USD Music Students Claim Top Prizes in State Competitions
1st place winners in the state level Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competitions held for Piano, Woodwinds, and Composition will advance to the West Central regional level competition to be held virtually in January. The MTNA Young Artist Competition in Voice and Brass will take place online in December.
Participating universities included the University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University, Black Hills State University, Northern State University and Augustana University.
The following USD students won prizes in their respective divisions:
MTNA (Music Teachers National Association)
Young Artist in Piano:
1st Place - Francisco Petracco, sophomore piano performance major Porto Alegre, Brazil, student of Alessandra Feris
2nd Place - Ivy Kocher, senior piano and oboe performance major, Vermillion, South Dakota, student of Alessandra Feris
Honorable Mention - Rebecca Kelley, senior piano performance major, Vermillion, South Dakota, student of Alessandra Feris
Young Artist in Strings:
1st Place - Alena Bunkers, viola, sophomore musical arts and biology major, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, student of Sue Sidoti
2nd Place - William Brenden, cello, junior cello performance major, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, student of Sonja Kraus
Honorable Mention - Cesar Hernandez, cello, junior cello performance major, Sioux City, Iowa, student of Sonja Kraus
Young Artist in Woodwinds:
1st Place - Masyn Schutter, sophomore saxophone performance and music education major, Aberdeen, South Dakota, student of C.J. Kocher
Young Artist in Composition:
1st Place - Ivy Kocher, senior piano and oboe performance major, Vermillion, South Dakota, student of Paul Lombardi
Honorable Mention - Alma Sejmenović, senior music industry and technology major, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, student of Paul Lombardi
SDMTA (South Dakota Music Teachers Association)
Collegiate Piano:
1st Place - Alexis Ung, junior piano performance and pre-med major, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Student of Alessandra Feris
Collegiate Voice II (Jr/Sr.):
1st Place - Brian Shirley, senior musical arts and business major, Rapid City, South Dakota, student of Tracelyn Gesteland
Collegiate Voice I (Fr./Soph.):
Honorable Mention - Trayden Goodman, freshman vocal performance major, Akron, Iowa, student of Tracelyn Gesteland
Collegiate Strings:
1st Place - Grace Goeller, junior cello performance major, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, student of Sonja Kraus
The MTNA national competitions are among the most successful and prestigious student competitions in the country. Each year, thousands of students compete for top prizes and national recognition.
MTNA competitions provide educational experiences for students and teachers and recognize talented young artists and their teachers in their pursuit of musical excellence.
The three-tiered Young Artist Performance Competitions begin with State Competitions in piano, strings, woodwinds and composition. The winners/representatives of each state's competitions advance to a video-only Division Competition. Division winners compete in the National Finals at the annual MTNA National Conference.
Voice and Brass Young Artist Performance Competitions are two-tiered competitions: the preliminary round, by video submission only; and the final round, live at the MTNA National Conference. Entrants will compete without regard to the state or division in which they live or take lessons.
SDMTA is an affiliate of MTNA. 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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