Adjudicators

We are excited to introduce our 2025 Adjudicators to you. They include Alyssa Hildebrand (Vocal), Lee Houghton-Stewart (Piano), and Karen Barg (Instrumental) , as well as locals Anne Carradice (French Drama and Speech Arts), Catherine Bruyere (English Drama and Speech Arts) and Robert Horton (Anishinaabemowin Drama and Speech).

Lee has a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Literature and has studied collaborative piano at both Brandon and McGill Universities with pianists who have included Michael McMahon, Tom Plaunt, Lawrence Jones, and Don Henry. In Ontario Lee performed frequently with Sudbury Chamber Singers, Rapport Singers of North Bay and travelled with her duo In Tandem to perform in small communities in northern Ontario. She was an instructor as Nipissing University and worked as a festival adjudicator for the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators’ Association and as an examiner for Conservatory Canada. Lee now teaches piano, history and harmony at her own private studio as well as maintaining a studio with the Winnipeg Conservatory of Music. Lee performs often with singers, choirs and instrumentalists and has lately particularly enjoyed her work as collaborative pianist for the Winnipeg Male Chorus and as répétiteur with Manitoba Underground Opera’s productions of Orphée et Eurydice, Dido/Aeneas, Lost Voices, and Il Corsaro.

Alyssa teaches voice to students across Manitoba at many different levels and abilities. She works as a private voice teacher in Winkler and in Winnipeg. She also works through the Community School of Music and the Arts (CSMA) at Canadian Mennonite University. While her background is in operatic performance, she enjoys working in a variety of styles with her students including classical, folk, and musical theatre. Alyssa’s teaching history includes a position at Providence University college as a Voice instructor, and the Voice Instructor and Vocal Ensemble director at both Cadenza Summer Music Camp and Ontario Mennonite Music Camp. Throughout her teaching she has had the opportunity to lead workshops on a variety of topics, including vocal health; song interpretation; vocal diction; and performance anxiety. Alyssa has had the pleasure of adjudicating at the Gladstone Festival of the Arts, Rock Lake Festival of the Arts, and the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music. In addition to teaching individual voice lessons, Alyssa taught group classes for young musicians, led voice masterclasses, and directed vocal ensembles. In 2022, with the Douglas Kuhl School of Music, she has founded a new musical theatre ensemble, called “Con Brio” for high school students in Southern Manitoba. Through CSMA, she directs the Musical Theatre Adventures and Expressions classes, which provide young performers the opportunity to learn musical theatre skills, and to perform in a musical. This year, CSMA is excited to produce “Annie Jr.” Alyssa became a member of NATS in 2019 and has been appointed to the position of Vice President in the Manitoba chapter. Through this organization, she works to continue her own education and facilitate opportunities for growth for other voice teachers in Manitoba. Alyssa has a deep love for learning about the vocal mechanism and enjoys discovering how to use this knowledge to help others become better performers! Alyssa received her Master of Music degree in Literature and Performance at Western University, studying with Jackalyn Short. Prior to this, she attended Canadian Mennonite University where she received a Bachelor of Music with a concentration in vocal performance, studying with David Klassen. Throughout both of these degrees, Alyssa had the opportunity to take courses on vocal pedagogy and early music education. In addition to her teaching career, Alyssa continues to find performance opportunities wherever possible. In February of 2020, she performed with Douglas Kuhl’s School of Music as their guest performer along with the Post Roads String Ensemble. Following this, she helped organize and perform in an online fundraising concert for Mennonite Collegiate Institute, titled, “How Can I Keep from Singing”. She also had the opportunity to perform operatic roles such as: Oberto in Handel’s Alcina, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Josephine in HMS Pinafore, and Bastienne in Bastien und Bastienne.

