News and Student Successes

Nasim Moattar, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted to present at California Association of Professional Music Teachers The Music of Richard Cummings, October 2024.

Gui Lopes Correa, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted to present at North Texas International Piano Symposium Echoes of Brazil: Incorporating Brazilian Styles into the Piano Studio, October 2024.

Emily Barr, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted the position as Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, August 2024.

David Mach, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, has been appointed as Music Director at Saint Anastasia Catholic Church in St. Augustine, Florida, in August 2024.

Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, has founded the St. Augustine Piano Academy in Florida, and received a Studio Launch Grant from Music Studio Startup in August 2024.

Amanda Howe, MM Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted the position as Piano Instructor at The Perfect Fifth in Pennsylvania, August 2024.

Niayesh Javaheri, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, admitted into the DMA in Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State University with a Graduate Assistantship, August 2024.

Catherine Jaroszewski, MM Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted the position as Fine Arts Assistant and Piano Instructor at the Academy of Classical Christian Studies in Oklahoma, August 2024.

Marissa Mathia, MM Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted the position as Collaborative Pianist at East Tennessee State University, August 2024.

GP3 2024: Emily Barr, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, invited to present a rotational session titled Gamed-Based Learning: Engaging Activities for Gen Z and Alpha Students in the Collegiate Group Piano Classroom. David Mach, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted to present a poster titled Unveiling Ortmann: A Guide to Kinesthetic Awareness through Physiology. Melody Tanaka, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted to present a poster titled Archipelago Gem: An Exploration of Trisutji Kamal's Sunda Seascapes. Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted to present a poster titled Ding Shande: China’s Pioneering Composer.

Yuru Ma, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, first year, participated in ISME 2024 in Helsinki, Finland, with a workshop From Anxiety to Artistry and a poster 20th-Century Piano Repertoire by Chinese Living Composers for Advanced-Level Students.

Nathaniel Maxwell, MM Piano Performance and Pedagogy, first year, attended and performed at the Borromeo Music Festival in Switzerland and the WYWOP Wind Festival in Austria, June-July 2024.

Holden Meech, BM in Piano Performance, first year, and Trenton Paris, BM in Piano Performance, second year, attended and performed at the Atlantic Music Festival, July, 2024.

OMTA 2024 State Conference: Brooke Ballard, Anna Dunbar, Meldy Tanaka, and Guilherme Lopes Corea presented research posters.

MTNA 2024: Emily Barr, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted to present a workshop titled Musical Globetrotting: Character Pieces from Around the World for the Intermediate Pianist. Shara Sun, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, accepted to present a session titled The Ukrainian Canadian Identity: Dissonance as Storytelling in Larysa Kuzmenko’s Piano Works.

Tatiana Stratenco, MM in Piano Performance and member of the Triptych trio, advanced to the final round of the North American Saxophone Alliance Flex Competition. The trio will perform at the 2024 NASA Biennial Conference, March 2024

MTNA 2024 Collegiate Chapter Symposium: Anna Dunbar, Guilherme Lopes Correa, and Marissa Mathia presented a workshop titled Musical Friends: Developing Musicianship & Collaborative Skills in Elementary Pianists. David Mach, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, presented a workshop titled Painting at the Piano with Science: The Physiology of Tone Color.

Qishan Shi, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, second year, named winner of the MTNA South Central Division Young Artist Piano Competition. Tatiana Stratenco, MM in Piano Performance, first year, named Alternate of the MTNA South Central Division Young Artist Piano Competition, November 2023.

Qishan Shi, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, second year, named third prize winner at the American Prize Competition, August 2023.

Hannah Roberts, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Alabama, August 2023.

Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted a position as Instructor of Collaborative Piano at Arkansas State University, August 2023.

David Mach, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted a position as Instructor of Collaborative Piano at Arkansas State University, August 2023.

Elise Eastin, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a position as Piano Instructor at the Center for Musical Minds, Dallas, TX, August 2023.

Liana Muzik, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a position as Piano Instructor at West County School of Music, St. Louis, MO, August 2023.

Janelle Crane, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, admitted into the PhD in Piano Pedagogy Program at Florida State with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, August 2023.

Emily Gilbertson, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, admitted into the PhD in Piano Pedagogy Program at Florida State with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, August 2023.

Gregory Worthley, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a full-time teaching position at the New School for Music Study in Princeton, NJ, August 2023.

Katie Ostrosky, PhD in Piano Pedagogy, successfully defended her dissertation, “Piano Instructor’s Experiences in and Perceptions of Preparation, Success, and Confidence Teaching Students with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities,” July 2023.

