2017 Sonata Contest Acknowledgement & Results

There were 280 participants in the 2017 Sonata Contest and we are so grateful for all of those who helped us to make this a successful day. First, a very big thank you to MTAC members:  Mitzi Kolar, Chutaphin Yeager, Jacki Summers, Ping Hu, Stuart Thurston, Lynn Sundfor-McPherson and Miriam Cole, for their help on the day of the contest and in the preparations for the event.

We were pleased that many former participants returned and helped as well. They included:  Abby Vickers, Karlin Labenske, David Rudolph, Matilda Rudolph, Ashley Luk, Sarah Victor and Emma Chan. Parents of former participants, Patty Rudolph and Nancy McClintock also helped out.  Thank you to Victor Labenske and Brenda Martin who sent their college students from Point Loma Nazarene to help. Thank you to Chutaphin Yeager for bringing her nephew and other student volunteers who helped out all day long. Thank you to Leslie Lucas, an active volunteer in many community events, for helping us again for the sixth year in a row.

Another big thank you to Eric Vickers for his computer technical expertise, which streamlines the administrative work and allows me to sleep at night!

Thanks, finally, to San Diego State University for their generous hospitality and allowing us to use their facility.

The judges for this year were:  Sharon Townsend-Roth (Glendale), Rob and Teri Watson (Fullerton), Linda Rohmund (Carlsbad), Sanaz Rezai (Los Angeles), Mark Mendez (Montebello), Brenda Martin (San Diego), Pamela Mullins (North Carolina), Joseph Matthews (Orange County) and Erika Ramos (Redlands).

Happy Holidays to all of you and we hope to see you next year!


 Sonata Contest Winners List 2017


2017 Popular Music Festival Acknowledgement

Thank you to all the teachers, students and families for participating in the 2017 Popular Music Festival! We had 17 teachers enter 53 students who performed in three recitals on November 18, 2017 at Grossmont College.

Studios Represented: Eunice Ahn, Irina Bessonova, Renee Calvo, Jim Guerin, Valery King, Mitzi Kolar, Amy Lee, Tracy Lovley, Yuko Maruyama, Leslie Olson, Carol Ong-Chen, Lois Pachucki Smetona, Anna Robitaille, Anna Stal, Irina Williams, Mei Yin, and Dan Yu

Jazz Improvisation Workshop led by Yuko Maruyama
Accompanists: Doug Walker – bass, Matthew Taylor – drums

A big thank-you to all the teachers, students and friends who volunteered their time to make this event possible:
Irina Bessonova, Renee Calvo, Emi Clements, Miriam Cole, Jim Guerin, Kathy Kim, Tracy Lovley, Yuko Maruyama, Leslie Olson, Carol Ong-Chen, Anna Robitaille, Risa Schapiro, Lois Smetona, Irina Williams, Chutaphin Yeager, and Dan Yu