Piano Adjudicator – Dr. Ronald Morgan

Dr. Ronald Morgan holds a DMA in Piano Performance and Literature, an MM in Piano Performance, and an MA in Musicology, all from the Eastman School of Music. His main piano teachers were Douglas Humpherys (Eastman) and Patricia Parr (University of Toronto). Past performances include numerous solo and collaborative recitals in Canada and the U.S., and appearances in Great Britain, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Dr. Morgan is active as a piano adjudicator for music festivals and competitions, and has extensive experience as a Senior Examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada and the U.S. Before moving to B.C., Dr. Morgan was Assistant Professor of piano at the University of Hawaii, where he also taught numerous classes, from piano pedagogy to music history.

Dr. Morgan has a passion for teaching piano; he now dedicates all of his energy to teaching at his private studio in Courtenay B.C. and online after teaching for 20 years in the greater Vancouver area. His students perform frequently in music festivals and competitions; student achievements include several Royal Conservatory provincial and national gold medal awards.

Many of his students have advanced to the Performing Arts BC competition over the years, with previous Junior A and B winners, and other runner-ups and honourable mentions. His students have participated in past Canadian Music Competition auditions and finals, including a 2021 winner in the 13 year-old category. Recent student achievements include winners and awards from the 2023 IPPA Conero International Piano Competition, Gala winners at the 2022 Pacific International Youth Festival, and a first-place winner at the 2022 Tureck International Piano Competition in New York. Dr. Morgan’s students have performed concerti with local orchestras in the lower mainland, and several have continued on in their musical studies at the post-secondary level to pursue careers in music.

Voice Adjudicator – Billy Gollner

Billy Gollner is a singer, musician, voice teacher, and actor currently based in Vancouver, Canada. Performance highlights of his career include appearing as a backing vocalist for Andrea Bocelli and having the honour of singing for the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and for vocal legend, Sarah McLachlan. Billy has performed in virtually every performance setting from opera to rock concerts, singing over an orchestra to performing in musical theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe. 

In addition to his work as a performer, Billy has been working full-time as a voice and music teacher since 2012. Currently, Billy serves as a Faculty Member at Capilano University in their Musical Theatre and Acting for Stage & Screen Programs where he teaches Voice Lessons (both singing & speech), Group Singing Classes/Masterclasses in Musical Theatre, Jazz and Pop/Rock Singing, and VoiceOver Acting, Business for Actors, Movement for Actors, Acting, and Improvisation for Actors.  While living in London, England Billy had the honour of teaching singing at the Urdang Academy (a London-based Performing Arts University) in their Bachelor’s of Musical Theatre Program. The program is very intensive and competitive, providing students with the requisite skills for success in London’s highly competitive West End. 

Billy’s work as a voice teacher is well-regarded amongst his peers and colleagues. Billy was recently honoured when asked to contribute a chapter to Marci Rosenberg and Dr. Wendy LeBorgne’s second and third editions of their book, The Vocal Athlete: Application and Technique for the Hybrid Singer (Plural Publishing).

Billy holds a Master of Arts degree from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Musical Theatre Performance, a Bachelor of Music in Voice from Vancouver Community College, a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Art, and Technology from Simon Fraser University, and a Certificate of Liberal Arts from Simon Fraser University. For his Bachelor of Music, Billy was honoured to be named the valedictorian of his graduating class.

Ballet Specialist – Monica Proença Mazzotti

Monica is a professional dance choreographer and coach specializing in modern, contemporary dance, and contemporary ballet. She holds a Master’s degree in Dance Pedagogy for Modern and Contemporary Dance from the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monica began her dance training at an early age and later graduated from the San Francisco School of the Arts in the United States. Her professional dance career has led her to perform in classical, contemporary, and many independent productions across North America.

As a choreographer, Monica has created dance pieces for film, television, and international dance companies. She has taught and choreographed for renowned institutions, including Lines Contemporary Ballet Program in San Francisco, USA; Nordhausen Ballet Company in Germany; Schwerin Ballet; Canada’s Arts Umbrella Youth Company; Kayzer Ballet in Portugal; Divina Dança and São Paulo Companhia de Dança in Brazil; and in various countries including Spain, Italy, Portugal, Japan, Germany, Brazil, and Canada. Monica’s extensive experience and creative coaching have helped many students launch successful professional careers.

Her keen eye for dance excellence has earned her invitations to adjudicate at several esteemed dance competitions. She has served on the jury for events such as the Brasilia International Dance Seminar (Brazil), Global Dance Challenge (Canada), WBAC (Canada), Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition (Paraguay), and Goias International Dance Festival (Brazil).

Monica was nominated for the 4th Annual Inspirational Latin American Awards for Arts and Culture in Vancouver. She is a board member of Dance//Novella and Goh Ballet Youth Company, and a co-founder of DanceWorkshop EV in Dresden, Germany, and MazzDance Series in Vancouver, Canada.

