Adjudicators announced for the 25th season of PAFE
For its twenty-fifth year of sponsoring the annual Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside in Bellevue, Washington, PAFE has once again announced a panel of well-known musicians from around the Northwest.
For the Woodwind Division, the adjudicator is Hal Ott, professor of flute at Central Washington University where he was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor. He currently serves as principal flute with the Yakima Symphony and the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra.
The Harp Division adjudicator is John Carrington who was hailed by the Seattle Times as "outstanding, brilliant and expressive," He is Principal Harpist with the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, the Bellevue Philharmonic and the Auburn Symphony, and appears regularly with the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera, where he was Guest Principal Harpist for several seasons.
The cellists and others in the Strings Division will be adjudicated by cellist Paige Stockley Lerner, of Cornish College of the Arts. In addition to her work with the Saint Helens String Quartet, she also performs regularly with the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, the Auburn Symphony, and with the Seattle Symphony records soundtracks for movies and television. She is also the artistic director of the “Second Sundays in Snohomish”series and frequently participates in the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s public school outreach program.
From Pacific Lutheran University, Mary Manning will also adjudicate in the String Division of the festival, and is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she studied both modern and baroque violin performance. Her extensive work has included the Seattle, Portland, and Pacific (Vancouver BC) Baroque Orchestras as well as appearing with San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Washington DC’s Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, and the Carmel Bach Festival in California.
For the Piano Division, Susan Chan will be one of three adjudicators. In her recent New York recital in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in September 2007, the New York Concert Review described Susan Chan as "a thoughtful musician and a sensitive player" who "brought revelations" by performing "the invaluable service of opening up new musical worlds to her audience." The New Yorker called her "an energetic advocate for contemporary music."
Judith Schoepflin, Director of Piano at Whitworth University will also adjudicate in the Piano Division. Both a solo and chamber music performer, she has made numerous appearances throughout the U.S. and Canada. As a member of the Muhlfeld Trio, she has performed to critical acclaim in Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Margaret Brink completes the trio of adjudicators in the Piano Division. A WSU faculty member since 2003, she performed a solo recital at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1996 in a New York debut and has performed as a soloist with the Walla Walla Symphony, Whatcom Symphony Orchestra and Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra.
Nancy Hermiston, Director of the Opera Program at the University of British Columbia, will adjudicate the Voice Division of the festival. Her New York debut took place in Carnegie Hall with Marilyn Horne and Mario Bernardi. Her European debut led to a permanent engagement with the prestigious Nurnberg Opera. She has held numerous appointments as voice teacher, and as stage director at the Meistersinger Konservatorium, Nurnberg, and the University of Toronto Opera and Performance Divisions.
The 2011 festival will be held April 26-30, and May 14-15. For more information about the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside, go to http://www.pafenorthwest.org.
For more information send e-mail to info at pafenorthwest.org.