BROOKINGS The South Dakota Music Teachers Association recently held its state conference in the Clare and Joseph Meier Hall on the campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish.
Local winners in the SDMTA competition include Elijas Clark, taking second place (teacher, Mark Stevens) and John Pfeifer an honorable mention (teacher, Mark Stevens) in the SDMTA Collegiate Piano Competition, Emily Hofer, taking first place in the SDMTA Collegiate Woodwinds, (teacher, Elizabeth Robinson) Sophie Pavelka, taking second place (teacher, Elizabeth Robinson) and Levi Gebhard awarded the honorable mention (teacher, Yiqun Chen.) Also participating in the SDMTA Piano, age 11, were Arpineh Anderson and Alex Liu, in the Senior Piano, Age 17-18 was Aedan Lansang and in the Senior Piano Duets, age 17-18 were Aedan Lansang and Louis Liu.
Adjudicators for the SDMTA events were J. Cruise Berry from Los Angeles for Collegiate Piano and Senior Piano, Michael Stephens from Chadron, Nebraska, for the Collegiate Woodwinds, and Jim Margetts, from Chadron, Nebraska, for Elementary and Junior Piano and Piano Duets.
Local winners in SDMTA Collegiate Voice I category include Jake Holforty, first place (teacher, Anna DeGraff) and Steiger Manson, 2nd place, (teacher, Laura Diddle). Also participating were Claire Krogman, Jayda Hunter, and Nathan Dressel. Winners in the SDMTA Voice II category were Caden Fischer, second place (teacher, Emily Toronto) and Mila Wollman, honorable mention (teacher, Emily Toronto) Also participating were Charles Kreich, Kalli Barnhart, and Madilynn Hallan.
SDMTA Collegiate Voice adjudicators were Lisa Grevlos, from Sioux Falls, for Collegiate Voice I and Mark Billy from Finley, Oklahoma for Collegiate Voice II category.
New this year, are the winners of the SDMTA Distinguished Performance Awards for the best piece representing women composers. Winners include Elijas Clark (teacher, Mark Stevens) for Collegiate Piano, Aedan Lansang and Louis Liu (teacher, Xuan Kuang) for Senior Piano Duet Age 17-18, Emily Hofer, (teacher, Elizabeth Robinson) for Collegiate Woodwind, Jake Holforty (Anna DeGraff, teacher) for Collegiate Voice I and Kalli Barnhart (teacher, Emily Toronto) for Collegiate Voice II.
Congratulations also belong to Ziheng Huang, winner of the MTNA Junior Piano Division, (teacher, Mark Stevens.) He will be advancing now to the regional MTNA competition.
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