Festival Adjudicators 2026 - Leonard Falcone International Euphonium & Tuba Festival

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Adjudicators

I would like to welcome you to the adjudication area of the Falcone Festival. You will find that we invite only highly successful teachers and performers who are dedicated to the furthering of the tuba and euphonium to adjudicate both at the preliminary and festival rounds. Great care is taken during each step of the competition to make sure that only the highest standards are upheld, both by the judges and the contestants. Good luck to all! ~ Beth Wiese, Adjudications Chair

Beth Wiese, Adjudicator Chair, Leonard Falcone International Euphonium & Tuba Festival

2026 Festival Semi-Finalist/Finalist Round Adjudicators

DR. CHRIS COMBEST is President of the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium Tuba Festival and Associate Professor of Tuba at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where he also serves as Associate Director of the School of Music. Before joining MTSU, Combest served as Principal Tubist with the Louisville Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Ash Lawn Opera, and Wintergreen Festival, and has performed with the Nashville Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Dallas Wind Symphony, and artists including film composer John Williams and the Canadian Brass. Dr. Combest is a Performing Artist and Clinician for Melton Meinl Weston Tubas.

DR. MARK COX, Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Central Michigan University, holds BM and DMA degrees in performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a MM degree in performance from Northwestern University. Dr. Cox has performed at major concert halls in the United States, Germany, and Japan and has performed with numerous international performers. He gives seminars on teaching and performing throughout the United States. His students include public school teachers and professional performers, and former students have won the Yamaha Young Artists Competition, placed in the artist division of the Leonard Falcone Competition, are members of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” and have performed as soloists around the United States. Dr. Cox is a Yamaha Artist.

MASTER SGT. HIRAM DIAZ, our guest artist and will also be adjudicating at the semi-finalist and finalist competitions, performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, in the Washington, D.C., area, and across the country during the band’s annual concert tour. He performed Tom Davoren’s Ascension as featured soloists on the 2016 national concert tour. Since 2017, Master Sgt. Diaz has also served as co-leader of the band’s Latin Jazz Ensemble.

DR. JAMIE LIPTON (she/they) is Professor of Low Brass and Director of the Brass Band and Symphony Band at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Dr. Lipton has performed throughout the United States and all over the world, most recently in Brazil. A past winner of both the Falcone Euphonium Artist and the ITEC Euphonium Artist competitions, she now serves on the Falcone Festival board and as Competition Coordinator for ITEC. Dr. Lipton has been a clinician at many leading American brass workshops and has taught Euphonium at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp since 2007. She is the Euphoniumist for the touring ensemble Trio di Velluto, and she is a board member and Solo Euphonium of the Natural State Brass Band in Little Rock, Arkansas.

RYAN MCGEORGE is a versatile Euphonium artist and former member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. During his military career, Ryan showcased diverse musical skills in multiple configurations, exhibiting a wide variety of musical genres including the introduction of Jazz Euphonium to the White House. Most recently, Ryan released his debut solo album Kuranes, a jazz fusion recording of his own original compositions and arrangements, pushing the boundaries of traditional Euphonium performance by incorporating improvisation and electronic effects pedals. Celebrating the release of the album, he headlined a performance at historic Blues Alley in Washington, DC. McGeorge earned a Bachelor’s Degree studying with Dr. Brian L. Bowman at the University of North Texas. While still in school, he was recognized by placing first in the Falcone Euphonium Artist Competition. He has recently returned to Denton, Texas, where he is serving as Adjunct Professor of Euphonium at UNT for the 2026/2027 academic school year.

DR. JASON ROLAND SMITH is Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Ohio University and an internationally active performer, educator, arts leader, and technology innovator. His career integrates performance, teaching, professional service, and the development of digital solutions that support music education, competition management, and arts organizations. As a versatile performer, he has appeared throughout the United States and internationally, including recently at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Valencia, Spain, and performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral artist, and commercial musician. Dr. Smith serves on the Board of Directors of the International Tuba Euphonium Association and the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium & Tuba Festival. Through his teaching, leadership, scholarship, and innovation, he advocates for artistic excellence, professional versatility, and the advancement of the global low brass community.

DR. WILLIAM SUTTON, is Assistant Professor of Music at North Dakota State University, where he teaches trombone, conducts ensembles, and contributes to the music theory curriculum. He previously served on the faculty of Northwest Missouri State University. During the summer, he teaches music theory and low brass at New England Music Camp. As a performer, he has appeared with numerous orchestras, including the Kansas City Symphony and Grand Rapids Symphony. Dr. Sutton has presented and performed at regional and international low brass conferences, served as a guest artist, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator throughout the United States, and has released solo recordings on the Kendor Music label. He is an Eastman, Willson, and Shires Artist.

DR. BETHANY WIESE, Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Vanderbilt University and Principal Tuba of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, is a laureate of numerous soloist competitions. She has been invited to present recitals in a variety of venues, including multiple International Tuba and Euphonium conferences, the United States Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conference, Amiata Piano Festival (Italy), Chicago Cultural Center, and at numerous universities throughout the country. Enjoying a diverse career performing in orchestras and other large ensembles, Dr. Wiese spent two years as a fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. She is also a past fellow of several other prestigious summer programs and has performed with orchestras throughout the country and abroad. At Vanderbilt, Dr. Wiese teaches courses in Brass Pedagogy, Orchestral Repertoire, and Chamber Music in addition to teaching applied lessons in both tuba and euphonium.

DAVID ZERKEL is Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Michigan, leading an active career as both a performer and educator. Before his arrival at Michigan, he taught in a similar position at the University of Georgia. His students have distinguished themselves by winning international and national competitions and attaining positions with professional performing organizations. David began his performing career as a member of the United States Army Field Band and The United States Army Band, both located in Washington, DC. He has had the good fortune to perform with many orchestras and brass ensembles through the course of his career.