumpet and piano with both classical and jazz instructors, pursued music studies at The University of Manitoba, and later earned a General Music Studies degree from Berklee College of Music. In Calgary, he boasts over 30 years of experience as a music educator and performer, with an active role in the Calgary Board of Education and private sector band programs. Craig's extensive teaching and leadership roles in various big band associations have solidified his reputation as a music professional. He is also in the process of launching his own music publishing company, MAXALBY Music Publishing, to share his original works and arrangements across different ensemble settings and skill levels.
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Originally from Winnipeg, MB, Craig studied privately with a long list of classical and jazz instructors on his primary instruments (Trumpet and Piano). After high school, he attended The University of Manitoba, furthering his studies in the Performing Fine Arts Program. He went on to study Jazz Arranging, Orchestral Composition, and Writing for Motion Picture and TV earning his General Music Studies degree at The Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Now living in Calgary with over 30 years of teaching and performing experience, Craig remains an active clinician, teaching within the Calgary Board of Education and private sector band music programs. He maintains a large private student base, and has had a number of students go on to pursue their own musical careers at the professional level.
In 2003, Craig accepted the position of Musical Director for a Calgary-based big band association, followed by a second offer in 2019 from an additional association. His roles include directing, writing, and arranging a large portion of the band's repertoire for performance.
In addition to teaching and adjudicating music festivals throughout Alberta, as a band leader, he leads his own groups of various sizes and has been commissioned by different organizations and independent artists to write music for their specific recording and performing projects.
Currently, Craig is creating his own music publishing company under the name MAXALBY Music Publishing, making available his original works and arrangements for Jazz Ensemble, Concert Band, Orchestra, and various small group ensembles ranging from beginner to senior to professional levels.
Joy Berg
Choral Adjudicator
Professor Emeritus (from Concordia University of Edmonton), Dr. Berg is delighted to now be living in the Camrose community, continuing as a sessional instructor at The King's University and at Augustana. Joy sang for 16 years as an Alto with Procoro Canada (Edmonton's professional choir) and is the curator for the Cypress Publishing church choir series, Songs for the Sanctuary. She holds a Doctorate of Music degree in Choral Conducting as well as a Doctorate of Worship Arts. Joy started her business, Sanctuary Sounds, which includes the Camrose community choirs of Ubuntu: Collective. Joy also enjoys her ongoing role in conducting The King's Community and Alumni Chorus throughout the year.
Andriy Talpash
Composition Adjudicator
Andriy Talpash is an active composer, conductor, and educator. He has composed works for numerous prominent North American ensembles and soloists. His compositions have been performed extensively throughout Canada and the United States, with additional performances in Asia and Europe. They have been featured on Canadian, Australian, Spanish, and Turkish national radios. Andriy has received grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Andriy earned his degrees, including a BMus in composition and saxophone performance from the University of Alberta (1997), an MMus in composition from McGill University (1999), and a DMus in composition from McGill University (2005). Since 2005, Dr. Talpash has been teaching music composition, theory, and orchestration at the University of Alberta, also serving as the music department’s New Music Coordinator.
Melanie Smith-Doderai
Fiddle Adjudicator
Melanie Smith-Doderai holds a BA, B.Ed and M.Ed. Melanie is an active member of the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association, holds an Advanced Specialist Certification from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada, and has published ten theory books for string instruments through Mel Bay Publications.
Melanie has been awarded the 2009 Excellence in Music Teaching Award as well as the CMFTA Award for Recognition of Professional Achievement from 2010 to present.
Melanie is proud to have the title of being Canada's first aerial silk violinist and was recently featured on Canada’s Got Talent.
Laurel Teichroeb
Junior/Preparatory Piano Adjudicator
Laurel Teichroeb is an accomplished music educator, holding diplomas from both the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Canadian National Conservatory of Music. She serves as an examiner for CNCM, participates as a clinician at music conferences, and adjudicates at festivals in Western Canada. With a strong musical background, she started piano lessons early, accompanied from a young age, and ventured into teaching at 15. Laurel's extensive musical interests range from Kindermusik to pipe organ, and she has a deep love for music history, further enriched by her participation in the Classical Music Festival in Austria. She is also engaged with Music Learning Theory and is actively involved with the Saskatchewan Registered Music Teachers. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, biking, baking, and spending time with her family.
