Judges

Lisa Butts

Lisa Butts has retired after 19 years as Director of Bands at Hanford West High School, and 33 years of teaching overall. Mrs. Butts attended the College of Sequoias in Visalia earning her Associate of Arts Degree in 1981. She finished her Bachelor of Arts in Music at California State University, Fresno in 1983. In 1998 she completed her Master's Degree in Music from the American Band College at Southern Oregon University. While completing her Master's Degree she played under such notable conductors as Frederick Fennell, John Bourgeois, and Alfred Reed.

Mrs. Butts has also continued to study conducting under the tutelage of Robert Halseth, Stan DeRusha, Mallory Thompson, Jerry Junkin, Craig Kirchoff, John Whitwell, and H. Robert Reynolds. She is currently a free-lance trumpet player and plays with several groups including the The Hal Magnie Band, Sunnyside Big Band, and the Joe Lennigan Big Band .

She is active as an adjudicator throughout the Central Valley and is an adjunct professor of music at West Hills College. She has a cool husband Bill, and two cats: Sweets-Pouncer and Molly.

John Zimny

John Zimny, a native of Chicago, Illinois, began his music career as a trumpet player at the

United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Following his enlistment he

became the chief music arranger for the Academy Cadets serving in that capacity for 15 years.

His interest in arranging and composing has led him to write for marching bands, drum corps,

jazz choirs and jazz bands throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. He is a graduate of

Northern Illinois University with degrees in Music Education and Psychology. He went on to

teach music at Sacramento City College for several years and conducted classes in electronic

composition, jazz improvisation, wind ensemble, jazz and brass ensemble before joining the

outstanding Folsom music department. During his 25 year tenure in Folsom his bands were the

recipients of many honors including numerous Downbeat awards for both his concert and jazz

ensembles. He also served as Staff and Program Coordinator, as well as music arranger for the

Sacramento Freelancers.

Mr. Zimny has been an adjudicator for CMEA, NCBA and a clinician for many years. He was

recently inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in New York for his contributions

to the activity.

Max Kiesner

Maxwell Kiesner is the Music Department Chair and Professor of Instrumental Music

at Cosumnes River College, where he directs the CRC Concert Band, Orchestra, and

Jazz Band, teaches Applied Trumpet, and leads courses in Jazz History and

Musicianship. Mr. Kiesner holds a B.M. in Music Education from Northern Illinois

University with an emphasis in jazz studies and a M.M. in Orchestral Conducting

from California State University, Sacramento. His primary teachers

include legendary jazz educator Ronald Carter and Pulitzer Prize nominated

composer-conductor Leo Eylar.

From 2007–2019, Mr. Kiesner was co-director of the renowned Rio Americano High

School band program, where he led concert bands, jazz bands, and piano courses.

During his tenure, Rio Band students received numerous DownBeat awards, were

selected to play in CMEA All-State ensembles, and participated in several prestigious

national competitions. During the summers, he led performance tours of Japan,

Australia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Argentina.

Mr. Kiesner is dedicated to supporting school music programs and educating the

next generation of music professionals at Cosumnes River College. He is an active

freelance musician and clinician throughout Northern California and maintains a

private studio of trumpet students. Mr. Kiesner stays connected to the community

through his work with local schools, as the CMEA Capitol Section higher education

representative, and as a Sacramento Jazz Education Foundation board member.

Brad North

Mr. North taught music in Northern California for the past thirty eight years until retiring in May, 2019/ Mr. North has received numerous awards and honors, including Placer County Teacher of the Year, Northern California Band Associations, Director of the Year, and California Music Educators Association’s, Capitol Section, Music Educator of the Year. In addition, Mr. North has received the CMEA Presidents Award and NCBA’s Legends Award. Mr. North has served four terms as president of California Music Educators Association’s, Capitol Section, as well as serving on the board of the Northern California Band Association. Mr. North’s bands have performed throughout the United States and Canada, including performances at our Nation’s Capital, and performances for California’s Gubernatorial Inaugurations.

Clay Redfield, DMA

Dr. Clay Redfield is an Associate Professor of Music and the Coordinator of Music Education in the School of Music at California State University, Sacramento. His duties include coordinating the music education faculty, teaching courses in music education and jazz pedagogy, advising students, and supervising student teachers. From 2008 until 2020 Redfield served as the Associate Director of Bands conducting the Concert Band and Guest Conducting the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. In addition, for ten seasons Redfield and his wife Loralee Redfield directed the Sacramento State Marching Band, a group they nurtured from 27 to 203 members.

Prior to joining the Sacramento State faculty in 2008, Redfield served as the Fine Arts Division Chairman and Director of Bands and Jazz Ensembles at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Arizona. Redfield began his teaching career in 1984 in Reno, Nevada, where he taught at Robert McQueen High School and Darrell C. Swope Middle School.

Some of Redfield’s credits include the Northern Nevada Outstanding High School Educator Award, the Washoe County Teachers Association Distinguished Service Award, four-time Nevada State Marching Band Champion, and the UNLV Graduate Teaching Assistantship. Redfield is a frequent guest conductor, music clinician, music contest adjudicator, and guest presenter throughout the region. He is the Contest Director of the Golden Empire Music Festival and the Head Judge at the Folsom Jazz Festival.

Redfield holds a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University, Sacramento, a Master of Arts degree from the American Band College of Southern Oregon University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he studied with Thomas Leslie, Anthony LaBounty, and Takayoshi Suzuki.

Dr. Steve Roach

Steve Roach has been the Director of Jazz Studies at California State University, Sacramento, since 2001. He has also served as Director of Jazz Studies at Baylor University and has held teaching positions at the University of Northern Colorado and Northern Illinois University. Steve’s duties at Sacramento State include directing small and large jazz ensembles, teaching jazz trumpet, administering the jazz studies and jazz education degree programs, and teaching jazz history. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in trumpet performance from Indiana University, a Master of Music degree in trumpet performance from Northern Illinois University, and a Doctor of Arts degree in trumpet and jazz pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado.

Professional appearances as an assisting artist include studio and live sessions with such jazz & pop musicians as Tito Puente, Dave Pietro, Brian Landrus, Louis Bellson, Billy Drummond, Alan Ferber, Conrad Herwig, Lou Rawls, Jon Tchicai, Ben Vereen, Melissa Manchester, Toni Tennille, Roberta Flack, Rosemary Clooney, Jeffrey Osbourne, Carl Fontana, Paquito D’Rivera, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, The Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestras, and others.

Steve also works as a clinician and adjudicator for jazz festivals and various workshops nationwide and has directed several California high school honor jazz ensembles. In addition to maintaining an active schedule as a freelance artist, he is also the author of a popular collegiate Jazz Appreciation course available through the Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

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