Adjudicator for piano classes:
                                   Louise Costigan-Kerns

Louise Costigan-Kerns has performed internationally as a concert pianist, accompanist and conductor. Her concerts have been reviewed as “inspiring and technically amazing performances.”
Ms. Costigan-Kerns began studying the piano at age two and a half with her mother, Beatrice Costigan, in Blairmore, Alberta, Canada. At age five she gave her first public recital and began competing in Alberta Music Festivals, where she was a consistent winner through high school. After earning her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees, Pi Kappa Lambda, from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, she taught on the piano faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory School and was the Founding Director of the New England Conservatory Extension Division Opera Studio. In Boston she studied piano with Irma Wolpe and Victor Rosenbaum, opera with John Moriarty and Boris Goldovsky and art song repertoire with Allen Rogers. Ms. Costigan-Kerns maintained an active performing career in the Boston area as a solo pianist and accompanist. Over the years she was a member of the Opera Department faculty at Boston University, piano faculty at Phillips Exeter Academy and Artist in Residence at Brandeis University.
In the San Francisco Bay Area Ms. Costigan-Kerns has worked for Opera San Jose, Stanford University, and the San Francisco Symphony. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Musical Arts department at Notre Dame de Namur University and a vocal coach and recital pianist at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Ms. Costigan-Kerns is active as a recital pianist, opera coach and accompanist for singers and instrumentalists. Her Bay Area performances with orchestra include the Lou Harrison piano concerto with the Redwood Symphony, Liszt piano concerto number 1 with the Winchester Orchestra,

Shostakovich second piano concerto with the Palo Alto Philharmonic, Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals with the Santa Cruz Symphony and Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto with the New Millennium Chamber orchestra.Ms. Costigan-Kerns’ first solo piano CD “My Favorite Performances,” was released in 2004. “Piano With Passion,” her second CD, was released in 2007 and “Into the Light”, her third CD, was released in 2011. All are available on iTunes and cdbaby.com. She can
be seen performing Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and Harrison on YouTube.

Adjudicator for vocal, musical theatre, speech classes:  Rachel Park

Rachel Park is a soprano originally from small town, Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia, and a diploma in Voice and German from the Universität Mozarteum SommerAkademie program in Salzburg, Austria as a recipient of the Johann Strauss Memorial Scholarship.     Rachel has performed as a soloist and in ensembles across Western Canada and internationally. She has toured the UK with the UBC Singers, and received 3rd prize in the Cork International Choral Competition. A passionate story-teller and actor, Rachel has explored multidisciplinary avenues within the realm of performance, including theatre, dance, film and TV. Her approach to music and story with “beautiful tenderness and affection,” ( The Georgia Straight) is a product of true love for her craft.
      Rachel is most notably recognized for her performance as Johanna in “Sweeney Todd” (Snapshots Collective) in which she made her professional debut in 2017. Other credits include the lead Soprano in the Yellowpoint Christmas Spectacular (Razzle Dazzle), featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Traditional Christmas Concerts, Zerlina and First Spirit in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflöte respectively (U/S, University of British Columbia).

Adjudicator for bowed strings, orchestra classes:   Maria Medlow


Originally from Argentina, Maria grew up playing the violin and piano. Upon moving to Canada, she was accepted at the Senior Academy at Mount Royal Conservatory and studied with prominent teachers including Lise Elson, Cenek Vbra and John Lowry.  Maria completed her ARCT certification in both violin and piano and moved to complete her music performance studies at the University of Calgary under the direction of Edmond Agopian.
Maria is currently an active member of the Calgary Musicians Association and is also the Registration Chair for the Cochrane Youth Talent Festival and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Alberta Music Education Foundation. She has performed and recorded solo and chamber concerts with members of the Calgary Opera, Calgary Cowtown Opera, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Red Deer Symphony, Metropolitan Opera of New York, Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra, Cirque De Soleil and played alongside Michael Buble for his 2014 Canada Tour. 
She was invited to record for the Canadian Country Music Awards and was featured in the CBC Television special for the CCMA awards. Maria runs a thriving private studio in Calgary. Her students have been finalists in the Canadian Music Competition, placed in provincials at the Kiwanis Music Festival, and won medals and scholarships for RCM exams. She has prepared her students for successful admission to classical string programs throughout North America. Maria continues her active role as a teacher, adjudicator and performer hosting and playing numerous concerts and fundraisers in support of different charities. Maria resides in Calgary.

Adjudicator for fretted strings, high school band classes:  Trevor Sanders

Trevor Sanders began teaching guitar and classical guitar at the Conservatory of Music in 2001. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta (Master of Music) and Augustana University College (Bachelor of Arts specialized in Music). He’s an active performer whose appearances as a chamber musician and as a soloist have been heard in various concert series, and on CBC Stereo. Trevor has been involved with a number of guitar ensembles and is a founding member of the University of Alberta guitar quartet and the Edmonton Guitar Trio. He has also performed as a soloist with the Alberta Baroque Orchestra. Trevor currently teaches music theory and guitar for both the MacEwan Conservatory of Music and for the University of Alberta at its Augustana Campus.

WEEK 2 - school groups
Adjudicator for vocal, choral & speech classes:  Kirk Muspratt

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"Conductor Kirk Muspratt of Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonic and DuPage Opera Theatre has a dynamic perspective on how music touches the listener. In his theater, anything is possible.
Recently named a "Chicagoan of the Year" by music critic John von Rhein and the writing staff of the Chicago Tribune, Kirk Muspratt has made "concert-going an interactive experience that was both enlightening and...fun".
He creates a one-to-one relationship with individual symphony audience members through outreach and education efforts including "Just Ask Kirk" and "Cookies With Kirk."  Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra and New Philharmonic patrons enjoy personal answers to their questions.
Appreciation begins with the young and he supports young artists by providing important performance opportunities through Young Peoples' Competitions and "Side-by-Sides" with the symphony. Another program he instituted includes a popular Solo Competition for children that results in a child performing at almost every Northwest Indiana Symphony concert.
He enjoys visits to area schools. When school groups visit his auditorium for a performance, he takes time to offer a warm and instructional chat.
Recognized as one of the outstanding figures in the new generation of conductors, Conductor Kirk Muspratt has garnered international critical acclaim as a “born opera conductor” (Rheinische Post), “a knowledgeable musician who delivers superbly controlled, gorgeously shaped readings” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), and “friend to local music” (Midwest Beat Magazine).

"So you go to the gas station, and someone walks up and says hello...it's a chance to bring one more person into the music fold or to share your love for music. I love to be a missionary for music."
                                                              introduction and photo courtesy of www.kirkmuspratt.com
Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery respectfully acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 7 territory, a traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples including the Blackfoot Nations (Piikani [Peigan], Kainai [Blood], and Siksika [Blackfoot]) and the Tsuu T'ina.  This area was also traditionally used by the K'tunaxa (Kootenay) people, who now reside in southeastern British Columbia.