The Estevan and District Music Festival has announced the individuals who will serve as adjudicators for this year’s festival.
The Estevan and District Music Festival begins with piano running from March 24-30. The adjudicator for this is Eleanor Epp.
The vocal/speech arts discipline follows from March 31-April 2, with the adjudicator yet to be determined. Lastly, band and strings is being adjudicated by Kevin Ackerman (woodwinds/strings) and Melissa Ballard (brass/percussion) on April 3 and 4.
Epp grew up in Manitoba and studied piano in Brandon. After graduating as a registered nurse, she moved to Saskatchewan, where she studied through the Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT) in piano performance and obtained her ARCT teacher's diploma.
She continues to attend workshops and develop her own skills as a pianist and theory and music history teacher in her own studio. Epp has been associated with music festivals for many years, first as a competitor, and has entered many of her students in Manitoba.
Ackerman completed his bachelor of arts with a music major from the University of Saskatchewan; he studied music history/literature and his principle instrument was guitar.
His chosen degree path offered the opportunity to attend the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon as a visiting student. He has presented papers at City University of New York Kev Graduate Center, Simon Fraser University music composition class in Burnaby, B.C., at the National Registered Music Teacher convention in Halifax, and in Regina at the Saskatchewan Music conference.
Ackerman and Ballard were artists on board Via Rail for a portion of the cross Canada journey to Toronto and Vancouver in 2016 and 2017.
Ballard, a percussionist and pianist, completed a degree in music education from Brandon University in 2014. She now teaches in Brandon School Division as well as through the Eckhardt Gramatté Conservatory of Music. Along with her teaching positions, she continues to perform as a percussionist with a variety of ensembles and work with percussionists of all ages as a clinician.
Ballard also recently taught percussion and band at the Vernon Army Cadet Training Summer Training Centre in British Columbia. She continues to pursue professional development opportunities. She is also proud to have been able to present developing the total percussionist.
The music festival is looking for a new adjudicator for the vocal and speech arts competition. Dominic Gregorio was slated to be the adjudicator for that competition, but he died earlier this week.
