Championship Round Adjudicators
Dr. DAWN K. BATSON is a creative and resourceful professional with more than twenty years’ experience in multi-cultural education utilizing music and the arts as a medium for cross-cultural outreach, diversity workshops and economic empowerment for underserved communities. She has been recognized in the Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Teachers and Who’s Who in American Women, and she has been awarded the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Committee Award of Honor, Caribbean Cultural Leadership Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to the International Steelband Movement. A daughter of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Batson is an alumnus of Bishop Anstey High School, who, since her earliest years has been involved in Caribbean music and culture as performer, arranger, conductor, teacher, judge, composer, grant writer and producer for various groups in Trinidad and Tobago, including Amoco Renegades and Pamberi with whom she toured Europe, North American, South America and Caribbean. She counts among her achievements her past appointment as Chair of the Board of the Trinidad Tobago National Steel Orchestra by the President of Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Batson holds a B.Sc., Music Education, Specialization in Strings, Hofstra University, NY, M.M. in Music Industry, University of Miami, and a Ph.D. in Music and International Affairs, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, where she has also taught as Professor, Chair Visual & Performing Arts. Since 2016, Dr. Batson has served as a Cultural Consultant, focused on cultural diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice utilizing music and other arts as a tool.
Dr. ROGER J. HENRY is a conductor, educator, and composer, currently serving as Associate Professor of Music at the Academy for the Performing Arts at The University of Trinidad and Tobago. In addition to his University work he continues to maintain a national profile in the Music community of Trinidad and Tobago, as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Henry holds a Doctor of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he graduated with minors in Voice and Music History & Literature.
In a career spanning more than twenty-five years, Dr. Henry has served in faculty roles at both the secondary and tertiary levels, and has developed a reputation as a gifted and skillful educator. He has pursued musical excellence across a spectrum of contexts: in academia as well as in church, community, and professional music organizations. For the biennial Music Festival of the Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival Association in 2012, he made history in being invited as an adjudicator, the first time the Festival invited local adjudicators. In 2013 Dr. Henry made his debut as a composer of choral music, with the premier of his composition, There Was a Man Sent From God, sung by the Marionettes Chorale. In 2017 he presented the premier of Remembrance, a large multi-movement work for orchestra, steel symphony, and choir, performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with the National Steel Symphony Orchestra and a massed choir.
Dr. Henry is an advocate for music – for its power to encode, embody, and interpret human experience in the form of sound. He is committed to the enrichment of the musical life of Trinidad and Tobago, the education and artistic fulfillment of the country’s musicians, and the exploration of new avenues for musical creation.
Preliminary Round Judges
Mrs. GRETTA TAYLOR has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Education from the University of the West Indies, and taught languages from Forms One to Six at St. Joseph’s Convent in Port of Spain for over 28 years. For thirteen years she was Musical Director of St. Joseph’s Convent’s three choirs and was the Musical Director of the Maria Regina Grade School (1994 – 2005). A gifted pianist, Gretta Taylor has won the Norah Grant Trophy and on numerous occasions the Trinidad Guardian Cup. Since 1993, she has been a member of the North American Choral Directors’ Association and keeps abreast of developments in the field of choral music by attending its biennial conventions in across the USA.
She received the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) in 1990 for her outstanding contribution in the field of culture and was inducted into the St. Joseph’s Convent Hall of Excellence in 2005. Mrs. Taylor been Musical Director of the Marionettes Chorale since 1974. During this period the Chorale and its members have distinguished themselves both at home and abroad, winning top prizes at the Biennial Music Festivals locally, and International Eisteddfods in England, Wales and Ireland.
Mrs. Taylor has experience judging a myriad of competitions, including National Calypso Monarch Finals (both junior and senior), Teen Talent and Twelve and Under, National Song Festival, Pan Ramajay, Independence Calypso Monarch, Republic Bank Talent Competition (finals), preliminaries of the biennial Trinidad & Tobago Music Festival, (North and South), the Geddes Grant/Huggins Youth Achievement Awards and the Express Individual of the Year (2004).
Classes: JR-A5, JR-A6, JR-A7, JR-A8, OP-A5, OP-A6, OP-A7, OP-A8, OP-A9a
Mr. KHION DE LAS holds a Masters in Music degree from the Northern Illinois University (USA) and a Legal Education Certificate from the Sir Hugh Wooding Law School (T&T). He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Arts degree, a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning, all from the University of the West Indies (T&T). Mr. De Las is currently an Instructor in music at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) at the University of the West Indies. He directs the UWI Arts Jazz Ensemble and co-directs the UWI Arts Steel ensemble. Mr. De Las is a multi-instrumentalist but his primary instrument is the steelpan. He is also a music producer, songwriter and avid composer. He is a past member of the National Steel Symphony Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago and has travelled the world extensively to represent his country in the field of music. Mr. De Las has performed in countries like South Korea, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guyana, the USA and Martinique just to name a few. Khion De Las also holds a number of awards for community service, academic awards and awards for contributions to Trinbago culture. Mr. De Las is also an attorney-at-law who specialises in Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property.
