https://www.musicmatterstoday.org/2026-adjudicators/dr.-cameron-bennett-has-had-an-active-and-varied-career-in-a-diversified-range-of-academic%2C-artistic%2C-and-professional-institutions.-he-currently-serves-as-dean-of-the-college-of-professional-studies-%26-professor-of-music-at-pacific-lutheran-university.-he-previously-served-at-ohio-wesleyan-university%2C-where-he-was-chair-and-professor-of-music.-dr.-bennett-has-also-held-numerous-professional-administrative-positions-throughout-his-career%2C-including%3A-executive-director-of-the-promusica-chamber-orchestra-of-columbus%2C-ohio%3B-executive-director-of-the-marble-cliff-chamber-players%3B-and-executive-director-of-the-midamerica-chamber-music-institute.-cameron-has-performed-as-piano-soloist-and-collaborative-chamber-musician-throughout-the-united-states%2C-canada%2C-russia%2C-and-the-far-east.-he-has-appeared-with-the-snake-river-chamber-players-in-colorado-and-was-a-founding-member-of-the-marble-cliff-chamber-players.-he-served-for-many-seasons-as-artist-performer-and-coach-at-the-victoria-international-festival-in-canada%2C-and-as-staff-accompanist-at-the-juilliard-school.-dr.-bennett-has-taught-previously-at-the-brooklyn-conservatory-of-music-and-has-given-master-classes-at-the-beijing-central-conservatory%2C-shanghai-conservatory%2C-and-the-chinese-cultural-university-in-taipei%2C-taiwan.-his-performances-have-been-featured-on-wosu-fm-in-columbus%2C-ohio-and-in-taipei%2C-on-the-taiwan-television-network.-receiving-both-his-masters-and-doctorate-degrees-from-manhattan-school-of-music%2C-cameron-also-holds-degrees-from-western-university-and-royal-conservatory-of-music.-his-teachers-include%3A-constance-keene%2C-ronald-turini%2C-peter-katin%2C-robin-mccabe%2C-pierre-souvairan%2C-and-irina-kugucheva%2C-and-chamber-music-with-harvey-shapiro%2C-lorand-fenyves-and-raphael-bronstein. 2025-12-30 https://www.musicmatterstoday.org/2026-adjudicators/dr.-mario-ajero%2C-nctm-is-professor-of-piano-at-stephen-f.-austin-state-university-in-nacogdoches%2C-texas-where-he-teaches-applied-piano-lessons%2C-group-piano-classes%2C-and-piano-pedagogy.-he-also-serves-as-director-of-the-sfa-summer-piano-institute%2C-and-associate-director-of-undergraduate-studies-for-the-sfa-school-of-music.-internationally-recognized-as-an-authority-in-incorporating-technology-in-piano-pedagogy-and-music-education%2C-he-has-presented-at-every-major-piano-pedagogy-conference-in-the-united-states-and-has-been-invited-to-perform-and-present-in-australia%2C-brazil%2C-canada%2C-china%2C-and-germany.-dr.-ajero%E2%80%99s-engagements-include-being-a-keynote-presenter-at-the-australasian-piano-pedagogy-conference%2C-featured-presenter-at-the-summer-summit-at-the-royal-conservatory%2C-and-being-invited-to-present-on-technology-to-teach-keyboard-remotely-for-the-peabody-institute-at-johns-hopkins-university.-dr.-ajero-has-authored-articles-for-piano-magazine-and-american-music-teacher-and-has-presented-at-the-music-teachers-national-association-(mtna)-national-conference-and-nckp%3A-the-piano-conference.-he-was-previously-featured-in-a-series-of-webinars-from-the-frances-clark-center-for-keyboard-pedagogy-entitled-%22teaching-in-the-time-of-covid-19%3A-resources-for-online-instruction%22.-dr.