JUDGE BIOS
Phillip Riggs - Chief Judge
Phillip Riggs, 2016 Grammy Music Educator of the Year, retired after teaching band and choir for more than 30 years in North Carolina. He is a music instructor emeritus at the NC School of Science and Math, Durham, NC. Phillip is a recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award and the Exceptional Contribution in Outreach Award presented by the UNC Board of Governors. He was voted into the North Carolina Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2020 he was inducted into the Appalachian State University Reich College of Education’s Rhododendron Society.
Prior to joining the NCSSM faculty, he was the first band director and fine arts chair at Ronald Reagan High School, Winston-Salem, NC. Before assuming that position, Mr. Riggs taught in Davidson County for sixteen years. Twelve of those years were with the Ledford Bands. In 2003, the Ledford Wind Ensemble was selected to perform for the North Carolina Music Educators Conference with guest conductor/composer, Mark Camphouse, guest conductors Dr. John Locke and Dr. William Gora, and guest artists, The Lenoir Sax Ensemble.
Phillip currently serves as a conductor and administrator with the World Adult Wind Orchestra Project (WAWOP) held in Austria each summer. He has also served on the Jury for the Mid-Europe Music Festival and the Summa Cum Laude Festival at the Musikverein in Vienna. Phillip is a co-founder and conductor of the North Carolina Youth Wind Ensemble. He was also a co-founder and conductor of the Wachovia Winds Youth Wind Ensemble (2004-2008).
Mr. Riggs is a Past President of the NC Band Directors Association. He served as chair of the North Carolina High School All-State Band (8 years), chair of the NCMEA Technology and founding chair of the NCMEA New Teacher/Mentor Committee. His professional affiliations include NAfME, NCMEA, NBA, and ASBDA. Phillip, a Conn-Selmer Educational Artist, is active as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States, Austria, and China.
Jason Heard - Music Effect Judge
Jason E. Heard is the Director of Bands at Cleveland High School in Clayton, North Carolina. In this role, he manages and directs a comprehensive suite of nationally recognized performance ensembles, including the Marching Band, Winter Guard, Winter Percussion, Winter Winds, and several concert ensembles. Since the school’s inception, Mr. Heard has fostered a culture of excellence, establishing the Cleveland band program as a premier institution in the region.
Under his leadership, the Cleveland Arts Performance Ensemble has consistently earned caption awards and has been named a regional finalist and champion at numerous Music for All / Bands of America events across the country over the last 15 years. The program's winter ensembles also enjoy national acclaim; in 2019, the Cleveland Arts Winter Winds were crowned the WGI Scholastic World Champions and gold medalists in Dayton, Ohio. Additionally, the Cleveland Winter Guards have frequently appeared as finalists in A, Open, and World classes, while the Concert Percussion ensemble has maintained its status as an Open Class finalist for seven consecutive years.
A native of Smithfield, North Carolina, Mr. Heard earned both his Bachelor of Music (1999) and Master of Music (2008) in Music Education from East Carolina University. His distinguished career in Johnston County spans over 20 years, including previous teaching appointments at Clayton High School (2000–2006) and Smithfield-Selma High School (2008–2010).
Throughout his tenure, Mr. Heard’s ensembles have consistently received Superior ratings at both marching and concert festivals. His leadership extends beyond the classroom; he served as President of the Johnston County Band Directors Association from 2008 to 2010. In 2008, he was recognized as a finalist for Johnston County Public Schools’ prestigious “Flame for Learning Award.”
Mr. Heard resides in Clayton with his wife, Susan, and their two sons, Jason Michael and Matthew.
