2026 Adjudicators
Jamie Hillman
Choirs
JAMIE HILLMAN is a Canadian and American musician, active as a conductor, singer, pianist, music educator, and composer-arranger. He holds the endowed Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting at the University of Toronto where he is Director of Choral Studies and an Associate Professor. He conducts the U of T MacMillan Singers and leads the master's and doctoral degree programs in Choral Conducting. A Senior Fellow at Massey College, Hillman also teaches in Emmanuel College’s Master of Sacred Music program. He was awarded the Faculty of Music Teaching Award in 2024 for excellence, commitment, and innovation in teaching.
Dr. Hillman has served on the faculties of Boston University (BU) Metropolitan College/Prison Education Program, BU Tanglewood Institute, Gordon College, Kodály Music Institute, Longy School of Music of Bard College, and Phillips Academy. As a BU University Prison Arts Scholar, Hillman co-initiated an innovative vocal music program in the Massachusetts prison system.
​Professor Hillman is an examiner for Conservatory Canada and has adjudicated, guest conducted, performed, and presented throughout Canada and the United States, and in Brazil, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Portugal, Taiwan, and Thailand. Most recently he made three appearances at Carnegie Hall conducting national festival choruses with Manhattan Concert Productions and National Concerts.
Dr. Hillman's schedule of upcoming engagements includes conducting honour choirs and festival choruses in British Columbia, Manitoba, New York, Ontario, Québec, Virginia, and in China, Hong Kong, Italy, and the United Kingdom. He is the curator and editor of The Jamie Hillman Choral Series published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing and is co-editor of Beckenhorst Press' Concert Series.
Hillman earned an ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music from Western University. In 2024, he was inducted to Western's Don Wright Faculty of Music's Alumni Wall of Fame. He completed his Master of Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Doctor of Musical Arts at Boston University, where he studied with Ann Howard Jones. He is the 2012 laureate of the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting from the Ontario Arts Council.