Adjudicators – Yellowknife Music Festival

We are pleased to introduce our adjudicators for 2025

Melanie Doderai – Fiddle/Strings Adjudicator

Melanie Doderai holds a B.A, B.Ed and M.Ed. Melanie is an active member of the Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association, holds an Advanced Specialist Certification from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada and has published ten theory books for string instruments through Mel Bay Publications. Melanie is extremely proud to have received the CMFTA Award for Recognition of Professional Achievement from 2010 to present. Currently, Melanie works as an early childhood music specialist with Elk Island Catholic Schools, teaches private lessons, performs as a freelance musician and has the title of being Canada’s first aerial silk violinist. You can find out more about her at www.silkandstrings.ca

Rhonda Sylvester – Vocal/Choral Adjudicator

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 Performancem(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 our own Alberta Provincial Choral and Music Festival as well as Canada West.

In addition to teaching, conducting and being a busy EA at an elementary school, Ms.Sylvester loves to perform any opportunity she gets. 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!”, and her two most favourite roles as Sister Mary Amnesia and the Narrator in “Nunsense” and “Nunsense: the Second Coming” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat”.
Ms.Sylvester is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator in the disciplines of solo voice, choral, musical theatre. She is thrilled to be with us at our festival and hopes all performers will “Go forth, and shine!”.

Teresa Allred – Piano Adjudicator

Teresa Allred was born and raised in Cardston, Alberta. In Cardston and Lethbridge, she won various awards and scholarships in music festivals from the time she was 6 years old. She would like to extend a special tribute to Beatrice Foster of Lethbridge who taught her piano from Grade VII through her Western Board Performer/ Teacher Degree.

She is a graduate of Brigham Young University (BA – piano / choral). Teresa studied music in Salzburg, Austria for 7 months and student taught one semester in the music department for BYU-Hawaii.

She lived in Hinton, Alberta for 10 years teaching private piano, serving as Community Theatre Music Director and teaching in the High School. She has been involved in adjudicating piano at music festivals throughout Alberta for 30 years.
Teresa has resided in Red Deer for 34 years where she maintains a 20+ private piano/vocal studio. She co- conducted Red Deer Chamber Singers for 17 years, served as Provincial President for both the Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association and The Alberta Music Education Foundation and served on the Red Deer Performing Arts Festival Board. Teresa taught the Keyboards for Kids Program sponsored by AMEF in Red Deer for 10 years. She has also been music director for several Hunting Hills High School Musical productions and Treehouse Theatre productions.

A milestone for Red Deer music teachers was reached when Teresa initiated the ground work for a new city by-law which allows private teachers to have business licenses for $155 a year without student limitations.

Her husband Drew, also from Cardston, is a retired French immersion teacher. She is mother of 4 married sons and grandmother to 10 grandchildren….6 of them girls! Justice!
Hobbies: Music, tennis, pickle ball and hiking.

Sheryl Bowhay – Instrumental Adjudicator

Sheryl Bowhay is active as an adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician. She 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.

Sheryl actively participates on committees and boards at the local, provincial, and international level. She 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 Youth Orchestra.

Sheryl is a passionate advocate for creating access and opportunity for everyone to experience the transformative power of music. When Edmonton hosted JUNOS 2023, she was honored to be part of the Legacy and Community Engagement Sub-Committee, ensuring lasting initiatives and opportunities for the local music community. She recently served on the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Winspear Centre for Music and is Chair of the $29M Capital Campaign for the Winspear Expansion Project.