Dr. Christopher Selby

Chief Adjudicator, Intermediate Strings / Senior Strings / Symphony Orchestra Section

Dr. Christopher Selby is the author of Habits of a Successful Orchestra Director, Music Theory for the Successful String Musician, and the lead string author of the Habits of a Successful String Musician method book series published by GIA. He is an active clinician and has presented sessions at numerous Midwest Clinics, American String Teacher Association (ASTA) National Conferences, and state conferences across America. He is also in demand as a conductor of Regional and All-State Orchestras around the United States. Dr. Selby currently directs the high school orchestras at the School of the Arts in Charleston, SC. His orchestras have performed at multiple Midwest Clinics and have twice won the top award of Grand Champion at ASTA’s National Orchestra Festival.

A recipient of ASTA’s Elizabeth A. H. Green Award, Dr. Selby has also received awards and commendations from two city mayors, the Governor, and the House of Representatives from the state of South Carolina. He has served as the President of the South Carolina Music Educators Association, and twice served as President of the state’s Orchestra Division. He earned a music education degree from the Hartt School, and a Masters and Doctoral degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of South Carolina. He is proudly married to Margaret Selby, who is herself a published and nationally recognized string teacher, conductor and clinician. 

 

Rodney Dorsey

Chief Adjudicator, Concert Band Sections

Rodney Dorsey is Professor of Music at the Florida State University College of Music where he conducts the FSU Wind Orchestra and guides the graduate wind conducting program.

Dorsey comes to FSU from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he conducted the IU Wind Ensemble and taught graduate conducting courses. Prior to his tenure at the Jacobs School, Dorsey served on the faculties of the University of Oregon, University of Michigan, DePaul University and Northwestern University. He also gained extensive experience teaching in the public schools of Florida and Georgia.

Dorsey studied conducting with Mallory Thompson, John P. Paynter, and James Croft. He was a clarinet student of Fred Ormand and Frank Kowalsky.

During his conducting career, Dorsey has led performances at several prominent events including the American Bandmasters Association Convention, College Band Directors National Conference North/Northwest Regional Conference, and the Bands of America National Festival. He is active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in the United States. International engagements include Hungary, Canada, and Bulgaria.

 

Sally Gawley

Joint Chief Adjudicator, Choir Sections

Sally Gawley is the head of the education arm of the Australian School of performing Arts (ASPA Education), where she specialises in choral workshops and facilitating professional learning for educators. She has supported hundreds of teachers to sustain vibrant choral programs working directly with them and their students, delivering workshops in schools around Australia. She was a key presenter at the Victorian Department of Education’s recent Music in Schools residential professional learning event and has worked with a variety of educational organisations including Catholic Education Sandhurst, the South Eastern Independent Schools Association, Geelong CRT network and Musical Bridge Foundation. Sally previously worked as the Team Development Manager for the Australian Girls Choir and is currently a tutor for their senior Performing Choir. 

Her diverse range of choral experience includes over 20 years tutoring with the AGC, conducting international and national touring choirs, and delivering programs in remote Australian communities with Girls from Oz. Sally is also a talented performer with a background in jazz and improvisation, having received a Diploma of Performance (Jazz) from the Elder Conservatorium in South Australia before working extensively as a jazz and soul singer, and performing with the internationally awarded a cappella ensemble, Akasa.

Dr Robert Stewart

Joint Chief Adjudicator, Choir Sections

Dr Robert Stewart is an acclaimed conductor, educator, and performer whose work in choral and vocal music has taken him across Australia and internationally. Renowned for his expressive musicianship and commitment to artistic excellence, he has worked with elite ensembles, major festivals, and award-winning choirs, championing repertoire that spans canonical masterworks to contemporary voices. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, with additional studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the University of Toronto, and Mount Allison University, and was awarded a fellowship to the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center in the United States.

A passionate and inspiring choral leader, Robert is Musical Director of The Queensland Choir and Director of the RESONANCE Vocal Academy at Hillcrest Christian College, where he co-leads a program engaging more than 700 singers. He is co-founder and former conductor of Exaudi Youth Choir, leading them to major national success, and is regularly engaged as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator across Australia. As a vocalist, he has performed with ensembles including the Elmer Iseler Singers and the Canadian Opera Company Chorus, and appeared as a soloist and operatic performer in Australia and New Zealand.

 

 

Roosevelt Griffin

Chief Adjudicator, Jazz Ensemble Section

Roosevelt Griffin III is a nationally recognized music educator and transformative leader whose life's work centers on building community through music education. A proud alumnus of Northern Illinois University, he now serves as director of jazz studies at NIU, where he is redefining jazz education through innovation, access, community and culture.

Beyond the university, Griffin's leadership extends throughout the region and nation. He is the founder of the Griffin Institute of Performing Arts (NFP) and owner of GI Music LLC. He serves as co-artistic director of VanderCook College of Music's One City Youth Jazz Program, director of youth ensembles for the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and education & community engagement director for the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.

A respected voice in the field, Griffin currently serves as president of the Illinois Music Education Association's Jazz Division and contributes nationally as a board member of the Jazz Education Network and North Central Representative for NAfME's Council for Jazz Education. His service also includes leadership roles with the Jazz Institute of Chicago and the Governors State University Center for Performing Arts board of advisors.

His impact has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, the John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year Award (Jazz Education Network & Berklee College of Music), the Jefferson Award for Public Service and Distinguished Alumni recognitions from both Concordia University and Northern Illinois University. In 2015, his hometown of Harvey, Illinois, honored his service by renaming a street “Roosevelt Griffin III Avenue.”

Griffin's philosophy of education, which is centered on relationships, access and student voice, has been featured in Teaching Music Magazine, DownBeat, JazzEd and The Instrumentalist. He is a co-author of Teaching Music through Performance: Beginning Jazz Ensembles, Rehearsing the Jazz Band and Harmonizing Ethics in Education.

Griffin continues to champion music as a vehicle for unity and empowering the next generation.