Atlanta Music Teachers Association Newsletter November 2013 AMTA Newsletter November 2013 Greetings AMTA Colleagues, Congratulations to all the winners of the Romantic and Impressionism Festival-Competition! Our very own AMTA members, Benjamin Bertin and Elena Dorozhkina participated in the professional category, and performed exceptionally and were praised highly by the judge. We are very proud of them! And thank you to Raisa Isaacs and all the teachers who worked so hard to make this competition run very smoothly and successfully. And please take note; our November meeting will take place on Friday the 15 th at 10 AM at the Stenway Piano Galleries located in Atlanta. The address is: 1600 Northeast Expressway, Atlanata GA, 30329. I look forward to seeing you all there. Best, S. C. Frederic Hsiang AMTA President GMTA Conference The State Conference takes place Nov 7-9, with an exciting lineup of presentations, masterclasses and concerts. Page 2 RIFC Review Results from the fifth annual Romantic & Impressionistic Festival-Competition. Page 3 Upcoming Events Concerts, masterclasses meetings, and lectures in the next few weeks. Page 5
AMTA November 2013 GMTA State Conference 2013 State Conference November 7-9 University of West Georgia Carrollton, Georgia Featuring guest artists Anderson and Roe Marvin Blickenstaff Additional performances by: Carroll Symphony Orchestra Atlanta by Six Numerous workshops, lectures, and award presentations will occur throughout the weekend. Hoping to see many of you there! Don t Miss: Concerto Performance by AMTA s own Joshua Shue Coming off a performance of the Saint-Saens 2 nd Concerto on November 3 rd with the Ludwig Symphony Orchestra, Joshua Shue, (son of Hwee Boon Ng) will play the same work on the opening night of the Conference with the Carroll Symphony Orchestra as the 2013 winner of the GMTA Concerto Competition. Come support Joshua in this milestone achievement in his musical development! 2
AMTA November 2013 RIFC 2013 Winners and Outstanding Performer Recitalists: Pre-College Advanced, College, and Professional categories. 5th AMTA RIFC Submitted by Raisa Isaacs, chair of the RIFC Dear Colleagues, The 5th Romantic &Impressionistic Festival-Competition has revealed new gifted and dedicated students in all age categories, including the newly opened College and Professional Categories. We have increased our monetary prizes to three winners at each level and have increased OPRs (Outstanding Performer Recitalist) who were honored to participate in the Winners Recitals. Like previous years, adjudicators from the Schools of Music of Atlanta Metro Area (GSU, UWG and KSU) were very impressed with the level of the programs and quality of the students performances. The event took place at the Steinway Piano Galleries that obviously helped students to perform at their best on the beautiful, excellently prepared Steinway pianos. In total, 25 teachers from the different Atlanta Metro MTA chapters (AMTA, NDMTA, NFMTA, DMTA, and CCMTA), including seven teachers from KSU, GSU, College of North Georgia, USC, UGA, and CSU, and two Professional musicians applied for the event. Nine teachers from AMTA chapter enrolled their students and received great results! Among them: Nancy Elton, Anne Sun, Mary Williams, Elena Cholakova, Raisa Isaacs, Laura Gordy, Elena Cholakova, Hwee Boon Ng, and Yoonmi Choi. ovember 1 3
AMTA November 2013 It was a pleasant surprise to see among the performers in the Professional category our new members Benjamin Bertin and Elena Dorozhkina. In view of the insufficient applicants for this category, as it is the first year for the new category, they could participate only at the festival level and received OPR grades. Their performances at the Winner Recital were very impressive and upgraded the whole level of the competition. AMTA Winners & OPR Results Romantic Elementary Lower category (6-7) OPR: Ethan Nguyen (Raisa Isaacs) Elementary Upper Category (8-10) 2nd Prize: Shirley HsuehLi Chen (Hwee Boon Ng) OPR: Alice Gao (Nancy Elton) OPR: Jennifer Xia (Raisa Isaacs) OPR: William Wong (Elena Cholokova) OPR: Wang Andrew (Nancy Elton) Intermediate Lower Category (11-12) Ist Prize: Chen Kevin (Anne Sun) 2nd Prize: Jessica Pan (Raisa Isaacs) 3rd Prize: Ilaina Kim (Hwee Boon Hg) OPR: Gregory Zhang (Raisa Isaacs) OPR: Pu Izabella (Nancy Elton) OPR: Saffy Bashey (Raisa Isaacs) OPR: Evonne Iau (Hwee Boon Ng) Intermediate Upper Category (13-14) 1st Prize: Anthony Zhang (Anne Sun) Intermediate Upper Category (13-14) 1st Prize: Anthony Zhang (Anne Sun) 3rd Prize: Yasheen Gao (Elena Cholokova) OPR: Zain Bashey (Raisa Isaacs) OPR: Jane Zen (Elena Cholokova) Advanced Category (15-17) 3rd Prize: Laura Street (Nancy Elton) OPR: Anging Xiongzou (Nancy Elton) OPR: Ashley Catanzarite (Nancy Elton) Professional Category OPR: Benjamin Bertin OPR: Elena Dorozhkina Impressionistic Division Advanced Category OPR: Elena Dorozhkina The rest of AMTA students received OP (Outstanding Performer) and AE (Award of Excellence) grades. AMTA Romantic&Impressionistic Festival-Competition: the Board at work 4
