The Junior Festival is a celebration of music, of the young people who study music, and of the professionals who teach music. This event provides opportunity for teachers to prepare students and present worthwhile repertoire for evaluation by a qualified adjudicator. The heart behind this exciting event is to encourage, educate and motivate students of various levels and abilities. Every effort is made to ensure all students feel positive about their participation. We are very pleased to announce that our adjudicators for this year are Dr. Greg Caisley and Mr. Murray Nichol.
Levels: Preliminary to Level 6
Dates: February 24-28th 2020 [Mon-Thurs 9-5pm; Wed 1-8pm and Friday 9-5pm]
Celebration Recitals: Saturday, February 29th 2020
Entry & payment deadline: Monday, November 25th, 2019
Entries submitted between November 25th and December 2nd will be charged a Late Fee of $10 per entry.
Artwork Contest Form
2020 Junior Festival Artwork Contest Form.
Festival Class Fees
Preliminary: $25
Primary(L1-3): $28
Junior (L4-6): $30
Late Fee (after Nov. 25) $10 per
Programs: $5 per copy
Meet our Adjucators:
Dr. Greg Caisley Pianist, (Solo and Collaborative) Piano teacher, Vocal Coach, Music Festival Adjudicator, and Artistic Director of the Post Modern Camerata
Pianist, Collaborator, and Conductor Dr. Greg Caisley has worked throughout Western Canada playing, accompanying and recording with musicians and students for 30 years. He has worked in many aspects of music performance and education: coaching singers, working as a solo piano adjudicator, doing recital work, and most recently as a conductor of several instrumental and choir ensembles.
In 2003, Dr. Caisley completed his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Keyboard Collaborative Arts at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he also worked as a Teaching Assistant for three years. In addition, he worked for two years at Pasadena City College coaching singers and instrumentalists for performance.
Over the intervening 15 years, using Vancouver as a base, Caisley has adjudicated hundreds of music festivals across Canada, including those in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, as well as Provincial Music Festivals in Saskatchewan and Alberta. From 2004-2011, he served as the Director of Keyboard Studies for MusiCamp Alberta; a summer music program for gifted music students from across Alberta and British Columbia. He is also currently the Executive Secretary of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators Association.
Murray Nichol From Yellowknife to Honolulu and Montreal to Mumbai, Murray Nichol enjoys an active schedule of adjudicating, examining, and conducting master classes and workshops. More recently he has travelled to Bhutan and Cuba as an advisor to the Vancouver Biennale, an international arts organization that uses art in public spaces as a catalyst for engagement, dialogue, learning, and social action.
After his graduation from Brandon University with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, Mr. Nichol completed a Master of Music in Piano Performance at the University of British Columbia where he studied with Jane Coop, Rena Sharon, and Dr. Henri-Paul Sicsic. As an alumnus, he has contributed his time and expertise to mentoring undergraduate and graduate music students in the University of British Columbia’s Music Alumni Mentorship Program.
Mr. Nichol is passionate about working with young musicians, especially pianists. A well-respected teacher, he spent fifteen years at the Tom Lee Learning Centre where his students consistently won scholarships for their polished playing. He inspires pianists of all ages to imagine — and achieve — their best. As a senior examiner for The Royal Conservatory, Mr. Nichol examines in both Canada and the United States. An MTNA Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, he is a member of the British Columbia Registered Music Teachers’ Association, the Music Teachers’ National Association, and the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators’ Association.