November and December Piano Events!

November means the holidays are coming...and lots of music! Here are upcoming piano events for your calendar. You can also find these on this website under “Events”.

1. Studio "Concerto" Recital: This recital is an extra performance opportunity, featuring students from our studio who are participating in the 22nd Annual OMTA Concerto Competition. All are invited, free to the public! You will be amazed at the talent of these young pianists, so please come if able!

Date: Friday, Nov. 12, 7pm

Location: Gospel Outreach Church (South Bay Rd)

2. Concerto Competition:

Elementary division: Saturday, Nov. 20, @ 1pm (Alexander, Landon, Sam)

Upper Intermdiate: Saturday, Nov. 20 @ 4:15pm (Calvin)

Advanced A: Sunday, Nov. 21 @ 2pm (Sky, Michael)

Advanced B: Sunday, Nov. 22 @ 4pm (Christine, Chloe, Gabriel)

Free and open to the public.

3. Group Performance Classes: Monday, Nov. 22 (Thanksgiving Week)- Piano Pals will be announced!

Class A: 3:45-4:35pm (K-6th - Alexander, Josie, Callum, Linnea, Landon, Sam, Malia, Eleanor, Katherine, Samuel, Derek)

Class B: 4:45-5:45pm (7th-12th - Sky, Michael, Luke, Calvin, Chloe, Gabriel, Christine, Max, Judson, Gavin)

4. Christmas Performance at the Mall:

Come share your holiday, jazz, and classical favorites for our community!

Location: West end of the mall, near shoe store

Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 5 @ 2:30-3:30pm

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18th International Chopin Competition, Oct. 2-23, 2021

The 18th International Chopin Competition is concluding this week in Warsaw, Poland! Beginning in 1927, it typically happens every 5 years. Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) is one of the best known and loved composers for the piano. Born in Poland, he is one of Poland’s most celebrated artists.

From over 500 applicants, to preliminaries during the summer, the competition has gone through 3 stages, beginning Oct. 2, and is now in the final round, featuring 12 of the world’s best young pianists. Watch live on YouTube, or go to www.chopin2020.pl for videos of all of these world-class pianists. The artistry and talent on display is breathtaking!

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October 2021 Happenings

Happy October! A few studio highlights this month....

STUDIO CHALLENGE!

You may have noticed your student coming home with the EARLY BIRD STUDIO CHALLENGE! This optional activity is to encourage everyone to practice in the morning hours (when minds and bodies are fresh!) and get their practice done right away. Students who fill out 10 or more days on their chart will receive a prize at our Group Lesson on Oct. 27.

GROUP LESSONS

Speaking of Group Lessons, our first ones will be Wednesday, October 27! We will have small classes to give everyone enough time and distance. Come prepared to perform for your fellow young pianists! We will also delve into music theory games, composer stories, performance practice, and musically themed snacks.

1. K-6th grade: Oct. 27 @ 3:45-4:35pm

2. 7th-12th Repertoire Group: 4:45-5:35pm

3. 7th-12th Concerto Group: 5:45-6:45pm

MASTER LESSONS

Some of our students will be taking part in Master Lessons with Dr. Ricardo de la Torre on October 23. More information will be sent to participating students (you know who you are!).

CONCERTO COMPETITION

Also, a number of students will be taking part in the annual Concerto Competition, Nov. 20-21. Registration/fee deadline is October 12. I will be sending an email about this to participating students soon.

Let me know if you have any questions. It's looking like an exciting fall!

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Summer Student Insights

One thing I love about teaching students are the remarkable comments they make. Here are a couple from this summer. Can you guess who might have said them?

“Can you imagine being alive when Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata first dropped??!! It’d be the No. 1 break up song!”

“The melodic minor scale is just a mash up between a major and a minor scale.” That’s right! It’s a major scale with a lowered 3rd!

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Welcome to the 2021-2022 Piano Year!

Dear Students and Families:

Welcome to the 2021-2022 Piano Year! Fall Lessons will begin the week fo September 13, 2021. Please see check out our studio calendar of events, studio updates, covid-19 protocols, and articles on our students.

I thank you for your patience in getting all of the information out to you. A few weeks ago, our beloved 82 year old grandmother/mother (in-law) passed away. We were her primary caregivers for the past couple years and spent many hours together, especially in the last 6 months We are grateful for her life and she will be missed by our family. We also dropped off my oldest at college a few days ago!

I am looking forward to another wonderful year of music-making and learning with these delightful and talented students! Please let me know if you have any questions, and I will see you all the week of Sept. 13.

