Judges, Instructors and Staff

The judges and workshop instructors are long-established artists, musicians, songwriters and industry professionals with great community involvement.

1. Melina Soochan (CEO, founder, producer)

   Montrealer Melina Soochan presents a unique blend of pop, indie, jazz and blues. Graduate from McGill's renown music program, she has recorded 2 albums and filmed 3 music videos, one of which is currently on rotation on Bravo and CJNT. Apart from performing regularly at prestigious venues like House of Jazz, Upstairs, and the Casinos of Montreal and Mont Tremblant, she also gives back to the community through her organization, Acoustic Nights Montreal, which hosts an annual teen songwriting competition.
   www.melinasoochan.com

2. Sabrina Correa (co-producer)

   Sabrina Correa is a soulful singer-songwriter trained in Classical and Jazz. She holds a bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance from McGill University. Her compositions can be heard on radio stations throughout the city. Sabrina's performances have also been broadcasted on Canadian television networks, including CTV, Bravo, and Musique Plus. She has performed at venues such as: The Montreal Casino, Place-des-Arts Montreal, The Montreal International Jazz Festival's Tribute to Paul Simon Concert, to name a few. Solo or with her band The Coral Reefs, Sabrina delivers each performance with heartfelt passion.
   www.sabrinacorrea.com

3. Jonathan Rosner (judge and Gala musician)

   Jonathan is a versatile, forward-thinking and fast picking guitarist. His current projects involve, Montreal based groups Melina Soochan, Which is Which and Charles Pomerlo, as well as producing, composing and arranging songs crafted from his home looping studio. He's also a noted session musician as well as an energetic performer. Among his most recent achievements are winning 2nd place in Canada at the "Roland Loop Station Contest" and 1st place at FestiBlues 2010 in Montreal. He is specialized in techniques such as pop-slapping and prefers playing funk and blues, even though his field of study is classical. Jonathan is honoured to be involved in helping the next generation of artists. His numerous years of teaching groups of students and giving private lessons have given him the skills and understanding on how to motivate people. He looks forward to this exciting opportunity to be involved with the Acoustic Nights Teen Songwriting Competition.
   jonrosnermusic.com

4. Bohdanna Novak (judge)

   Fresh from her two-year stint in Miami, jazz singer Bohdanna Novak, a former Winnipegger, returns to Montréal to reconnect with old friends and to create new ideas and experiment with the musical styles she holds dear. Among them: jazz, rock, funk, R&B, world music, classical, and others. Known as a captivating performer, talented educator/clinician and emerging composer, Bohdanna is also an experienced dancer and choreographer and plays a number of instruments. She holds a Bachelor of Music from McGill University (2003) and a Master of Music from the University of Miami (2006).
   www.myspace.com/bohdannanovak

5. XLIM (judge)

   XLIM begins his career in Montreal in 2002 with his training at the Conservatory of Music. Over the course of his musical journey, he settles on reggae as a means of expression. XLIM never stops fascinating his audience, with a new album in the works for summer 2012.

6. Kim Desjardins (judge)

   A graduate from Concordia University's Integrative Music Studies – Jazz Specialization, since 2010, Kim Desjardins has performed in numerous ensembles. You may have heard her play tenor or baritone saxophone during her three years with the Concordia Big Band, as well as in the swing orchestra Ballroom Blitz. She has also been a member of The Nightmare Before Christmas project for two consecutive years. Today, Kim is most concentrated on funk and jazz. You may see her perform from time to time at the House of Jazz, but she is most often featured with her baritone playing for the funk group, The Franco Proietti Morphtet.

7. Johanne Desforges (workshop instructor)

   Performer, voice coach, composer, singer, instrumentalist. My passion has always been and still remains the voice. Understanding the instrument then teaching it to all who are as passionate as I am.
   www.johannedesforges.com

8. Wesli (workshop instructor)

   Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wesli (Wesley Louissaint) built his first guitar out of an old NGO- provided oil can and nylon shoe lace when he was just eight years old. Ever since, Wesli has worked relentlessly, perfecting his art, his only hope for a better life. In 2001, Wesli, the singer, multi-instrumentalist and versatile composer, chose Montréal as a new home. He worked with Productions Nuits d’Afrique and many big festivals such as the Festival international de jazz de Montréal and the Francofolies.

