Adjudicators 2025

Diana Wiens was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Music studies, which began at the age of seven, included piano instruction with Dr. Lyell Gustin of Saskatoon. Upon completing her Associate Degree in Piano Performance with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and graduating from the University of Saskatchewan, she taught elementary and junior high for three years before pursuing further music studies in Europe. During her five years in Germany, she studied, performed widely, and for the last two years instructed piano at the Nordwestdeutsche Musik -Akademie and at the University of Bielefeld.

In 1974, she returned to Canada to accept a position on Music Faculty at the University of Guelph, Ontario. Here, she and her husband initiated the first applied music courses in piano and voice, both of which continue to be offered today. Since 1975 they have lived in Edmonton.

From 1988–2009, Diana Wiens was Adjunct Professor in the Music Department at Taylor University College in Edmonton; for eight of those years she co-chaired the Department. She is in demand as an adjudicator and workshop clinician across Canada; festivals include the Kiwanis Music Festival of Greater Toronto, Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival, and Provincial Music Festival final competitions in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Currently, Diana Wiens is artistic director and conductor of the Te Deum Singers, a community choir in Edmonton, Alberta. She was invited to conduct this choir in a performance of Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore at Carnegie Hall, New York in April of 2020; unfortunately, COVID-19 cancelled those plans.

A pianist, professional actor, and music teacher, Eric Nyland holds Associate and Licentiate Piano Performance Diplomas from the Royal Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Alberta. He is a Registered Music Teacher with RCM Advanced Teacher Specialization, is a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators' Association, and is the facilitator for the piano program at Cassa Musical Arts in Calgary, Alberta.

Eric’s major acting and piano performance mentors include Linda Kundert, Dr. Thomas Peacock, Dr. Lillian Upright, and James DeFelice. He has also studied with Joseph Fridman, Dr. Irena Kofman, Allen Reiser, and Derek Chiu. He has performed masterclasses with Dr. Ludmilla Lazar, Dr. Jennifer Snow, Roman Rabinovich, and Dr. Jacques Després.

He has performed throughout Canada as an actor and pianist, most recently recording for the upcoming Flyover Canada, and in Mozart’s two-piano concerto with fellow pianist and composer Garrett Krause. He has performed for the National Music Centre’s Street Sounds series and the Pro Arts Society. In 2015, Eric appeared as soloist in Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto for the inaugural concert of the Calgary Arts Orchestra.

Eric has served as the musical director for the long-form theatre improvisation duo One Lions, as well as serving as accompanist for instrumentalists and singers, and is an active festival adjudicator in high demand.

Eric developed and taught two courses for Mount Royal University: Introductory Keyboard for Adults: Play-by-Ear/Improvisation, and Reading Standard Notation. 

In 2015 Eric was a nominee for Outstanding Actor in a Play for the Calgary Theatre Critics’ Awards for his work in the world premiere of Butcher by Governor General Award-winning playwright Nicolas Billon. In 2016 Eric served as a lead actor, pianist, and composer for Station Arts Centre's production of Armin Wiebe's The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz.

Dr. Danica Hoffart is a singer, conductor, musical director, educator, and adjudicator.  She currently teaches privately, directs the Ross Street Singers, and is a vocalist with the Central Alberta Chamber Orchestra. 

For over two decades, Danica taught post-secondary Music and Theatre including private voice lessons, choir, singing for the stage, music history, and ear training. 

She has performed with Kompany! Dance and has been a soprano soloist with the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra.  Select musical directing credits include South Pacific, Footloose, Cabaret, The Sound of Music, and The Wizard of Oz. 

Dr. Hoffart holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Arts in Music from the University of Alberta, and a PhD in Music from the University of Calgary.  Her research examined “best practices in leadership and the empowerment of individuals through participation in choir.”

Calgary native, Christine Bootland began her studies with Fay Johnson and later at the Mount Royal College Academy of Music with John Kadz. She completed a Bachelor of Music Performance degree at the University of British Columbia under the direction of Eric Wilson and later participated in the master’s Program at the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Shauna Rolston. She has studied with renowned artists Aldo Parisot, Janos Starker, Zara Nelsova, and Lawrence Lesser at the Banff School of Fine Arts and has performed with well-known classical musicians David Shifrin, Andrew Dawes, Kai Gleusteen and country artist Lyle Lovett. 

Christine is an active extra performer in various chamber ensembles and with the Lethbridge, Red Deer and Regina Symphonies as well as the Symphony of the Kootenays and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. She has toured Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia as a member of the Armadillo String Quartet of Canada and was first prize winner in the CIBC National Chamber Music Festival Competition with the JEB string quartet. Christine has adjudicated all over Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan and her students have won numerous awards at all levels but for her she gets immense joy from doing educational outreach performance programs wherever she is.

Christine was on the faculty at Medicine Hat College from 2001-2021 as cello instructor, ensemble coach, Academy Instructor and conductor and program coordinator for both the Community and Junior Orchestras. In 2010 she was pleased to be invited to become a cello instructor at the University of Lethbridge Conservatory of Music three days a week.

Her favorite thing to do in her down time is to read, experiment in her garden and go for walks.

Born and raised in Calgary, Andrea Hill has had the honour of singing on stages that include the Metropolitan Opera New York, l’Opéra National de Paris, Covent Garden London, Teatro alla Scala Milan, and at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.  Operatic roles include Carmen (Carmen, Bizet), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini), Varvara (Janaček’s Katia Kabanova), Judith (Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle), and Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande.  Andrea also has the distinction of having been selected by Kurt Masur personally to sing Octavian in a concert of excerpts from Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier under his baton at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, and was an original cast member of Patrice Chéreau’s brilliant final production, Strauss’ Elektra.

Having lived in Paris, France for twelve years, she is fluent in French and highly proficient in German, as well as having a strong basic grasp of Italian. Transitioning to soprano repertoire, she is currently learning and studying new roles and works that include Puccini's Tosca and Mimi, Mozart's Fiordiligi and Contessa, Floyd's Susannah, and Handel's Messiah.

Andrea operates a private teaching studio in Calgary, she is the facilitator for the Mount Royal Vocal Academy, where she heads the program and teaches, and she is an Artist in Residence for the Calgary Classical Academy charter school, working principally with the students in grades 5 and up.

Known for her enthusiastic approach to choral music, Kathryn is a sought-after choral clinician and composer.  With dozens of works published by Cypress Choral Music and Alliance Music Publishing, her works are performed globally and becoming a staple in school music programs. 

Born in Vancouver, Kathryn has grown up in Calgary and studied piano, flute, voice, and theory extensively with several local musicians and choirs including the UofC Women’s Choir, OnCue (contemporary a cappella), Calgary Girls Choir, and Spiritus Chamber Choir In March of 2020, Kathryn founded and was the Artistic Director for the Calgary Physician Choir- a choir of women physicians who sought music to cope with the stresses of being on the front lines during the COVID-19 Pandemic which continues to operate today.

In addition to her private voice studio, she is currently the director of the University of Calgary Chorus and Chamber Choirs at the School of Creative and Performing Arts. Additionally, Kathryn is the composer in residence and Principal Choral director at the Youth Singers of Calgary, a large show choir and concert choir organization of all age groups, and the director of both the junior high and senior high divisions.

Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance and a Master of Music degree in Music Education, specializing in Choral Conducting.