Classes: JR-A11, JR-A14, JR-A15, OP-A15, OP-A14, JR-B6, JR-B7, OP-B4
Ms. NADINE GONZALES started music training at the age of 3. Her parents, recognizing her flair for the performing arts and unique singing voice, immersed her in music study at a very young age. Much of her childhood training was obtained at the Pan Pipers Music School under the guidance of Louise Mc Intosh. She was also enrolled in dance classes to ensure a holistic development in the performing and creative arts. She was certified locally and in the U.S.A and, thus far, has completed a Master of Music degree. In addition to her academic qualifications, Nadine performed as a lead and background vocalist in several genres of music. It is her firm view that being an educator is not a job; it Is a vocation. In her role as an educator, she understands her responsibility to be, among other things, the ability to shape dreams.
Ms. Gonzales has contributed to the tertiary landscape as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Department Chair. While she has enjoyed course delivery in Music Theory and Aural Skills classes, her most extensive teaching experience is in the area of vocal performance.
Nadine holds a M.M Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL., USA, B.A in Musical Arts University of the West Indies, Trinidad, and a Certificate in Speech and Language Pathology, University of the West Indies, Trinidad.
Mr. WITHNOLD GREEN is a prominent music educator and performer in his native Trinidad and Tobago. He also operates a music studio. He began teaching music – Piano and music theory – at an early age, guided by the philosophy of his teachers and guardians that everything that he learnt should be taught to members of his community. These experiences equipped him with substantial knowledge and a passion for teaching and performance oriented towards ranging from childhood learners to seasoned musicians and adults who had never played a musical instrument before. He went on to become a music teacher with the Ministry of Education, both at primary and secondary levels, before transitioning to the university level at COSTAATT where he currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in Music. Mr. Green emerged from the Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival as an open-class piano winner from South Trinidad and has in previous editions of the Festival trained and accompanied competitors for music festivals. Withnold has performed alongside, accompanied and toured with local gospel groups them to Canada. He has also judged Zonal panorama 2003.
Withnold Green holds a Fellowship of the Trinity College of Music London (1982), Bachelor of Arts-Special in Musical Arts, The University of The West Indies.2001, Dip. Ed. The University of The West Indies (2004), L.TC.L; Licentiate of the Trinity College of Music, London (1981), Certificate in Music (Pan) The University of The West Indies (1996), Diploma in Music (Pan), The University of the West Indies (1996).
Classes: JR-B1, JR-B2, JR-B3, OP-B1
Dr. JEANNINE REMY earned her Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Northern Illinois University and her Doctorate from the University of Arizona. She received numerous faculty research grants, including a Fulbright to research and archive Trinidad and Tobago steelpan music. Dr. Remy is a senior lecturer of music in the Department for Creative and Festival Arts at the University of the West Indies (UWI) where she teaches percussion, steelpan, pan arranging, steelpan literature, and steelpan history. Additionally, she is an active composer, arranger, adjudicator and musical commentator in cultural music for Trinidad and Tobago.
As a composer, her music, The Rainmakers Tropical Journey in Percussion and Steel, earned a showcase performance at the Percussive Arts International Convention (PASIC) in Austin, Texas in 2008. She has co-authored two books (1) Invaders Steel Orchestra: The History of a Legendary Trinidad Steelband,co-authored by Ray Funk; (2) Steelpan in Education: A History of the Northern Illinois University Steelband with Ray Funk and Andy Martin. Her newest book will be launched in 2020 entitled: The Saga of Milton Wire Austin and the Fonclaire Steel Orchestra. Over the years, Dr. Remy has arranged for Invaders, Hatters, and Sforzata. She won the Pan in the 21st Century Competition with Curepe Sforzata Steel Orchestra.
Classes: OP-B5, JR-B14, JR-B15, JR-B16
Ms. ROSELYN WARD began formal music training at the age of 6 in Barbados and continued in Trinidad Francis Burke-Archbold (University of the Southern Caribbean (USC)) and Millicent Roberts at Rockley’s Music Studio in Woodbrook, Port of Spain. She attended Andrew’s University, Michigan where she graduated with a BA in Music Education and an MA in Performance (1966). Thereafter she returned to Trinidad and Tobago, joining the music faculty at University of the Southern Caribbean (USC), teaching piano, organ and music theory while serving as choral accompanist. In 1969, she transferred to Colegio Vocacional in Costa Rica. Seven years later she transferred to West Indies College, Jamaica (now Northern Caribbean University). After 8 years there, she moved to Adventitious University in Colombia where she spent 11 years. In each country she was Head of the Music Department and worked to strengthen and upgrade their music programmes from both an academic and performance perspective. For her tireless service to music and her formidable contribution to the development of youth in music, Ms. Ward was awarded doctor, honoris causa from USC in 2019.
Classes: JR-A9, JR-A10, JR-A12, JR-A13, OP-B2a
Mrs. LENOR SYDER has been teaching music for over 40 years, first privately and for the past 20 years in secondary school. During her time as a secondary school teacher, she has been a CSEC Examiner, a tutor at Republic Bank RightStart Pan Minors Music Literacy Scholarship Programme and a steel pan examiner with the University of the West Indies (UWI). Mrs. Syder has an ATCL in piano and is one of a handful of people in the world with an ATCL in recorder. Mrs. Syder was educated at the University of the West Indies (UWI) where she gained a BA (Hons) degree in Musical Arts and a postgraduate Diploma in Education. She went on to Nazarene College where she gained a MA degree in Counselling Psychology. Mrs. Syder has composed several pieces for the steel pan which has been published in UWI pan exam books.
Classes: JR-B4, JR-B5, JR-B8, JR-B9, JR-B11, JR-B12, JR-B13, OP-B2, OP-B3