In film, Ms. Proenca produced “Strings for 2,” a short dance film for BravoFACT Canada, and choreographed “Dance First,” a short film produced by Dunbar Underground Productions, and “Dualidade” for São Paulo Companhia de Dança. She also choreographed the feature films “A Christmas Proposal” for CBS/Netflix and “Center Stage: On Pointe” for Sony Pictures/Lifetime Network.

In Canada, she continues to choreograph, produce, dance, teach, coach, and inspire others with her passion, strength, and elegant technique, combined with her unique Brazilian flair.

Modern Specialist – Justine Fraser

Justine Fraser is a professional performer, choreographer, and dance educator from Vancouver, BC. She began her formal training at Pacific Dance Arts under the guidance of Li Yaming, a Master Teacher from the Beijing Dance Academy. During this time, she trained in various dance styles, with a pre-professional focus on classical ballet and contemporary dance.

Throughout her training, Justine earned scholarships to attend summer programs at prestigious institutions such as Boston Ballet School, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and the Banff Centre for Performing Arts.

After graduating, Justine was awarded a scholarship to pursue her B.F.A. at Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco, where her studies expanded to include Modern Dance Technique (HORTON), Commercial Jazz, Percussion, Gyrokinesis, Choreographic Process, and Neo-Classical Ballet. As a professional dancer, she has performed with several contemporary and classical ballet companies, taking on soloist roles on both national and international stages. Her performances include works originally created for dancers of Alonzo King LINES Ballet, KIDD PIVOT, Ballet Jörgen Canada, MOVE: the company, and Ballet X in Philadelphia, among others. In addition to freelancing, Justine was a soloist dancer with Ballet Jörgen, touring various productions, nationally and internationally across North America.

Currently, Justine has found a passion for choreography and dance education. A respected dance adjudicator and choreographer, she regularly serves on panels for dance organizations, competitions, and festivals in Western Canada and abroad. She is an accredited ballet teacher with both the American Academy of Ballet and the Royal Academy of Dance and has been a full-time ballet and contemporary dance instructor for over 12 years. Her teaching career has taken her across North America, Mexico, Australia, and Brazil, where she has worked with students and professional companies alike. When she is not in Canada, Justine holds an international teaching position as a faculty member at a renowned ballet school in Mexico, where she contributes her expertise in both ballet and contemporary dance.

Committed to nurturing the next generation of dance artists, Justine is excited to share her love of dance with this year’s participants.

Stage Specialist – Scott Augustine

Scott is originally from Vancouver BC and now resides in Calgary AB where he finished his fourth season with the professional jazz company Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. His musical theatre credits include Riff in Vancouver Opera’s and Rainbow Stage’s production of West Side Story, Scott in The Producers, Neleus in Mary Poppins and Tulsa in Gypsy for the Arts Club Theatre to name a few. Scott was also a Principle Dancer for the grand opening of Tokyo Disney Sea’s show Encore! in Tokyo, Japan, as well as a Principle Tapper for the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

He has worked on projects/music videos with So You Think You Can Dance choreographers Stacey Tookey, Adam Shankman, Paul Becker, and R.J. Durell; and for such film/T.V. companies as NBC, CTV, Nickelodeon, Disney, and Touchstone. Scott’s choreography credits include Oliver! for the Vancouver Playhouse, Once and Beauty and the Beast for the Arts Club Theatre as well in commercials for Honeycomb Cereal, Burger King, and NCIX. He was featured in the Fosse episode of the T.V. show Hellcats and the movie musicals Reefer Madness, Once Upon a Mattress and Totally Awesome. Scott has been part of many creative teams for shows such as Magicians, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Once Upon a Time. He can be found on the faculty for Groove Street Productions and just concluded the convention Plié Prep in Edmonton AB.

Tap Specialist – Danny Nielsen

Danny Nielsen has emerged as one of the leaders of tap dance in Canada. Originally from Calgary, he began to further his knowledge of tap studying at various festivals throughout Canada and the U.S. around the age of 14. His prolific technical skill and musical sensibility launched him on to the international stage at the age of 23.  Danny has taught and performed at many national and international tap festivals including Zurich Tap Fest, Tap Ahead in Germany, North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Taptastic Festival in Germany, and Portland Tap Fest.

Danny was an integral part of Vancouver based dance company Radical System Art’s (Shay Kuebler) production Telemetry. The show was a hit and toured for over 3 years at notable venues such as the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Place Des Arts in Montreal, the White Bird Dance Series in Portland, the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, and Schritmacher Festival in Germany.

 In 2012, Danny was the recipient of the Santa Aloi Award from the Scotiabank Dance Centre. He used the grant to create and direct his first full-length production Love Be Best Free, which toured BC for a month in February of 2017. He also co created Night Cap with Joel Hanna which featured American tap icons Martin ‘Tre’ Dumas III and Jason Samuels Smith. He later created his second full length production entitled ‘On Foot’ which premiered in both Vancouver and Calgary in the fall of 2019. Danny just completed a sold out run of his newest creation ‘In Conversation’ at the Dance Centre in Vancouver in collaboration with Bulgarian pianist/percussionist Kristian Alexandrov, directed by Houston’s Matt Shields.