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Laurel Teichroeb holds an ARCT Teachers Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music, a Primary/Elementary Piano Pedagogy Diploma, and a Licentiate Diploma in Piano Pedagogy with the Canadian National Conservatory of Music. Laurel is an examiner for CNCM, a clinician at provincial and national music conferences, and an adjudicator for festivals throughout Western Canada. Growing up in a musically enriched community in Springside, SK, Laurel began piano lessons with the late Jean Laube. Laurel’s earliest musical influences were playing in church and singing in school, where she began accompanying at a very young age. At the age of 15, Laurel began teaching piano, with her goal always being to be passionate about music and to allow her students to find the joy of music at all levels of learning. Laurel has taught Kindermusik and studied pipe organ, and her love for music history has taken her to the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria. Attending lectures, masterclasses, and performances at the Schloss, where Haydn spent his thirty-year career, has richly enhanced her musical enthusiasm and deepened her love for historic performances. She most recently participated as a presenter. Laurel’s current studies include Music Learning Theory, which is the process of how children learn music when learning music. Laurel is very active with the Saskatchewan Registered Music Teachers, presently serving as Yorkton Branch President and as a director on the Provincial SRMTA board. She especially enjoys collaborating with vocalists, instrumentalists, and choirs in her community. Her favourite pastimes are travelling, biking, baking, and spending time with her husband and two boys.
Renée Brad
Musical Theatre Adjudicator
Renée Brad, a renowned mezzo-soprano, teaches voice at MacEwan University and has guest instructed at the University of Alberta and Opera Nuova. She boasts an impressive career performing in opera, oratorio, musical theatre, and recitals across Canada and New York. Notable roles include Cousin Hebe in Edmonton Opera's award-winning HMS Pinafore and various characters in other Edmonton Opera productions, as well as roles in Opera Saskatchewan and Saskatoon Opera. Renée is also a soloist with orchestras, recording artist, and has contributed to the creation of cabarets and shows. Beyond her teaching at MacEwan, she runs a private studio and serves as an adjudicator and clinician in Canada.
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Renée Brad teaches voice in the Musical Theatre Program at MacEwan University and has served as a guest instructor in the Voice Department at the University of Alberta, as well as at Opera Nuova’s Summer Intensive Program. An acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Renée has performed in opera, oratorio, musical theatre, chamber music, and solo recitals across Canada and in New York. She appeared with Edmonton Opera, captivating audiences as Cousin Hebe in their Sterling Award-winning production of HMS Pinafore. Additionally, for Edmonton Opera, she sang Kate in Pirates of Penzance, Annina in La Traviata, Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and the Dama/Hexe in Macbeth. She also appeared as The Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Witch in Hansel and Gretel with Opera Nuova. Her roles for Opera Saskatchewan include Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. She sang Mercedes in Carmen with Saskatoon Opera, portrayed Popova in Walton’s The Bear, and took on the role of Kate in Elizabeth Raum’s The Dream of Nicholas Flood Davin with the Regina Centenary Project. Her favourite theatre roles include Rose in The Secret Garden, Meg Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Katisha in The Mikado, Amy in Company, and Ella in Bells are Ringing. As a frequent soloist with orchestras, Renée has performed Karl Jenkins' Stabat Mater, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Paukenmesse, Schubert’s Mass in E-flat, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Bach’s Weihnachts Oratorium and Johannes Passion, Vivaldi’s Magnificat and Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Her recording of Elizabeth Raum's How Bodies Leave Ecstatic Marks with the Contrasts Trio for the CMC Centrediscs label earned her a 2008 Western Canadian Music Award. Renée created and premiered the cabaret Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession for the Golden Apple Theatre Company and collaborated in the creation of Songs in the Key of Life for Opera Nuova and Mezzo Madness at the University of Alberta. In addition to her role at MacEwan University, Renée maintains an active private studio and is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician throughout Canada.