-ajero%E2%80%99s-piano-pedagogy-students-have-also-given-presentations-at-the-texas-music-teachers-association-conference-and-mtna-national-conferences.-he-holds-bachelor%E2%80%99s-and-master%E2%80%99s-degrees-in-music-from-temple-university-in-philadelphia%2C-pa-and-earned-his-ph.d.-in-music-education-with-a-concentration-in-piano-pedagogy-from-the-university-of-oklahoma. 2025-12-30 https://www.musicmatterstoday.org/2026-adjudicators/dr.-natasha-kubit-is-a-passionate-violinist-and-educator-with-over-a-decade-of-experience-teaching-in-both-private-and-group-settings.-she-began-playing-the-violin-at-the-age-of-three-through-the-suzuki-method-and-is-now-a-registered-suzuki-violin-teacher.-her-commitment-to-accessible-music-education-has-led-her-to-teach-at-key-to-change-studio%2C-the-sato-center-for-suzuki-studies-in-cleveland%2C-ohio%2C-and-to-work-with-students-in-the-cleveland-metropolitan-school-district-through-the-say-yes-to-education-program%2C-bringing-music-to-under-resourced-schools.-dr.-kubit-recently-completed-her-doctor-of-musical-arts-(dma)-in-violin-performance-at-michigan-state-university-in-2025%2C-studying-under-dmitri-berlinsky.-during-her-time-at-msu%2C-she-was-selected-as-a-college-of-music-fellow%2C-coaching-and-mentoring-students-at-partner-high-schools-and-youth-orchestras-in-the-michigan-area.-she-also-spent-two-years-teaching-at-the-sphinx-overture-program-in-flint%2C-michigan%2C-furthering-her-dedication-to-youth-music-education-and-diversity-in-classical-music.-she-earned-her-bachelor%E2%80%99s-and-master%E2%80%99s-degrees-from-the-cleveland-institute-of-music%2C-where-she-also-completed-a-suzuki-pedagogy-master%E2%80%99s-degree.-as-a-performer%2C-dr.-kubit-is-an-active-advocate-for-community-engagement-through-music.-her-performances-range-from-esteemed-venues-such-as-carnegie-hall-and-severance-music-center-to-local-community-spaces.-she-has-countless-premieres-of-new-works-including-several-recording-projects-at-msu-through-grant-funded-programs. 2025-12-30 https://www.musicmatterstoday.org/2026-adjudicators/dr.-yerin-kim%2C-piano-praised-by-the-international-piano-magazine-as-%E2%80%9Cpianist-of-beautiful-finesse-and-golden-tone%E2%80%9D%2C-pianist-yerin-kim-is-a-recitalist%2C-chamber-musician%2C-and-educator.-she-has-given-concerts-in-various-festivals-and-recitals-in-major-venues-internationally%2C-including-the-kennedy-center-in-washington-d.c.%2C-carnegie-hall-in-new-york%2C-place-flagey-in-brussels-and-rolston-hall-at-the-banff-centre-for-the-arts-in-canada.-her-solo-debut-album-%22first-and-last-words%22%2C-works-by-robert-schumann-and-alfred-schnittke%2C-was-released-by-the-sheva-collection-label-in-spring-2019.-phoenix-classical%2C-one-of-the-foremost-promoters-of-classical-recordings-across-the-world%2C-remarked-on-the-album-as-%E2%80%9Cpowerful-and-engaging%2C-very-poetic-and-expressive-with-some-truly-original-interpretive-insights%2C-all-performed-with-a-great-technique%E2%80%9D.-the-album-has-garnered-critical-acclaim-from-major-classical-music-magazines%2C-including-the-international-piano-magazine%2C-fanfare-magazine%2C-and-the-wholenote-magazine.