Music Festival
The Fort Saskatchewan Music Festival committee would like to offer our sincerest thank you to our distinguished Adjudicators for being a part of our Festival!
2024 Adjudicators
HEATHER
BEDFORD-CLOONEY
~ Choral ~
Heather Bedford-Clooney has a B. Mus. Ed, an ARCT (voice) and a ATCL and LTCL in Speech and Drama. She has done graduate work in Voice and Conducting at the University of Alberta, Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) and Westminster Choir College (New Jersey). Mrs. Bedford-Clooney has maintained a voice studio in Edmonton for 49 years. Her students regularly compete in Festivals at the local, provincial level and National levels. Her students have gone on to be well known performers and teachers of voice. She had adjudicated voice, choirs, musical theatre and speech throughout Canada for 47 years. During her career she has produced and directed many musicals. She is the Artistic Director of the Edmonton Columbian Choirs and conductor of the Chanteuses Women’s Choir. The Chanteuses have performed on Parliament Hill, with the Edmonton Symphony and have twice been finalists in the CBC Amateur Choir Competition. In 2016, Chanteuses was asked to be one of two Canadian women’s choirs to sing with Maestro John Rutter to premiere his composition ‘Visions’ at Carnegie Hall, New York City.She is the Past President of Choir Alberta, Choral Canada (ACCC), Music Alberta, Alberta Music Festival Association and Opera Nuova. Mrs. Bedford Clooney is Executive Director of both the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival and the Shean Piano/String Competition. The is the former Executive Director of the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals.Heather is a winner of the Richard Eaton Award for Distinguished Service to Choral Music in Alberta (2008), an Alberta Centennial Medal (2005) ACF Con Spiritu Award (2003), and the Paul Bourret Award (2010). In 2015, she was inducted into the City of Edmonton Cultural Hall of Fame.Mrs. Bedford-Clooney taught high school music, drama and English in the Edmonton area for 35 years.
~ Band & Instrumental ~
Dr. Guy M. Palmer (B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.)
Dr. Palmer was born to a musical family in 1946, and grew up on a small farm in Markinch, Saskatchewan. He studied music at the University of Saskatchewan and Bemidji State University, in Minnesota. He picked up the clarinet, his principal instrument, during the mid 1950’s and has played in various ensemble over the years. He taught music in Alberta and Saskatchewan within the educational system since 1971.
Presently he is the:
- Conductor/Musical Director of the Fort Saskatchewan Community Band. (He joined this ensemble during the
early 2000’s and has been their conductor/musical director for over eleven years.)
- Conductor/Musical Director/Organizer of the Fort Saskatchewan Ambassador Wind Symphony Orchestra. (This is an international ensemble that travel around the world learning about other countries through the median of music. This ensemble has visited; Cuba, Iceland, Morocco, Netherlands, Barbados, and Trinidad/Tobago. It is comprised of musicians from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Louisiana, and they are presently looking into visiting the Philippines in 2025)
- Organizer/Founder/Musical Director of the Big BANDS Bash in Fort Saskatchewan.
(This is a musical event that hosts Big “BANDS” from Edmonton and surrounding areas. These ensembles come together to share their music, once a year, in the spring. This year they will
be performing at Legacy Park, in early June.)
- Conductor/Musical Director of the Solstice Tribute Wind Symphony Orchestra
(This ensemble represented Canada in an international tribute to those who lost their lives due to COVID, June 2020/21.) “The Performance Of The GONG”, was lived streamed simultaneously around the world and was viewed by millions.
Dr. Palmer has lived his life with the adage that: “Music Is The Window To The Soul”.
~ Piano ~
Lynne Dalcin
Lynne received her ARCT from the Royal Conservatory in 2002 and now operates a busy studio, teaching piano from beginner to ARCT and all levels of Theory, Harmony, and History. She began to play the piano at 7 years old and received her Grade 8 at 13. She did her senior grades and ARCT as an adult –studying in Alberta with Michelle Wheatley-Brown and Linda Kundert.Lynne was honoured in January 2017 with the award of Art Educator of the Year in Airdrie. This award is given for promoting arts and culture in the community through education. Lynne strongly believes that children should be encouraged in art and music. It's so important for all of us to help raise this generation of children in an environment that nurtures creativity, inspires imagination and celebrates beauty. Art and music is our legacy. It's what tells our story. We must all encourage this generation to have a wonderful story to tell! Additionally, Lynne is an active member of Music Coterie in Calgary and also a founding Director of the Airdrie Rotary Festival of Performing Arts. She also sings with the Airdrie Community Choir. One of Lynne’s greatest pleasures in recent years is adjudicating local Festivals in Alberta. In her free time, she especially enjoys volunteering with the Airdrie Food bank and acting as a Penguin Host at the Calgary Zoo. Of course, Lynne also adores spending time with her six beautiful grandchildren who all live in Alberta!
Deanna Dolstra
~ Strings ~
Born in Oshawa, Ontario, Deanna has been playing fiddle for over 30 years and is trained in Ottawa Valley Step Dance. She competed infiddle and step dance in the Ontario Contest Circuit for many years, retiring in 2000. She has trained with various instructors across Ontario and also attended the Ceilidh Trail School of Celtic music in Cape Breton.
Deanna released her own independent album in 2002. She played for over a decade with the
band "Celtic Powerhouse" with fiddle, step dance, keys, and backup vocals. She has been a guest performer and has appeared on recordings with various other artists and groups. She performs all over Canada during the year, often seen with the Metis Ensemble Nicely Put Together Band since 2017.
Deanna currently teaches predominantly group lessons of all ages, and has over 100 students across East-Central Alberta.
Melanie Baux
~ Musical Theatre, Voice, Speech Arts ~
Melanie Baux has always loved being surrounded by music. Melanie has a Diploma in Music Performance
from Mount Royal University and a Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of Manitoba. She
has completed the Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop at the Boston Conservatory and completed all levels of Somatic Voice Work TM The LoVetri Method.
Melanie has performed with orchestras across Canada as a soloist in both Oratorio and Secular Works. She
can be found on the theatre stage, frequently performing in musicals and concert works. Melanie is passionate about developing and mentoring young performers.
She has been a vocal coach and rehearsal lead for the Calgary Boys’ Choir and was the Artistic Director of the Cochrane Young Singers for five seasons. Melanie has been the Artistic Director of Swamp Donkey Musical Theatre Society since 2018. Melanie has been musical director, director, and choreographer for numerous musicals and continues to produce several shows each season. She is a sought-after voice teacher and vocal coach. Melanie frequently adjudicates Musical Theatre, Classical and CCM voice. She is dedicated to enriching communities through music.