MTNA Competitions: For Entrants, Parents & Teachers

Competition Times and ID numbers 

Programs

Junior Program

Senior Program

Young Artist Program

Composition Competitions

Applications open in August 2024 for Composition and must be submitted online at the MTNA competition website prior to Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  There will be no exceptions.

Please visit the MTNA Website for the following:

If you have any questions, please email PMTA State Competition Co-Chair: Amanda Gunderson Gunderson@lycoming.edu 

Performance Competitions

We are happy to announce that Pennsylvania State MTNA Competitions will take place on Sunday, November 10, 2024 at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA.

Lebanon Valley College Campus and Parking Map
Directions, Restaurants, Accommodations, and Local Sight-Seeing for LVC

Applications open in August 2024 for Piano, Piano Duet, Strings, and Woodwinds.  Applications must be submitted online at the MTNA competition website prior to Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  There will be no exceptions.

Chamber Music, Brass, and Voice applications open Nov. 1, 2024 and videos must be submitted no later than Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  Please see the MTNA competitions website for more details. 

**NEW THIS YEAR—Brass and Voice (Senior and Young Artist only) 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. Seven finalists will be selected in both the Brass and Voice categories from a nationwide pool of applications.

Please visit the MTNA competitions website for full competition guidelines and helpful information: 

If you have any questions, please email PMTA State Competition Co-Chair: Amanda Gunderson Gunderson@lycoming.edu


The Ebony Prize for 2024–2025 MTNA Competitions

Now in its third year, solo piano entrants are reminded of The Ebony Prize for the MTNA Competitions. This award was created to encourage more students and teachers across the nation to include music by Black composers in their competition programs. The Ebony Prize is awarded to the national piano finalists who present the best performances of piano pieces by Black composers. A cash award is given at the national Junior, Senior and Young Artist levels. In addition, PMTA has established a state-level Ebony Prize cash award honoring the best performance of solo piano pieces by Black composers. For more information and repertoire suggestions, please read below.

Ebony Music, Inc., a non-profit organization that promotes Black pianists and piano music by Black composers, was founded by MTNA member Leah Claiborne, who was the inaugural winner of the MTNA Stecher & Horowitz Power of Innovation Award. In the MTNA webinar, Competition Piano Repertoire by Black Composers, Leah Claiborne presented Top 10 lists of competition repertoire by Black composers organized by Junior, Senior and Young Artist levels. Teachers are not limited to these lists, but they are provided for those who wish to have a starting point for exploring the vast repertoire by Black composers. Click Here to access these repertoire lists on the Ebony Music website.