Nathan Poole is a Winnipeg-based violinist, conductor, adjudicator and music educator. His recent conducting engagements include Mozart’s Requiem with the 80-voice SummerChör and orchestra, and Handel’s Messiah. He has held positions with several prominent Manitoba ensembles, including Westminster United Church, Prairie Voices, the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and the two hundred voice Margaret’s Choir. Nathan studied at the University of Manitoba with Professor Oleg Pokhanovski, and has benefited from the mentorship of esteemed choral conductors Henry Engbrecht and Dr. Elroy Friesen. In addition to his work as a performer and conductor, he is active as an adjudicator, most recently serving at the Winnipeg Music Festival. Nathan maintains a private Suzuki violin and piano studio in Winnipeg’s Westwood neighbourhood, where he resides with his husband Brandon and their golden retriever, Molly. Nathan wishes the best of luck to all the musicians in the Rainy River District Festival!

Born and raised in Reiningue, France, Anne moved to Canada with her family at a young age. Her passion for the French language began early and shaped her career path. She graduated from Lakehead University with a Bachelor of Education with a French minor and a French Specialist designation. Over the course of 33 years, she taught French as a Second Language (FSL) and served as the FSL Lead for the Rainy River District School Board (RRDSB) for 15 years. In this role, she led professional development for French teachers and contributed to the Transforming FSL Panel at the Ministry of Education level, as well as the revision of the FSL Ontario Curriculum. Anne regularly proctors students up to the B2 level for the DELF (Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française) test, which certifies that foreign candidates have achieved a certain level of proficiency in French. She retired in 2021 but continues to stay active in education, offering tutoring to students who struggle with French and Math. Additionally, she served as an administrator in various schools across the district for 17 years, further strengthening her commitment to education and the French language. Throughout her career, her goal has always been to make a positive impact within the community and foster a love of learning French as a Second Language. She encourages and empowers students to explore different methods of effective learning, helping them build their confidence and skills in the French language.

Born and raised in Fort Frances, Catherine Bruyere (B. A., Hons/B. Ed) left Northwestern Ontario after graduation to pursue studies in the literary and theatre arts at Queen’s University in Kingston, graduating with a double major in English and Drama. Since that time, she has taught English and dramatic literature at secondary and post-secondary institutions in Kingston, Belleville, Thunder Bay, and finally Fort Frances, where she and her husband had returned to start a family. Catherine is passionate about studying and teaching literature, composition, and film, and her favourite subjects include: Classical and Renaissance dramas, the American Southern Gothic, and Indigenous and Canadian regionalist poets, playwrights, and novelists. Catherine accepted a position as teaching assistant at Lakehead University where she was invited to lecture on Shakespearean theatre and on the work of Alice Walker for the first-year survey and third-year Women in Literature ENG/SOC courses. However, her most rewarding teaching experience started after she applied for a position in the Languages Department at Fort Frances High School. Since then, she has considered herself privileged to have taught (and learned from) the students in her English classes, and enjoyed developing advanced grade 11 and 12 curriculum for students taking the College Board’s AP English Literature and Composition exam. Catherine was also instrumental in developing the high school’s Senior Student Tutorial Program and the Arts and Culture SHSM and served as a guidance counselor from 2016, until her retirement this year. Over the past forty-some years, Catherine has been actively involved in over twenty-five university, community, and high school theatrical productions (e.g. acting, stage management, directing, producing, costume design), her most recent projects include producing All Together Now–a musical review that brought incredibly talented Fort Frances High School alumni back on stage at the end of the pandemic to celebrate the rich history of musical theatre in our community—and assisting with Row I Theatre and high school spring musicals. She also enjoys attending plays and musicals and, although she will travel across more than one continent to see a show, Catherine is particularly keen on supporting Canadian and local theatrical productions. This said, she encourages everyone to attend the 2025 FFHS Spring Musical, Curtains!, running April 9-12 at 7:00 PM in the Townshend Theatre.

Robert Horton is an educator, linguist, and cultural facilitator dedicated to Anishinaabemowin revitalization. At SGEI, he teaches Anishinaabemowin, Cultural Facilitation, and Oratory, while also serving as a drum carrier. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Arts in Sociology, and a Master of Education, along with a Certificate of Law from Queen’s University. His academic achievements have earned him an Honorary Lifetime Membership in Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Honors Society for Sociologists. A passionate public speaker and esotericist, Robert is also an author of several forthcoming books that explore language, culture, and knowledge systems.