Speech

Adjudicator: elizabet rajchel

Elizabet Rajchel grew up in the Speech and Drama program at Mount Royal University Conservatory and has over 20 years of performing experience. She holds a degree with distinction in Drama from the University of Calgary. Over the past 8 years, she has grown her studio to encompass group classes and private students who regularly compete in festivals and complete Royal Conservatory of Music exams with high marks. Her pedagogy centres on the belief that everyone has a voice and a creative spirit that can be nurtured, trained and used in the world. 

In addition to her teaching practice, Elizabet is a multidisciplinary creator and producer with experience in theatre, music, dance and film. Her award-winning works have been showcased in Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Bulgaria. She is the co-founder of Sunflower Collective Theatre, a theatre company focused on using collective care practices to tell underrepresented stories. When not involved in the artistic world, Elizabet works in the marketing and communications department of a poverty reduction network.

Strings & Instrumental

Adjudicator: Sheryl bowhay

Sheryl Bowhay holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Conducting from the University of Calgary. She specializes in instrumental music education and has taught both bands and orchestras at the middle school and high school levels in Alberta and Ontario.

 Ms. Bowhay has been acknowledged for her leadership in teaching and the arts. She actively participates on committees and boards at the local, provincial, and international level. Sheryl served various roles on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Band Association, including President, she is the founding President of the Ontario Band Association, and is a Past President of the International Bandmasters Fraternity, Phi Beta Mu. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Winspear Centre for Music.

Ms. Bowhay is active as an adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician. She has performed in community bands and orchestras throughout her life, and in 2017-2018 had the opportunity to perform with the Banda del Centre de Musical de Xábia in Spain. Sheryl believes that music creates community and is a passionate advocate for music education in our society.

Piano

Adjudicator: helve sastok

Helve Sastok is a creative, innovative, published and performed composer, educator, adjudicator and multi-instrumentalist. Her many musical interests and abilities have resulted in a diverse career. Helve has used her varied skills in her positions as teacher, church music director, conductor, piano soloist and accompanist, pipe organist, violinist and guitarist.

As a composition or a piano adjudicator, Helve is comfortable working with all levels of students. She has a positive and energetic adjudication style that draws in the participant as well as the audience. She is able to quickly solve musical problems and make all ages of students experience the joy of music.

Helve has a Master of Music degree in composition and a Bachelor of Music degree (With Distinction) in composition/performance from the University of Alberta. As well, she has earned two piano performance diplomas. Her professional memberships include Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre as well as the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Association, Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association and the Alberta Piano Teachers’ Association.

Helve's compositions have been performed across Canada and in Europe. Her compositions have been released on CD: her electroacoustic piece ‘Shooting Stars’ on Beat (2019), a performance of her graphic score 'Southwest Soundscapes' on Agglomeration (2016), her electro-acoustic composition 'Sailing the High 'C'' on Cult Figures (Centrediscs/Centredisques - 2008), her piano solo ‘Elegy' on Glossa (1999), and 'Duologue' for cello and piano on Brief Confessions (1997).

For further information, please visit her website at helvesastok.wixsite.com/home

Vocal

Adjudicator: rhonda sylvester

Rhonda Sylvester has been a proud part of the arts community since an early age and over the years, her love and passion for music, theatre and performance have continued to grow and blossom. 

Growing up in Stettler, AB,  she was offered the wonderful opportunity to study voice with Elaine Pitt and her national winning award choir Pitt's Pets.  It was through Mrs. Pitt that Ms.Sylvester first found that special spark of magic only music can give to your soul.  With great nurturing and development, this gift of music became not only a passion for her, but also became her life career choice.

She has obtained degrees in both Teachers and Vocal Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (Distinction) and Conservatory Canada, a music Performance degree  (Honours) from Red Deer College, and a Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance (Honours) from U of A Augustana Campus.

After obtaining her degrees, Ms.Sylvester lived in Kassel Germany for 2 years where she had the privilege of teaching English, Choral and Orchestra in the German school system for grades five to thirteen. 

She has been the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards of her own, but she is most proud of the awards that her own students have earned in world wide competitions, including the Heritage Festival series in New York, where her Gracenotes Choir placed at a Gold level and were also the recipients of the esteemed Spirit of New York Award.  Ms.Sylvester has had several students also hold successful auditions to be a part of the Honour Choir at Carnegie Hall series in the past several years and well as having numerous choirs, solo vocal students and musical theatre students go on to win top marks and placements at the Alberta Provincial Choral and Music Festival.

In addition to teaching and conducting, Ms.Sylvester loves to perform.  Some of her performance and musical directing credits include shows such as “Ready Steady Go”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Oliver”, “Little Women”, “Bring Them Home”, “Pets”, “Fiddler On the Roof”, “The Music Man”, “My Fair Lady”, “Matilda”, “Moana Jr.” , "The Big One-Oh! Jr", and her two most favourite roles as Sister Mary Amnesia in “Nunsense” and “Nunsense: the Second Coming” and the Narrator in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”.

Ms.Sylvester is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator in the disciplines of solo voice, choral and musical theatre. In addition to her busy teaching career, Mrs.Sylvester also holds a position with the Clearview School District as an Educational Assistant and has taught   Kindergarten music within the Elementary school system.

She wishes all participants in this music festival the best of luck and encoureges them to, “Go forth and shine!”.