Dale Wheeler
Senior Piano Adjudicator
After teaching piano and various courses at the post-secondary level for over thirty years, Dale Wheeler now enjoys life as an independent musician. Currently residing in Red Deer, Alberta, he teaches part-time at Burman University in Lacombe and maintains a small private studio. He serves as an examiner, clinician, and consultant for The Royal Conservatory of Music and RCM Publishing. Dr. Wheeler holds a doctorate in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma, as well as degrees and diplomas from the University of Saskatchewan and Trinity College of Music, London. He has showcased his skills as a recitalist, accompanist, adjudicator, and lecturer across Canada and the U.S. Over the years, Dale has contributed as a regular columnist for Clavier magazine and has articles published in the CFMTA Journal, American Music Teacher, and The Journal of the American Liszt Society. Beyond music, his interests encompass water and snow skiing, classic cars, touring on his Harley motorcycle, and collecting vintage piano recordings.
Viktoria Grynenko
Strings Adjudicator
Viktoria Grynenko, a versatile Ukrainian-born artist based in Edmonton, is a concert violinist deeply involved in educational and research endeavors. She's affiliated with Alberta Registered Music Teachers, Edmonton Musicians Association, and Suzuki Association of the Americas. Viktoria's performances span solo, chamber, and large ensembles, with support from Canadian and international organizations. Her PhD thesis (University of Alberta, 2021) explored the interplay between violin and dance, leading to her participation in multi-disciplinary projects with dancers. She actively imparts her knowledge through masterclasses and supports the El Sistema program for music education in underserved communities. Her debut album "Violin in Movement" was released in August 2023, and she is currently working on multiple publications, recording contemporary Ukrainian music, chamber projects, and teaching in her violin studio.
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Viktoria Grynenko is multifaceted Ukrainian-born artist based in Edmonton. While being a concert violinist, she focuses on educational and research projects. She is a member of Alberta Registered Music Teachers, Edmonton Musicians Association and Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Viktoria performs in various genres as a soloist, in chamber groups, and in large ensembles. Her efforts have been encouraged by Canadian and international organizations, such as the KUN Foundation, the Strauss Foundation, and the Canadian Federation of University Women. Building on her PhD thesis (University of Alberta, 2021), which explored the relationship between violin and dance, Viktoria is actively involved in multi-disciplinary projects with dancers.
Passionate about education, Grynenko leads numerous masterclasses for violin and chamber music students through community organizations and higher education institutions. As a dedicated supporter of the El Sistema program of music education for children from low-income families, Grynenko has worked and volunteered with the program in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Edmonton.
In August 2023, Viktoria released her debut album “Violin in Movement”. Currently, she is working on four publications, recording an album of contemporary Ukrainian music, various chamber projects, and teaching in her violin studio.
Tina Hart
Vocal Adjudicator
Tina Hartt is a singer, composer, and musician native to Montreal. Trained in classical voice at the University of Mount Allison and McGill, she has enjoyed a diverse singing career spanning all over Canada: from rock bands and church choirs in Montreal to Big Bands and jazz ensembles in Toronto, as well as acting, singing, and dancing in Nova Scotia and PEI. In 2014, she decided to focus on jazz. Returning to her French roots, she dusted off some of the old French chansons (e.g., Brel, Aznavour, and Piaf) and breathed new life into them by combining them with jazz harmonies and adding a Latin twist. These elements form the foundation for her original material and lend a fresh perspective to her interpretations of jazz standards.
Since arriving in Calgary, Tina has performed at many of the city's top venues, including Jack Singer Hall, the Grey Eagle Casino, the Petroleum Club, The Grand Theatre, and the Ironwood Stage & Grill. Tina has also been featured in the JazzYYC International Jazz Days Festival, the ProArts Concert Series, and the La Cité Francophone Patio Concert Series. In early 2023, she released her 2nd CD titled "Absence of You," which has recently been nominated for Jazz Recording of the Year by the YYC Music Awards.
