VAYA Online INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL: Autumn 2026

Adjudicators

	Amy Chang, Toledo, OH, USA (Strings) Amy Chang is the Acting Principal Cello of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and an Adjunct Professor at Hillsdale College. She is also a 2023 honoree of the YWCA Milestones: A Tribute to Women Awards. In addition to her work as a soloist and chamber musician with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Amy has performed internationally throughout Taiwan, China, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Notable appearances include performances at David Geffen Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York City with ensembles such as the Taipei Symphonietta, Evergreen Orchestra, Yin-Qi Orchestra, Taipei Contemporary Chamber Orchestra, Taipei Celebrity Chamber Group, Euodia Orchestra, and the International Music Festival Orchestra. Amy is frequently invited to serve as an adjudicator for national competitions and auditions and is regularly engaged internationally for performances, concert lectures, and master classes. She began studying the cello at the age of ten and attended a government-subsidized experimental music program through middle school in Taichung City, Taiwan. During high school, she received a full scholarship from the Winnetka Rotary Club to study in the United States as an exchange student and was also awarded a full scholarship from the Music Institute of Chicago to study with distinguished cellist Nell Novak. While in Chicago, Amy won first place in the St. Paul Musical Arts Competition. She continued her studies at the Eastman School of Music, earning both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Cello Performance. Following graduation, Amy returned to Taiwan, where she performed extensively, championed avant-garde works by contemporary Taiwanese composers and taught cello and chamber music at Soochow University and Tunghai University. Amy holds deep gratitude for the teachers who have guided her through each milestone of her musical and personal journey. Her former teachers include Wu Bixuan, Pan Huihao, Zhang Meiling, Lin Xiusan, Nell Novak, Robert Sylvester, Allan Harris, Pamela Frame, Paul Katz, Zara Nelsova, and Steven Kates.
	Cathy Wilmot, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Musical Theatre/Contemporary Voice) Cathy Wilmot (she/they) is grateful to live, work, and create on the traditional, unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. She is a seasoned faculty member of the Theatre Department at Capilano University in North Vancouver and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre with an emphasis in Vocal Pedagogy from The Boston Conservatory. They are a multi-award-winning interdisciplinary artist and educator with extensive theatre training and specialize in Musical Theatre and Speech Arts. Cathy has also performed professionally across Canada and the U.S., including Fringe Festivals, The Revolver Festival, the International PuSh Festival, and in London, England where she performed a concert celebrating Canadian Musicals. Favourite credits include Rosie in Mamma Mia!, Paulette in Legally Blonde, Dragon in Shrek the Musical, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Pennywise in Urinetown, Yitzak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Les Misérables. They are a proud member of Canadian Actor’s Equity, Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators' Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association.
	Geordie Roberts, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Classical Voice) George “Geordie” Roberts is a graduate of the School of Music UBC and the Vancouver Academy of Music. As a long-time member of the Vancouver Chamber Choir, he was a frequent soloist in concert and on recordings. He is a recently-retired faculty member at Capilano University Music Department, and the Co-ordinator of Music at Highlands United Church. He is highly regarded for his ease of vocal production and expressive singing. In addition to keeping busy singing, teaching and conducting, George is also a gifted accompanist and coach. A published composer and arranger, George’s choral music is available on the Cypress label. Geordie makes his home in North Vancouver with his wife, Frances, and they enjoy the company of three very musical sons: Aidan, Garreth and Liam.
