Announcing the 2021-2022 Season
We are pleased to announce our events for the upcoming season!
New Members Luncheon
Date: October TBA
A welcome luncheon for new members held at a local restaurant.
November Recital: Pequot Library
Recital Date: Saturday, November 12th at 12:30
Submission deadline: Friday, October 28th
Repertoire: Classical repertoire and music by pedagogical composers. Pieces must be memorized.
Chair: Olga Stelman
Festival Audition
The goal of this festival is to provide recognition to talented and motivated students who can prepare for an evaluated audition, and who are confident enough to perform in public. It is open to students of voice, piano and all other instruments.
Students who intend to participate in CSMTA's Deborah Kahan Competition are NOT eligible to perform in this event.
Festival Date: Sunday, December 11th
Registration deadline: Friday, November 18th
Westport Suzuki School
246 Post Rd East
Westport CT 06880
Registration Fee:
$45 per student (for teachers who are CSMTA members)
$55 per student + $50 one-off participation fee (for teachers who are CSMTA non-members)
What do I need to do as a teacher?
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Select and invite students who would benefit from participating in the Festival Audition.
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Email the registration form (attached to this email) and check to the Chair Seray Goktekin to stringsCT@yahoo.com. Address for check to be sent to will be provided once registration form is received.
There is no limit to the number of applicants per teacher.
Chair: Seray Goktekin (stringsCT@yahoo.com.)
36th Annual Deborah Kahan Competition
This competition is open Piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar; soloists, duos, or any combination of piano and strings. Students must be between the age of 6 and 18. Students prepare two contrasting pieces in period and style from the standard Classical repertoire.
Competition Date: Sunday, February 5th
Winner's recital: Online, February 12th
Submission Deadline: Saturday, January 14th (arrived, not postmarked)
Co-chairs: Hiroko Dutton and Kumiko Imamura
Community recital
April: TBA
Community Recitals are Student Recitals that take place in local senior homes. Residents are very happy to see young people performing for them and we always hear lots of positive comments.
Submission Deadline:
Chair: Benjamin Steinhardt
Spring Showcase Recital
Recital Date: Sunday, May 21st, 2023 (1-3pm)
Submission deadline: Friday, May 5th, 2023
(midnight by Email + Zelle payment, or snail mail + teacher’s check arriving by the same date.)
Limit : Maximum 20 minutes of Total Performing time per Teacher.
Repertoire : Classical repertoire and music by pedagogical composers.
Solo Pieces must be memorized.
Student/Student duet is allowed with music. (No Student/Teacher is allowed)
Chair: Hiroko Dutton
M.A.P. (Music Achievement Program)
Date: June 11th
The MAP (Musicianship Achievement Program) is directed at students of CSMTA teachers and offers both a Performance and Theory section. Held annually, students can choose to participate in the Full MAP (both performance and theory) or just the Theory exam. With a total of 10 levels, students have the opportunity to perform memorized pieces, display keyboard skills and demonstrate written/aural awareness in accordance with the prescribed MAP syllabus.
For more information:
https://csmta.org/students/music-achievement-program-map/
Chair: Seray Goktekin
We look forward to seeing you and your students soon!
Annual Spring Showcase 2022
From Burgmuller to the Chopin Fantasy!!
Thank you for great work for participating teachers and students!!
37th Deborah Kahan Competition Results
Winners Recital 2022:
0.24 Chiara Hu ( Honorable Mention)
1:13 Alexander Svoronos
4:35 Ahan Ghosh Rao
7:22 Mirah Chang (Judges' Choice)
13:53 Eric Jansa
17:55 Abigail Chang
22:10 Ulysses Squitieri
Special Judges' Award
Mirah Chang. Partita #1, B flat major BWV825, Allemande & Gigue.... J.S.Bach, Valse in A flat major, Op. 69-1....Chopin
Winners
Alexander Svoronos Invention in E major BWY 777....J.S.Bach
Ahan Ghosh Rao Notturno Op.54-4...E.Grieg
Eric Jansa Sonata in C major, Hob XVI:35 Allegro con brio...F.J.Haydn
Abigail Chang Partita #2, C minor BWV826, Sinfonia....J.S.Bach
Ulysses Squiltieri Legend No.2 St. Francis of Parlo Walking on the Waves..F.Liszt
Honorable Mention
Chiara (Ruxi) Hu Skater's Dream...C. Klose
Teachers of Winners
Dorothy Grimm, Kumiko Imamura
Congratulations!!
