2026 Judges

Dr. Nicole Molumby is a Professor of Flute and Faculty Fellow within the School of the Arts at Boise State University. An accomplished performer, Dr. Molumby has showcased her artistry internationally, with performances in Slovenia, England, Norway, Austria, Estonia, Poland, and Croatia. She has received multiple grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts and the Alexa Rose Foundation in recognition of her contributions to flute music, particularly her collaborations with Slovenian composers Blaž Pucihar and Črt Sojar Voglar. Her critically acclaimed CD, Awakening: 21st Century Slovenian Flute Music, was released on MSR Classical Records in 2013. Reviewers praised her work, describing her tone as "gorgeous and honeyed" (Music & Vision, 2014) and her performances as full of personality and engagement (American Record Guide, 2015).

Dr. Molumby is a respected leader in the music community, holding prominent roles in the National Flute Association and the College Music Society, where she has spearheaded strategic planning initiatives and facilitated creative sessions for redesigning 21st-century music curricula. She currently serves as the 2025 College Music Society Conference Program Chair in Spokane, WA, and is a 2025 National Association of Music Merchants Faculty Fellow.

At Boise State University, Dr. Molumby collaborates with the Center for Research and Creative Activity on Think Big!: an innovative program that equips graduate students and faculty with human-centered research skills. Through this initiative, she fosters cross-disciplinary collaborations, enabling researchers to apply evidence-based, user-focused methodologies to tackle contemporary global challenges.

Karlin Coolidge has been a resident of Boise since December 1996. She returned with her husband after growing up in Boise and moving to Washington, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California and Kansas. Part of those residencies were for school.

She has a BA in Music Education from the University of Washington and a Master of Music from the University of Oregon where she was the flute instructor. Private flute study was with Frank Horsfall and Felix Skowronek from the Seattle Symphony and William Kincaid of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Teaching experience was with many universities mostly in California as well as a flute studio. After moving to Boise she became the piccolo player in the Boise Philharmonic for 19 years. During that time she also played with the Boise Baroque Orchestra, Treasure Valley Concert Band and the Table Rock Trio. Now retired from all but the Treasure Valley Concert Band, and cutting back to one student, she spends her time quilting, book club, Mahjong playing and keeping in touch with 14 grandchildren and their parents.

Jennifer Rhees is an Idaho-based flutist with an active performance career and a strong presence in the regional music community. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Boise State University, where she studied with Sara Williams, and a Master of Music from Baylor University, where she studied with Helen Ann Shanley.

She has appeared as a soloist with the Boise State Symphonic Winds, the Treasure Valley Concert Band, and the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, and performs regularly with the Treasure Valley Concert Band. Jennifer currently serves as Principal Flute of the Meridian Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her performance work, she is President of the Board of Directors of the Meridian Symphony Orchestra and Competition Chair for the Capital City Flute Club.

Pianist Mark Neiwirth, a Steinway Artist, received the 2018 Idaho Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. He has gained an international reputation as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, adjudicator, composer and arranger. Concert tours have taken him to Europe, South Africa and India, as well as dozens of venues in the US.  He was chairman of the piano department at the Sun Valley School of Music and now celebrates his twentieth year as an adjunct professor of piano at Idaho State University.

He has performed a repertoire of more than 30 piano concerti with orchestras throughout the country. For sixteen years he was the featured concerto soloist with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. He was a founding member of Davidsbund (New York City), the California Trio (Los Angeles), the Vista Trio (Salt Lake City), the Edgar M. Bronfman Chamber Series in Sun Valley, the Amadeus Trio of Idaho, and currently the Claviano Trio and the Neiwirth-Sherman Piano Duo.  In 1997 he was declared the "Best Collaborative Pianist of the Year" by the Salt Lake Tribune.

After growing up in southern Idaho as a student of Fawn King, Olive Boren Stirland and Teala Bellini, he pursued his advanced studies with Raymond Hanson (The Hartt School), and Constance Keene and Dora Zaslavsky (Manhattan School of Music), where he served as Mme. Zaslavsky’s teaching assistant. Other major teachers were Aube Tzerko (UCLA) and Thomas Schumacher (Eastman School of Music).

He is the founder and Executive Director of Musicians West, Inc., a non-profit corporation that sponsors musical events and provides scholarships and composer commissions in the state of Idaho. For 25 years, the Musicians West Piano Festival & Competition in Pocatello presented Idaho’s finest students and has become one of the most prestigious musical events in the region.

