qathet Festival of Performing ArtsMeet Our 2026 Adjudicators

Mexican-born violinist Jeanette Bernal-Singh has won many national and international awards and competitions. She first appeared as soloist at the age of 16 with the Victoria Symphony. At age 17, she won the concerto competition to solo and tour with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. She was a prizewinner at the Henryk Szerying International Violin Competition, where she was awarded a violin. Her soloist experiences have included appearances with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, St. Cecilia Chamber Orchestra and West Coast Symphony Orchestra.

Her violin has taken her all over North America, Europe, South-East Asia, India and Australia. Jeanette has recorded for broadcasts and CDs of Indian, Mexican, and Chinese music. She was a member of the Malaysia Philharmonic in the year 2004, with whom she toured Australia, performing memorably at Sydney's Opera House. As an orchestral musician, Jeanette has worked with many of today's leading conductors, such as Kurt Mazur, Sir George Solti, Valery Gergiev and Mstislav Rostropovich.

Having begun violin at the age of three with her mother Joan King and step-father, Pablo Diemecke, her teachers include Gerald Stanick, Paul Biss, Franco Gulli, Stanley Ritchie, Stanislaw Kawalla and Sidney Humphreys. She completed her undergraduate studies at Indiana University, where she was concertmaster of the Concert and Philharmonic Orchestras, earning the prestigious Carol A. Wingler Memorial Award and several scholarships and honour awards. Jeanette holds a master’s degree, attained with honours, from the University of British Columbia. Her first audition, during her studies at UBC, was for the Vancouver Symphony, where she won, and later attained the titled position of Assistant Principal Second Violin.

Currently a faculty member at the Langley Community Music School, Jeanette teaches violin and chamber music and performs chamber music recitals. Jeanette has been concertmaster of the Orchestre Des Concerts Diemecke (Die Mahler Enterprises). She performs Indian music and has been a guest on several TV shows.

As an experienced adjudicator, and member of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s College of Examiners, Roger Buksa has judged festivals throughout BC including the lower mainland. His students regularly earn awards in regional and provincial competitions and have been selected to perform as concerto soloists with orchestra.

He has also participated in the VCM Summer Piano Academy as a teacher and performer and has performed in several concerts as part of the VCM Presents series, including with classical guitarist Dr. Alexander Dunn, and in an established duo-piano team with Anna Cal.

Roger Buksa studied with Eva Kinderman (at UVic and in Berlin), Winifred Scott Wood (VCM), Dr. Robin Wood (VCM and UVic), and with Anton Kuerti (Orford Summer School), and also participated in master classes with György Sébok.

An active chamber musician, soloist, and vocal/instrumental accompanist, Roger Buksa has also collaborated with international singers Richard Margison and Kathleen Brett in performances of Tobin Stokes’s opera Rattenbury under Moscow Symphony conductor Arthur Arnold. In addition to his Associate diploma of the Victoria Conservatory of Music (AVCM), Mr. Buksa holds bachelor degrees in both Music, and in Education (with Distinction), and for several years was band and choir director in Victoria public schools.

Gemma Stefan was born in Southampton, United Kingdom, and trained as a professional dancer in ballet, jazz, contemporary and musical theatre at London Studio Centre UK, graduating with a BA Honours.

After graduating she pursued a performing career in a variety of production shows on board European and American cruise lines. In 2007, Gemma worked in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Buffalo, New York in a spectacular called Le Grande Cirque. She has also had extensive experience working as a backing dancer in music videos, a casino showgirl, and face model for printed commercials in Australia.

Gemma returned to the UK in 2009 to teach award-winning numbers in ballet, jazz, and contemporary for National Inter-University Dance Competitions along with becoming a certified ballet teacher for the Royal Academy of Dance.

Since moving to British Columbia in 2013 Gemma has adjudicated and completed her certification for the Professional Curriculum for Acrobatic Arts and has recently gained her Early Childhood Care and Education Certificate.

As the owner and director at Studio G Dance Academy Ltd, Gemma strives to train dancers to reach their full potential and continues to share her passion and love for dance.

Leigha Wald was raised in the Yukon and studied dance at Grant MacEwan College and obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance at Simon Fraser University.

She is trained under American Ballet Theatre and is certified as an Acrobatic Arts instructor. Throughout her professional career, she has performed at various venues around the west coast and nationally. In 2006, Leigha received a Yukon Artist Award to commission a solo choreographed by Rob Kitsos that she performed at Simon Fraser University's Noon Show Series and at Winterfest in Seattle. Leigha has worked professionally with Rob Kitsos, Serge Bennathan, Deanna Peters, Brian Webb and Susan Elliott to name a few.

Leigha has been teaching dance to all ages and skill levels for 28 years. Along with her professional experience, Leigha is a gifted teacher who believes that dance is a balance of exquisite technique, stunning performance quality and raw, emotive storytelling. Leigha's students learn to express themselves through movement and are taught that a professional work ethic and genuine performance quality are skills that will prepare them both in dance and in life. Leigha works hard to inspire, challenge and motivate her students to be the best dancers and individuals they can be on and off the stage.

Karyn Way is very active in Vancouver as a singer, adjudicator, director and music instructor. Some of her favourite roles include Madame Giry/ensemble in The Phantom of the Opera, in which she did over 350 performances at the Ford Centre in Vancouver. In the opera Hansel and Gretel, Karyn played the role of Hansel twice with Burnaby Lyric Opera and the roles of the Mother and the Witch with the UBC Opera Ensemble.

A favourite musical of Karyn's is Evita. In separate productions in Alberta, she had the great pleasure to play the role of Eva Peron in Leduc and was in the Ensemble at Theatre Calgary.

Under the direction of the late Robin Phillips, Karyn worked at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton in the musical Man of La Mancha. Karyn has played both the First and the Second Lady in separate productions of The Magic Flute.

At Grant MacEwan University, Karyn had lead roles in The Sorcerer and She Loves Me. At the Banff Centre, she had roles in Street Scene, The Cunning Little Vixen and The Crucible.

Karyn was also a member of the Edmonton Opera Chorus for 4 years in productions such as La Traviata, La Boheme, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Masked Ball, Madama Butterfly and several others.

Jeff Weaver serves as the Director of Bands and Jazz Studies at Oak Bay High School and is also an instructor in Music Education at the University of Victoria. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Victoria and furthered his education with a Master of Arts degree from Sam Houston State University. Jeff is a distinguished recipient of the Premier's Award for Teaching Excellence in British Columbia.

Jeff is actively involved in the realm of music education leadership. He currently holds the position of Past President within the Canadian Music Educators' Association and has previously served as the President of the British Columbia Music Educators’ Association. His dedication to these roles reflects his passion for advancing music education at both regional and national levels.

Jeff is in demand as adjudicator and clinician adjudicating for the Comox Valley Band Festival, the Victoria Music Festival, Townsite Jazz Festival, Comox Valley Festival of the Arts, the Bella Coola Arts Festival, Kamloops Honour Band and guest conducting with ensembles in greater Victoria.

Jeff believes that all students have the capacity to make music and that schools are complete with strong Fine Arts Performance programs.