	Paul Harris, London, UK (Woodwinds) After studies at the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London, Paul Harris has now established an international reputation as one of the UK's leading educationalists. He studied the clarinet with Professor John Davies, winning the August Manns Prize for outstanding performance, composition with Timothy Baxter and conducting with Maurice Miles. He then went on to study music education at the University of London where he was a pupil of Professor Keith Swanwick. He now has over six hundred publications to his name dealing with a vast array of subjects within the sphere of music education. Among the awards he has won are the MIA Best New Book award for Music Teacher's Companion (co-written with Richard Crozier), the Music Teacher Best Print Resource Award for his Improve Your Theory! series, Presto Music’s Book of the year for The Clarinet and The Art of Piano Education Awards - Best Educational Publication for How to Sight-Read!. He has written many works ranging from countless short education pieces to seven concertos, a ballet and a children's opera. He has also co-authored major new biographies of Sir Malcolm Arnold, (Malcolm Arnold: Rogue Genius), Malcolm Williamson, (Malcolm Williamson: Mischievous Muse) and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. He writes regularly for many of the major international music magazines, including Music Teacher, BBC Music Magazine, the ABRSM's Libretto, and the American ICA journal, Piano Professional, ESTA Journal, and is in great demand as a workshop and seminar leader and adjudicator in the UK, and across the globe. Paul has also undertaken research into specialist music education for the highly talented (the clarinet prodigy Julian Bliss number among his pupils), an interest that has taken him to many musical institutions around the world. Paul performs regularly, often in his quartet for voice, two clarinets and piano with Kathryn Knight, Jean Cockburn and Bethany Philips. He is an examiner and adjudicator and is frequently asked to adjudicate in national events including the Chamber Music for Schools Competition, Music for Youth, the BBC Young Musician of the Year, and Classic FM's teacher of the year. In 2006, Paul's commitment to the music of Malcolm Arnold led to the creation of an annual Malcolm Arnold Festival in the composer's hometown of Northampton. Under his directorship, this exciting festival explores and celebrates the music of one of the great British composers of our age in a packed weekend of concerts, lectures and films. Paul has created and continues to develop Simultaneous Learning. This highly acclaimed approach to instrumental and singing teaching has found support all over the world. Paul's innovative teaching techniques combine thoroughness, imagination and practicality, the defining qualities of his outstandingly successful work.
	Graham Yates, Nanaimo, BC, Canada (Junior Piano) Canadian pianist, teacher and composer Graham Yates lived in Texas from 2014-2026 where he owned Timbral Music Studios and worked as a collaborative pianist. He returned to his home province of British Columbia in 2026 where he now lives in Nanaimo. He loves to connect with audiences and students alike to create meaningful experiences through music of many kinds. He earned a Bachelour of Arts in Music from Trinity Western University in British Columbia studying under Dr. Sandra Joy Friesen, a Debussy and improvisation specialist; and a Master of Music in Piano Performance at Brandon University in Manitoba, under the guidance of Dr. Alexander Tselyakov, a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory. Mr. Yates is the teacher to around 40 private students, a master clinician for the Houston Area Suzuki Piano Association, a music festival adjudicator, and a member of the College of Examiners at the Royal Conservatory of Music. In 2020, he was nominated for the B. Iden Payne award for Outstanding Music Director for his role in One Ounce Opera’s annual festival of new chamber operas. His award-winning compositions have been premiered by Austin Chamber Music Center, Inversion Ensemble, Local Opera Local Artists, and Operativo Houston. Selections from his catalogue are available to purchase online. Mr. Yates loves to share his adventures in music-making with students, audiences and colleagues and wants everyone to know that creativity opens doors to travel, friendship and self-development.
	Thomas Green, Windsor, ON, Canada (Intermediate & Senior Piano) Thomas Green is currently Chief Examiner at The Royal Conservatory. As Chief Examiner, he provides leadership and support to The Royal Conservatory’s approximately 350 examiners through professional development activities that include workshops, observation visits and individual consultation. He also contributes input on new initiatives as well as on examination standards, procedures and publications. As the current Pedagogy Specialist, he provides direction and assistance in the compilation and grading of pedagogy examinations for piano and other instruments. Thomas Green has conducted examinations and workshops from coast to coast on behalf of The Royal Conservatory. A former Editor-in-Chief at The Frederick Harris Music Company, he holds a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University, a Master’s in Performance from the Université de Montréal and a Ph.D. in Music History from Brandeis University. He has taught music history at McGill University, The University of Toronto, and University of Windsor. Currently, he teaches piano, music history and harmony in his private studio and at The Académie Ste Cécile in Windsor. His students and former students include gold medalists, scholarship winners, young professionals, and enthusiasts of all ages.