Shelly Burger

Judge

Las Vegas, NV.

Shelly Burger holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Chapman University and a Master of Arts in Education from University of Phoenix. Ms. Burger retired as the Orchestra Director at Green Valley High School in 2021 after a 37-year career with the Clark County School District. She is currently serving as a Strings Coach for new orchestra teachers in CCSD and is directing two orchestras in the Southern Nevada Homeschool Performing Arts program. Prior to teaching at Green Valley, Ms. Burger led award winning orchestras at Bonanza High School, Advanced Technologies Academy, and Sierra Vista High School.

Ai Melby

Judge

Las Vegas, NV.

As daughter to two musicians in the New Japan Philharmonic, Ai pursued her viola performance degree at Tokyo University of the Arts. After relocating to the Chicago area, she had the privilege of studying and performing alongside world class musicians in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Grant Park Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, and she served as principal violist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Ai also co-founded the Kontras Quartet and spent a few years in North Carolina as principal violist for the Western Piedmont Symphony. As an educator, she directed the Midwest String Orchestra, taught viola at Elmhurst University, and privately tutored hundreds of music students. Now living in Las Vegas, she continues to support young musicians and regularly performs with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Las Vegas Sinfonietta. 

Ryan Watson

Judge/Clinician

Tuscon, AZ.

Ryan Watson has over thirty-five years of experience as a violist and string musician. He grew up in Tucson and was trained through Tucson Junior Strings and the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra programs. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Arizona in 2004, having studied viola with Hong-Mei Xiao, orchestral performance with Dr. Thomas Cockrell and conducting techniques with Dr. Carl Hancock.

John Haggard

Judge/Clinician

Mesa, AZ.

John P. Haggard is the Director of Orchestras at Red Mountain High School. In addition to his public school teaching career, Mr. Haggard has taught on the collegiate level as Music Director/Conductor of the Scottsdale Community College Orchestra, and has served on the string faculties of the university of Nevada Las Vegas and Cameron University in Oklahoma. 

He is a Past President of ASTA-AZ and is currently serving on that board as the solo competition chair. Mr. Haggard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from North Carolina School of the Arts and earned his Masters degree in Music Performance from the University of Tulsa.