2024 Adjudicators
Vocal and Choral- Samantha Bartholomeusz
Speech and Drama- Sarah Mc Gerty
Junior Dance- Amanda Clerke
Senior Dance- Jason Teasdale
Woodwind/ Brass/ Bands/ Guitar- Brad Lucas
Strings/ Piano- Kathryn Phillips
Jason Teasdale- Senior Dance
Jason has been performing/choreographing and teaching collectively for almost 2 decades now in all facets of performing arts. As a performer his credits include ensemble member for the 'Production Company' feature dancer on ROVE LIVE, channels nine and ten including the footy show grand final, Asian cup opening ceremony, Collingwood football club dance crew and back up dancer for Artists such as Havana Brown and Jessica Maulboy.
Choreographic credits include creative direction for many Event companies throughout Melbourne as well as choreography for the Melbourne international comedy Festival, cabaret shows and choreography for Vicks Vapour drops TV commercial.
Jason's 18 years of teaching all around the country led him to open up his own Performing Arts Studio and before closing the studio began his competition adjudicating experience taking him across Australia as well as overseas.
Amanda Clerke- Junior Dance
Amanda has been teaching for over 40 years. She is a qualified RAD classical ballet teacher, a contemporary and lyrical choreographer and teacher and an ISTD jazz and tap tutor. Professional engagements include the Australian Ballet Company as soloist, the Bayerische Staatsballet (Munich, Germany) as soloist, Principal Guest Artist for the Jessica Iwanson
Contemporary Dance Company (Munich, Germany). Amanda's vocal and piano studies at the Conservatorium of Music (Sydney) enabled her to pursue a singing career upon her return to Australia. She was lead vocalist with Mo Award nominated 'Network' performing nationally and internationally. Amanda has also appeared in several acting roles including Sons and Daughters, Ben Hall, Return to Eden and Bodyline. Upon Amanda's return to Australia she founded Dance North Academy which saw many students go onto professional careers in dance and to establish their own dance schools. Amanda is a competition choreographer and coach, international ballet/contemporary company liaison, and an international and national adjudicator. She hopes to pass on her extensive knowledge in a constructive and encouraging way and to share her love of all things dance and performance.
Kathryn has 61 years’ experience in music performance and teaching, and has been an AMEB piano and violin examiner for 44 years and a Senior Diploma Examiner in both Piano and Strings for the past 25 years. Kathryn is the only examiner for Piano and Strings in NSW employed by the AMEB.
Kathryn was the first examiner from NSW to examine in piano, violin and flute on Norfolk Island.
She has been a panel member on the Music Scholarship Board of Pymble Ladies College Sydney for the past 30 years and continues to be a member of that scholarship. Board. She was also a past President of the NSW Music Teachers Association.
Kathryn has taught piano, violin, and theory subjects in her Bexley studio for the past 61 years. Many of her students have passed their diploma examinations with distinction and gone on further their studies at a tertiary level.
Kathryn is the instrumental convenor of the St George Eisteddfod, a role she has held since 1997 when the eisteddfod had a total of 90 entrants. It now attracts an average of 980 candidates per year.
During her performing years, Kathryn was associated with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra as a first violinist. She toured throughout Australia with the orchestra and also performed as a first violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Kathryn was the orchestral leader of the Rockdale Opera Company for 24 years and a playing member of the St Andrews Cathedral Orchestra for 10 years.
In 2015 Kathryn received an award from the NSW Government for 51 years of service to Music in the St George Area of Sydney.
Kathryn Phillips- Strings and Piano
Sarah Mc Gerty- Speech and Drama
Sarah-Jane trained as an actor at Mountview Academy, a world-leading drama school in London. She holds a master’s degree in Performing Arts with additional distinctions in stage combat and UKA 19th-20th Century Social Dance. She also trained as a director/producer at Raindance Film School.
Sarah-Jane worked on stage and screen as a performing artist and in production. Selected Principal Movement Actor, film and TV work includes The Other Boleyn Girl, Sense and Sensibility, Lost in Austen, and Bleak House. Selected ADR Voice and foreign language/accent work include The Fifth Estate, Our Kind of Traitor, Gaming for Warner Bros, Dream Works, Sony Films, and Film 4. Further diverse character and skill requirement roles include Lucia in the Inspector Lynley series, Sandy in the Lingua Senza Frontiere production of Grease, Rosalind in As You Like It, and Helena and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Her production work has seen her work in National and International Theatres, Disney, ABC, and DreamWorks, amongst other production Houses.
Sarah-Jane teaches performance skills to people of all ages, from beginners to professionals. She has delivered training in Acting for Stage and Screen, Voice and Accents, Devising, Physical Theatre, Stage Combat, and Dance at NIDA, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Italia Conti, ALRA, and Mountview Academy. She has facilitated Arts in Health programs and Drama for ESL student programs in various schools and universities and taught on-set acting and voice for film and theatre productions.
Samantha Bartholomeusz- Vocal and Choral
Samantha is a seasoned music educator and performer with a solid academic background, holding a Bachelor of Science and a Graduate Diploma in Music Studies with a focus on Vocal Pedagogy. She is also accomplished, with qualifications including L.Mus.A and A. Mus. A in voice, as well as level 2 of the Australian Kodály Certificate, specialising in Early Childhood music.
With over twenty years of teaching experience, Samantha has left her mark on various institutions in Sydney, including the Penrith Conservatorium, Tamworth Regional Conservatorium, and presently, the Orange Regional Conservatorium of Music, where she serves as Head of Voice and Early Childhood Music. Her passion lies in sharing the joy of singing across all ages and abilities, demonstrated through her individualised instruction, choir leadership, and group lessons catering to diverse age groups.
As a performer, Samantha's versatility shines through in a range of musical genres and platforms. She has taken on lead roles in operas such as Le Nozze di Figaro and The Coronation Of Poppea, as well as musical theatre productions like Annie and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Samantha has also showcased her soprano talents as a soloist in acclaimed oratorios, including Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi Gloria, Mozart Requiem, and Faure’s Requiem.
Beyond her teaching and performing roles, Samantha actively contributes to the musical community, participating in the Orange Regional Conservatorium’s Chamber Series and collaborating with the Jazz trio, Into the Blue. Her dedication to music education and performance makes her a respected figure in both spheres, inspiring students and colleagues alike. In her downtime, Samantha enjoys spending time with friends and family, crocheting and reading.
Brad Lucas- Woodwind/ Brass/ Bands/ Guitar
Coming Soon!!!