quinte rotary music festival text
Quinte Rotary - Celebrating 46 Years

2024 Adjudicators

Our adjudicators for 2024 are:

Allison Arends

Allison Arends

Frank Horvat

Frank Horvat

Soprano Allison Cecilia Arends is a graduate of Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program, the University of Toronto Opera School (M.Mus) and the University of Victoria Voice Performance Program (B.Mus). Having performed across Canada, the United States, Germany, Austria, Italy, England, Israel, and China, she is in high demand as an interpreter of opera, oratorio, and new music.  Allison toured with the Brahms Symphony Orchestra across China in a series of Viennese concerts, and was honoured to perform at Rideau Hall, as well as for International Dignitaries in Calgary and Toronto.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the Hnatyshyn Foundation Artist’s Grant, a Metropolitan Opera Encouragement Award, and a B.C Arts Council Senior Award, among others.

In addition to her performing, Allison maintains a busy private music studio in Toronto, is a voice examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music, and regularly adjudicates music festivals from coast to coast.  Having formerly taught for St. Michael’s and Timothy Eaton Memorial’s Choir Schools, Allison has conducted choral, vocal, and educational workshops and masterclasses for the Edna Manley Music College in Jamaica, University of Mississippi, British Columbia Provincial Music Festival, Grande Prairie Music Teachers’ Association, Regina Conservatory of Music, Ryerson Oakham House Choir, Opera Atelier, and the Royal Canadian College of Organists.

 

 

 

 

 

Born in Ottawa, Canada, Frank Horvat is an award-winning and critically acclaimed composer and pianist. He maintains an active schedule of recording projects and performances of his own compositions. His portfolio of works consists of chamber, pop/rock, electronic, musical theatre, film, and large ensemble pieces. His music has been premiered on four continents and featured on TV networks like the CBC, HBO & Bravo and a variety of radio stations internationally.

Frank has toured across North America, including his 60+ city Green Keys Tour, and performed at many festivals including Music and Beyond Festival (Ottawa), NuitBlanche (Toronto), The Works Art and Design Festival (Edmonton) and NXNE. Released in 2007, his debut recording, “I’ll Be Good”, featured his original compositions for solo piano. His discography has since grown to over a dozen projects based on social injustices or the wondrousness of life, love and longing on labels such as ATMA Classique, Azul Music, Leaf Music, and Centrediscs.

A graduate of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music, Frank is also very active within the field of music education. Along with maintaining a private teaching studio working with piano, theory, and composition students, Frank regularly conducts workshops and master classes, adjudicates festivals, and authors articles on music education. Frank is past President of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association and Lakeshore Arts. From 1999 to 2011, Frank was a member of the RCM College of Theory Examiners.

Now residing in Toronto with his wife/manager, Frank is an Associate Composer at the Canadian Music Centre (CMC), a member of the Canadian League of Composers and is passionate about social issues related to human rights and the environment. Learn more about his upcoming projects at frankhorvat.com.

Dan Tremblay

Dan Tremblay

 

 

Dan Tremblay is an active freelance musician, clinician, conductor, and trumpet teacher in Quebec, the Maritime Provinces, the State of New York, and Ontario. He teaches at the Dan School of Drama and Music at Queen’s University since 2001 and was an adjunct professor at the Crane School of Music, State University of New York in Potsdam from 2006 until 2020. Dan is often guest conducting orchestras and wind ensembles across the country. In addition to his position as Principal Trumpet with L’Orchestre Symphonique de l’Estuaire (Rimouski) since 2005, Dan plays regularly with other orchestras such as the Kingston Symphony and with various chamber ensembles. He has been Principal Trumpet with Orchestre de la Francophonie Canadienne, National Academy Orchestra in Hamilton, and with McGill Symphony Orchestra. Dan was also a member of Alliage Brass Trio with Les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada. 

Mr. Tremblay is a faculty member of the Queen’s University Dan School of Drama and Music, where he teaches trumpet and education classes such as Instrumental Conducting and Brass Techniques and Methods and is coordinator of the brass and percussion area. Dan currently leads the Queen’s University Wind Ensemble, Brass Choir, Trumpet Ensemble and was former director of the Symphony Orchestra. Since 2015, Mr. Tremblay is Music Director of the Quinte Symphony in Belleville, Ontario. In 2019, he served as Managing Director and Host of the World Trumpet Society Seminar.  Dan holds a Master of Music degree in Performance from McGill University and a Bachelor of Music from Université de Montréal.