9. Hadi Adel Abdullah (workshop instructor)

   BAD WEATHER
   Trip Hop/Hip Hop/ Shoegaze

   Hadi Adel storms crowds with a an ambient guitar-and-drum-driven blend of shoegaze and trip hop. An unpredictable and atmospheric experience that leaves you smiling when the clouds break. He just released his fourth CD in April 2012.
   www.badweather.bandcamp.com

10. Annie Becker (Competition Guest Performer)

    Annie Becker: Urban Hippie. Soul-Pop Songstress. The Beez Neez. In 2011 with a mountain of creativity Annie Becker released her debut Album, “All About the Beez Neez” through Montreal record label Ambrosia Music. Becker spent 2011 touring the music to New York City, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and present-day hometown Montreal. The record, a heart on your sleeve from the beach to the studio attitude, reflects Becker’s musical influences: the raw emotion and soul of Ani DiFranco, Adele, and Jack Johnson, flavored with the diva-like hookiness of a late 30’s Vaudeville Cabaret.
    www.anniebecker.com

11. Christina Soochan (website designer - prize contributor)

    Christina Soochan is a seasoned Montreal computer and web professional. She has been building, hosting and managing websites (like this one) for over 10 years and is active in the Google Webmaster Central help forum as a Top Contributor. Christina is encourages artists and artistic organisations, having also been a member of the board of directors of RapSohD, a non-profit community organization dedicated to helping teens with performing talents achieve higher education.
    www.webado.net

12. Mehdi Cee (photographer, prize contributor)

    Mehdi Cee has been a songwriter for the past 15 years. He has been writing and co-producing music for the past 10 and has been at the forefront of the conscious underground Hip-Hop scene in montreal for the past 3. His first record from his group, The Boombap Cats, entitled Step in the Alley received rave reviews from all over the world and continues to do so. He has recently organized GIGANTE, a collective of the best Montreal based rappers. He is about to release his second album in 2012.
    www.boombapcats.com

13. Luc Lafontaine a.k.a. Logic Johnson (Co-host)

    Luc Lafontaine (a.k.a. Logic Johnson) is a Montreal hip hop artist, radio DJ, and music producer.

14. Joe Irrera (sound technician, prize contributor)

    Joe Irrera is the owner of Drunken Fiddler Recordings, studio technician, drummer and recording engineer.

15. Srikanth Narayanan (Gala musician)

    Srikanth Narayanan is a native of Montreal, who loves playing classic songs from any era. His biggest reward comes when the audience participates with the band, the party, and each other. He was able to help create these moments on board the ships of both Carnival Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises. In Montreal, Srikanth was the bassist for many years of the LaSalle Concert Band, the Lachine Concert Band, and guest bassist for the 306 Wing Concert Band. Recently, Srikanth is the bassist for the Ballroom Blitz Big Band, and for Melina Soochan, and has played in renown clubs like Upstairs Jazz Bar, The House of Jazz, Victoria Hall, Pub St Paul, La Sala Rosa and more. Srikanth also is an avid swing dancer and understands the musical needs of ballroom dancers and he aims to give them what they want. Srikanth has a B.Music from McGill University, and has studied jazz performance at Concordia University.

16. Spiros Damianos (Gala musician)

    Spiros Damianos has been drumming since the age of 9. Finished his D.E.C. (Vanier Cegep) in music and B.F.A. in Jazz Studies from Concordia University. He's had numerous music engagements with the Federico Penserini quartet, The COLLECTIVE (Montreal Funk Fest) and is currently playing with Melina Soochan.

17. Joey Fortin Boulay (sound technician, volunteer)

    Born in Gaspé, Joey is a young student at Trebas Institute in Sound Engineering, completing his internship with Acoustic Nights Montreal. Next year, he hopes to continue in the program Music Industry Management in order to work closely with local artists. His hobbies are hockey and concerts.

18. Will Tapia (sound technician, volunteer)

    Born and raised in Dominican Republic, Will Tapia's love for music and the arts drove him to become a DJ and then a Sound Technician. He first came to Montreal in 2008 and decided to remain in the city to study one year later. After finishing his studies as a Sound Technician he decided to specialize in Sound Design at Trebas Institute since 2011.

19. Natalie Harvey (volunteer)

    A psychology major at Concordia University, Natalie is interested in helping others, especially through music. She discovered her joy for singing early and in 2006 obtained a diploma in classical voice from Vanier College. She is now expanding her repertoire in jazz and popular music. Her goal is to be a great musician as well as a leader in her field of study.

20. Yin Chen (volunteer)

    
    Being raised in an artistic family and having completed a bachelor degree in Marketing, Yin has diverse experiences in cultural and community event promotion and coordination, with a particular focus on strategic social media marketing.

21. Marie Cyr (volunteer)

    Marie has been involved with music all of her life, playing instruments, going to see concerts and local performances as well as working with music. She came to Montreal from New-Brunswick looking to get involved in the great music scene this city has to offer. She has also recently completed the "Audio Production & Recording" program at Recording Arts Canada, and is currently volunteering with Acoustic Nights Montreal.