Annual Awards
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Award Applications
Contact Ricardo Pozenatto, [email protected], for more information or help with these forms.
Award Applications
- FSMTA Local Association of the Year Award
- FSMTA Excellence in Teaching Award
- FSMTA Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award
Contact Ricardo Pozenatto, [email protected], for more information or help with these forms.
FSMTA Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award - 2023
Marc Hebda, FSMTA Distinguished Teacher of the Year Recipient for 2023
After pre-college studies at the American Conservatory of Music, Chicago, Marc J. Hebda earned a B.M. in piano performance from Butler University, a M.M. in piano performance from Bowling Green State University, and an ARCM from the Royal College of Music, London, England. Notable teachers include John Browning, Jerome Rose, Benjamin Kaplan and Carola Grindea. Additional postgraduate studies were completed at Florida State University with Leonard Mastrogiacomo, while also teaching piano and music theory at the university. Marc is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Kappa Phi.
Marc has maintained a private piano studio at Main Street Music, Inc., in Tallahassee, where he is also the company’s chief financial administrator. Marc is a frequent adjudicator for piano festivals and competitions, including the Florida State Music Teachers Association (FSMTA) District Student Day, District Concerto Competition, and state competitions. Marc also serves as Chair of the University Musical Associates Executive Committee for the Florida State University College of Music and on the Board of Directors of the Chopin Foundation of the United States of America.
A member of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), FSMTA, and Tallahassee Music Teachers Association (TMTA) since 1987, Marc has held a number of local and state offices over the years. At the local level Marc has served as TMTA President, Vice President, and Membership Chair. Prior to being President of FSMTA and FSMT Foundation, Marc served as Vice President for Membership, Vice President for District and Local Associations, Parliamentarian, and state conference chair in 2009 and 2014. He was honored in 2014 to have received a MTNA Fellow from his esteemed peers in Florida. While serving as MTNA’s Southern Division Director-Elect from 2012-2014, Marc also served on the MTNA Membership Committee. From 2014-2016 he served as the Southern Division Director, Collaborative Performance Forum Chair, and on two special ad-hoc committees. Marc is currently the FSMTF Treasurer, an FSMTA Director, and the FSMTA Parliamentarian.
Marc Hebda, FSMTA Distinguished Teacher of the Year Recipient for 2023
After pre-college studies at the American Conservatory of Music, Chicago, Marc J. Hebda earned a B.M. in piano performance from Butler University, a M.M. in piano performance from Bowling Green State University, and an ARCM from the Royal College of Music, London, England. Notable teachers include John Browning, Jerome Rose, Benjamin Kaplan and Carola Grindea. Additional postgraduate studies were completed at Florida State University with Leonard Mastrogiacomo, while also teaching piano and music theory at the university. Marc is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Kappa Phi.
Marc has maintained a private piano studio at Main Street Music, Inc., in Tallahassee, where he is also the company’s chief financial administrator. Marc is a frequent adjudicator for piano festivals and competitions, including the Florida State Music Teachers Association (FSMTA) District Student Day, District Concerto Competition, and state competitions. Marc also serves as Chair of the University Musical Associates Executive Committee for the Florida State University College of Music and on the Board of Directors of the Chopin Foundation of the United States of America.
A member of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), FSMTA, and Tallahassee Music Teachers Association (TMTA) since 1987, Marc has held a number of local and state offices over the years. At the local level Marc has served as TMTA President, Vice President, and Membership Chair. Prior to being President of FSMTA and FSMT Foundation, Marc served as Vice President for Membership, Vice President for District and Local Associations, Parliamentarian, and state conference chair in 2009 and 2014. He was honored in 2014 to have received a MTNA Fellow from his esteemed peers in Florida. While serving as MTNA’s Southern Division Director-Elect from 2012-2014, Marc also served on the MTNA Membership Committee. From 2014-2016 he served as the Southern Division Director, Collaborative Performance Forum Chair, and on two special ad-hoc committees. Marc is currently the FSMTF Treasurer, an FSMTA Director, and the FSMTA Parliamentarian.
FSMTA Excellence in Teaching Award - 2023
Irena Kofman, FSMTA Excellence in Teaching Award for 2023
The renowned Russian-American pianist has performed around the world to rave reviews as a solo artist and in collaboration with prominent musicians. She is also an award-winning teacher with many of her former piano students attaining great success in their own right as performers and educators throughout the Americas, in the Former Soviet Union, and across Europe.
Dr. Kofman holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Miami, where she studied under Dr. Rosalina Sackstein, a pupil of the legendary Claudio Arrau. She has critically acclaimed recordings on Wisdom Recordings, Loconto Production, and Talent Records. Among other honors, Dr. Kofman was personally chosen by the Dalai Lama to play at his “Compassion as a Pillar of World Peace” presentation and also performed at TEDxBocaRaton.
Early in her career, Dr. Kofman founded the Arcangelo Piano Quartet, a distinguished American chamber ensemble that performed across the United States and internationally. She also formed a duo with the eminent Belgian pianist André De Groote. Their three recorded albums received critical acclaim, with international critic Philip R. Buttall calling their recording of Theodore Gouvy compositions “absolutely first-rate.” Dr. Kofman continues to collaborate with other outstanding musicians such as Japanese violinist Junko Ohtsu, Israeli violist Zvi Carmeli, Swiss cellist Alexander Kaganovsky, and Taiwanese pianist Eric Chen.
