Piano student Mira Walker of the University of Alabama at Birmingham won the Alabama State Music Teachers National Association audition in the Young Artist category, held Saturday, Oct. 28, at Auburn University.
Three UAB piano students competed in the competition; Eamon Griffith and Jacob Skiles were both awarded honorable mentions in the same category.
Walker will represent Alabama in the Southern Division MTNA Competition at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, in January 2018.
Walker, a sophomore, is a student of artist-in-residence and Professor of Piano Yakov Kasman, DMA, in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music. Walker, of Birmingham, has been studying with Kasman since 2014. She is in the UAB Honors College’s University Honors program and is a music major, focusing on piano performance. Walker is also in the UAB Concert Choir.
“This is a very important annual competition where all leading music schools and music departments from Alabama are represented by their best students,” Kasman said. “All three of our students were placed, and were placed high.”
The MTNA National Student Competitions are the most successful and prestigious student competitions in the country. Each year, thousands of students compete for top prizes and national recognition. The three-tiered competitions begin at the state round. The first-place winner of each state’s competition will advance to a division competition. Division winners compete in the national finals at the annual MTNA National Conference.
The purpose of the competitions is to provide educational experiences for students and teachers and to recognize exceptionally talented young artists and their teachers in their pursuit of musical excellence. The state competitions are considered the primary educational level, with the division and national levels showcasing outstanding performance and honoring significant pedagogical achievement.
Earlier this year. Walker was awarded first place in the National Federation of Music Clubs Student/Collegiate Competition Finals, Piano Division.