NSMTA Piano Competition

The Piano Competition is to challenge musicians to go beyond practice and studio recitals. It is an opportunity to perform, compete, learn and improve while engaging with experienced teachers. It is ideal for older students who are interested in an opportunity to strengthen their resume. All students are encouraged to participate!

Competition Co-Chairs: Lindsey Baer and Larry Baer

2024 Piano Competition

Competition Date: May 5, 2024

Competition Fee: $35 per student (non-refundable)

Location: Music Conservatory of Illinois, 2809 Central St, Evanston, IL 60201

Registration Dates: March 1 - April 15, 2024

For Participants: Read the 2024 Competition Letter

Application Procedure

For NSMTA Members:

NSMTA members with active Member Portal accounts can register students for the 2024 Piano Competition by following these steps:

  1. Log in to the Member Portal

  2. Under Active Events, select the 2024 Piano Competition.

  3. You will see your list of students from your Student Roster in the Not Registered column. Click Register next to a student’s name and fill out the registration form. If you want to register a student who does not appear on this list, you will need to first add them to your Student Roster.

  4. When ready to check out, go to the Payment Cart to make your payment and complete the registration. Payments are non-refundable.

  5. Your registered students will now appear in the Registered column.

For NSMTA members who do not yet have an active Member Portal account, please see our Member Portal How-Tos page for instructions on how to proceed.

For non-NSMTA Members:

Teachers who are not members of NSMTA may enter students in the Piano Competition. The only way to register is through the NSMTA Member Portal. Teachers may out the form below to request an account for non-members. You will receive an email from admin@nsmta.org with instructions on how to get set up. Afterward, please follow the same steps outlined under For NSMTA Members. Note: There is a $25 non-member fee that will automatically be applied to the payment cart. See Rules and Guidelines below.

If you were previously granted a Member Portal account, you may continue to use that account. No need to request a new one.

2024 NSMTA Competition Repertoire

Download the 2024 repertoire list in PDF format here.

Presenting the 2024 NSMTA Competition Repertoire by NSMTA Member, Lam Wong.

This series of videos was curated as part of the new NSMTA Online Enrichment Program, a resource for NSMTA teachers and students who are participating in the 2024 NSMTA Piano Competition.

Scroll to view the videos by division, or click on this YouTube Playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa1Mk_srpvrYS2GUoByUIYLWLb4niZyPH&feature=shared

  • Known for “great imagination and extraordinary musicality” (Shantou Daily) in his playing, classical pianist Lam Wong made his debut with Franz Liszt’s 12 Études d’exécution transcendante at the age of fourteen. He has since appeared in numerous festivals and concert venues in Asia and North America. He is the winner of the Thaviu-Isaak Piano Competition, Lillian Fuchs Competition, Dover Competition, and finalist of MTNA Chamber Music Competition. He has also worked with distinguished artists Marc-André Hamelin, Mikhail Voskresensky, and performed in master classes of Boris Berman, Richard Goode, Robert Levin, Nelita True, and Arie Vardi. As an avid chamber musician, Wong performed in prestigious chamber music festivals, including Sarasota Music Festival, Ravinia Festival Steans Music Institute, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival. His recent chamber performance can be heard on the radio station WFMT in Chicago. Wong also has a keen interest in contemporary music. He has collaborated with and performed pieces by renowned composers Jessie Montgomery, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Ryan Lindveit, and others.

    Wong is also an educator and a clinician who gives frequent masterclasses, presentations, workshops, and conference lectures nationally and internationally. Wong maintains a wide range of research interests, from performance practice to pedagogy. His recent presentations and projects include a video project for NSMTA’s Online Enrichment Program (2024), “Demystifying Sight-Reading: What Scientific Research Tells Us About Reading Fluency” (2023) and “How Beethoven’s Manuscripts Can Assist in Interpretive Decisions” (2022) at the ISMTA Conference, and “Piano Four-Hand Repertory: The Pedagogical Values of Ensemble Experience” at the MTNA Virtual Conference (2021).

    As the Coordinator of Piano Pedagogy Courses, Wong currently teaches undergraduate and graduate piano pedagogy courses at Northwestern University Bienen School of Music. He is also on the piano faculty of the Northwestern Music Academy and Music Conservatory of Illinois. He frequently adjudicates at local festivals, competitions, and piano exams. His students have won regional piano competitions and scholarship auditions, earned high honors and distinctions in standardized exams, and been accepted into some of the country’s finest music schools to study music.

