Record, send, and win.
Transform your living room practice session into an international performance opportunity
The Global Musical Arts Competition (GMAC) was established by a group of professional musicians and educators in Southern California. GMAC’s founding members hold Master’s and doctoral degrees in music performance from a variety of institutions including the University of Southern California, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and the Manhattan School of Music. They also share a wealth of performance experience with major philharmonic orchestras, opera companies, and chamber music ensembles. In addition to performing, GMAC members are currently or have been faculty members at various colleges and high schools throughout the Southern California area.
Meet our adjudicators
Keyboard Co-Chair
Jarred Dunn
Jarred Dunn won both the First Prize and Concerto Award at the 7th Lithuanian International Chopin Competition and was a prizewinner at the Jan Hoffman International Competition. He has been heard on CBC, New Classical FM, WQXR, Belarusian First, and Freethought Radio/TV Madison. Mr. Dunn's albums include Chopin and Debussy (2018) and Brahms in Solitude (2022). He has performed concertos, recitals, and chamber music concerts to critical acclaim in Europe, North America, and Australia. He is a featured adjudicator at many competitions, most recently the Lithuanian International Chopin, Classicalia International, and CFMTA National Competitions. His teachers have included Katarzyna Popowa-ZydroÅ„ (Bydgoszcz), Anna Górecka, Urszula StaÅ„czyk (Katowice), Jacob Lateiner, Yoheved Kaplinsky (Juilliard), Maria João-Pires and Dorothy Taubman. Mr. Dunn is a Yamaha Artist.
String/Chamber Music Chair
Jessica Yuen
Jessica Yuen is an international touring concert violinist and guzheng performer across North America, Asia and Europe. Jessica is the Director of Development for the European Strings Teacher Association (ESTA) in the North American branch and is a founder of the Fusion Arts & Music Festival, and Viva Musica, Academy of Performing Arts in Calgary, Canada. She is currently pursuing violin performance and a Ph.D. research project in the area of Women in Music. She is also an international consultant and advisor for the GMACompetition.
String Co-Chair
Iman Khosrowpour
Violinist, conductor, educator and scholar, Iman Khosrowpour’s career is uniquely and richly diversified. He has given concerts in Japan, Germany, Czech Republic, Canada, Brazil, and throughout the United States, and has given violin masterclasses in Germany, China, South Korea, Japan and Paraguay. He made his European debut with the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in Brno, Czech Republic and performed Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 at the world-renowned Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria. He has conducted the Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Sinfonietta and Leipzig Symphony Orchestra. His conducting mentors are Neeme and Paavo Järvi, Ulrich Windfuhr and Carl St. Clair. Iman earned a Master of Arts degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. He attended the Inter-University Center for Advanced Japanese Studies in Yokohama, Japan and worked as a translator for the Saito Kinen Matsumoto Festival led by Seiji Ozawa.
Woodwind/Brass Chair
Gary Gould
Gary Gould, multi-woodwindist, has toured and performed throughout the United States, Western Europe, and Japan, after winning the first prize in a saxophone contest held by a Los Angeles radio station. As an instructor, Gary has won top awards conducting concert bands at collegiate levels. Currently, he writes, performs, and gives educational presentations on topics such as jazz improvisation, navigating a career in the arts, and practicing for success.
Guitar Chair
Dr. Michael Dias
A first prize winner at the Northwest Guitar Festival, Performing Arts BC Festival, and the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival, Michael Dias regularly performs with prominent Canadian ensembles such as the Tsilumos Ensemble, Aventa and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, he recorded the album Concentric Rings with the Victoria Guitar Trio (Redshift Records) featuring new works by Canadian composers (available on iTunes and Spotify). The Victoria Guitar Trio earned a nomination for Classical Artist/Ensemble of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards in2018.
Dias is a guitarist and musicologist currently teaching at the University of Victoria
School of Music (music theory and musicianship) and the Victoria Conservatory of Music
(classical and jazz guitar performance) in British Columbia, Canada. Dias completed a Bachelor
of Music in his hometown of Calgary under Jacob Salomons and a Masters of Music with
Alexander Dunn at the University of Victoria. In 2019, he earned a PhD in musicology at the
University of Victoria School of Music with a doctoral dissertation on the manuscript sketches of the Canadian composer, Jacques Hétu (1938-2010) and his works for guitar.
Harp Chair
Dr. Chaerin Kim
Dr. Chaerin Kim, a multi-instrumentalist, is an internationally acclaimed harpist, pianist, composer, and professor.
Dr. Chaerin Kim is the winner of 12 national and international competitions in America, England, Russia, and Korea, and She has received degrees from four universities: Ewha University, Korea /B.A. , Royal Academy of Music in London, England /PGD, Yale University/M.M., and Boston University/Doctorate. Currently, she is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London (ARAM), piano faculty member at Shepherd's Heart's School of Music in Florida, a piano and harp faculty member at Schloss Akademie in Germany and the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a harp and piano instructor through the Office of Arts at Harvard University. She has been an adjudicator 34 times at 19 international competitions.
Keyboard Co-Chair
Dr. Jung-A Lee
Dr. Jung-A Lee has performed in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa as an organist, pianist, harpsichordist, and conductor. She currently works for the Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony as keyboardist, and serves as organist at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California. Dr. Lee is also on the faculty of Biola University and Vanguard University teaching piano, organ, and improvisation. Since 2018, she has played with David Chang (clarinet) and Cynthia Ellis (flute) as part of the Synergy Trio. In addition to her heavy performance schedule, Dr. Lee promotes organ education through her non-profit organization, Music Mission International.
Voice Chair
Damon K. Clark
Damon Clark has been a professional vocalist for over 20 years and has performed and toured all over the globe. He began his career as an opera singer and later ventured into folk, rock, neo-soul, and jazz. Mr. Clark has shared the stage with Grammy winners such as Paula Cole and Andrea Wallace. He has been praised by numerous publications, such as DMagazine, Dallas Observer, and Modern Luxury for his dynamic vocal ability.
Mr. Clark has coached artists like singer-songwriter Tippy Balady; and singer, guitarist, and producer Sam Harvey, who was awarded a Gold Record. His coaching resume also includes vocalist, pianist, and producer Caleb Sean, who produced "The Best Thing I Never Had" for Beyoncé Knowles and Liz Mikel.
Mr. Clark has a profound respect for vocalists and a passion for transferring his knowledge and skill, specifically the Bel Canto technique, so that his clients' creativity and talent can grow to their fullest realization.