2025 vocal competition finals judges
Kedrick Armstrong
Kedrick Armstrong is the Music Director of the Oakland Symphony, becoming the 9th Music Director in the orchestra’s almost 100-year history. He is also the Creative Partner and Principal Conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. Kedrick's recent highlights include debuting at the Lyric Opera of Chicago to premiere a new opera, The Factotum, by Will Liverman and K Rico. Named by the Washington Post as one of “22 for ’22: Composers and performers to watch,” Kedrick uses his voice and platform as a Black conductor to advocate for classical music’s performance, publication, and preservation of minority voices. This advocacy has led to various speaking engagements and a research fellowship with the American Music Research Center (University of Colorado-Boulder) studying Black female composers within the Helen Walker-Hill archives.
Donato Cabrera
Mexican-American conductor Donato Cabrera is the Artistic and Music Director of the California Symphony. He served as the Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and the Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2009-2016, and has conducted performances with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, and the San Francisco Ballet.
Patricia Craig
Patricia Craig has served on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 2010, after retiring from the New England Conservatory of Music. A renowned operatic soprano specializing in Puccini and Verdi heroines, she starred at the world’s leading opera houses for more than three decades.
Rhoslyn Jones
“The delicious diva” with an “unforgettably powerful voice,” Rhoslyn’s captivating performances have graced prestigious stages worldwide, showcasing her exceptional vocal prowess, profound artistry, and emotional depth. “A superb singer and artistic presence,” Ms. Jones is a former Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera and has performed at some of the major opera companies and leading orchestras across North America. Her performances have been described as, “like a bright light cutting through murky skies, Rhoslyn Jones tapped her arresting vocal prowess and vivid stage presence,” and as bringing a “majestic, full-toned dignity” to her roles. Beyond her accomplishments as a singer, Rhoslyn Jones is a distinguished voice teacher, imparting her knowledge and expertise to the next generation of opera singers. Recently appointed to the voice faculty at the San Francisco Opera Center Adler and Merola programs.
James Toland
After more than three decades teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area and several years as Professor of Voice and Opera Studies at California Baptist University, Mr. Toland now resides in Eugene, Oregon, where he continues his work on the development of JTVA and maintains a private voice studio.
During the 1980s, Mr. Toland was the artistic director of Oregon’s Eugene Opera where he staged opera for more than a decade. His innovative and highly comedic productions of The Barber of Seville and Cosí fan tutte were featured on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." Prior to working in Eugene, he was the company manager of Texas Opera Theater, the touring arm of Houston Grand Opera.
Mr. Toland's keen interest in, and study of, world languages facilitate his work with singers, both individually and in groups. Particularly interested in the specifics of diction, Mr. Toland has undertaken to write a book with the working title "Phonemes First." The book will seek to inform, in easy-to-understand language, how the precision of good diction enables beautiful and healthy singing.
Jean Kellogg
Jean Kellogg assumed the role of Interim Executive Director of the San Francisco Girls Chorus following her retirement as Executive Director of San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program, a role she previously held at the Hylton Performing Arts Center at George Mason University. She has also served as Director of Education at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dean of the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC, and served on the administrative staffs of Greater Miami Opera, Chautauqua Opera and Westminster Choir College. Jean received her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from Florida State University, and her Masters in Piano Accompanying and Coaching from Westminster Choir College. She was honored as one of 50 Influential Women of Virginia (2010) and received the faculty citation from FSU for outstanding teaching and leadership in 2000. Jean joined JTVA’s Board of Directors in 2024.
Philip Skinner
"Mellifluous bass-baritone Philip Skinner" (Opera News) has appeared in performances with the San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Teatro di San Carlo, and La Monnaie in Brussels, as well as prominent orchestras including the Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony. Skinner has a long association with San Francisco Opera where he has performed over 60 roles, such as Doctor Bartolo in THE BARBER OF SEVILLE in 2021, Lepidus in John Adam's ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA in 2022, and the bass solos in the Beethoven NINTH at Carnegie Hall in January 2024.
2026 MASTERCLass Teacher
JosÉ Maria Condemi
José Maria Condemi is an opera and theater director of exceptional artistic quality with over two decades of experience in the United States and internationally, known for his theatrical sophistication, distinct visual sensibility, and innovative approach. His long-standing relationship with San Francisco Opera includes mainstage productions of Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, and Così fan tutte, world premieres of The Secret Garden and Earthrise, and the outreach event Bohème Out of the Box. His extensive portfolio spans major houses including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Seattle Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Detroit Opera, and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, among many others.
A sought-after mentor, Condemi has worked with leading young artist programs including the Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera, Academy of Vocal Arts, and Indiana University, combining rigorous craft training with real-world professional insight. From 2010–2015 he served as Artistic Director of Opera Santa Barbara, and from 2015–2022 held the Carol Franc Buck Distinguished Chair at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he led a comprehensive overhaul of the Opera and Musical Theater program. Originally from Argentina, Condemi holds degrees from Teatro Colón and the University of Cincinnati CCM, and is a Fulbright and Adler Fellow.
2026 Pianist
Hadley McCarroll
Pianist Hadley McCarroll is a well- known Bay Area-based collaborative/solo pianist and teacher. She has performed in the US and internationally with LINES Ballet, Oakland Ballet, AIMS in Graz, Santa Rosa Symphony, Composer’s Inc, and sfSound. She has appeared at Flower Piano, Concerts in the Barn, Noontime Concerts, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Festival del Sole, and has worked on the staff of the Royal Danish Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, and Utah Festival Opera. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from the University of Texas at Austin. A sought-after coach and adjudicator, Hadley maintains an active teaching and coaching studio in Oakland, where she lives with her clarinetist husband and cellist son.