AIBF Calgary Adjudicators
Concert Band
Bill
Kristjanson
Bill Kristjanson is currently a sessional instructor at the University of Manitoba teaching music education courses. For many years he taught at Vincent Massey Collegiate, Glenlawn Collegiate and Minnetonka schools and served as Divisional Music Consultant.
Bill has been invited to present at the International Association of Jazz Educators’ Conference, the Canadian Music Educators Conference, and provincial music education conferences in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova
Scotia, and Newfoundland. Among guest conducting roles, he has conducted the Manitoba Provincial Junior Honour Band, Intermediate Honour Band, Honour Jazz Band, the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble and at the International Music Camp.
Bill’s teaching philosophy revolves around, “Finding something good, and helping it
grow.”
Peter
Boonshaft
Peter Loel Boonshaft is celebrated as one of the most dynamic voices in music education today. He has spoken and conducted in all 50 U.S. states and internationally, earning accolades such as the inaugural “George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education” from NAfME and Music for All. Dr. Boonshaft is the Director of Education for Jupiter Band Instruments and author of the acclaimed Teaching Music series and co-author of Alfred Music’s Sound Innovations. His weekly “Boonshaft’s Blog” continues to inspire music educators worldwide.
A Professor Emeritus of Music at Hofstra University, Dr. Boonshaft has received numerous honors, including the Al G. Wright Award of Distinction, multiple Artist-in-Residence selections by the National Endowment for the Arts, and official proclamations from five state governors. He has conducted prestigious ensembles such as the NAfME National High School Honors Band, U.S. Marine Corps Bands, and international groups like the Prague Castle Guard/Czech Police Symphonic Band.
Dr. Boonshaft is a sought-after clinician and keynote speaker at leading conferences, including the Midwest Clinic, Music for All, and international music education summits in Australia, Singapore, and beyond. His contributions continue to shape the field of music education globally.
Kaitlin
Bove
Dr. Kaitlin Bove serves as Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California where she directs the Symphonic Band and Viking Ensemble in addition to instructing coursework in American multicultural music. She is artistic director and conductor of the BDWinds, the youth wind ensemble branch of the Blue Devils Performing Arts organization, and the Oakland Municipal Band which offers summer concerts in Oakland’s Lake Merritt Park. Prior to these appointments, she was the Director of Instrumental Music at Pierce College in Puyallup, Washington where she was awarded “Outstanding Faculty of the Year” in 2020. Kaitlin holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting from University of Kentucky where she was a student of Cody Birdwell, a teaching assistant, and premiered her wind transcription of Caroline Shaw’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Partita for 8 Voices in 2019.
Jason
Caslor
Meet Jason Caslor! Born in North Battleford, SK, Jason is an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Arizona State University. He leads the ASU Wind Ensemble, mentors graduate conducting students, and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting courses.
Career highlights include:
- ASU Wind Ensemble recordings of Kevin Day’s Concerto for Wind Ensemble & Nicole Piunno’s Sunflower Studies
- Recipient of the Canadian Band Association’s 2022 International Band Award
- Presenting at the 2024 WASBE Conference (South Korea) & 2024 Midwest Clinic
- Guest conducting the United States Army Field Band
A fiercely proud Canadian currently living amongst cacti, and Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician, Jason has guest conducted across Canada and the U.S., including the National Youth Band of Canada, the South Dakota All-State Band, the South Dakota Intercollegiate Band, and the Alberta Wind Symphony.
Fun fact: Jason’s journey began with dual degrees in music and education from the University of Saskatchewan, before heading on to the University of Manitoba to complete his masters. Most recently, he completed his doctorate in conducing at Arizona State University!
Juliane
Gallant
Canadian conductor Juliane Gallant is the Resident Conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. She has appeared as guest conductor with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, PEI Symphony Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Kingston Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony New Brunswick, and as assistant and cover conductor with many orchestras and opera companies across Canada.
Initially a collaborative pianist, répétiteur, and vocal coach, Juliane began her conducting career in opera. She has led productions of Carmen, La bohème, Tosca, Eugene Onegin, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, and numerous others, both in Canada and in the UK. In 2021, she made her Royal Opera House debut in Mami Wata in collaboration with Pegasus Opera.
