2023 Conference Student Honors Recital
Student Honors Recital Program
Friday, October 20 ~ 7:30-8:45 pm ~ B202 Recital Hall
Etude Allegro............................................................................. Yoshinao Nakada (1923-2000)
Eric Tong, piano
Un Sospiro, S. 144, no. 3....................................................................... Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Sasha Yan, piano
Etude in C-sharp Minor, op. 10, no. 4........................................ Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)
Leif Jerde, piano
Trick or Treat Trio................................................................................................. Jennifer Eklund
Triple Dip.................................................................................... Robert D. Vandall (1944-2017)
Sutton, Lilah, & Juliet Hahn, piano
Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2..................................... Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Shreyashi Bodaka, piano
Sonata in D Major, op. 10, no. 3, I. Presto..................... Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
YoYo Qu, piano
The Dance of Waterweeds........................................................................ Du Mingxin (b. 1928)
Lingxi Xu, piano
Shut Up and Dance................................................................................ arr. Nathan Schaumann
Major & Sicily Smith
Liebestraum no. 3 in A-flat Major, S. 541........................................... Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Roman Massey, piano
Prelude & Fugue, op. 29............................................................... Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915)
Huixian Wu, piano
China West Suite, I. Introduction.................................................................... Chen Yi (b. 1953)
Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448...................................... W. A. Mozart (1756-1791)
I. Allegro con spirito
Xiao Liang & Xixi Shen, piano duo
Friday, October 20 ~ 7:30-8:45 pm ~ B202 Recital Hall
Etude Allegro............................................................................. Yoshinao Nakada (1923-2000)
Eric Tong, piano
Un Sospiro, S. 144, no. 3....................................................................... Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Sasha Yan, piano
Etude in C-sharp Minor, op. 10, no. 4........................................ Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)
Leif Jerde, piano
Trick or Treat Trio................................................................................................. Jennifer Eklund
Triple Dip.................................................................................... Robert D. Vandall (1944-2017)
Sutton, Lilah, & Juliet Hahn, piano
Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2..................................... Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Shreyashi Bodaka, piano
Sonata in D Major, op. 10, no. 3, I. Presto..................... Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
YoYo Qu, piano
The Dance of Waterweeds........................................................................ Du Mingxin (b. 1928)
Lingxi Xu, piano
Shut Up and Dance................................................................................ arr. Nathan Schaumann
Major & Sicily Smith
Liebestraum no. 3 in A-flat Major, S. 541........................................... Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Roman Massey, piano
Prelude & Fugue, op. 29............................................................... Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915)
Huixian Wu, piano
China West Suite, I. Introduction.................................................................... Chen Yi (b. 1953)
Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448...................................... W. A. Mozart (1756-1791)
I. Allegro con spirito
Xiao Liang & Xixi Shen, piano duo
Student Honors Recital Bios & Photos
Eric Tong is 10 years old attending 5th grade at McKitrick Elementary School in Lutz, where he recently received Achievement in American Mathematics Competition for middle schoolers. Eric has been playing piano for a little over three years currently studying under the direction of Mrs. Stefanov. In addition to piano, he plays violin. Eric’s recent piano awards include three first prizes in Piano Solo, Piano Concerto and Piano Sight Playing at 2023 FFMC State Convention, Third prize in the 2023 Tampa Young Artist Competition, and Honorable Mention in Piano Solo at 2022 FFMC State Convention. Eric was also chosen to participate in 2023 ACIMA X “Musart” music festival in New York.
In his spare time Eric likes to read, play chess, and play with his younger brother.
In his spare time Eric likes to read, play chess, and play with his younger brother.
Sasha Yan is 11 years old, and she started playing piano at the age of 6. She is the first prize winner of the 2022 Florida Federation of Music Clubs Junior Convention Piano solo, piano duet, and sight playing in Elementary Class III. She is the first prize winner of the 2023 Oxana Yablonskaya Piano Institute Kovachevitsa Piano Festival Category C (Junior Group). She took masterclasses with Oxana Yablonskaya, Tamila Azadaliyeva, and Laia Martin in July, 2023. She also took private lessons with Dr. Jasmine Arakawa, Dr. Hsiang Tu, and guest artist pianist Dr. Elena Dabul during the 2023 University of Florida International Piano Festival.
