November Updates

It's November and the holiday season is approaching! Students have already been making amazing progress in the last 2 months. We have some exciting events coming up before the end of the calendar year.

GROUP PERFORMANCE CLASS

Friday, November 17 @ 4:45: Group Performance Class - Concerto and Repertoire Recital! This class will be a "recital format" to help us get ready for the Concerto Competition and other performances. Families are welcome to attend, but please RSVP so I can have enough chairs available. November is also the start of our annual Piano Pal project! Students will receive their "secret pal" at the next lesson.

Our last group class featured another Piano Challenge - Sloth/Turtle Practice! Students are invited to bring in their sheets for a prize.

CONCERTO COMPETITION:

This competition is free and open to the public. I highly recommend that you attend, as some of Olympia's top young pianists are represented here! The schedule will be posted under “Events”.

Saturday/Sunday: OMTA Concerto Competition (Gospel Outreach Church)

1. Saturday, Nov. 18, 11:30-5pm: Elementary, Lower Intermediate, and Upper Intermediate Divisions

2. Sunday, Nov. 19, 3-6:30pm: Advnaced A (Baroque/Classical) and Advanced B (Romantic/Contemporary) Divisions. The first prize winners of both Advanced A and B will be featured as soloists with the OCO in February!

WINTER RECITALS

Winter Recitals - 2 opportunities to perform in our communities!

1. Sunday, December 3 @ 1pm: Providence Christmas Forest Recital - We have been invited once again to perform at the Christmas Forest. This is a (very) informal performance format to share your Christmas, Classical and Jazz favorites with the community. In addition, all performers receive free admission to view the fabulous Christmas Forest! More information, bidding and purchase can be found here: www. https://www.provforest.org

2. Saturday, Dec. 9 @ Barnes and Noble, 11:30am. Come share your holiday, Classical and Jazz tunes for our Olympia community and do a little Christmas shopping at B&N on this day! A percentage of the proceeds from sales during the day will go to the OMTA student programs/scholarships.

We also want to wish Anoova the very best as she heads to CWU for the Outstanding Artist Piano Competition on Sunday. She will perform a fully memorized program of Mozart, Scriabin, Grieg and Rachmaninoff. This competition features some of the best young pianists in the entire state, and it is a great honor to participate! It was also great to see many of you at the last OSO concert where Chloe performed Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto, what a fantastic performance!

That's all for now! This email covered a lot of material, so please let me know if you have any questions!

Master Teachers Share Expertise with Olympia Students

October was a month of several masterclass opportunities! Students from our studio and beyond were able to gain from the insights of visiting master teachers. First, Dr. Stephen Moore came, one of the foremost world experts on Dalcroze Technique. He’s also a former teacher of Ramona! Second, Dr. William Chapman Nyaho stayed in Olympia for 2 days full of lessons. He is a world-class pedagogue, and students really enjoyed how fun he made each piece! Famed Russian pianist from Yale, Boris Berman, gave a master class at UPS, wonderful insights! Lastly, Mackenzie Melemed performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Symphony Tacoma and afterwards gave a masterclass for a small number of students with excellent teaching tips. I’m so happy students were able to take advantage of these amazing teachers!

Chloe and the OSO Triumphantly take on Tchaikovsky!

October 15, 2023: Chloe and the Olympia Symphony Orchestra performed Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto to a nearly sold-out crowd of admirers and music and arts lovers. The stunning performance had everyone on their feet with shouts of encores and bravos all around!

The backstory: It has been months of preparation for this moment. When Chloe won the inaugural OSO Young Artist competition in January, it was with the expectation that she would perform the rollicking 7-minute THIRD movement of the Tchaikovsky. However, the monumental FIRST movement had been on her “dream list” of pieces to learn for several years (it’s much harder than the 3rd movement, and over 20 minutes long!), so we put in a request to change it. Then in February, Maestra Alex asked if Chloe would like to perform the entire concerto - wow! Chloe was thrilled to be asked and eagerly agreed to it! It felt like a huge honor to be asked to do this. By early summer, Chloe finished learning the 1st and 2nd movements. She then performed it at as many places and for as many people as we could (more than 10 times) between July and October. We thank all of the wonderful friends, relatives, and teachers who supported Chloe by coming to these pre-concerts - some even came twice!

