Meet your 2023 Dubbo Eisteddfod adjudicators

The Eisteddfod which is set to start on Saturday, June 3 with the woodwind, brass, guitar and bands section, will see students, young people and adults of all ages showcase their talents in dance, vocals, strings and piano, speech, drama and more.

The judges come from a range of backgrounds and are all looking forward to seeing the talent Dubbo has to showcase.

Meet the adjudicators here.

Andrew Chubb is an Australian pianist, composer and teacher. Since 2003, Mr Chubb has given pioneering recital concerts in Australia and Canada of the music by Philip Glass. His interest in promoting contemporary repertoire has also included Australian premiere performances, including Hans Otte's epic 'The Book of Sounds' in 2007 and Philip Glass's 'The Hours' in 2006.

Mr Chubb is a recognised composer whose work has been broadcast through ABC Classic FM. His music has been commissioned and performed by esteemed musicians, both nationally and internationally.

A former lecturer at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, Mr Chubb now teaches piano at The King's School. He also maintains a busy private studio in Newcastle producing students up to advanced diploma level.

He has given piano masterclasses for the Music Teachers' Association of New South Wales and for the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. In addition, Mr Chubb has been an adjudicator at various eisteddfods and is an AMEB piano examiner.

Kate Histon-Behrend is an inspiring and motivating adjudicator. She is an advocate for guiding children to develop their intrinsic motivation and focus on their strengths. She believes in the importance of a positive dance environment to develop well-rounded, mentally healthy performers without the negative mental impacts common in the industry.

Ms Histon-Behrend has owned her own dance school Dance Dynamics Byron Bay which she recently sold after 23 years. Her dream was to create a school where children could thrive personally, technically and creatively in all genres of dance. She has had the pleasure of seeing many of her students move on to careers as professional dancers and/or qualified teachers.

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Ms Histon-Behrend was four years old when she began dancing at the Tessa Maunder Ballet School in Newcastle. By six years of age, she was performing regularly in competitions and events, both as a soloist and as a troupe member in all genres. At fourteen, her talent for dance was recognised when she was accepted into full-time training at the Marie Walton Academy of Dance (now known as the National College of Dance). Ms Histon-Behrend has danced with the Australian Ballet Company in their rendition of Swan Lake, a commercial Jazz dancer with The World's Biggest Disco and as well as the stage, she has appeared in several television commercials for dance, modelling and acting. She is a certified Royal Academy of Dance teacher having graduated with distinction.

Determined to understand the power of the mind in order to benefit the development of elite dancers, she gained qualifications in NLP-Neuro Semantics and The Demartini Method. She incorporates this knowledge into her teacher training instilling communication excellence and leadership in the teaching community.

As well as being a qualified dance teacher with over twenty-five years of teaching experience, Ms Histon-Behrend is a consultant to teachers and dance schools (both locally and interstate), and a contributor to "Dance life Australia". She is also a proud mother of two.

Sydney-born clarinettist Rowena Watts graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance (First Class Honours) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2008 and then went on to complete a Master of Music (Performance) also at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. During her time at the Conservatorium she studied with Mark Walton (OAM), Catherine McCorkill and Frank Celata.

Ms Watts has been a full-time member of the NSW Police Concert Band since 2018 and was a member of the Sydney Symphony Fellowship program in both 2011 and 2012. She performs regularly as a freelance clarinettist with the Opera Australia Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra and as a session musician. She has also worked with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Malaysian Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Les Miserables orchestra in the 2015 Cameron Mackintosh production in Sydney. She is also an active chamber musician, performing regularly with the Strelitzia Ensemble and the Sydney Reed Quintet.

As an active music educator, Ms Watts has been teaching clarinet for over 15 years and regularly partakes in band camps and rehearsal days. She has worked at a number of high schools as a peripatetic music tutor and currently conducts lessons at her studio in Camperdown and at the Australian Institute of Music. She was selected as an adjudicator for the NSW State Solo and Party Championships in 2021 and is very much looking forward to adjudicating at this year's City of Dubbo Eisteddfod.

Sabina Turner was on the teaching staff at Pymble Ladies' College for over 30 years, including 20 years as the Director of Music at the College and more recently until her retirement in 2022, as the Director of all Co-Curricular Performing Arts, overseeing not only Music but also Dance, Drama and Language Arts. While Music and Choirs have been her main passion, her experience and knowledge also extend to other genres of the Performing Arts in many forms.

Her tertiary training was undertaken at Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide, majoring in music education, voice and conducting while also teaching at Pembroke School. Her performance studies included piano, voice and pipe organ.

Ms Turner has vast experience in choral conducting and vocal studies having directed a wide variety of choirs and vocal ensembles from small acapella groups to select voice choirs and large massed choirs. During her tenure at Pymble Ladies' College her choirs were lauded and acclaimed, not only in NSW but nationally and internationally and have competed with considerable success in numerous eisteddfods and international competitions. Ms Turner has considerable teaching experience in both primary and secondary schools, not only in classroom music from Year 3 to HSC level, but in other areas of the performing arts as well. She is also an experienced HSC Marker. She has conducted several massed choral festivals, adjudicated many eisteddfods and performing arts competitions as well as having extensive performing experience in a variety of choral groups. Her love and knowledge of theatre and experience in several amateur and semiprofessional theatrical productions has also enabled her to produce and direct many plays and musicals.

Ms Turner also enjoys golf, gardening, bush walking and now that she is retired, spending more time with her growing brood of grandchildren. She is also an authorised marriage celebrant.

Bethany Simons is an award-winning writer, producer, actor, and director who works in storytelling across theatre, film, and community. Her multi award-nominated original stage works have toured to over 100 venues across Australia and have been published by Australian Plays. Hailing from regional NSW, she is currently based in Sydney as a freelance creative and facilitating artist with organisations including the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Wesley Mission, and Milk Crate Theatre - a social impact company committed to elevating voices of underrepresented groups.With over fifteen years' experience as a teaching artist in arts, education, and community settings, including internationally, Ms Simons has also adjudicated various speech and drama competitions in Australia including the Gold Coast Eisteddfod (QLD) and West Gippsland Performing Arts Competition (VIC).

As a writer/performer, Ms Simons collaborates on commissioned performance works with various companies and ensembles and has been programmed at Melbourne Recital Centre, Federation Square, Perth Government House, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Bangalow Music Festival, Martin Place and City Recital Hall. She has also appeared as a narrator and voice-over artist for live concerts and broadcasts.

Born and raised in Dubbo, NSW, Bethany has an Honours degree in the BA (Acting for Screen and Stage) from Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga and has a particular interest in presenting work and sharing knowledge in regional and remote areas.

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