Save the dates for the
87th FSMTA Annual Conference
October 21-24!
Call to Conference
Mark your calendars now for what promises to be an inspirational and impactful conference next year. Whether the conference takes place in person or virtually, the Conference Committee is excited to announce the names of both our 2021 Conference Artist and Keynote Speaker. We are confident that both are outstanding choices to help fulfill the conference theme, “Breaking Barriers Through Music.”
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Our Conference Artist: William Chapman Nyaho
William Chapman Nyaho, a Ghanaian-American pianist with degrees from Oxford, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Texas at Austin, Nyaho is uniquely positioned as an advocate of music by composers from Africa and of African descent. Speaking of his recording of music from the African diaspora, Maya Angelou wrote that it holds “moments of discovery so delicious that the listeners will be made to laugh out loud . . . .” Nyaho was recently announced as a featured artist for the 2021 National Conference of MTNA, so we are indeed fortunate to host him as our Conference Artist. Click here for Nyaho’s bio and his video called Music from Home. |
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Our Keynote Speaker: Adrian Anantawan
We are equally thrilled with the guest speaker who will be presenting the Keynote Address. Adrian Anantawan is a world-class violinist who has studied with Ida Kavafian, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zukerman and has performed at the White House, the Vancouver Winter Olympics, and the Dalai Lama as well as the guest of major orchestras in the US and Canada. The fact that he was born without a right hand did not deter him from his musical aspirations, and what others might view as a disability has led Adrian to develop a unique approach to bowing the violin that has created what he views as his own “sonic fingerprint.” Most recently, Adrian has pursued the development of adaptive technology to assist children with disabilities to succeed in their efforts to make music and “reveal their inner humanity.” Click here for Adrian's bio and his video called The Story Behind the Notes, a video highlighting Adrian’s inspiring story. |
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Our Plenary Session Presenter: Lois Sward Pianist Lois Svard has received critical acclaim for her performances and recordings of contemporary American piano music. She is also well-known for her work in applying current neuroscience research to the study and performance of music. She has presented her work at numerous colleges and universities and at national science conferences and at national and international music conferences including ISME, MTNA, the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, the London International Piano Symposium and the European Piano Teachers Association. She has taught a university course on neuroscience and music and writes The Musician’s Brain, a blog that has introduced readers in more than 120 countries to some of the latest research in neuroscience and music. Svard received her DMA from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and is Professor of Music Emerita at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where she received the 2007 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching and the 2014 Artistic Achievement Award. |
Be sure to keep checking back on the website and in our newsletter for more updates. It is our hope to see you in person next October for what will undoubtedly be a memorable conference.
Gail Berenson and Charles Turon, Conference Co-Chairs