As a teacher, Dr. Kofman is sought out by students aspiring to play at the highest levels. She has taught master classes and lectured at Florida State University’s Piano Symposium, the prestigious Salzburg Summer Program in Austria, the International Concerto Festival in Russia, the World Piano Conference in Slovenia, and at the Cremona International Music Academy in Italy. She currently serves as a distinguished piano faculty member at Cremona Music International Academy in Italy and holds the position of Director of Keyboard Studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, USA.
Dr. Kofman’s recent distinguished awards include a gold medal from the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of Diaspora in 2019, the Faculty Fellowship Program to Israel in 2020, a US Fulbright Senior Scholar Award in Taiwan in 2022, and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Florida State Music Teachers Association in 2023. In addition, she received a Diploma of Recognition from the American Protégé International Competition in four consecutive years for “extraordinary dedication and achievement in the field of teaching music and presenting students to perform at Carnegie Hall.”
Irena Kofman, FSMTA Excellence in Teaching Award for 2023
The renowned Russian-American pianist has performed around the world to rave reviews as a solo artist and in collaboration with prominent musicians. She is also an award-winning teacher with many of her former piano students attaining great success in their own right as performers and educators throughout the Americas, in the Former Soviet Union, and across Europe.
Dr. Kofman holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Miami, where she studied under Dr. Rosalina Sackstein, a pupil of the legendary Claudio Arrau. She has critically acclaimed recordings on Wisdom Recordings, Loconto Production, and Talent Records. Among other honors, Dr. Kofman was personally chosen by the Dalai Lama to play at his “Compassion as a Pillar of World Peace” presentation and also performed at TEDxBocaRaton.
Early in her career, Dr. Kofman founded the Arcangelo Piano Quartet, a distinguished American chamber ensemble that performed across the United States and internationally. She also formed a duo with the eminent Belgian pianist André De Groote. Their three recorded albums received critical acclaim, with international critic Philip R. Buttall calling their recording of Theodore Gouvy compositions “absolutely first-rate.” Dr. Kofman continues to collaborate with other outstanding musicians such as Japanese violinist Junko Ohtsu, Israeli violist Zvi Carmeli, Swiss cellist Alexander Kaganovsky, and Taiwanese pianist Eric Chen.
As a teacher, Dr. Kofman is sought out by students aspiring to play at the highest levels. She has taught master classes and lectured at Florida State University’s Piano Symposium, the prestigious Salzburg Summer Program in Austria, the International Concerto Festival in Russia, the World Piano Conference in Slovenia, and at the Cremona International Music Academy in Italy. She currently serves as a distinguished piano faculty member at Cremona Music International Academy in Italy and holds the position of Director of Keyboard Studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, USA.
Dr. Kofman’s recent distinguished awards include a gold medal from the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of Diaspora in 2019, the Faculty Fellowship Program to Israel in 2020, a US Fulbright Senior Scholar Award in Taiwan in 2022, and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Florida State Music Teachers Association in 2023. In addition, she received a Diploma of Recognition from the American Protégé International Competition in four consecutive years for “extraordinary dedication and achievement in the field of teaching music and presenting students to perform at Carnegie Hall.”
FSMTA Local Association of the Year Awards
2011 – Upper Pinellas Music Teachers Association
2007 – SW Florida Music Teachers Association
2006 – Upper Pinellas Music Teachers Association
2002 – Pensacola Music Teachers Association
2000 – Tallahassee Music Teachers Association
2007 – SW Florida Music Teachers Association
2006 – Upper Pinellas Music Teachers Association
2002 – Pensacola Music Teachers Association
2000 – Tallahassee Music Teachers Association
FSMTA Excellence in Teaching Awards
2023 - Irena Kofman (Palm Beach County MTA)
2010 – Mary Lou Krosnick (Jacksonville MTA)
2008 – Helen Niedung (Southwest Florida MTA)
2006 – Evelyn Bliem (Southwest Florida MTA)
2005 – Deborah Ross (Pensacola MTA)
2003 – Leonard Mastrogiacomo (Tallahassee MTA)
2002 – Jean Frank Rose (Palm Beach County MTA)
2000 – Gary Wolf
1998 – Eleanor Wadsworth Morgan
1995 – Rita J. Hutcherson
1992 – Gray Perry (also Honorary Membership)
1992 – Robert Sherwood
1991 – Lucille Sellars (1st teacher to receive this award)
2010 – Mary Lou Krosnick (Jacksonville MTA)
2008 – Helen Niedung (Southwest Florida MTA)
2006 – Evelyn Bliem (Southwest Florida MTA)
2005 – Deborah Ross (Pensacola MTA)
2003 – Leonard Mastrogiacomo (Tallahassee MTA)
2002 – Jean Frank Rose (Palm Beach County MTA)
2000 – Gary Wolf
1998 – Eleanor Wadsworth Morgan
1995 – Rita J. Hutcherson
1992 – Gray Perry (also Honorary Membership)
1992 – Robert Sherwood
1991 – Lucille Sellars (1st teacher to receive this award)
FSMTA Distinguished Teacher of the Year Awards
2023 - Marc Hebda (Tallahassee MTA)
2015 - Helen Morrison (Mid-State MTA)
2014 - Helen Niedung (Southwest Florida MTA; 1st teacher to receive this award)
2015 - Helen Morrison (Mid-State MTA)
2014 - Helen Niedung (Southwest Florida MTA; 1st teacher to receive this award)