Several USD Music Students Win Top Prizes at State Competitions
Participating universities included USD, SDSU, Black Hills State University, Northern State University and Augustana University.
First place winners in the state Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) will advance to the West Central regional level competition to be held virtually in January 2024. Regional winners will advance to the national competition held in Atlanta, Georgia, in March 2024.
The following USD students won prizes in their respective divisions.
Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)
Young Artist in Piano
- First place: Henrique Tartare Fortunato; graduate piano performance major from Florianopolis, Brazil; student of Alessandra Feris, D.M.
- Second place: Rebecca Kelley; junior piano performance major from Vermillion, South Dakota; student of Alessandra Feris, D.M.
- Honorable mention: Nicole Santos; graduate piano performance major from Omaha, Nebraska; student of Susan Keith Gray, DMA
Young Artist in Voice
- First place: Denisse Balandran; senior vocal performance major from Storm Lake, Iowa; student of Tracelyn Gesteland, DMA
- Second place: Abigail Rockhill; graduate vocal performance major from Orange City, Iowa; student of Tracelyn Gesteland, DMA
Young Artist in Strings
- Second place: Rachel Bozonie; senior cello performance and music education major from Storm Lake, Iowa; student of Sonja Kraus, D.M.
- Honorable mention: Alena Bunkers; freshman musical arts major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota; student of Sue Sidoti
Young Artist in Woodwinds
- Second place: Christian Houchin; graduate clarinet performance major from Gothenburg, Nebraska; student of Beverly Gibson, DMA
- Honorable mention: Jadyn Baumann; senior clarinet performance and music education major from Okoboji, Iowa; student of Beverly Gibson, DMA
Young Artist in Composition
- First place: Ian Kocher; junior piano and oboe performance major from Vermillion, South Dakota; student of Paul Lombardi, Ph.D.
- Honorable mention: Marcus Hughes; junior music education major from Waseca, Minnesota; student of Paul Lombardi, Ph.D.
South Dakota Music Teachers Association (SDMTA)
Collegiate Piano
- First place: Francisco Petracco; freshman piano performance major from Porto Alegre, Brazil; student of Alessandra Feris, D.M.
- Second place: Alexis Ung; sophomore piano performance major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota; student of Alessandra Feris, D.M.
Collegiate Voice
- First place: Jacob Olson; sophomore music education major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota; student of Tracelyn Gesteland, DMA
Collegiate Strings
- First place: Antonio Ferraro; freshman violin performance major from Sioux City, Iowa; student of Ioana Galu, DMA
- Second place (tie): Will Brenden; sophomore cello performance major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota; student of Sonja Kraus, D.M.
- Second place (tie): Martin Radichev; junior violin performance and music technology major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota; student of Ioana Galu, DMA
- Honorable mention: Grace Goeller; sophomore cello performance major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota; student of Sonja Kraus, D.M.
Collegiate Woodwinds
- First place: Bailey Nielson; senior clarinet performance and music education major from Yankton, South Dakota; student of Beverly Gibson, DMA
The MTNA national student competitions are among the most prestigious student competitions in the country. The purpose of the MTNA competitions is to provide educational experiences for students and teachers and to recognize exceptionally talented young artists and their teachers in pursuit of musical excellence. The three-tiered competitions begin with state competitions, and the winners of each state’s competitions advance to a regional division competition. Division winners compete in the national finals at the annual MTNA National Conference.
SDMTA is an affiliate of Music Teachers National Association. SDMTA competitions provide opportunities for musical growth for member teachers and their students through recognition of high-performance standards. The SDMTA competition is separate from the MTNA competition, but they are held concurrently at the state conference.
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