Virginia Icon 2007 Judges

Lee Betton coordinates the programming of Fairfax County's six advance technology exploration spaces for youth called Computer Clubhouses. Lee is the owner and principal manager of Betton Concert Artists, an entertainment booking agency that has managed and booked performances nationally for jazz, dance and performance artists for almost twenty-five years. He is a former board member of the Rocky Mountain Music Festival, Western Arts Alliance, and Grants Administrator for the Colorado Council for the Arts. Lee has been a site review consultant for The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and served on various NEA grant review panels including the Challenge Grants Program, Music Festivals Program, and the Expansion Arts Program. He has also been an artists development consultant to the Western States Arts Federation, Northwest Arts Alliance, Wyoming Arts Council, the National Jazz Services Organization.

Willie Coates is a vocalist/guitarist who has been a "go-to" guy in the DC area music scene for many years. He opened for Al Green in the '70s and has been a musical director for several groups including the Step 4 Hip-Hop group, the Alex Singing Group, and That Band featuring Little Sonny Warner. Currently, he appears with Butch Dyson's Platinum Band and Show. He also operates a talent booking agency, WACO Productions.

Joe Gems had formal piano training for about ten years, including two years at The Juilliard School of Music in New York. Joe has played the piano throughout his adult life, and music directed The Young Restonians teenage singing group in the late 70s. Since then, he has been active in local community theater, both as a pianist and a music director. A retired software engineer, Joe now has even more time to devote to his music. He has been teaching piano since 2001, and currently has about 25 students. He also has two church-playing jobs, and continues to be involved in local theater. Most recently, he music directed Stop the World, I Want to Get Off for the Great Falls Players.

Billy Hickey is the Studio Manager for one of Washington DC’s top recording studios, Studio 8121. He is a member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) with over seven years of engineering experience. Billy has worked with musicians in many genres including Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, Country, Alternative, and Classical.

Vaughan Mason is a platinum record artist, recording engineer, producer, manager, director and 2006 BMI award winning songwriter who has negotiated million dollar record contracts. His music was used in movies South Central and the 2006 release Roll Bounce with Bow Wow. Vaughan is credited with pioneering the "Bounce Sound." He recently produced and published Music Business Bible: Survival Kit, a book, CD, DVD combo aimed at anyone trying to make it in the music business.

Dumi Right is the Director of Operations for his own music production company, pH Music LLC. He has over a decade of experience in the music industry and has released a number of successful albums and singles nationally and internationally through pH Music. He is also the frontman for the hip-hop groups O.U.O and The ZL. O.U.O was nominated for a Washington Area Music Award for best group in the hip-hop/R&B category. Dumi has an extensive performance resume that includes auspicious venues like the Brooklyn Academy of Music and most recently, the Whitney Museum of American Art as part of the events of VH1 Hip-Hop Honors week. His next endeavor is the album Hip-Hop Restoration Council Project that features guest appearances from the likes of Dead Prez, Jungle Brothers and Chubb Rock. pH Music recently released a very successful 12” single titled Mercy that peaked at #1 on National College and Mixshows Radio charts.

Gracie Terzian, a sophomore at Oakton H.S., was the winner of the Virginia Icon 2006 competition. She also captured 1st place in the 2007 Shakespeare monologue competition sponsored by the Washington area English-Speaking Union. Gracie has performed in a Ford’s Theatre production of A Christmas Carol and Classikal Theatre’s production of the The Nutcracker, The Blue Crow and The Snow Queen. Gracie was a member of a group of American acting students who performed Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet during a trip to England last summer. She dances with Center Stage and enjoys being part of her school's drama and musical productions.