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In Regards to Covid...

Just a couple short months ago, I was optimistic that Covid-19 was in our rearview mirror! At this time, in our studio, we will continue our in-person lessons with our pandemic protocols:

  1. masks for everyone

  2. physical distnacing

  3. hand-washing upon entry into studio

  4. sanitizing keyboard between students

  5. no visitors in studio

Please DO NOT come to lessons if you are feeling unwell. We will immediately switch your lesson to a Zoom or FaceTime lesson. In addition, if you have an exposure requiring quarantine, please switch to an online lesson.

We will continue to follow guidelines of our health officials in regards to in-person private and group lessons, recitals, competitions, etc.

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Paderewski Medal Winners Announced!

Students who perform winning National level programs (10 memorized pieces and technique) for 10 years are eligible to earn the Paderewski Medal for their impressive accomplishment.

This year, we have two students who have achieved this goal. LUCAS, a 10th grader at OHS, earned his 10 year as a National Winner! CHLOE, an 8th grader at WMS, earned her 9th and 10th years as a National Winner!

Congratulations to both of you for this significant achievement!

Lucas and Chloe are proud recipients of the Paderewski Medal!

Lucas and Chloe are proud recipients of the Paderewski Medal!

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2021 Spring Quarter Draws to a Close

Dear Piano Families,

NATIONAL GUILD UPDATE

All day yesterday (and part of Friday), were full of National Guild Auditions. Wow, what amazing music! Everyone came prepared to perform 10 memorized pieces for our Guild Judge, Lita Consolacion. She was very pleased to hear you, and I'm happy to announce, every single student received a Superior Plus, the highest rating! You should all be very proud of your hard work and performance! I will be discussing the report cards with students this week, our final week of Spring Quarter.

SPRING RECITAL

Our Piano Quarter will culminate with the Spring Recital this Thursday, June 10, at 7pm. It will be LIVE, hooray! Our last studio recital was 1.5 years ago! We will be at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (North St. and Henderson Blvd). The venue requires that everyone sanitize upon entering, wear a mask, sit in designated pews (no moving seats), and mingle outside before and after the event. Refreshments are not allowed in the building, but of course, I will have treats prepared for students and families to take and enjoy!

END OF QUARTER

In addition to discussing the (stellar!) results of Guild Auditions, in the final week of lessons, we will discuss plans for the 2021-22 school year and summer music ideas. Please come ready to share your ideas. We will also work on Spring Recital pieces. It's been quite a year! The recital is a celebration of these students and beautiful music. Students, HAVE FUN with your recital pieces on Thursday!

Please let me know if you have any questions! Summer lesson dates will begin in July!

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Gabriel and Chloe perform for Concerto Winners Concert!

You are invited to watch Gabriel and Chloe perform Beethoven and Grieg Concerti with the OCO!

YouTube premiere link - https://youtu.be/RbYZIXrZzq0

The OCO and the OMTA Concerto Competition Winners will present a concert featuring our own GABRIEL and CHLOE! Gabriel, 16yo OHS student, won the Advanced A division with Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto (3rd movt). Chloe, 14yo WMS student, won the Advanced B division with Grieg’s Piano Concerto (1st movt).

The concert is virtual. We are THANKFUL for the OCO players and their conductor, Nickolas Carlson, who continue with their craft despite the circumstances, and worked so hard to make this concert happen. Please support Gabriel, Chloe, and the OCO, by sharing the concert link with your family and friends, and consider a donation to the OCO!

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37. III. Rondo. Gabriel Ong, Piano Soloist DeRon Wilson, violin I Rosalie Romano, violin II Anna Ashenberner, viola Casey Felt, cello Edward Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16. I. Allegro molto moderato. Chloe Song, Piano soloist Steven Lovinger & Rosalie Romano, violin I DeRon Wilson & Nate Berry, violin II Anna Ashenberner, viola I Brita Berry & Julie Funchion-Sandvig, viola II Casey Felt, cello I Lucy Winter, cello II Bill Duris, bass The Olympia Chamber Orchestra welcomes any and all donations! Donations help us keep the music going, and allow us to continue to support the OMTA concerto competition winners, rent and purchase music, rent rehearsal and performance spaces, insurance costs, printing costs, and personnel needs. Donations can be made on our website: www.olympiachamberorchestra.org/support.

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Chloe and Gabriel perform at ChopinNW!

Chloe is all smiles with her Gold Medal…congratulations!

