The theme is “Character Pieces”, and the APC committee has been working hard since last September to put together an exciting array of pieces for solos, duets, duos, and concertos. The Competition and Winners’ Recital will take place in Spring 2023, with dates and locations to be announced.

Check out the interactive syllabus here APC Syllabus 2023 and start planning to have your students explore this delightful music!

Barbara Landi Hause and Anna Katznelson, APC Co-Chairs

The Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that Rebecca Hsiao, student of Florence Liu, has been awarded an MEA-MJN College Scholarship. A versatile musician who plays piano and flute, Rebecca was selected to perform in the Young Artist Master Class in 2021 with Joseph Kalichstein, his last MEA Master Class before his untimely death. In addition to MEA Honors Recitals, she has performed in her high school wind ensemble, the NJ All-State Wind Ensemble, and at Carnegie Hall in the AAFAA Young Artist Music Competition. Rebecca will be studying classical piano performance at Manhattan School of Music in the fall. 

The MEA-NJ is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations to the MEA-MJN Scholarship Fund are fully tax-deductible. The scholarship fund relies solely on generous individual donations, matching contributions from employers, and music sales at the monthly MEA General Meetings. Making a contribution to this fund is a meaningful way to honor a person with congratulations (birthday, anniversary, graduation, etc.), get well wishes, or in memoriam. An announcement of your tribute, including your personal message, will be sent to the honoree. Please donate generously so that MEA can maintain this program to support deserving young musicians.

Charlene Step & Sondra Tammam

Scholarship Committee Co-chairs

A special MEA Young Artist Master Class is held each year at our June General Meeting. It is quite an honor for a student to be chosen to perform at this class!

 Auditions were held Sunday June 4th, and the students listed below were chosen to play for Master Teacher Douglas Humphreys at our June 9^th General Meeting. Congratulations Esther and Wesley! Join us in person or online Thursday June 9^th to hear these Young Artists perform the following program:

Sonata in C, K.330

Mozart

 Allegro moderato & Andante cantabile

Esther Lee, pupil of Ruth Kotik‘

Impressoes Seresteiras’ de Ciclo Brasileiro 

Villa-Lobos Ballade 

 No. 1 in  G minor, Op. 23  

Chopin

 Wesley Liu, pupil of Beatrice Long

Douglas Humphreys Eastman School of Music Website

In-Person Adjudication Dates

Sunday, May 22, 2022 at County College of Morris (CCM)

Saturday, June 4, 2022 at CCM

Sunday, June 5, 2022 at CCM

Sunday, June 5, 2022 at Lindeblad School of Music

Saturday, June 11, 2022 at CCM 

Sunday, June 12, 2022 at CCM

Sunday, June 12, 2022 at Lindeblad School of Music

Virtual Video Subission adjusication

Sunday, June 19, 2022 (Video Submission Deadline)

For 2022, MEA is offering a hybrid option for the Annual Audition Evaluation Adjudications. We have both In-person and Virtual opportunities for your students' auditions. Registration was from March 1-31, Late Registration May 4-11. Auditions registration is now closed.

"Mozart in Vienna" explores unifying elements between the Fantasy and Sonata in C Minor, ornamentation in the music of Mozart, the history behind the work's composition, and the musical features which make it unique in the composer's output.

Adam Kent Website

The 2022 May issue of The Glissando has been published! You can download the PDF HERE.

Many thanks to Glissando Committee Chair, Judy Kessler, and her great committee for working so diligently to have this ready for our enjoyment!

The APC will be taking place as an in-person event this year, with Covid protocols in place.  These protocols will include everyone being masked at all times and the use of hand sanitizers before performing (the hand sanitizer will be provided).

Much of piano performance and teaching is visually based: we play what we see. To interpret the works of the masters much more is needed.  How do we keep the ear, heart and mind involved in order to deepen our interpretations and make our performances more truthful and compelling?

Victor Rosenbaum New England Conservatory Website

We welcome back pianist Eduardus Halim to lead the Teachers' Masterclass this year. MEA teachers will be playing Chopin's Nocturne in D-flat major, Op.27, No. 2; Robert Schumann's Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26  Mardi Gras Scenes from Vienna), the first movement; and Brahms' Variations on a Theme of Schumann, Op. 9, the Theme and several variations. Join us Thursday in person or online for this annual event.

As we come out of isolation and grief, we seek the open hearts of others and long to share our own inner moods. We've rediscovered music as a vehicle for this, infusing it with comforting sounds and ingredients from all parts of our lives and cultures. The works presented will explore and represent that shift in thinking and our current musical preoccupations. 

Kathleen Supove Website

Peter will explore various aspects of musical time, such as tempo, meter. pulse, and phrasing, with musical examples from our great piano repertoire.

Peter Takacs Website

Latin America boasts a rich catalogue of music informed by a colorful mix of indigenous, folkloric and classical traditions. This program will focus primarily on the piano music of Ecuador with a few “guest composers” from this hemisphere. Pieces range from beginning piano to   advanced; some of these works are pedagogic gems.

Women have been composing music for centuries, much of it ignored, underestimated, or simply undiscovered. Five outstanding composers were featured at the October 21st MEA General Meeting - Margaret Bonds, Lili Boulanger, Florence Price, Germaine Tailleferre, and Maria Szymanowska.  Highly regarded in their own lifetimes but mostly overlooked today, it is time to give their music the attention it deserves.  Brief biographies will be given, and selections of their music will be featured to show the diversity and depth of these talented women.

This fascinating topic was presented by MEA members Rebecca Eng, Victoria Griswold, Youn-Hee Kim, Barbara Landi Hause and Anna Katznelson.  Also featured will be Beatrice Long, performing “Troubled Waters” by Margaret Bonds. 

Welcome back to live music!

On Thursday, September 23rd, live performances of the solo and duet repertoire for the 2022 Annual Piano Competition were given by the Annual Piano Competition Committee.

This syllabus features the little known but wonderful music of some outstanding women composers, including works by Lili Boulanger, Cecile Chaminade, Germaine Tailleferre, Fanny Mendelssohn, Amy Beach, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Agnes Backer Grondahl, Marianne von Martinez and more.

The performer were: Ana Berschadsky, Rebecca Eng, Vicky Griswold, Barbara Landi Hause, Anna Katznelson, Jongsun Lee, Beatrice Long, Kai Pangune Kim, Youn-hee Kim, Ruth Kotik, Michelle Kuo, Naomi Takagi, and Yuka Yanagi.

The 52nd MEA-NJ Annual Piano Competition Syllabus

The Original Composition Festival was held on April 25th, via the zoom platform, with 32 student composers altogether from the ESOCC and the Festival representing 13 teachers.  The program included compositions for piano solo, piano four  hands, and piano with ensemble.   All student composers received a certificate.  The judges of the ESOCC were also able to attend and speak to the students.  Committee member Joan Bujacich acted as host on the upgraded zoom and conducted sound checks prior to the start of the program to optimize the audio experience.  All teachers were also sent audio tips/recital protocol, prior to the Festival to disseminate to their students.  Committee member Lisa Gonzalez took screen shots of the composers.  The program was a huge success and there were many positive comments from teachers, parents and the students themselves. Congratulations to all the student composers!  Stay tuned for next year, you will not want to miss this!

 Original Composition Committee, Kathy Knittel, Chair