This year, Fujimura is excited to welcome new participants along with a new adjudicator, Dr. Asher Armstrong, a pianist and educator at the University of Toronto whose performance career includes appearances across Europe and North America. Armstrong has released three solo albums on the Blue Griffin label and will join the festival for the first time, bringing extensive international experience as both an adjudicator and a master class artist.

[PHOTO: Dr. Asher Armstrong]

The adjudication team will also include Dr. Kris Rucinski, who is returning for a second year. Rucinski, a Professor of Piano at the University of the Cumberlands, is known for his commitment to new and overlooked repertoire, a focus that has led him to commission and premiere numerous contemporary works. His performance career includes a variety of solo and multimedia projects that highlight both his artistic versatility and his dedication to bringing lesser-heard music to wider audiences.

Both adjudicators will be performing during the festival’s awards ceremony on Saturday, giving students, families, and community members the chance to hear them live. Last year’s guest performances were featured during the Friday student recital, while this year’s will be presented on Saturday as part of the awards ceremony.

[PHOTO: Dr. Kris Rucinski]

This year also introduces a new opportunity for top‑scoring students to be recommended for the Kentucky Music Teachers Association (KMTA) State Honors Recital at the University of Kentucky in September. This opportunity is made possible through a new partnership with the Virtual Kentucky Music Teachers Association (VKMTA), a local chapter of KMTA, where Fujimura serves as president.