Meet the Adjudicators

Lesley Andrew

Lesley Andrew is a versatile Canadian soprano and alto renowned for her exceptional vocal range and performance across a variety of music genres, including opera, jazz, and show tunes. She has performed as a soloist with prestigious Canadian orchestras and choirs, such as the Vancouver, Windsor, and Kitchener-Waterloo symphonies, and her recordings are frequently featured on CBC Radio. After completing her undergraduate degree, she had a significant tenure with the Stratford Festival, participating in numerous productions. Ms. Andrew has also directed acclaimed opera productions, like La Boheme, and completed international concert tours across Argentina, Europe, and North America.

She has received multiple awards, including a Canadian Opera Company Scholarship, and currently adjudicates and conducts masterclasses worldwide. She operates Dream in Progress Productions, offering voice and drama instruction in London and Windsor, Ontario. Additionally, Ms. Andrew runs a youth theater program, Summer Glee, now in its twenty-fifth year. She has appeared on notable TV shows and is a popular motivational speaker. She has taught at institutions such as George Brown College and the University of Windsor. Ms. Andrew is also deeply involved in creating drama programs for exceptional children at the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Visually Impaired.

Aaron Hodgson

Trumpeter Aaron Hodgson has been praised for his “exquisite musicianship and assured composure” (International Trumpet Guild). A prize-winner in the Ellsworth Smith and OSM Standard Life competitions, Aaron can be heard on orchestral recordings for Naxos and Analekta records. Aaron is a sought-after teacher and is Associate Professor at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University, where he is currently a Teaching Fellow investigating innovative teaching practices in the field of studio pedagogy. He has taught masterclasses in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and across the United States. Aaron holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Yale University.

Trumpeter Aaron Hodgson has been Praised for his “exquisite musicianship and assured composure” (International Trumpet Guild). A prize-winner in the Ellsworth Smith and OSM Standard Life competitions, Aaron has been broadcast nationally by CBC Radio and can be heard on orchestral recordings for Naxos and Analekta records. His solo album inner voice was released on Blue Griffin Recordings in 2017. Aaron is a founding member of Reverb Brass and the Carnyx Trio, and he has premiered over two dozen new solo and chamber works. Aaron teaches at Western University and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Yale University.

Margot Jewell

Margot Jewell has been immersed in the Suzuki world for the last 50 years, training with many inspiring pedagogues, including Shinichi Suzuki in Matsumoto in 1985. She began her Suzuki teaching in Hamilton and then at Etobicoke Suzuki Music (Toronto) which she co-founded in 1982. The Suzuki Association of the Americas appointed her as a teacher trainer and she enjoys working with adults in that capacity. She was honoured to serve on the boards of the Suzuki Association of Ontario and the Suzuki Association of the Americas. From 1975 she was a free lance violinist playing with many symphony, chamber, and baroque ensembles in the GTA, Hamilton and St Catharines. Margot is an active festival adjudicator and has enjoyed adjudicating local and provincial festivals across Canada from the Yukon to Prince Edward Island. She has travelled across Canda and to the USA and Bermuda as a string examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music. Margot is the proud mother of an adult violinist and cellist, who both still enjoy playing their instruments and she loves teaching her grandchildren. She recently retired from teaching students in Toronto and now lives with her husband in Huntsville Ontario, near their family.

Jennifer Smele

Jennifer is active in the greater Toronto area as both a performer and teacher. She holds her Master’s degree in Piano Performance/Pedagogy (University of Toronto), Bachelor of Music (University of Western Ontario), A.R.C.T. (Royal Conservatory of Music), and Associate diploma (Conservatory Canada). Throughout her studies, Jennifer was the recipient of several academic awards including the prestigious Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Her research centred around injury prevention and student retention.

Jennifer is a member of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s College of Examiners and runs a studio in Brampton where she offers lessons in all genres. She has been a guest clinician at the University of Toronto and enjoys adjudicating throughout Canada. She recently introduced a workshop, “The Power of a Picture,” which explores the use of imagery in piano teaching.

Jennifer has pursued studies in the field of Early Childhood Music Education as well as mindfulness practice in performance. She completed a collaborative piano internship in Oberaudorf, Germany as well as the musician mentorship program with the Canadian National Ballet. She enjoys Dalcroze Eurythmics which combine her passions for movement and improvisation.

A versatile pianist, Jennifer performs professionally at nursing homes, receptions, and weddings throughout Ontario. She enjoys collaborating with the Brampton Childrens’ Chorus and with her cello duo partner, Jose Shapero.

In her spare time, Jennifer loves to ballroom dance, write, and practice yoga. She has a very special place in her heart for little pianists and is grateful for the opportunity to nurture and pass on the love of music.