David Mach and Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, attended and performed in the Lindlar Piano Festival in Germany, July 2023.

Marissa Mathia, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, first year, attended the Amalfi Music Festival, July 2023.

NCKP 2023: Katie Ostrosky, PhD in Piano Pedagogy, presented Exceptional Learners in Focus: Strategies for Students with ADHD, Inclusive Teaching Track. David Mach and Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, presented Discovering Tailleferre: Underrepresented Piano Duet and Two-Piano Repertoire of Germaine Tailleferre.

David Mach also presented a research poster titled Unveiling Ortmann: A Guide to Kinesthetic Awareness through Physiology. Meldy Tanaka, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, presented a research poster titled Archipelago Gem: An Exploration of Trisutji Kamal's Sunda Seascapes (awarded Honorable Mention).

Emily Barr, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, accepted a position as piano teaching assistant at Interlochen Arts Camp, June 2023.

OMTA 2023 State Conference: David Mach and Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, presented Discovering Tailleferre: Underrepresented Piano Duet and Two-Piano Repertoire of Germaine Tailleferre. Emily Barr, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, presented Let’s Play: Concept Based Learning Through Musical Games. Emily Barr, Yasmin Fainstein, David Mack, Shara Sun, Meldy Tanako, and Mimi Zhang presented research posters.

CMS 2023 Central Regional Conference: Meldy Tanako, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, awarded the James Brewer Memorial Award for Best Student Presentation at the CMS Central Regional Conference for her research poster Archipelago Gem: An Exploration of Trisutji Kamal's Sunda Seascapes. David Mach and Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, presented Discovering Tailleferre: Underrepresented Piano Duet and Two-Piano Repertoire of Germaine Tailleferre.

MTNA 2023 National Conference: Katie Ostrosky, PhD in Music Education with emphasis in Piano Pedagogy, fourth year, presented a poster titled Piano Teacher Attitudes, Beliefs and Self-Efficacy in Teaching Students with Neruodevelopmental Disabilities. David Mach and Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, performed as the Echo Duo in the MTNA Stecher and Horowitz Two-Piano Competition.

David Mach and Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, third year, awarded the Hwaen Ch’uqi Prize at the Ohio International Piano Duet and Duo Competition, March 2023.

Emily Barr, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, published a webinar as part of the Francis Clark Center’s Inspiring Artistry series on Karen Tanaka’s Crested Ibis, December 2022.

Tatiana Stratenco, BMA in Piano, third year, undergraduate winner of the OU Concerto Competition, November 2022.

Tatiana Stratenco, BMA in Piano, third year, MTNA South Central Division Young Artist Piano Competition, Alternate, November 2022.

Gregory Worthley, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a post-graduate fellowship at the New School for Music Study, August 2022.

Mimi Zhang, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, second year, awarded first prize in the Orbetello International Piano Competition online division. David Mach, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, second year, awarded second prize in the Orbetello International Piano Competition online division.

MTNA 2022 Collegiate Piano Pedagogy Symposium: Katie Ostrosky, PhD in Music Education with emphasis in Piano Pedagogy, third year, invited to give the plenary session at MTNA Collegiate Piano Pedagogy Symposium with her lecture: Playing to Our Strengths: Strategies for Students with ADHD. Hayden Coie, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, fourth year, accepted to present with the topic: Soundscapes: Experimenting with 20th Century Sounds Through Intermediate Repertoire. Devin Weckstein, BA in Piano, second year, accepted to present with the topic: Why, What, and How: Applying Universal Design for Learning in the Piano Studio.

Meldy Tanako, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, second year, named Grand Prize winner in the New York International Young Musicians Competition, January 2022.

Jenna Klein, PhD in Piano Pedagogy, successfully defended her dissertation, “An Examination of Collegiate Piano Majors’ Experiences Learning, Beliefs About, and Confidence in Selecting and Teaching Literature by Diverse Composers,” December 2021.

Jenna Klein, PhD in Piano Pedagogy, fourth year, presented two sessions at the CMS National Conference: Expanding the Repertoire: An Exploration of the Pedagogical Works of Theresa Carreño, Florence Price, and Germaine Tailleferre and Piano Music by Female Composers and Composers of Color: Selections for Elementary to Early Advanced Levels, October 2021.

Omar Roy, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina, August 2021.

David Mach, DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, second year, named 3rd prize winner at the inaugural Virtual New Orleans Piano Institute International Competition, August 2021.

Emily Rudquist, MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, accepted a post-graduate fellowship at the New School for Music Study, August 2021.