Devon Performing Arts Festival | A great opportunity both to perform to a discerning audience and to receive invaluable, expert advice from adjudicators who are specialist performers as well as highly-regarded judges.

Adjudicators

Instrumental Music

Adjudicator: Jena Pang MA(Oxon), PGDL

This year we have the same Adjudicator for both Instrumental and Keyboard Music sections.

Jena Chun-Wah Pang is based in the United Kingdom and is celebrated for his exceptional teaching, judging competitions and scholarship awards internationally. His students based in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Beijing, Malaysia, Thailand, Geneva, Milan, Vienna, Spain, New York and Calgary, are first prizewinners and hold top honors at Amigdala International Piano Competition Italy 2019-2023; Feurich International Piano Competition 2018-2023 Vienna; Carles and Sofia International Piano Competition 2023 Spain; Vienna International Music Competition 2024, the VI International Liszt Ferenc Competition Hungary 2023; Carmel Arts International Piano Competition USA 2022; Monegro 88 Keys International Piano Competition Spain 2021; London Young Musician International Piano Competition 2020-2021; Harmonium Plus International Piano Competition Armenia 2020, Music and Stars International Piano Competition 2020; Costa Festa International Piano Competition 2019 Spain; Tadini International Piano Competition 2019 Italy, Canadian Music Competition 2019 (violin) Canada; Clavis International Piano Competition 2018 St Petersburg Russia; National EPTA-UK piano competition 2023, 2020. Several of his students have also won the Elena Cobb Star Prize Award and have performed at the Royal Albert Hall.

Mr Pang was Chairman of the piano jury of the Amigdala International Music Competition Italy 2019-2024 Italy, and has judged numerous international competitions notably Clavis Bavaria International Piano Competition Germany 2024, Windsor International Piano Competition 2019-2022, BMTG Intercontinental Piano Competition New York USA 2021, the inaugural Carmel Klavier Europe International Piano Competition 2020, the Saint Petersburg International Piano Competition 2020, Osaka International Music Competition 2019 in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan; IMPACT Young Artists International Piano Competition USA 2019, Blackheath Music Festival, Dudley Music Festival, Maidenhead Music Festival, Maidstone Music Festival, Longwell Green and Kingswood Performing Arts Festival, and Horsham Performers Platform, Bedford Music Festival, Milton Keynes Festival of Arts, Edinburgh Music Competition Festival, and the 8th Singapore Performers Festival and Chamber Music Competition, Edinburgh Concerto Competition, Torbay Music Festival, Basingstoke Music and Arts Festival, Bristol Festival of Music, Speech and Drama, Mid-Somerset Festival, Fleetwood Online Festival of Arts and the Vaya International Online Festival Canada. He adjudicated the Freda Parry Scholarship Competition from 2008-2023 and previously the annual Jena Pang Piano Competition held at Milton Keynes Preparatory School.

Recognised for his pedagogical skills, Mr Pang has lectured on competition preparation and given piano and violin masterclasses for the Alberta Piano Teachers Association, the Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association in Canada, IMPACT Piano Competition New York, Clavis International Music Competition Bavaria Germany, Amigdala International Music Competition Italy, at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music for the Singapore Music Teachers Association, Windsor International Piano Competition, Maidenhead Music Festival and Bristol Festival of Music, Speech and Drama in the UK.

He has had invitations to teach and judge at Music Fest Perugia Italy, International Piano Festival Ambassador of Tarnow and Krogulski International Piano Competition Poland, Tadini International Piano School in Lovere, Piano Talents International Piano Competition Milan, Tadini International Piano Competition Italy, Talent Music Summer Courses and Festival Brescia Italy, Dulwich Music Festival, Seven Oaks Three Arts Festival. For 2025 the Edinburgh Piano Concerto Competition, Bristol Festival of Music, Speech and Drama, Mid Somerset Festival, Torbay Music Festival, Basingstoke Music and Arts Festival, and Derby Arts Festival.

Mr Pang was awarded an instrumental scholarship to study Music at St Peter’s College, Oxford University and studied the violin with Lydia Mordkovitch and the piano with Lora Dimitrova and had lessons with Christopher Elton, Ruth Waterman, Keith Pascoe, Brenda Farrow, Shalinee Jayatilaka and Elsie Brown. He has been teaching the piano and violin for the last 31 years in addition to being a solicitor and partner in a law firm from 2004-2014. As a child he appeared on British and Hong Kong television playing both piano and violin, at the Purcell Room South Bank, and with English Orchestras for concertos. Recent concert engagements have been collaborations with Dennis Lee, Chee Hung Toh and Graeme Humphrey.

He champions the British Music Festival movement and has seen all sides from child competitor, adjudicator and administration: he is currently the Piano Convenor and a trustee of the Southend Festival of Performing Arts and trustee of the Freda Parry Scholarship Fund Competition. His influence in the musical community continues to grow, making him a highly respected figure in the world of music education and performance. In 2024 Jena was elected to the BIFF Adjudicators Council and subsequently elected as Chairman of the Music Adjudicators Council in 2025.

Jena Pang is an adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech and has adjudicates both live and online competitions.

Keyboard Music

Adjudicator: Jena Pang MA(Oxon), PGDL

This year we have the same Adjudicator for both Instrumental and Keyboard Music sections.

Jena Pang is an adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech and has adjudicates both live and online competitions.

Singing

Adjudicator: Irene Grant-Jones BA(Hons),LRAM,QTS

Irene is a specialist singing adjudicator and teacher based in Bedford.

Regularly coaching pupils for auditions, grades and diplomas, pupils have gone on to study at Mountview, Italia Conti, Emil Dale, and The Royal Northern College of Music.

Her enthusiasm for inspiring singers of all ages underpins her vocal journey. She won the soprano prize at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in North Wales as a teenager before continuing her studies at the Royal Academy of Music under Flora Nielsen and Clara Taylor and being awarded the Parepa Rosa prize.

Irene’s work covers opera, oratorio, solo recitals and musical theatre. Most recent performances include the Messiah, Carmina Burana, Bach Cantata 51 and operatic arias from Carmen, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Russalka, Gianni Schicchi, Cavalleria Rusticana, La Traviata and Lucia di Lammermoor, as well as many of the show songs from musicals and soloist at the Bedford Proms in the Park with the London Philharmonia.

In recent months, Irene has enjoyed adjudicating at the following Festivals: Isle of Wight, Northfield, Worcester, Oundle, Chipping Norton, Leamington Spa, Burton upon Trent, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Broadstairs, Gorleston, Suffolk, Sudbury, Rochester, Darlington, Dudley, Leamington Spa, Hatfield, Leicester, Worcester, Chelmsford,

Speech & Drama

Adjudicator: Tish Nicoll LGSMD

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, but now bases in Suffolk, Tish is a Licentiate of The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She has a wide range of experience in teaching all age groups in schools, colleges and the business world. Tish now lives in Suffolk, and works freelance. She is visiting lecturer in Vocal Communications in colleges in the UK and in Italy. She also examines for The English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. and was their Chief Examiner for seven years. She has travelled widely both in the UK and overseas lecturing, running workshops, examining and adjudicating.

As well as “Voice Over” work for advertising, Tish has television experience as a performer and stage experience as a performer and director. She is also a trained singer, specialising in recitals of poetry and song.

From an early age Tish took part in Festivals and well remembers how it feels to be a participant! Herself a Festival organiser and adjudicator, she knows the importance of these events and welcomes the opportunities offered to performers of all ages, giving them a platform for their work and a chance to celebrate music, poetry and drama.

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