Breth Piano Studio

The Breth Studio usually has some students in each of these events every year. Some events are required for all students.

September and most other months of the academic year:

NVMTA Judged Recitals. Competitive; winners play in Honors Recital. Repertoire: Open. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Woman’s Club of Arlington, VA.

NVMTA General Recitals. Non-competitive, non-critiqued. Repertoire: Open. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Woman’s Club of Arlington, VA.

23  Studio Concerto Recital. Open only to students and parents. Sponsor/Location: Breth Studio/ Breth Studio. Entry fee: None. Repertoire: One concerto movement. Required for all students. 

October, December, January, February and March:

WMTA Musicale and Judged Recital. The Musicale is non-competitive, the Judged Recital is competitive; winners play in Honors Recital. The previous year’s honorees are ineligible. Repertoire: Open. Sponsor/Location: Washington Music Teachers Association/Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 7730 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, Md.

November or early December

Piano Olympics. Required for all students and parents, open to selected guests. Critiqued by master teacher Alexander Peskanov. Sponsor/Location: Breth Studio/ Breth Studio. Repertoire: Assigned level of Russian Technical Regimen. Each student attends one technique class as assigned, plus a master class with closing ceremony at the end of the day.

December

Studio Recital. Celebratory, non-competitive. Open to the public. Followed by party. Sponsor/Location: Breth Studio/ Woman’s Club of Arlington. Repertoire: To be determined by student & Mrs. Breth. Required for all students.

January

NVMTA Concerto Competition. Highly competitive.Five levels by grade (grades 2-12) Repertoire: One concerto movement. Must hire accompanist other than teacher. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Woman’s Club of Arlington, VA.

Skills Day. Non-competitive, graded sightreading exam. Private audition. Required for all students. Sponsor/Location: Virginia Music Teachers Association/George Mason Univ, Fairfax, VA .

NVMTA Honors Recital. For students chosen from earlier Judged Recitals. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Woman’s Club of Arlington, VA. Repertoire: Anything, within a time limit.

February

Theory Mastery Day. Non-competitive, graded theory exam. Required for all students. Sponsor/Location: Virginia Music Teachers Association/George Mason Univ, Fairfax, VA .

Bach-Baroque Festival. Either competitive or non-competitive, critiqued, recital format. Repertoire: One piece by JS Bach, one other Baroque piece. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Korean United Methodist Church, McLean, VA.

tbd  National Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition Preliminaries. Highly competitive.One level: high school. Repertoire: One concerto movement. Must hire accompanist other than teacher. Sponsor/Location: NSO/ Levine School, Washington DC.

March

Piano Concerto Festival. Competitive. Five levels by grade. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Woman’s Club of Arlington and Jordan Kitts in Vienna. Repertoire: One movement from any concerto. Teacher may accompany.

Novik Concerto Competition. Highly competitive. Two levels. Biennial, held in spring of even-numbered years. Sponsor/Location: Washington Music Teachers Association/Catholic Univ., Washington DC. Repertoire: Junior level (age 13 and under)-one movement of any concerto. Senior level (age 19 and under)-Entire concerto chosen from WMTA’s list. Requires a hired accompanist. The Senior winner performs the following year with the Capitol City Symphony.

Bartok Competition. Competitive and non-competitive sections by repertoire. Biennial, held in even-numbered years. Sponsor/Location: Washington Music Teachers Association/Levine School of Music, Washington DC. Repertoire: Two or more pieces by Bartok, one chosen from a required list.

Specialty Competition. Competitive and non-competitive sections by repertoire. Biennial, held in odd-numbered years. Sponsor/Location: Washington Music Teachers Association/Levine School of Music, Washington DC. Repertoire: Two pieces by French composers, one chosen from a required list.

April

Tselentis Bach Competition. Competitive. Three levels by age and repertoire. Biennial, held in odd-numbered years. Sponsor/Location: Washington Music Teachers Association/Levine School of Music, Washington DC. Repertoire: Two Inventions (age 12 and under); two Sinfonias (age 17 and under); or two Preludes and Fugues (age 20 and under), one chosen from a required list.