Lief Jerde was born in Whitefish, Montana. He began his piano studies at home, with his mom at the age of 4. He showed such a passion for music and was always playing piano, so she decided to arrange formal lessons when he turned 5. He has studied with Sarah Burdick, Kelly Herd, and Dr. Joanne Smith. He is currently loving his lessons in Naples, Fl. with Dr. Anne McLean.
Leif is very excited to participate in various festivals and competitions. He was awarded honorable mention in the South Carolina Music Teachers Association Festival in 2020 and first place in this same festival in 2021, at the age of 10. Since moving to Florida he has continued his love of performing and earned first place in the Tampa Young Artist Competition and second place in the Florida Music Teachers Association, State Concerto Competition. Leif is home schooled, and, in addition to his love of music, his favorite pastimes are playing video games, swimming, and playing with his dogs Penny, Gizmo and Noodle.
Leif is very excited to participate in various festivals and competitions. He was awarded honorable mention in the South Carolina Music Teachers Association Festival in 2020 and first place in this same festival in 2021, at the age of 10. Since moving to Florida he has continued his love of performing and earned first place in the Tampa Young Artist Competition and second place in the Florida Music Teachers Association, State Concerto Competition. Leif is home schooled, and, in addition to his love of music, his favorite pastimes are playing video games, swimming, and playing with his dogs Penny, Gizmo and Noodle.
Sutton, Lilah, and Juliet Hahn all began learning piano at the age of five, and they currently study with Dr. Erikson Rojas through the preparatory program in music at Palm Beach Atlantic University. They are homeschooled, and, besides playing music together, they love being on a swim team and raising chickens.
Shreyashi Bodaka is the pianist in her school chamber orchestra and the official accompanist for chorus and band students from all 4 grades in her high school and a local middle school. She is the pianist for a special needs choir with Lumina Youth choirs. She is passionate about teaching piano to young kids and uses her YouTube channel to promote creativity and learning. She has won several competitions such as the Music International Grand Prix (placed 2nd), the Charleston International Music competition (placed 3rd), the London Classical Music Competition (Honorable mention) and 5 superior scores in the Florida Solo and Ensemble Festival. She has been accepted to be the pianist for the Florida all state band. She was accepted into the highly selective FSU Piano institute. She also loves to perform in various fundraisers and charity events for special needs children. She is currently pursuing her ARCT Performer’s Diploma through the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Yo-Yo Qu is 13 years old, and he started playing piano at the age of 6. He is the endowed first prize winner of the 2022 Florida Federation Junior Concerto Competition, first prize winner of the 2022 Florida State Music Teachers Association Junior Concerto Competition, first prize winner of the 2022 Florida State MTNA Junior Piano Performance Competition, and winner of the 2022 Junior Chopin Prize. He is the first prize winner of the 2023 Oxana Yablonskaya Piano Institute Kovachevitsa Piano Festival Category B (Senior Group). He studied with Shijun Wang and took masterclasses with Oxana Yablonskaya, Tamila Azadaliyeva, and Svetlana Vest in 2023. He also studied with Dr. Hsiang Tu and took masterclasses with guest artist pianist Dr. Elena Dabul during the 2023 University of Florida International Piano Festival.
Lingxi Xu is an 8th grader who always loved music. She started playing the piano since elementary school. She was also a part of the school band in 6th grade, playing the euphonium in the role. In 2022 and 2023, she won first place with a special reward in the piano competition held at Florida International University both times, the second time including a perfect score. She also won the 3rd Prize in the Charleston International Music Competition of winter 2022 as well as winning the 2nd Prize in 2023. For the past three years, she has auditioned at the National Piano Playing Audition in the United States and received the certificate of National Member all three times.
Sicily Smith lives in Mt Dora. She is in the 8th grade. She has taken piano lessons since she was 5 yrs. old, most of that time with Lydia Blakemore. Sicily says that one of her favorite experiences as a pianist was the chance to play a Beauty and the Beast Medley with a professional violinist and cellist in an ensemble performance. She liked it because the other instruments brought an exciting new element to all of her hard work, and she felt like it was very rewarding. Some of her other interests are volleyball, horseback riding, school musicals, and visiting new places with her family. She likes playing this duet with her brother because its different from the structured pieces she's usually learning; she enjoys being able to play for fun with him whenever she wants!