Conrad Isenhour - Visual Effect Judge
Conrad Isenhour resides in Austin, Texas and works as a marching arts instructor, choreographer, visual designer, and adjudicator across Texas and nationally. Conrad is the Assistant Movement Caption Head (Brass) for the Phantom Regiment. He also holds the positions of Visual and Rehearsal Coordinator, and Choreographer for Rhythmic Force Percussion in Austin. Conrad has been a visual and brass instructor, a choreographer, and movement specialist for multiple high achieving marching band programs in Texas including Westlake HS, Cedar Ridge HS, and Vandegrift HS. He held a similar role for the Claudia Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson High School Marching Band in San Antonio for more than a decade. In his time at CTJ, the brand-new school grew into a BOA regional and super regional champion, a Grand National finalist and a UIL State medalist and champion. Conrad has been fortunate to serve on the staffs of three different programs that have each earned at least one UIL 6A State medal. Conrad’s past DCI teaching experience includes being the Visual Caption Manager, Ensemble Manager, and a choreographer for the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps from 2023-2026, Visual Caption Manager and choreographer of The Crossmen where he also previously taught brass, being a member of the Boston Crusaders visual staff and brass staff, the Blue Stars visual staff, and the Cadets visual staff where he led the movement and choreography program for the musicians. He was a member of the visual team for World Class Finalist Monarch Independent Percussion, where he coordinated the movement and choreography program, he was a visual staff member for the WGI silver medalist Crossmen Winds, and was the Visual Caption Manager and designer for Open Class Finalist 5points Percussion. Conrad has had the honor of adjudicating the state marching band contests for South Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas. He was invited by UIL to help lead a clinic on the visual sheets at the Texas Bandmasters Association convention and is a WGI Winds judge. Conrad holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from The University of Texas at San Antonio where he also studied film, dance, and music. He is a co-creator of Marching Band Movement; an educational video course designed as a resource for teachers and students to be better trained in modern marching arts movement and dance. As a performer, Conrad spent his time marching baritone for The Crossmen and The Santa Clara Vanguard.
Ian Jeffrey - Visual Performance Judge
Ian Jeffrey was born, raised, and currently resides in Richmond, Virginia where he holds the General Music Teacher position at Gayton Elementary School in Henrico County. Ian received his degree in Music Education at Virginia Commonwealth University and graduated in the spring of 2017.
Ian's marching experience began at the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps from 2012-2015. He was the tuba section leader for the 2013 and 2014 seasons and the horn sergeant for his age-out year in 2015. He also marched WGI at George Mason University as a cymbal player during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, where he held a section leader position.
Ian’s teaching experience in the marching arts began at Deep Run High School in 2012. He taught at the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps from 2016-2019 with his last year there as the Assistant Visual Caption Head. Ian also taught at the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps as a visual instructor from 2020-2021. Ian also has some experience in education with WGI where he held the position of Visual Manager at the George Mason University Indoor Drumline from 2016-2020. He has taught and designed for a few local indoor drum-lines throughout the Richmond area.
Currently, Ian writes drill and choreography for multiple schools around the country. He is also the wind and battery choreographer for Panther Creek High School.
Ian brings a wide variety of concepts, pedagogy, and approaches to visual adjudication. He believes his various experiences in the marching arts will allow him to be successful in adjudicating today’s performing ensembles.
Oliver DeLotto - Percussion Judge
Oliver DeLotto is an active performer, educator, and percussion arranger. A native of Virginia, Oliver was introduced to the piano at an early age. He transitioned his focus to percussion after being exposed to competitive drum corps. His performance career as a marching snare drummer includes the Hawthorne Caballeros, Glassmen, Carolina Crown, Bluecoats, and the George Mason University Indoor Drumline. Oliver has also performed with groups such as the Winds of the Blue Ridge, Washington City Choir, GMU Percussion Group, UT Percussion Ensemble, UT Wind Ensemble, Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia, and the Dallas Winds. From 2011-2018 Oliver worked as a percussion teacher and arranger with Cave Spring HS, South County HS, Fairfax HS, and Chantilly HS in Virginia, as well as various programs in the central and North Texas areas.
Oliver graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from George Mason University and a master’s degree in Percussion Performance from The University of Texas at Austin. He most recently served as the Percussion Director at Tarpon Springs Leadership Conservatory for the Arts in Tarpon Springs, FL from 2021-2024. In addition to public school teaching, Mr. DeLotto was on the battery staff at the Colts Drum & Bugle Corps from 2016-2019, Rhythmic Force Percussion in 2018, and Genesis Drum & Bugle Corps in 2021. Oliver is a performing artist with D’Addario & Co. and Sabian Cymbals, but most importantly, is a proud husband and father.