2021 Festival Audition Results
First place:
Ryan Ismael Bakkali
Charlotte Lorah Cook
Olivia Gifford
Christy Lai
Jayden Kim
Lincoln Martell
Aryan Ramnaress
April Steixner
Meredith Sullivan
Danielle Tom
Asha Venkat
Sarah Whitney
Evelyn Young
Hannah Young
Teachers of first place winners:
Seray Goktekin
Kumiko Imamura
Edith Sullivan
Galina Zisk Rothschild
Congratulations to all participants!
Masterclass with Dr. Paul Wirth
On Sunday, April 19th @ 11 am a masterclass was held on Zoom led by Dr. Paul Wirth (Northwestern University - Minnesota).
The participants were:
Lina Elwood
Beethoven: Sonata in f, Op. 2-1, IV. Prestissimo
Leon Wang
Liszt : Notturno No.3, “Liebestraum"
Shalev Weber
Mozart: Sonata in C, K.279, I. Allegro
Thank you to our performers and their teachers for their exceptional preparation. Dr. Wirth was an exemplar of great piano teaching: encouraging and kind to each student, illuminating each score with his knowledge and expertise.
You can read more about Dr. Paul Wirth here.
36th Deborah Kahan Competition Winners 2021
All Videos
0:10 Yuanmei Zhao
4:27 Avigail Kohl
6:31 Mirah Chang
9:20 Giora Nadav
13:53 Eric Jansa
16:54. Lina Elwood
19:30 Abigail Chang
22:46 Mindy Zhao
32:36 Avery Cotton
35:26 Shalev Weber
39:13 Melody Cui
45:52 Nicole Razhanskiy
53:55 Stephanie Chang
59:39 Willa Brasch
This year’s distinguished adjudicators were :
Piano Section: Mr. Randall Hodgkinson and Dr. Lois Shapiro
String Section: Mr. Jaroslaw Lis and Ms. Naoko Tanaka.
Piano Winners
Avigail Kohl...Chopin : Valse Op. 64-2
Mirah Chang...Debussy : Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum
Giora Nadav...Beethoven : Sonata Op. 10-1, I mov.
Eric Jansa...Ginastera : Rondo Special Award
Lina Elwood...Poulenc : Toccata
Abigail Chang...J.S.Bach : Well-Tempered Clavier, C minor BWV847
Avery Cotton...Chopin : Etude Op.10-12
Shalev Weber..Rachmaninoff : Prelude in E flat major, Op. 23-6
Melody Cui...Ravel : Alborada del gracioso
Stephanie Chang...Beethoven : Sonata Op. 7 I mov. Special Award
Honorable Mention
Tina Zhang
Aiden Scwaller
Ahan Ghosh-Rao
Keshav Kaushik Gopal
Anna Fiorito
Jeffrey Liang
Strings Winners
Yuanmei Zhao...Vivaldi : Concerto Op. 3 RV356 I.
Mindy Zhao...Saint-Saens : Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Op. 28
Nicole Razhansky...Wieniawski : Concerto #2 Op. 22 I mov.
Willa Brasch...J. S. Bach : Sonata in g, BWV1001, II Fuga
Honorable Mention
Isabella Mariani
Zach Bishop
Teachers of Winners
Yoshie Akimoto, Svitlana Fiorito, Kumiko Imamura, Dan Nadav, Benjamin Steinhardt (piano)
Teri Einfeldt, Marina Kitaychik (strings)
Congratulations to all the winners and participating teachers!