Major Smith also lives in Mt Dora, and he is in the 9th grade. He has taken lessons with Ryan Blakemore for several years. A favorite piano experience for him was learning to play Great Balls of Fire and performing it for large groups of people who couldn't help but sing along to his music. He also has fun working on duets with his sister, so he is not alone in his practice. Major is a constant "doer", and making time to practice piano with all the things in the world to do has become a bigger challenge as he gets older. His efforts to not give up, even when it's not always easy for him illustrates the kind of person he is. Some of his other interests are being outside in nature to hunt, fish, boat, camp, work in the yard, fix things around the house, play sports, and find ways to be handy or help people. He is quietly funny and usually waits for the right moment to share a good punch line.
Roman Massey has been playing piano since he was ten years old. He has enjoyed spending the majority of his free time for the past seven years working on his piano skills while also beginning violin lessons a year and a half ago. Roman began singing as well as accompanying the Bay County Christian Youth Choir in 8th grade. Roman specializes in romantic works but has also studied and learned several classical sonatas as well as preludes and fugues by Bach. Roman has previously learned pieces such as the Ballade in G minor by Frederic Chopin; Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg; Beethoven piano sonatas Op. 49, No. 1 and Op. 27, No. 2; Mozart piano sonata K. 332; and more. Now seventeen, Roman plans to begin studying music in college in fall 2024.
Huixian Wu has performed widely as a solo and chamber musician at the Brancaleoni International Music Festival in Italy, the Gijón International Piano Festival in Spain, the Carnegie Hall in USA, Suiyuan Music Hall in China, and at numerous academic institutions as a guest artist. Huixian has presented at College Music Society (CMS) conferences at state and national levels, and Music Teachers National Association conferences. Huixian is a sensitive performer; she enjoys playing music from different periods as she is always exploring more possibilities for musical growth. In addition to the modern piano, Anna is also passionate about studying early keyboard instruments. She studied fortepiano and harpsichord with Dr. Andrew Willis as part of her studies in the Certificate in Historical Keyboard Performance. She won First Prize in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition (2022) and the Charleston International Music Competition (2023).
Xiao Liang is a highly skilled and versatile pianist with over twenty years of experience around the world that includes performances in the US, Europe, Malaysia, and China. She is a graduate of Beijing Normal University of the Arts, where she studied under tutelage of Lanlan Guo. During undergraduate studies, she also establishes apprenticeship with Lucas Wong, a world-renown Canadian pianist. She holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Florida, with a full scholarship and a teaching assistantship under Jasmin Arakawa. She completed her Performance Diploma degree at Indiana University Jacob School of Music, where she studied with Emile Naoumoff, the last protegé of Nadia Boulanger. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music degree in Piano Performance under Read Gainsford and Specialized Studies Program in Piano Pedagogy under Diana Dumlavwalla at Florida State University.
Xixi Shen is a Ph.D. student majoring in Piano Pedagogy at Florida State University. She is a Graduate Teaching Assistant for group piano classes. She received Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in China, where she had gained much experience for collaborations in music performances. Xixi completed her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy at Temple University in Philadelphia. Xixi spreads her learning interests in piano wellness and music diversities.
Honor’s Recital: The deadline for video submissions is September 20. Please email your video links to jonathan.reed@warner.edu. Applications without video links provided by September 20 will not be considered for the Student Honors Recital.
A significant and exciting change regarding our state conference took place in 2019 when the FSMTA Executive Board voted to replace the FSMTA Competitive Events Winners Recital with a Student Honors Recital featuring students from around the state. Winners of the competition will perform on Friday evening, October 20, 2023.
Eligibility
All students throughout Florida are eligible to participate. All auditions will take place virtually, with interested students submitting an application and performance video online using the application below. Videos may feature solos, chamber music (including duets and duos), and/or concertos. In keeping with the conference theme, “Exploring Collaboration,” students are encouraged to submit collaborative performances with other students.