Alex Alberti - Timing Judge
Alexander (Alex) Alberti lives in Durham, North Carolina. He currently serves as the Artistic Director and conductor of the Triangle Pride Band, a local community band organization with over 200 adult musicians. Previously, he taught at Longleaf School of the Arts in Raleigh, where he served as the Director of Instrumental Music. At LSA, he taught Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, AP Music Theory, AP Psychology, Music History, and a contemporary a cappella ensemble, while also running the school’s Indoor Marching Ensemble program.
Alberti earned his Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is also an alumnus of Appalachian State University, where he received his undergraduate degree in Music Education with a minor in Psychology. Full-time, Alberti works as a researcher at Instructure, conducting efficacy research for edtech curriculum. In his spare time, he sings in the a cappella group, Triadic Vocals, and serves as an organizer for choral music events around the country.
Stan Schoonover - Music Performance Ensemble Judge
1998- present Music Instructional Specialist
1993-1998 Director of Bands and Performing Arts Chairman at Robinson SS
1992-1993 West Springfield High School, Director of Bands
1982-1992 Mount Vernon High School, Director of Bands, Music Dept. Chair
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1994-1996 President- Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association
1993, 2006 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic appearances
1988, 2000-08 VMEA Conference appearances [9]
1999-present Conductor- Fairfax Wind Symphony.
2006 VMEA Administrator of the Year Award Recipient
Matt Pellas - Music Performance Individual Judge
Matthew Pellas, has been a music educator for over 25 years and is currently the Director of Bands at Carnage Magnet Middle School (CMMS) in Raleigh, where he teaches four Concert Bands, a Jazz Band. Mr. Pellas believes in programming rigorous, high quality music for his students at every level. During his tenure at CMMS, his bands have consistently received Superior ratings in Level 2, 3, and 4 concert literature. CMMS bands have twice been invited to perform at the NC Music Educators’ (NCMEA) State Conference (2013, 2018). While at his previous school, Hunter Elementary in Raleigh, NC, the band program grew from 30 to 100 students, and they were invited to perform at the NCMEA State Conference in 2008. Mr. Pellas is in demand as a guest clinician, conductor, and adjudicator. He has served on the North Carolina Central District Bandmaster Association board, on the NC Bandmaster State MPA committee, as Chair of the NC East Central District Bandmasters Association, is a National Board Certified Teacher, and is a proud member of the American School Band Directors Association. He is currently serving as the Band Director Staff Development Co-Chair for Wake County Public Schools where he helps organize and work with the school system’s 60+ band directors. Mr. Pellas is married to Trinity and they have two children, a daughter, Ava, and a son, Ewan. The four of them live in Wendell, NC.
Paul Orsett - Colorguard Judge
Paul A. Orsett, a resident of Knightdale, North Carolina, is a retired Theatre Arts Educator from Wakefield High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. With more than 40 years of experience in education and the performing arts, Paul has dedicated his career to inspiring students, performers, and audiences through music, theatre, marching arts, and Winter Guard.
Paul earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, and a Master’s degree in Directing Theatre from Roosevelt University School of the Arts in Chicago, Illinois.
His extensive performing arts background includes marching with The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps and Winter Guard of Rosemont, Illinois. In 1985, Paul founded Assembly Line Winter Guard, establishing a program that reflected his passion for performance, education, and innovation. He also served as co-director of the Northern Nash Marching Knights in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, leading the ensemble to three consecutive Tarheel Invitational Championships.
Throughout his career, Paul has made significant contributions to instrumental music education, drum and bugle corps, marching band, Winter Guard, and Theatre Arts. He also served as Executive Director of the Atlantic Indoor Association, helping support and develop the indoor performing arts community.
For more than 35 years, Paul has served as a respected judge for marching band and Winter Guard competitions throughout North Carolina and Virginia. His extensive experience as an educator, performer, director, and adjudicator has given him a unique perspective on performance and the many elements that contribute to excellence on the field, floor, and stage.
In addition to his work as an educator and judge, Paul is a familiar voice in the performing arts community. He serves as an official announcer for the Atlantic Indoor Association and Winter Guard International (WGI), lending his voice to competitions throughout the region as well as the WGI World Championships.
Paul's career is defined by a lifelong commitment to the performing arts and to the people who make them possible. His dedication as an educator, director, judge, announcer, and mentor has made him a respected and enduring presence in the performing arts community.