Abriana Church is a classically trained concert pianist with 20 years of study on the instrument and a BM in Piano Performance from The Master's University. Renowned instructors include Dr. Irene Peery-Fox, Jon Nakamatsu, Dr. Kenneth Mays, and Benjamin Mason. She is a prizewinner of national and international competitions including honorable mention at the L.A. International Liszt Competition, 3rd prizewinner of the National MTNA Competition, and winner of the Culver City Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. 

Abriana is a confident and sensitive performer of works from the classical literature. In addition to solo works, she is also experienced as an accompanist for instruments and choir and has performed with youth and professional orchestras.  

In addition to traditional concert work, Abriana has been blessed to use her musical abilities for a number of faith based projects. Since 2022, she has worked as an accompanist and composer for By the Book the Bible, an organization delivering musical mnemonics to help families memorize large portions of Scripture.

In 2025, Abriana's work with By the Book in combining Scripture to music was the impetus for a new audiovisual concert series. The Living Art Series is designed as a means to focus on weaving together classical music with a biblical storyline using original text, spoken interludes, and biblical illustrations. 

Wendy Bachman holds Performance and Pedagogy ARCT diplomas from The Royal Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of British Columbia and a Master’s Degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College. Her teachers include Edward Parker, Harold Zabrack, Frances Clark, and Louise Goss.  Over the past forty three years, Wendy has taught in conservatories in Princeton,  Minneapolis, Vancouver, and Seattle.  In 1990 she was selected to teach and perform at the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy in Chicago.  Most recently, Mrs. Bachman taught at The Pennsylvania State University and recently relocated to Star, Idaho, where she is building her in person studio.  As a specialist examiner with thirty years of experience, Mrs. Bachman has adjudicated thousands of candidates for the Royal Conservatory of Music and prepared hundreds of her own students for RCM piano exams, some scoring the highest marks in their State. Wendy also serves as a US Ambassador for the RCM Certificate Program and is currently President of the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association. Wendy has judged numerous music festivals including the Kiwanis International and the Burnaby Clef.  In her spare time she loves to bake. 

Irina Sergeyevna Albig has been teaching piano, music theory, and music history in both private and group settings since 1991. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theory, Music History, and Composition from Krasnodar Music College, and a Master of Music degree in the same fields from the Krasnodar Academy of Arts, Russia. Additionally, Mrs. Albig earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, USA.

With over three decades of teaching experience, Mrs. Albig has served on the piano faculties of Washington State University (WA), Regis University (CO), and Indiana State University (IN). Her students have been frequent finalists and award recipients in local and regional piano competitions across Denver, Terre Haute, and the Treasure Valley regions.

An active participant in professional musical organizations, Mrs. Albig has served in multiple leadership roles, including Vice President of the Denver Area Music Teachers Association, Vice President of the Wabash Valley Music Teachers Association (Terre Haute, IN), and President of the Treasure Valley Music Teachers Association (Boise, ID). She is also a sought-after adjudicator, having served on judging panels for numerous local, state, and regional competitions, such as the MTNA Regional Competition in Laramie, Wyoming; the Idaho State Piano Competition in Boise; and the Meridian Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

In addition to her teaching and adjudicating activities, Mrs. Albig maintains an active career as a solo and collaborative pianist. She has performed extensively across the United States, including engagements in Longview, WA; Pullman, WA; Denver, CO; Boulder, CO; Terre Haute, IN; and Boise, ID. Her performances include faculty recitals, piano duo concerts at Indiana State University, appearances at the Contemporary Music Festival (Terre Haute, IN), and numerous collaborative performances throughout the Boise area.

Pianist Dr. Shih-Ping Wang is an active performer, educator, and chamber musician.

Dr. Wang has collaborated extensively with faculty and students at Utah State University and Brigham Young University, and previously served as a staff pianist at Utah Valley University. She is currently serving as a piano faculty member in the Department of Music at Boise State University.

A winner of National Taichung University’s Concerto Competition, Dr. Wang has also distinguished herself in the National Music Contest of Taiwan, earning top prizes in both solo and chamber music categories. She has performed widely throughout her native Taiwan, including premieres of her original works for piano trio and a duet for clarinet and piano. Her performance career additionally includes appearances across Europe, Asia, and North America.

Dr. Wang earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from National Taichung University, where she studied with Hui-Hua Liou and completed minors in flute performance and composition. She received her Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying under internationally acclaimed pianist Margarita Shevchenko. She recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at Michigan State University, where she studied with Prof. Shevchenko and Prof. Deborah Moriarty.

Dr. Wang resides in Boise, Idaho, with her husband, two daughters, and their much-loved family dog.