AMTA November 2013 GEORGE MANN Franz Joseph Haydn s Sonatas Submitted by VP Programs, Raisa Isaacs Dear Colleagues, Our next meeting begins at 10 AM, Friday November 15 th. Our featured guest is George Mann (Chair of GMTA College level GMTA Auditions), who will present: Exploring the Sonatas of Haydn. As you well know, Franz Joseph Haydn was at the cradle of the creation of the fundamental genres of classical music, and his influence on later composers is invaluable, yet underestimated by most performers. A mentor and teacher of the most celebrated student Ludwig van Beethoven, his impact can be revealed in the music of Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms as well. Whether you are preparing for NDMTA Sonata Competition or working with your students on Classical period repertoire, you will find it useful to learn about F.J. Haydn s underperformed Sonatas. Haydn wrote approximately sixty sonatas, yet teachers too often do not venture beyond the few that are the most often played. This lecture/demonstration will survey the early and middle period sonatas - delightful, seldom performed music useful for teaching the Classical style. (G. Mann) Please bring the Haydn Sonatas scores you own, whether Vienna Urtext, Henle, or Alfred editions and enjoy the harmony and perfection of the Classical style as we search for the roots and characteristics of this -in some ways- inadequate and unexplored composer of the Enlightenment period. George Mann received the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati where his principal teacher was the late Herbert L. Newman. In 1971 Mann joined the faculty of Kansas State College of Pittsburg and in 1974 he came to the University of West Georgia in Carrollton where he was Professor of Music until retirement in spring, 2003. He currently teaches at LaGrange College as well as in his home studio in Lithia Springs. Mann was selected as the 2007 Georgia Music Teacher Association Teacher of the Year, an award presented annually by GMTA in recognition of lifetime achievement as a music teacher. A recipient of the Master Teacher Certificate from Music Teachers National Association, Mann has had several students receive recognition in various piano events. He has presented many piano workshops and master classes and is frequently asked to judge competitions throughout the South. Mann has performed widely as solo recitalist, accompanist, and chamber music participant. He has been soloist with orchestras in Ohio, Kansas, and Georgia. His recitals have frequently been broadcast over WABE Atlanta Public Radio. In 1997, Mann was commissioned by Intersound Recordings to record a four CD set of classical piano music entitled Sensual Classics which was distributed nationally and internationally. In the fall of 2007, Mann won the composition contest sponsored by the Episcopal Church Diocese of Atlanta for his congregational mass celebrating the centennial of the diocese. His mass was sung at the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, at the closing ceremony of the centennial year in November, 2007. Mann is Director of Music at St. Julian s Episcopal Church in Douglasville. 5
AMTA November 2013 The Music Preparatory School at Clayton State University Presents: The Power of Positive Thinking, Mindfulness, and Creative Visualization in Coping with Performance Anxiety. Lecture and Recital Friday, November 15, 2:00 PM Contact Carol Payne for more information: CarolPayne@clayton.edu, (678)466-5600 Dr. Michelle Huang is Assistant Professor of Piano at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. She holds the Doctorate in Piano Performance from the Florida State University where her thesis explored the arena of research in musical performance anxiety. She consequently developed a workshop designed to teach strategies for coping with performance anxiety to music students. Other Upcoming Events Pascal Rogge, Piano Soloist - ASO, Nov 7-9. Paul Lewis, Piano Recital Spivey Hall, Nov 10. Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Schwartz Center, Nov. 15 Kenny Barron Trio, Spivey Hall, Nov 23. Atlanta Ballet s Nutcracker, Fox Theatre, Dec 6-29. Please remember: you have to attend no less than two AMTA meetings in order to apply for the local auditions and competitions without a penalty of $50! AMTA NEEDS YOU TO FILL THESE ROLES: MTNA Foundation, Hospitality, Certification Questions about AMTA MusicFest direct to the new chair, Elena Dorozhkina, tel.: (817) 403-3870, elena.dorozhkina@gmail.com Alexander Kobrin Masterclass, Steinway Piano Galleries, Jan 29.