Adjudicators

Mark recently retired after a lifetime career of teaching music at Markham District High School, his home school for more than thirty years. He was blessed to spend these many years teaching with his wife and choral director, Dawn, as well as their daughters Faith and Madison who were also actively involved in program. The MDHS music department was home to several concert bands, jazz ensembles, choirs and chamber ensembles, consistently earning Gold awards when attending Nationals at Musicfest Canada. Through his years as Head of Music at MDHS, their senior tour bands have traveled to more than twelve countries across North America and Europe, and in 2016, the MDHS music staff were collectively presented with the YRDSB Teaching Award of Excellence.

 Mark is a founding member of the Ontario Band Association, serving as President as well as his continuing role as Festival coordinator for the Provincial Band Festival for more than 20 years. He has also been an active adjudicator, conductor and clinician across the province for many years, and continues to be a member of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Association, the OMEA and the Canadian Band Associations. Mark has also been the recipient of an Honorary Lifetime Membership Award by the Ontario Band Association. Most recently, Mark has taken on a new role with Yamaha Music Canada as an Artist Educator. 

Mark has always had a strong commitment to the development of student leaders within high school music programs and has been a teacher facilitator at the Ontario Education Leadership Centre, published articles, and presented workshops on student leadership at OMEA conferences. As recognition for his years of leadership and volunteer activities, Mark was recently privileged to be presented with the Canadian Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers by The Chancellery of Honours, Rideau Hall, Ottawa. 

Following a 30-year career with the Toronto District School Board (Agincourt Collegiate Institute and Bliss Carman Sr. P. S.), David retired from the TDSB in February of 2021. Currently, he teaches for the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts, Media, Performance and Design at York University. David is a recipient of MusicFest Canada’s Keith Mann Award and is a Laureate of the Legion of Honour for the John Philip Sousa Society. He is a Founding Director and Honorary Life Member of the Ontario Band Association and served on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Music Educators’ Association for 15 years. During his time with the OMEA, David initiated the Awards and Scholarships program and was awarded an Honorary Life Membership in 2022.

David is Conductor of the East York Concert Band, and maintains a busy schedule as a clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor.

David serves as a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician

 Canadian-born, Toronto-native Rob Tardik is a multi award-winning guitarist and contemporary pop/jazz/world/fusion instrumental music artist, who has performed at venues all across North America. Rob's last 10 album recordings have spawned 6 U.S Billboard charting singles, two of which went to the Top 10 on U.S contemporary jazz radio. His recent awards include being a finalist and honorary mention in the 2019 International Songwriting Competition, winning the 2018 & 2007 Established Solo Music Instrumental Mississauga (MARTY) Arts Award, and also placing 1st overall in the prestigious 2017 IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards), and being named the 2010 Canadian Smooth Jazz Guitarist of the Year. His latest multi-album release DIVERSITY is a 4-volume compilation in his various musical styles featuring all new material and re-mastered songs from all his past six recordings. He is an active music/guitar professor at the Metal Works Institute, Centennial College, Long-McQuade, and the Merriam School of Music and a Godin Guitars and D ‘Addario endorsed artist for over 25 years. 

Canadian soprano Stéphanie McKay-Turgeon enjoys a multi-faceted career as a recitalist, pedagogue, and researcher. Known for her expressive warm timbre, she holds a master’s degree in performance and vocal pedagogy from the University of Toronto with soprano Wendy Nielsen. Currently a doctoral candidate at the U of T, her research interests include the role of vocal timbre in performance, with a focus on Henri Dutilleux’s vocal repertoire. The refinement of her interpretation of the mélodie repertoire made her the recipient of grants from organizations such as the Académie Francis Poulenc in Tours (France), and of the Art Song Foundation of Canada. At the U of T, she was awarded many scholarships, such as the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Award, and the Richard Bradshaw Graduate Fellowship in Opera. In recent years, Stéphanie has had the pleasure of learning from great masters such as the late Jessye Norman, François Le Roux, Margo Garrett, and Steven Blier. For over a decade, Stéphanie has also enjoyed a fulfilling teaching career, accompanying students in their discovery of singing and French lyric diction. 

Ms Davy has been singing, playing the piano and teaching professionally since 1976, and as a native of Kingston, Ontario, went to Queen's University where she received Honours Bachelor of Music and Master of Education degrees. She also attended the University of Toronto's Opera School and, along the way discovered a love of teaching.

Carolynne performed as a member and frequent soloist with the Elmer Iseler Singers before developing a diverse career as soloist in both the concert and theatre worlds. As well as having performed with numerous orchestras and choral societies across North America, most recently with the Guelph Chamber Choir, both as a soloist and as a chorister, she has been fortunate to have sung at such diverse places as Carnegie Hall, the Stratford Festival, Westminster Hall, the Toronto International Festival, the Queen’s Plate, and for Prime Minister Chretien.

Her vocal and piano studio continues to fill her life with wonderful students, both young and old, and as an accomplished pianist, she also accompanies students and choirs, and conducts musical theatre shows from the keyboard. As well as having worked with various schools in the community in the Toronto area as an “Artist in the School”, Ms Davy has been vocal music director for numerous theatre productions and children's choirs.

She has been the music director and cantor at a large church in downtown Toronto for over 25 years. In her ‘spare time’ she has also been the President of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association North York/York Region Branch, served on the Board of Directors for Choirs Ontario and continues to adjudicate numerous music festivals, as well as to examine voice, piano and various other musical instruments for Conservatory Canada.