What a wonderful weekend it was to meet everyone as the new chair of the Outstanding Artist Piano Competition; it was a very full and inspiring three days.
The competition began on the evening of Friday, November 7th, with the Senior Division, and continued into Saturday evening, featuring a total of 24 performers. The Junior Division kicked off early Sunday morning and concluded late Sunday evening, featuring a total of 25 performers. Our BIPOC Division was particularly exciting, featuring a total of 14 performers.
I wish to extend my most heartfelt congratulations to:
Senior Division Winners:
First Place Winner S-4 – Andrew Jacob Lee, student of Peter Mack and Ivona Kaminska-Bowlby,
Second Place Winner S-19 – Xiaoyong (Tom) Li. Student of Barbara Miller,
Third Place Winner S-16 – Nicolas Ding Grote, student of Peter Mack and Ni Liu
Honorable Mentions (unranked)
S-6 – Leonardo Zhou, student of Oksana Ejokina
S-8 – Vivian Chang, student of Donna Bender
S-10 – Stephanie Cheng, student of Ni Liu
S-11 – Cindy Dou, student of Peter Mack and Tracy Xu
S-18 – Elsa Jonson, student of Kay Zavislak
S-20 – Henry Johnson, student of Oksana Ejokina
S-24 – Radmila Sabirova, student of Yelena Balabanova
BIPOC, Women, and Underrepresented Composers Winner S-19 – Xiaoyong (Tom) Li, student of Barbara Miller
Honorable Mentions (unranked)
S-4 – Andrew Jacob Lee, student of Peter Mack and Ivona Kaminska-Bowlby
S-8 – Vivian Chang, student of Donna Bender
S-11 – Cindy Dou, student of Peter Mack and Tracy Xu
Junior Division Winners:
First Place Winner J-15 – Cara Fan, student of Nino Merabishvili
Second Place Winner J-9 – William Hu, student of Sasha Starcevich
Third Place Winner J-16 Ana Horja, student of Kay Zavislak
Honorable Mentions (unranked)
J-2 Felix Zhang, student of Sasha Starcevich
J-3 – Lawrence Kim, student of Sasha Starcevich
J-6 – Nicole Yaxuan Wang, student of Peter Mack
J-10 Rei Yamazono, student of Peter Mack
J-11 Angela Chang, student of Donna Bender
J-24 Jade Dong, student of Donna Bender
J-25 – Victoria Marie Ramos, student of Peter Mack and Marissa Rebadulla Ramos
BIPOC, Women, and Underrepresented Composers Prize Winner
J-25 – Victoria Marie Ramos, student of Peter Mack and Marissa Rebadulla Ramos
Honorable Mentions (unranked)
J-11 Angela Chang, student of Donna Bender
I would like to thank Kathy Mortensen, Chair of the WSMTA Education Board and program editor; Kira Miller, NCTM, WSMTA President; Amanda Harris, WSMTA President-elect; and Jason Kuo, NCTM, Vice President, for their encouragement and support.
We all thank Carol Cross and Mary Grant for their time and energy in making sure every judge, volunteer, and the like were well fed and nourished throughout the weekend. Special thanks to Kirsten Carlsen, WSMTA Administrative Coordinator, for her assistance with registrations and overall communication tasks, and to Julie Swienty for serving as the MTNA/WSMTA Competitions Coordinator and for her communication with the support staff at CWU, especially.
Thank you also to our volunteers and monitors Nick De Los Santos, Queency Regier, Joan Smith, Sarah Silvia, and Donna Bender for their willingness to jump in and help. A huge thank you is extended to our 2025 OAPC Judges: Dr Renato Fabbro, Dr. Ricardo De La Torre, NCTM, and Dr. Ross Salvosa, NCTM. It was a tremendous pleasure to work with them!
What’s new this year? Well, as we all know, Washington state benefits from a uniquely close-knit piano teaching community. Teachers know each other well, and they also know their students. Students receive unwavering support and encouragement from many teachers around them, and new instructors become deeply immersed in our shared knowledge and passion for the craft.
With these blessings comes a delicate challenge: ensuring fair judgment without bias when everyone is familiar, not just with their colleagues, but also with their pupils. Our love for education naturally fosters enthusiasm and partiality toward students we’ve watched grow and flourish in the art we cherish, even if that student isn’t our own. What educator doesn’t love watching academic growth? Additionally, many judges evaluate students multiple times a year, often hearing the same repertoire repeatedly.
Due to the high costs associated with bringing in out-of-state judges, finding effective solutions to these biases has been essential. This year, we adopted a blind judging format. Despite initial effort and some hesitation, it proved invaluable. I’ve received heartfelt messages from teachers, families, and judges praising the professionalism and excellence of this year’s competition, and noting how the screens helped students feel more relaxed, fostering a fairer, more inclusive environment. Thank you again to all those involved, and especially to those who encouraged me to try something new in the pursuit of equality. Cheers to another 20 years!