    Wong holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Harold Bauer Award in recognition of outstanding accomplishment, cooperation, and promise. He earned a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, and he is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Northwestern University, studying with James Giles. His previous teachers include Hung-Kuan Chen, Christopher Elton, Peter Frankl, and Marc Silverman. As a piano performance and pedagogy dual major, he also works closely with the Former Director of Piano Pedagogy, Dr. Marcia Bosits, at Northwestern University. During his studies, he was a proud recipient of the First Initiative Foundation Scholarship, Stephen & Denise Adams Scholarship and Fellowship, Harry B Jepson Scholarship, Mary Clapp Howell Scholarship, and Eckstein Fund.

Primary Division

Elementary Division

Junior Division

Senior Division

Piano Competition Rules and Guidelines

Competition Categories

  • There are four Competition Divisions: Primary (Grades 1-3), Elementary (Grades 4-6), Junior (Grades 7-9) and Senior (Grades 10-12).

  • Four judges (two for each division) will be selected by the Piano Competition Committee. They will be a) a piano faculty member of a college or conservatory, and/or b) an independent piano teacher who holds at least a Master’s Degree in Music and is experienced in judging.

  • Each entrant will be assigned a participant number prior to the contest. The names of the students and teachers will be unknown to the judges.

Eligibility

  • The applicant’s contest division is determined by his/her grade in school. Teachers will be asked to verify this information at the time of registration. Failure to abide by the competition rules may result in disqualification. If your student was entered at a lower level last year, you may enroll your student in two different levels with appropriate pieces. Two fees will need to be paid.

Registration Rules

  • NSMTA members whose current year’s membership dues were paid by October 31, 2023 are eligible to enter students. Non-members or members who missed the dues deadline must pay an additional $25 fee which is automatically added to the shopping cart upon checkout.

  • A maximum of three students per teacher may be entered in each division.

  • Registration and applicant fees will be accepted via the NSMTA Member Portal during the published registration dates.

  • No late entries will be accepted.

Participant Rules

  • All required pieces must be played from memory. Memorized pieces must be performed in the order listed on the Competition Repertoire list. Incorrect repertoire will disqualify the entrant.

  • Students are not required to bring printed music with them to the competition.

  • First place winners may compete again in the same division.

Awards

  • Prizes awarded are - 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place. These winners will be given the opportunity to be featured in the NSMTA May Winners Recital and be given a trophy. All contestants receive a participation ribbon.

  • Judges may declare "no winner" in any or all divisions if performances are substandard. Their decisions are final.

  • Winners will be announced on the NSMTA Piano Competition Website as well as through the participants instructor.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 NSMTA Piano Competition!

The 2023 Panel of Judges:

Primary and Junior Divisions:

Svetlana Belsky and Eric Sutz

Elementary and Senior Divisions:

Louise Chan and Martha Yelenosky

    • 1st Place: Alexandra Paschos, student of Christina Tio

    • 2nd Place: Yuhan Liu, student of Yumy Kim

    • 3rd Place: Joanna Xu, student of Brenda Huang

    • Honorable mention (tie): Caleb Deng, student of Ann Birman

    • Honorable mention (tie): Adrienne Zhu, student of Ann Birman

    • 1st Place: Karnik Prasad, student of Yumy Kim

    • 2nd Place: Austin Yu, student of Shihui Yin

    • 3rd Place: Savva Geranin, student of Ann Birman

    • Honorable mention: Jocelyn Wang, student of Jennifer Cohen

    • 1st Place: Mark Gao, student of Brenda Huang

    • 2nd Place: Micah Chan, student of Christina Tio

    • 3rd Place: Ava Lee, student of Brenda Huang

    • Honorable mention: Victor Huang, student of Shihui Yin

    • 1st Place: Santino Pardo, student of Daniel Baer

    • 2nd Place: Eddie Zhou, student of Brenda Huang

    • 3rd Place: Hayden Hogue, student of Adam Chlastawa

    • Honorable mention: Lily Zhang, student of Svetlana Belsky

Questions about the Competition?

For more information, fill out the form to contact the Competition Chairs, Lindsey Baer and Larry Baer.