Juliane is a graduate of the National Opera Studio, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique de Montréal, the University of Ottawa and the Université de Moncton. She is an
alumna of Tapestry Opera’s Women in Musical Leadership Fellowship.
Jazz Band
Jeff
Johnson
Jeff is a Winnipeg born musician, educator, clinician, adjudicator, conductor and music director. He recently retired after 28 years as a distinguished high school music educator collaborating and sharing his passion for music and education with some incredible students and colleagues.
Jeff is an original member of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra having performed and recorded as the lead trumpet player for both the WJO as well as the Ron Paley Big Band for decades. In addition, he has performed and recorded with Derrick Gardner and the Big Dig Band, Combo Latino while performing with numerous other ensembles including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. In addition, Jeff has appeared in concert with many incredible artists including Arturo Sandoval, Bill Watrous, Frank Foster, Louis Belson, Rob McConnell and Bob Brookmeyer. Jeff remains a proud contributor to the Winnipeg performing arts scene and well connected to the music education community.
Lisa
Parrott
Born in Australia and based in NYC since 1993, Lisa works with a range of prominent jazz groups. She received a 2024 Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant to compose for her septet, We Love Ornette. This follows a 2021 CMA Performance Plus grant for workshops with Denardo Coleman and record. Her recording ‘Round Tripper’ received 4 stars in Downbeat. She has been recognized in Downbeat's Critics and Readers Polls since 2013 and won the 2016 ‘Rising Star’ category for bari sax.
She is in demand as a baritone and bass clarinetist with big bands and has performed with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, the Artie Shaw Orchestra and Jimmy Heath’s Big Band, Marty Ehrlich's Large Ensemble, Joel Harrison’s Large Ensemble, the Webber/Morris Big Band and the Diva Jazz Orchestra where she played the baritone sax/ bass clarinet chair from 1998-2015. Other performance credits include Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, Johnny Mandel, Cindy Blackman, Gunther Schuller, Marty Ehrlich and Allison Miller.
Lisa has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, Lincoln Center and in prestigious jazz festivals all over the world such as the Montreal Jazz Festival. As a touring musician, she has now performed in all 50 states of the USA. As a composer, performances of her original compositions over 30 years include the Kennedy Center, TriC Jazzfest, festivals in Australia, Europe and jazz clubs worldwide. Her playing has been featured on over 40 albums as a leader and side person.
Sammy
Kalt
Grammy nominee, Song and Album of the Year Drummer ( Dove and UCMVA Awards) Sammy K (www.slamminsammyk.com) is an international educator, clinician, and performer. He is an educator for the Music for All Summer Symposium (sponsored by Yamaha) Joe's Jazz Camp (Atlanta GA), New Horizons Band Camp, and the Dayton Jazz Labs. Sammy also does distance clinics and teaching with high school and college students internationally.
Sammy has appeared on the Emmy winning Wayne Brady Show, Ally McBeal (with KC&The Sunshine Band and Josh Groban)( and in The Fast and The Furious. He has recorded and or performed with a list of artists: Bob Hope, The Manhattan Transfer, Burt Bacharach, Steve Lawrence, Jimmy Heath, Lucy Lawless, Dave Brubeck, Jon Hendricks, and the United States Air Force Band. His playing can be heard on: MythBusters, several Disney holiday DVDs, Confessions of an Eco Terrorist, ABC, CBS, NBC, and the films The Girl on The Train, The Spaces In Between: On the Road with Amy Cook, and Dalai Lama Awakening. His other clients have included: Ferrari, The Walt Disney Company, The International Toys For Tots Campaign, Six Flags, Daimler Chrysler, Jeep, Panda Express, PG&E, the Los Angeles Laker Band, the Hal Leonard Publishing Company, MatFal Music, Much Music Television and the Tournament of Roses.
Sammy is an Educational Endorser of Remo Drumheads, Zildjian Cymbals, Yamaha Drums, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Cympad cymbal washers, Big Bang Distribution and Kotz Cajons.