%E2%80%8B-partnering-with-violinist-brendan-shea-as-the-shea-kim-duo%2C-they-perform-a-wide-range-of-music-for-a-broad-audience-across-the-world-and-have-gained-critical-acclaim-from-major-magazines-and-critiques%3B-%E2%80%9Cthe-duo-of-shea-and-kim-work-exquisitely-as-a-team%2C-overlapping-their-lines-so-seamlessly-they-become-inseparable%E2%80%9D-(strings-magazine)%2C-%E2%80%9Cthe-duo-creates-a-rich-and-intimate-atmosphere%2C-as-they-navigate-the-thrills-and-spill%E2%80%9D-(bbc-music-magazine)%2C-and-%E2%80%9Cthis-duo-is-very-reluctant-to-hold-back%2C-they-frankly-play-the-bejeezus-out-of-it%E2%80%9D-(american-record-guide).-their-debut-performance-in-seoul%2C-south-korea-was-recorded-live-and-published-by-ark-studio%2C-and-since-then-have-released-%E2%80%9Cthe-sound-and-the-fury%E2%80%9D-(2022)-and-%E2%80%9Call-roads%E2%80%9D-(2023)-under-blue-griffin-label.-their-latest-album-%E2%80%9Ctouch%E2%80%9D-will-be-released-in-winter-of-2024.-as-a-regular-lecturer%2C-kim-performs-and-gives-talks-on-promoting-awareness-of-the-power-of-music-in-the-community-that-it-serves%2C-especially-in-the-field-of-music-and-medicine.-she-has-been-invited-to-give-lectures-for-prominent-educators-and-students-at-indiana-university%2C-bloomington%2C-the-nantucket-project%2C-music-teachers-national-association%2C-the-universal-arts-institute-in-seoul%2C-south-korea%2C-among-others.-she-founded-a-sensory-friendly-music-and-autism-concert-series-that-has-served-autistic-individuals-and-communities-in-new-york%2C-indiana%2C-and-washington-state.-she-also-founded-and-co-directs-chamber-music-in-the-bend-with-her-husband-and-violinist-brendan-shea.-her-passion-for-pre-college-educational-and-community-engagements-lead-to-founding-the-cwu-summer-literacy-for-youth-in-music%2C-a-music-camp-designed-for-children-of-migrant-families-of-washington-state-and-local-children-to-be-taught-by-cwu-collegiate-music-educators-trained-under-the-guidance-of-cwu-faculty.-she-also-founded-and-directs-cwu-pianofest%2C-a-piano-festival-and-competition-where-some-of-the-most-talented-pre-college-and-college-students-of-the-west-coast-are-invited-to-cwu-campus-to-perform.-kim-currently-teaches-at-central-washington-university-as-the-director-of-keyboard-studies-and-promotes-academic-student-research-as-the-director-of-office-university-research.-she-also-performs-and-teaches-at-the-zephyr-chamber-music-festival-in-piedmont-and-liguria%2C-italy.-prior-to-joining-central-washington-university%2C-she-taught-at-the-university-of-notre-dame-and-indiana-university%2C-bloomington.-she-also-enjoys-pre-college-teaching-and-has-taught-talented-young-students-from-pre-college-programs-at-indiana-university%2C-bloomington-and-state-university-of-new-york-stony-brook.-kim-holds-a-double-degree-in-piano-performance-and-psychology-from-oberlin-conservatory-and-college%2C-a-master-of-music-from-indiana-university-bloomington%2C-and-doctor-of-musical-arts-from-state-university-of-new-york%2C-stony-brook.-her-mentors-and-teachers-include-hans-boepple%2C-seunghae-choi%2C-haewon-song%2C-arnaldo-cohen%2C-jean-louis-haguenauer%2C-and-gilbert-kalish. 2025-12-30 https://www.musicmatterstoday.org/2026-adjudicators/dr.-chin-kim%2C-an-international-soloist-and-pedagogue%2C-is-a-top-and-high-prizewinner-at-the-concours-international-musique-de-montr%C3%A9al%2C-queen-elisabeth-competition%2C-paganini-competition%2C-and-the-international-violin-competition-of-indianapolis.-he-was-a-soloist-with-the-philadelphia-orchestra%2C-st.