See the Piano Syllabus for entry categories.

Our Piano Adjudicator for 2024 is Jane Hayes!

Since her debut with the Toronto Symphony, Jane Hayes’ concerts have taken her across Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia and Mexico. An active recording artist, she has over 30 CDs available on many prestigious labels. Jane moved to BC in 1993 to become a faculty member in the newly opened Music Department of Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Her passion for teaching was recognized when she received the 2015 Distinguished Teaching Award in the Faculty of Arts. She has established a strong link with Chinese music schools, giving a series of recitals and master classes in 2017 at universities and private music schools to foster professional development among Chinese piano professors.

In recent years she has appeared on concert stages in every combination from duo through large ensemble, as soloist with orchestra to chamber collaborator. She has been a partner of such esteemed artists as cellist Harvey Shapiro, violinist Robert Davidovici, and flutists Julius Baker and Bonita Boyd. Jane’s Four Jays performance for Vetta Chamber Music was recognized with a nomination for the 2021 Western Canada Music Awards. Her recent performance on a CD commemorating the life and musical legacy of composer Nikolai Korndorf was listed on CBC’s Top 22 of 2022. She is an active member of Vancouver’s Turning Point Ensemble, Yarilo Ensemble and the Stellar Jays.

Since leaving Kwantlen in 2020, Jane is maintaining an active performing, recording, teaching and adjudicating career. As former president of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators Association, she understands so well the importance of local music festivals and is an engaging educator. In the words of one appreciative teacher, her adjudications contain “just the right balance of critique, encouragement, historical and musical details”. No matter what hat she wears, her focus is always on communication through music, talking a language that doesn’t need words.