The week of the performance, there were 2 rehearsals with the orchestra; Chloe also played for two master lessons, had a chamber orchestra clinic 2 days before, a radio interview, and the PSAT the day before - it was a crazy schedule! The day of the concert, there was a full dress rehearsal ending less than 2 hours before show time, with an interview in between!

So many friends, family, and supporters came to the concert for which we are so appreciative! Chloe says it was the BEST day of her life!!! We thank all of the wonderful people who came with support and encouragement along the way!

Lang Lang Comes to Seattle!

For the Silver Anniversary of Benaroya Hall, superstar pianist Lang Lang was the featured guest artist. He is a true artist in every sense of the word! The audience was blown away by his Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 with the stunning Seattle Symphony. He played 2 encores: Moon over the Lake, and Rainbow Connection!

Yes, we’re fans! We signed up for a subscription to Seattle Symphony just for Lang Lang. (There’s a great lineup of artists!)

October Concerts!

There are three upcoming concerts this October! Everyone is invited!

First Concert, October 15, 3pm: Chloe and the OSO! As the inaugural winner of the Olympia Symphony Young Artist competition, Chloe will be performing the Tchaikovsky 1st Piano Concerto with them at their October concert. Tickets and more information can be found here: https://www.olympiasymphony.org/23-24-season. Let’s all come out and support our own Chloe!

Second Concert, Oct. 23, 6:15pm: Ramona and Friends will perform chamber music by Bach, Dvorak, de Falla, and Behrens. The theme will be “Storytelling in Music”! This series always sells out and is preceded by a delicious wine and h’ors-d’oeuvre buffet. Ticket infomation is below, and the deadline for purchase is October 9.

Third Concert, October 29 @ 2:30pm: Olympia Chamber Orchestra performs Saint-Saens beloved “Carnival of the Animals”. Ramona & Hannah will perform as duo-pianists in this piece. Tickets and information can be found here! https://www.olympiachamberorchestra.org/performances

French Style

PROGRAM*

Emelie Mayer -- Overture No. 2 in D
Dario Argentesi -- Suite for Low Budget Orchestra
W.A. Mozart -- Symphony No. 31 "Paris"
Camille Saint-Saëns -- The Carnival of the Animals
Hye-Kyeong "Hannah" Cho & Ramona Allen, piano

Happy Fall and Welcome to the 2023-24 School Year!

Dear Piano Families:

Welcome to Fall Lessons! I hope it’s been a great summer, and I can’t wait to hear all about it and get started for the new school year! This email contains info on TWO events.

MASTER LESSONS OCT 13-14

Lessons are just starting up, and we already have a Master Lesson opportunity to sign up for! Dr. William Chapman Nyaho will be here Oct. 13 and 14 to share his expertise. He is back by popular demand and is EXCELLENT! This would be a great opportunity to perform your concerto for a nationally-recognized pedagogue. Friday, Oct. 13 is a No-School day for OSD! Lessons are $85/hour, which is a greatly discounted rate for us. Please let me know if you would like 30, 45, or 60 min. Time slots are available at:

Friday Oct. 13: 2-6pm

Saturday Oct. 14: 9-10:30am

STONEWELL SENIOR CARE PERFORMANCES

Many of you have performed for the lovely senior citizens at Stonewell Senior Home, near my house. We have been providing music for them weekly for the past 2+ years, and they sure do appreciate seeing and hearing you. This is a wonderful low-key performance opportunity, as well as a chance to do some community service through sharing your music. I would encourage everyone to do it at least a few times, especially before recitals, MAP, and competitions. Everyone taking part in Concerto Competition in November should sign up, and you can take a friend, family member or another student with you. Please let me know which weeks you are available.

Day and Time: Friday afternoons, 4-4:30pm

Address: 4931 Stonewell Ln SE, Olympia, 98501

Available Dates:

9/15

9/22

9/29

10/6

10/13

10/20

10/27

11/10

11/17

12/1

12/15

12/22

I’m looking forward to another fantastic year of music-making!

