2026 Adjudicators

Pianist Tabitha Payzant originally hails from the small town of Baxters Harbour, Nova Scotia. In 2012, she moved to New Brunswick to complete a Bachelor of Music degree at Mount Allison University, studying under Stephen Runge and Lynn Johnson. After her BMus, Tabitha packed her bags for Newfoundland and completed two Master's of Music degrees (MMus, Piano Performance; MMus Performance/Pedagogy) at Memorial University, studying under Timothy Steeves. After her studies, Tabitha has been busy building a career in Newfoundland. She currently balances life as a private music instructor, faculty member at the Benson School of Music, and proudly holds the Festival Manager role with the Kiwanis Music Festival of St. John's. Tabitha's most recent performance endeavour involved releasing her first album in 2023, 'Back at it’, an exploration of the value of art in difficult times, which was nominated for Music NL's Classical Artist of the Year award. When she isn't busy with arts administration or teaching, Tabitha enjoys spending time with her two dogs, Opus and Poco!

Tabitha is thrilled to be coming back to Grand-Falls Winsor this season and can't wait to hear a week’s worth of amazing performances!