Piano Ensemble Competition. Choice of competitive or non-competitive. Five levels by age. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/Resurection Lutheran Church, Arlington, VA.  Repertoire: Any duet or duo repertoire that fits the time limits. All Breth students participate in this event.

VMTA Concerto Competition. Highly competitive. One level, grades 8-11. Sponsor/Location: Virginia Music Teachers Association/different VA location each year. Repertoire: One movement from any concerto. Teacher may accompany. The winner plays with orchestra at the following year’s state conference.

FMMC High School Piano Competition. Highly competitive. One level, grades 9-12. Sponsor/Location: Friday Morning Music Club. Repertoire: A prelude and fugue from either volume of the Well Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach, or two other comparable pieces from the Baroque Period; the first movement of a sonata by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn or Schubert; a substantial work from the Romantic Period; an impressionist work or a work from the 20th or 21st century

International Young Artist Piano Competition Preliminaries. Competitive. Five levels by age. Sponsor/Location: IYAPC/Peabody Institute, Towson MD. Repertoire: Required Chinese piece plus one Western piece.

May

NVMTA Honors Recital. For students chosen from earlier Judged Recitals. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Woman’s Club of Arlington, VA. Repertoire: Anything, within a time limit.

Hartman Piano Performance Awards. Competitive. Multiple levels by age. Sponsor/Location: Washington Music Teachers Association/Catholic Univ., Washington DC. Repertoire: Two contrasting pieces.

Lichtenberg Piano Scholarship Competition. Highly competitive. One level, grades 9-12. Sponsor/Location: Washington Music Teachers Association /Catholic Univ., Washington DC. . Repertoire: Four contrasting pieces.

Piano Achievement Awards. Highly competitive. Three levels by grade. Winners perform at the May NVMTA membership meeting. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Woman’s Club of Arlington. Entry fee: $25. Repertoire: Three to four contrasting pieces.

Sonata Festival. Competitive or non-competitive Three levels by difficulty of repertoire. Private audition. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Virginia Music Teachers Association/George Mason Univ, Fairfax, VA . Repertoire: Two contrasting sonata or sonatina movements.

Sonata Festival Honors Recital. For students selected by judges of the sonata Festival. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Virginia Music Teachers Association/George Mason Univ, Fairfax, VA. Repertoire: One of the two sonata movements played in the Festival.

Doris Chase Competition. Highly competitive. Two divisions. Sponsor/Location: Maryland State Music Teachers Association/Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County. Repertoire: Entire sonata by Mozart or Beethoven.

Gottlieb Competition. Competitive. Multiple levels by age. Held on the same day & in same place as the Doris Chase. Sponsor/Location: Maryland State Music Teachers Association/ Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County.  Repertoire: Three pieces including one Baroque piece and one Classical sonata movement.

Elizabeth Davis Memorial Competition. Highly competitive. One level, grades 9-12. Sponsor/Location: Maryland State Music Teachers Association/ Howard Community College.  Repertoire: Three contrasting compositions including one Classical sonata movement.

Student Achievement Day. Non-competitive. Annual in-studio review of repertoire, critiqued by a guest adjudicator. Private audition. Location: Breth studio/McLean. Required for all students. Repertoire: 10 pieces or a 30-minute program.

June

Studio Recital. Celebratory, non-competitive. Open to the public. Followed by party. Sponsor/Location: Breth Studio/ Woman’s Club of Arlington. Repertoire: To be determined by student & Mrs. Breth. Required for all students.

WMTA Honors Recital. For students chosen from the year’s Judged Recitals. Sponsor/Location: Washington Music Teachers Association / Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 7730 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, MD. Repertoire: One piece or movement of a piece.

Northern District Auditions. Highly competitive. Four levels by grade. Sponsor/Location: NVMTA/ Woman’s Club of Arlington.  Repertoire: Three contrasting pieces. Winners compete in Virginia State Auditions the following fall.

International Young Artist Piano Competition Finals. Highly Competitive. Sponsor/Location: IYAPC/Catholic Univ., Washington DC. Repertoire: Required Chinese piece plus one (age 10 and under) or two (age 11 and over) Western pieces.