WSMTA Annual Conference Update

WSMTA Conference, Winthrop: June 26-28. A refreshing and educational time for the piano teachers - lots of classes, recitals and meeting old and new colleagues!

Alexander performs at WSMTA Convention, June 28 @ 11am, Sun Mountain Lodge (Winthrop). This recital features winners and alternate of the Honors Competitions around the state. Congratulations!

Alexander nailed his performance of “Laser Light Show” - awesome job - the audience loved it! Here, we are enjoying the beautiful scenery and sunshine after the concert!

Music Literacy Program - Gold Seals

Students who participated in the MLP exam in the spring received beautiful ribbons and certificates from the State. Those scoring above 94% will have their names listed on the state newsletter, and their certificates will have a gold seal (see below).

Landon shows off his gold seal and certificate for MLP - good job!

Our studio participants were Grant, Josie, Landon, Alexander, Charles and Sally.

Masterworks Choral Ensemble Concert w/ Chloe

The final MCE concert of the season featured two winners of the Youth Music Competition…including our own Chloe! Chloe won the Middle School division back in 2019, but her performance was delayed due to the pandemic. She performed Debussy’s Toccata from “Pour le Piano” to wild applause!

Closing out the 2022-2023 Piano Year

A reminder that our final Group Performance lesson will be this coming Tuesday, May 30, 4:30-6pm...one last chance to practice performing before the National Guild Auditions and our Spring Studio Recital! This will be a combined class for Elementary, Middle and High school; students are welcome to stay for all or just part of it. Come ready to perform and also give feedback to your fellow young pianists!

Next Sunday, June 4, is National Guild Auditions (St. Martins University)! This is our big culminating project, reflecting the amazing work of the past 9 months. I am so proud of these incredible students. Only a week and a half to go, so push yourself to do your very best!

The week of June 5 is our last week of Spring Quarter lessons, ending with our Studio Recital on June 11, featuring all of our talented students (1-2pm at Good Shepherd Lutheran). It's free and open to the public, so bring family and friends!

It has been a fantastic and awesome year of piano music-making! I have enjoyed working with the students immensely! Let me know if you have any questions.

National Guild - Schedule is posted

National Guild Auditions are Sunday, June 4 from 9-4pm at St. Martins University. Our judge this year is Linda Chu. Only the student and judge will be allowed in the room, with parent/family seating outside.

Please remember to:

1. Bring all of your music pieces, with the scores marked. Measures should be numbered for pieces longer than 1 page.

2. Dress nicely.

3. Be prepared to play your technique (technical phases). All pieces are to be played from memory.

4. Smile! Have confidence for all of your hard work - you will do GREAT!

9:00 Grace (1st year! EA)

9:15 Josie (2nd year - EC)

9:35 Landon (4th year - EF)

10:00 Grant (1st year! IA)

10:30 BREAK

10:45 Max (5/8th year - Int)

11:15 Chloe (12th year - PS)

12:05 LUNCH

1:05 Sky (6/8th year - PC)

1:50 Judah (1st year! EA)

2:05 Judson (8th year - IF)

2:35 BREAK

2:50 Alexander (3rd year - IA)

3:17 Charles (1st year! IA)

3:45 Sally (1st year! EB)

I am so proud of these students and this huge accomplishment! Since everyone has learned a 10-piece program, I encourage all of the students to put on informal recitals for family and friends before (and after) the Guild Auditions. This will help to practice poise and performance practice, as well as sharing their beautiful music with their loved ones.

Pop/Jazz & MLP/Theory & MCE Updates

Talk about a busy day! May 13 had at least three piano/musical events going on in Olympia.

Pop, Jazz, Ensemble Recital at Gloria Dei - Grant, Landon, Grace, Sally, Josie, Charles, and Alexander all gave the audience toe-tapping renditions of songs such as: “Weeping Willow Rag”, “Chocolate Eatin’ Piano Player Blues”, “This Land is Your Land”, “The Chicken Dance”, “River Flows in You”, and “Don’t Stop Believin’” Quartet! All students got to celebrate with a soda “pop” of their choice.

