CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!

JAZZ MUSIC

First Place

Nikita Browne, Drums

Senior, San Luis Obispo High School

Second Place

Wesley Bisheff, Piano 

Senior, San Luis Obispo High School

Third Place

Madeline Bessems, Vocal

Senior, San Luis Obispo High School

CLASSICAL MUSIC

First Place

Note: There was a tie for 1st place. Two students split the 1st and 2nd place prizes.

Maria (Mary Kate) Fidopiastis, Flute

Senior, San Luis Obispo High School

and

Adrian Flores-Leon, Piano

Junior, San Luis Obispo High School

Second Place

Third Place

Emerald Shanks, Piano

Senior, San Luis Obispo Christian Academy

VISUAL ARTS

First Place

Bridger Jensen

San Luis Obispo High School, Senior

Stoneware and wire

Second Place

Samuel Hoffman

San Luis Obispo High School, Junior

Stoneware, wire, black underglaze

Third Place

Chloe Elliott

San Luis Obispo High School, Senior

Photography and Photoshop

Judges’ Merit Award

Aidan Dellinge

San Luis Obispo High School, Senior

Stoneware, copper glaze, twine, driftwood

JUDGES

JAZZ MUSIC

Adam Levine is a Berklee School of Music alumni, he directed the guitar program at the renowned Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. His work includes projects with Motown, Warner Brothers, The Voice, and recording for TV and film.

Marshall Otwell was pianist and musical director for Carmen McRae for more than eight years, performing all over the world and recording numerous albums with her, one of which, “Live at the Great American Music Hall” featuring Dizzy Gillespie, was nominated for a Grammy.

Craig Updegrove is a career clinical psychologist, who has also enjoyed a lifelong love of music. He has performed choral music with the California Bach Society, the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, the San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts Ensemble, the SLO Master Chorale, SinNombrE and The Bald Spots.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Brynn Albanese is a well-known multi genre concert violinist on the Central Coast of California. She has performed with the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops. From 2006 until 2020, she was the Concertmaster of all the local orchestras in San Luis Obispo. Brynn was also a member of world music ensemble Café Musique.

Lynn Olierius was the first undergrad student accepted into a 4-year program focused on Suzuki music education, early childhood, classroom music and performance. She founded three music schools in Illinois with 300 students and a staff of eight. Now residing on the Central Coast, she is the director of three orchestras with 60 children, in addition to teaching at the Central Coast Waldorf School.

Clifton Swanson has enjoyed being a part of San Luis Obispo’s music scene since arriving in 1967 to teach in the music department at Cal Poly. In 1971 he was involved in the formation of the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, and was soon invited to conduct the San Luis Obispo Symphony. In 1984, he became chair of the Cal Poly Music Department.

VISUAL ARTS

Maz Ghani is a botanical photographer and artist based in Arroyo Grande. He uses a combination of photography and scanography to compose the botanical layouts and is inspired by nature’s diversity. His works have been published in Travel and Leisure Magazine, SLO Life Magazine, SLO Museum of Art Juried Exhibition, Open Studio Art Tour, and SLO Botanical Garden art exhibition.

Leah Halliday is a college-level Art Appreciation instructor specializing in visual analysis, art history, and critical interpretation of artworks across historical periods, cultures, and media. Committed to arts education and the development of emerging artists, Leah values the role of juried exhibitions in building confidence, motivation, and artistic growth in young creators.

Dotty Hawthorne is a plein air and studio artist painting primarily in pastel. Her paintings have been featured and won awards in local, regional, and national shows. Her work is in the permanent collection of the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art as well as several California medical facilities.