MMTA 2023 Judged Festival
The Judged Festival is a friendly competition for students (of high school age and under with varying playing levels) to have a chance to perform and compete. We are happy to announce that we had a successful in-person Judged Festival event on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Salem State University, Salem, MA.
This year, 117 participants, ages 4 to 16, performed Eastern European Composers’ repertoire. Each student played one piece from 2023 Judged Festival required repertoire list according to their ages. Two adjudicators judged them, and students received the judges’ comments with a participation certificate. In addition, from 117 young talents, 65 students were also awarded special ribbons.
This year’s fine adjudicators were Mary Beck, Sivan Etedgee, Mathilde Handelsman, Vinh Pham, Ana Popa, and Jenny Tang. MMTA thanks these judges for their time and dedication to our young piano students.
Judged Festival is unique in having a rotating theme annually. This year was “Eastern European Composers.” Every summer, the Judged Festival Repertoire Committee spends a great deal of time selecting special repertoires to create a required list for the event. I hope you all had a chance to look at the Judged Festival Required Repertoire List, even if you didn’t participate in the event. The list is a hidden gem. It contains many beautiful pieces with the appropriate student age and playing level. Many thanks to the 2023 Judged Festival Repertoire Committee - Isabella Li, Vinh Pham, and Lydia Reed-Guertin, for their time and expertise.
And thank you to the teachers who believed in and participated in this year’s Judged Festival! You helped the organization achieve its goals! MMTA looks forward to many more participants in the 2024 Judged Festival. Please check for the Judged Festival announcements via email in the fall.
Lastly, the event would not have been successful without the support of the dedicated MMTA Executive Board & Officers. I am grateful to President Jonathan Roberts for his outstanding guidance and the board members’ continuous support. Thank you.
For details regarding MMTA Judged Festival, please go to MMTA Judged Festival.
Ranko Konishi-Houston
MMTA Judged Festival chair