Southwest Baptist
University News Release
Contact:
Office of Marketing and Communications
417-328-1803
BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Missouri Music Teachers Association will be holding its 2012 MMTA Honors Auditions on the campus of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. from Thursday, November 8 through Sunday, November 11. The state level of the Music Teachers National Association Competitions will also be held during this time. On Saturday, November 10, a free piano recital featuring 2009 Cliburn Gold Medalist Hoachen Zhang will be held in Pike Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.
The annual MMTA auditions feature some of
Missouri’s top collegiate and pre-collegiate musicians. Pianists, vocalists,
string players, and other instrumentalists receive ratings and winners are
chosen in each competition category. These competitions reach many music
students with over 500 participating at the state level this year.
The pre-collegiate auditions start at the district
level, and students that receive a “I” rating advance to the state level. The
level of playing is extremely high, and on Sunday, November 11 at 12:30 p.m. in
Meyer Recital Hall, winners from the previous year will be featured in a free
recital. The quality of these performances rival that found in any of the
world’s top concert halls.
The state level of the MTNA national competitions
are held concurrently with MMTA's honors auditions. Winners in the MTNA
competition advance to the division level and may then advance to the national
level. The national level will take place in Anaheim, California, and the
winners receive prizes ranging from $1,000 in cash up to a Steinway piano.
On Saturday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Pike
Auditorium, Gold Medalist of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition, Hoachen Zhang, will be performing a solo piano recital. Zhang will
be performing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Schumann's Carnaval, the Chopin
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, a set of Debussy Preludes, and
Balakirev's Islamey. The recital is free and tickets are not required.
At 19 years
old, Zhang is the youngest person to ever receive the Gold medal in this
competition that the Chicago Tribune describes as "the most prestigious
classical piano contest in the world." Scott Cantrell of the Dallas
Morning News wrote that Zhang "demonstrated a musical maturity almost
unimaginable in one so young." This concert is also supported by the
Missouri Arts Council.
For more information, please visit MMTA's website
at www.missourimta.org. Directions, maps, and parking information may be found
on the website. You may also contact Dr. Robert Carney, Assistant Professor of
Music at Southwest Baptist University, at 417.328.1644 or rcarney@sbuniv.edu.
The Missouri Music Teachers Association, founded in
1895, is a professional non-profit organization of over 500 independent and
collegiate music teachers, college students, and performing artists. MMTA is
affiliated with the Music Teachers National Association.
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Southwest
Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating
Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at
an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic
community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For
more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
