Adjudicators

Dale Wheeler – Senior Piano

After teaching piano and various courses at the post-secondary level for over thirty years Dale Wheeler is now enjoying life as an independent musician. Living in Red Deer, Alberta he teaches part-time at Burman University and maintains a small private studio. He is also a senior examiner, clinician, and consultant for The Royal Conservatory of Music and RCM Publishing. He holds the doctorate in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma where his dissertation focused on the Roman-period works of Franz Liszt. He also holds degrees and diplomas from the University of Saskatchewan and Trinity College of Music, London.

Dr. Wheeler has appeared as a recitalist, accompanist, adjudicator, and lecturer from coast to coast in Canada and throughout the U.S. He has presented at major conferences throughout North America and Europe, the most recent being the International Society for Music Education in Baku, Azerbaijan. His performing interests range from the core classics to out-of-the-way and new repertoire. He presented an all-Liszt recital for the Liszt Bicentenary and more recently performed several of the Bach multiple keyboard concerti along with collaborating in the premiere of a work for three pianos. Another program included works that focused on birds – Liszt, Messiaen, Ravel, Balakirev, Rameau, Beach, and Bernstein.

Dr. Wheeler particularly enjoys working with teachers young and old who are developing their own playing and pedagogical skills. For a number of years Dale was a regular columnist for Clavier magazine and has had articles published in the CFMTA Journal, American Music Teacher, and The Journal of the American Liszt Society. He has recently served as president of both the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra and the Alberta Piano Teachers Association. In 2012 Dr. Wheeler received the Mayor’s Recognition Award for his contribution to the fine and performing arts. When not making music, his interests include water and snow skiing, classic cars, touring on his Harley motorcycle, and collecting vintage piano recordings. He and his wife have twin college-age sons.

Francine Regaudie-McIsaac – Intermediate Piano

Francine Regaudie-McIsaac began teaching as a teenager in Cochrane, Ontario – her hometown. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Music (McMaster) and a Master of Arts in Musicology (UBC). In 1989 she co-founded McIsaac Music School in Hamilton and has been teaching in the area ever since. She specializes in teaching advanced piano students and advanced theory subjects. Many of her students have won awards in piano, pedagogy, theory and composition as well as numerous scholarships at both provincial and national levels.

She has been a member of the College of Examiners at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) of Toronto since 1992 as senior examiner for piano and senior theory & history subjects. She has been and is still active as music director of two church and festivals. Ms. Regaudie-McIsaac has conducted pedagogical workshops and adjudicated festivals across Canada.

She enjoys teaching students of all ages, and is committed to promoting the benefits of music education. One of her specialities and workshop topic is “The Art of Painless Playing" and rehabilitating injured pianists. Mentoring young teachers on pedagogic issues and studio policies is one of her passions. My philosophy: « Music is … a labyrinth with no beginning and no end, full of new paths to discover, where mystery remains eternal.” (Pierre Boulez)

Sandra Young Tangjerd – Junior Piano

A native of Saskatchewan, Sandra Young Tangjerd holds a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the University of Manitoba, a Master of Musicology and Performance from the University of Western Ontario, and a Performance Diploma from the Hochscule für Musik in Frankfurt, Germany. She has studied piano with Sister Joan Miller, William Aide, and Boyd McDonald; and organ with Lawrence Ritchey, Larry Cortner and Edgar Krapp. Additional studies include Carillon study with Gordon Slater, the Dominion Carillonneur, and at the Netherlands Carillon School in Amersfoort, Holland; Choral directing with Helmut Riling (in Germany) and Jon Washburn (director of Vancouver Chamber Choir). She is the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards, notably the Rotary Graduate Fellowship that sponsored her studies in Germany.

Ms. Young Tangjerd maintains a large private studio in London, ON where she teaches piano, organ and theory; and when called upon arranges the music for the Dutch Memorial Carillon in London’s Victoria Park. For many years she has served as Organist and Choir Director at various churches in the London area, giving workshops and organ recitals on a regular basis.

As a member of the College of Examiners (both practical and theoretical) for The Royal Conservatory of Music, Ms. Young Tangjerd enjoys travelling from coast-to-coast listening to young students as they develop their musical skills. Often sought after as a clinician and adjudicator, it is a privilege to meet fellow musicians and share their experiences. Ms. Young Tangjerd is a member of Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association, Guild of Carillonneurs in North American, Royal Canadian College of Organists, and currently serves as the RCCO Regional Representative for SW Ontario.

Eva Tavares – Musical Theatre

Eva Tavares is a Vancouver based singer, dancer, actor, director, and coach. Most recently starring as Christine Daae in the North American Tour of Phantom of the Opera, Tavares is a graduate of the UBC Opera Program, the LAMDA Shakespeare Short Course and the Banff/Citadel Theatre Professional Training Program.

Previous live performance credits include: Marta in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Maria in West Side Story, Anne in A Little Night Music, and the world premiere of Sousatzka starring Victoria Clark. Tavares has worked primarily in live performance, but in the last year, she has been investing in her new found love of TV/film, appearing as principal and supporting characters in numerous Movies of the Week, and TV shows such as Turner & Hooch and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Film directing projects can be seen in The World Monologue Games and Run n’ Gun Festival 2021. Upcoming direction projects include the documentary of Fringe favorite, Hysteria.

When she’s not performing or directing, Tavares continues to work as a coach and mentor across North America and the UK. She runs Behind the Mask Masterclass alongside Jennifer Andersen, guiding participants to their most authentic selves within their musical storytelling.

Leah Field – Classical Voice

Hailed as “the consummate singing actor,” mezzo soprano Leah Giselle Field is noted for her versatility as a vocalist and the strength of her dramatic presence. She is praised for “soaring tone and spectacular low notes” in her “sumptuous mezzo” instrument. An award winning performer and teacher, she is a graduate of Vancouver Opera’s Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program and holds a DMA in Voice and Opera from UBC.

Recent performance highlights include appearances with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, VAMSO, the Vancouver Bach Choir, the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and the Vancouver Opera Chamber Music Festival. Upcoming engagements include recitals in Vancouver with pianists Leslie Dala and Richard Epp and roles in Vancouver Opera’s 2021-2022 season.

Leah has sung in North America, Europe, and China in opera, recital, and with orchestras and chamber ensembles, and as a recitalist throughout British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.

Ruth Daniell – Speech