Entry levels and repertoire requirements
Entry levels and time limits of audition repertoire are as follows:
Applicant age categories are determined by the contestant’s age as of September 1 in the year of the conference. In the case of chamber music or piano ensembles, use the average age of all ensemble members as of Sept. 1 and round up to the nearest whole number
For each level, students may play up to two pieces/movements of solos, chamber music, or concertos. All solo repertoire must be performed by memory. Winners are required to perform the same repertoire they performed in the competition. Adjudicators have the right to select more than one performer from an age category, or to refrain from choosing a performer from a given age category.
Application process
Applications should include a photo, a bio (not to exceed 150 words), and a web link to a video recording. The deadline to submit applications is September 6, but we have extended the deadline to submit the video recordings for the competition until September 20. There is no entry fee for students of MTNA members; students of non-members must include a non-member teacher fee of $20 with their application. Ensembles with students from non-member teachers should pay $20 per application, regardless of how many students are performing.
No comments will be provided to applicants. The selection committee is charged solely with selecting the performers, not providing feedback.
Video Submission Guidelines
Sunday Morning Masterclass Opportunity
Students applying for the Honors Recital may also be considered for participation in the Sunday Morning Masterclass with our guest performers. If you or your ensemble are available Sunday morning and would like to be considered for the masterclass, please check the corresponding box on the Honors Recital application form.
A significant and exciting change regarding our state conference took place in 2019 when the FSMTA Executive Board voted to replace the FSMTA Competitive Events Winners Recital with a Student Honors Recital featuring students from around the state. Winners of the competition will perform on Friday evening, October 20, 2023.
Eligibility
All students throughout Florida are eligible to participate. All auditions will take place virtually, with interested students submitting an application and performance video online using the application below. Videos may feature solos, chamber music (including duets and duos), and/or concertos. In keeping with the conference theme, “Exploring Collaboration,” students are encouraged to submit collaborative performances with other students.
Entry levels and repertoire requirements
Entry levels and time limits of audition repertoire are as follows:
- Junior................... through age 12; maximum time 10 minutes
- Intermediate........ age 13 through 15; maximum time 10 minutes
- Senior.................. age 16 through 19; maximum time 15 minutes
- Collegiate............. enrolled in a FL college/university; max. time 20 minutes
Applicant age categories are determined by the contestant’s age as of September 1 in the year of the conference. In the case of chamber music or piano ensembles, use the average age of all ensemble members as of Sept. 1 and round up to the nearest whole number
For each level, students may play up to two pieces/movements of solos, chamber music, or concertos. All solo repertoire must be performed by memory. Winners are required to perform the same repertoire they performed in the competition. Adjudicators have the right to select more than one performer from an age category, or to refrain from choosing a performer from a given age category.
Application process
Applications should include a photo, a bio (not to exceed 150 words), and a web link to a video recording. The deadline to submit applications is September 6, but we have extended the deadline to submit the video recordings for the competition until September 20. There is no entry fee for students of MTNA members; students of non-members must include a non-member teacher fee of $20 with their application. Ensembles with students from non-member teachers should pay $20 per application, regardless of how many students are performing.
No comments will be provided to applicants. The selection committee is charged solely with selecting the performers, not providing feedback.
Video Submission Guidelines
- Videos must be of high quality. Click here for tips about recording your videos.
- Either upload your video file directly in your application or include a link to your video file in a cloud-based platform like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.
- Videos of chamber music or piano ensembles must have all performers visible throughout the performance.
- Videos must contain the repertoire listed on the original application.
- No editing is allowed. Each selection must be labeled with the title and composer. For individual movements of a larger work, label with the title, roman numeral of movement and composer. Example: String Quartet in D Minor, K. 421, I, Mozart.
- Check videos for sound quality prior to uploading.
Sunday Morning Masterclass Opportunity
Students applying for the Honors Recital may also be considered for participation in the Sunday Morning Masterclass with our guest performers. If you or your ensemble are available Sunday morning and would like to be considered for the masterclass, please check the corresponding box on the Honors Recital application form.
Non-member teachers please use the PayPal button below to make your $20 fee payment.