Chloe is all smiles with her Gold Medal…congratulations!

Two of our students, Chloe and Gabriel, took part in the prestigious ChopinNW Competition. Chloe performed Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2 in Bb Minor. Gabriel performed the Etude “Winter Wind” & Nocturne in E minor. Both received comments from well-known judges. Chloe was awarded the Gold Medal! Way to go!!!

You can see Gabriel’s performance here: https://youtu.be/XSkFCIQy2lk

You can see Chloe’s performance here: https://youtu.be/RJupimEWhbQ

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MAP 2021 is a Wrap!

Another Music Artistry Program comes to a successful conclusion! 14 young pianists from our studio each performed 2 memorized selections for our Visiting Artist, Dr. Nicole Kim. Dr. Kim, a Steinway Artist, was delighted to hear all of you. Her message is that you are all so talented, and she wants you to have FUN with your music!

Due to the pandemic, we will not be having an Honors Recital. Instead, names will be featured on the OMTA website. Dr. Kim selected 3 winners and a number of Honorable Mentions.

Honors Recital Winners: Michael Z, Gabriel O, Chloe S

Honorable Mention: Luke M, Christine Z, Sky L, Gavin S, Lucas A, Calvin A, Max D, Linnea A, Landon A

Spirit Award (assigned by Dr. Kim for perseverance of spirit despite a broken arm 10 days before MAP): Judson K.

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WSMTA Honors Competition Results!

Congratulations to all students participating in the 2021 WSMTA honors competition! Winners will be featured at the State Conference (virtually) in June. It was a pleasure to hear your beautiful and exciting music, live! Drs. Kim and de la Torre were full of praise for these recitals.

And the results….

Winner: Chloe Song

Alternate: Gabriel Ong

Honorable Mention: Michael Zhao, Calvin Aldrich

With the high level of playing, even if you did not get an award, we all loved hearing you! In fact, there are plans to open the recitals to the public next year, so more people can hear our fabulous young Olympia pianists.

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WSMTA Honors Competition Recitals

On Saturday, March 6, we had our annual WSMTA Honors Recital Competition! This was a momentous occasion, as our last live event took place at this same time one full year ago! We were able to have 3 vey small-sized, socially distanced recital, and it was a joy to hear all of the (live!) beautiful music! There were toes tapping and smiles on the faces of the audience members. Our judges were Dr. Nicole Kim and Dr. Ricardo de la Torre. Congratulations to each of our performers from our studio! Results will be posted after MAP is finished.

Some of the pieces we heard were:

Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag by Calvin

Etude Allegro (Nakada) by Max

Les sons et les parfums tournent dans en l’air du soir (“Sounds and fragrances swirl in the evening air") by Michael

Debussy’s Bruyeres (“Heather”) by Megan

Chopin’s Winter Wind Etude, Op. 25, No. 11 by Gabriel

Pietzonka’s Tarantella by Christine

Debussy’s Prelude by Chloe

What a great afternoon of music! Congrats to all of you!

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Music Artistry Program - Schedule Posted!

We are scheduled with Dr. Nicole Kim on Tuesday, March 9. Please come to my house 5 minutes before your scheduled time, and bring your music. We plan to be on ZoomPro with her at this time. All pandemic protocols will continue to be followed.

DATE: Tuesday, March 9

SCHEDULE:

9 - Landon

9:15 - Linnea

9:30 - Max

10 - Calvin

10:50 - Gabriel

11:20 - Megan

11:50-12:50 LUNCH BREAK

12:50 - Lucas

1:15 - Luke

1:45 - Judson

2:05 - Christine

2:35 - Gavin

3:15 - Chloe

3:45 - Michael

4:15 - Sky

4:45 - Oral Consult

5:05 - Sky/Alexander

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Piano Pal 2021 - Annual Student Composition Project

It’s January! For quite a few years, January means our studio-wide Composition Project, the Piano Pal! Each student wrote an amazing piece for a fellow young pianist, inspiring each other. Fourteen new and original compositions for the new year!

Ocean Orcas by Landon

Cat Nap by Linnea

Purple Otters by Max

Tennibesque by Judson

Sweet Dream by Gavin

Oiseau Flappy by Chloe

Bellsprout by Christine

Tundra by Sky

Flight of Mysterious Proportions by Lucas

C.A.T. (Clever, Angry, Tranquil) by Calvin

Purple Skies by Gabriel

Cabin in December by Luke

Baroque Orange by Michael

Inception of a Ballade by Megan

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