-louis-symphony-orchestra%2C-atlanta-symphony-orchestra%2C-orchestre-symphonique-de-montr%C3%A9al%2C-czech-philharmonic%2C-and-all-major-orchestras-in-south-and-north-korea.-he-is-on-the-violin-faculty-at-queens-college%2C-cuny-graduate-center-for-doctoral-studies%2C-and-the-columbia-university-teacher%E2%80%99s-college.-he-also-teaches-privately%2C-performs-and-teaches-at-multiple-festivals%2C-and-gives-masterclasses-online-as-well. 2025-12-30 https://www.musicmatterstoday.org/2026-adjudicators/dr.-quinton-morris-enjoys-a-multifaceted-career-as-a-violinist%2C-educator%2C-entrepreneur%2C-and-filmmaker.-he-has-performed-and-given-master-classes-around-the-world-including-venues-at-carnegie-hall%2C-sydney-opera-house%2Cthe-louvre-museum%2C-cincinnati%2C-nashville%2C-and-seattle-symphony-orchestras%2C-the-university-of-paris-at-dauphine%2C-dong-eui-university-(korea)%2C-monash-university-(australia)%2C-the-boston-conservatory-at-berklee%2C-and-the-national-taiwan-normal-university%2C-among-many-others.-dr.-morris-is-the-executive-director-and-founder-of-key-to-change%2C-a-non-profit-violin-and-viola-studio-serving-south-king-county-that-focuses-on-creating-opportunities-for-young-musicians-of-color-and-those-from-underserved%2C-lower-socio-economic-backgrounds.-hundreds-of-students-have-received-world-class-music-instruction-under-his-tutelage.-students-enrolled-at-key-to-change-have-won-local-awards%2C-appeared-as-concert-soloists-with-the-seattle-symphony-and-other-regional-symphony-orchestras%2C-and-performed-for-vice-president-kamala-harris-and-dr.-jill-biden%2C-the-first-lady-of-the-united-states.-dr.-morris-is-the-recipient-of-numerous-awards-including-the-seattle-university%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Coutstanding-teaching-award%E2%80%9D-and-%E2%80%9Coutstanding-scholarship-%26-creative-endeavors%2C-seattle-magazine%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cmost-influential-educator-award-for-2024%E2%80%9D%2C-the-pathfinder-award-from-the-puget-sound-association-of-phi-beta-kappa%2C-the-boston-conservatory-at-berklee-distinguished-alumni-award%2C-and-the-outstanding-studio-teacher-award-by-the-washington-state-chapter-of-the-american-string-teachers-association.-he-is-also-the-recipient-of-the-governor%E2%80%99s-arts-award%2C-the-seattle-mayor%E2%80%99s-arts-award%2C-the-first-place-%E2%80%9Cdiamond-award%E2%80%9D-at-the-european-independent-film-awards%2C-and-the-%E2%80%9Cbronze-award%E2%80%9D-at-the-global-music-awards.-dr.-morris-is-the-professor-of-violin-at-seattle-university.-he-is-the-first-black-man-to-receive-the-rank-of-professor-in-any-academic-field-in-seattle-university%E2%80%99s-college-of-arts-%26-sciences-and-is-the-second-living-black-violinist-in-united-states-history-with-the-title.-the-role-of-professor-is-the-highest-rank-in-academia%2C-which-is-only-held-by-29%25-of-university-faculty-nationwide.-he-is-also-the-host-of-unmute-the-voices%2C-the-radio-show-and-video-series-that-is-sponsored-by-classical-king.-dr.-morris-holds-a-doctorate-in-violin-performance-from-the-butler-school-of-music-at-the-university-of-texas-at-austin%2C-where-he-studied-with-daniel-ching%2C-the-first-violinist-in-the-miro-quartet.-he-also-holds-a-master-of-music-degree-from-the-boston-conservatory-at-berklee-and-a-graduate-diploma-in-business-management-from-the-harvard-extension-school. 2025-12-30