Before and after the Pop Recital, six of our students participated in the Music Literacy Program theory tests, from levels 1 to 7. Congratulations to all of them, everyone passed with 90% or higher! We even had one 100%. Students received a beautiful ribbon for passing.

Sally, Level 1 - 100%; Charles, Level 4 - 99%; Alexander, Level 7 - 98%; Josie, Level 2 - 90%; Grant, Level 5 - 90%; Landon, Level 4 - 94% - AMAZING JOB, everyone!

Lastly, props to Alexander who took part in the Masterworks Chorale Ensemble Youth Competition, performing “Laser Light Show” by Jennifer Bowman. Fantastic job!

Clinks and cheers for a great recital!

Young Pianists Perform at Local Retirement Home

In the past year and a half, quite a few our students have gone to perform at Stonewell Senior Home. This lovely residence for the elderly has an old grand piano, and students are welcomed and their music is always appreciated! The residents also love to talk to the students and share about their lives. We go almost every Friday afternoon. It’s a great way to spread our music and love to our community. I hope all students have a chance to go! Here is a photo of 3 students who went this past week.

District IV Honor's Recital, May 7

The District IV Honor Recital featured some of the top students from Clark County, Mason County, Lewis County and Olympia. Lasting about 45 min, students performed a wide range of repertoire beautifully. Chloe and Alexander represented Olympia and our studio very well! All of these students were selected from the regional WSMTA Honor Recital Competitions back in March, and all were the top prizewinners and alternates. In addition, they are invited to be honored and perform at the State Conference recitals on June. What a fun and inspiring concert!

Chloe and Alexander are all smiles after their fabulous performances at Centralia Church of the Nazarene!

May News! Events and Happenings

As May arrives, the end of the school year is in sight! We have only 6 more weeks until the end of our Piano Year. All of these wonderful students have worked hard and made amazing progress in the past months. It has been delightful to see them every week, growing and learning as pianists and human beings!

This month and next, we have quite a few events, both optional and not!

May 7 @ 3pm: District IV Honors Recital - features winners of the regional honors competitions. Winners will be eligible to perform at the State Conference! Centralia, Church of the Nazarene. Congrats to Chloe and Alexander who will represent Olympia and our studio! Free and open to the public!

May 13 @ 11:15: Pop/Jazz/Duet Festival at Gloria Dei Lutheran, followed by the Music Literacy Program Theory exam. This fun and exciting event is free and open to the public. Grace, Sally, Charles, Landon, Alexander, Grant, and Josie will be taking part, playing pieces such as “This Land is Your Land”, “The Chicken Dance”, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “River Flows in You”, “Weeping Willow Rag”, and more!

May 13 @ 10am: Masterworks Chorale Ensemble Competition - Good Luck to Alexander!

June 4, all day: National Guild Auditions! This is the big day we’ve all been preparing for. All students will perform up to 10 memorized pieces/phases for a wonderful judge. What a huge accomplishment!

June 11, 1pm: Studio Spring Recital - An awesome culmination of the piano year! End of Spring Quarter.

Other newsworthy items…Congratulations to our Scale Olympians! See “News” below for who won Gold, Silver, and Bronze!

“4 Pianists For Piano”

Thanks to all who came out for our “4 Pianists For Piano” concert. What a great crowd!

Congrats to Luke!

He was featured in the most recent Piano Guild Magazine as a scholarship winner, and recipient of both the High School Diploma and Paderewski Medal. He is now finishing his first year at UW as an engineering major, and enjoys playing the piano frequently in his spare time!

April Group Performance Classes

Here is recap of our April Group Performance Classes. Everyone had a chance to perform a piece for the class, as well as give feedback and comments to their fellow musicians. And Scale Olympics was back in session! Student had 2 minutes to perform as many technical phases from their Guild levels. Congratulations to everyone for their hard work, much improvement was made. Winners are listed below!

Elem/Middle Class:

Gold: Alexander (35 points); Silver: Grant (25 points); Bronze: Judah (24 points)

Middle/High Class:

Gold: Judson (30 points); Silver: Chloe (18 points); Bronze: Charles (17 points)

For our last class, we had a new monthly challenge - the Scale Challenge! Three students successfully completed it. Congratulations to Grace, Landon, and Judah!