Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I've received positive feedback about our last two meetings. Many thanks to the Editions Committee, chaired by Sandra Rosenblum, for their presentation, "Preludes: Versatility for Pedagogy and Performance".  Sandra was joined by committee members, Deborah Yardley Beers, Sivan Etedgee and Miriam Gargarian.  Their presentations were well prepared and enthusiastically received.  Sylvia Parker's presentation on Bartok was also very well received. Those of us present will probably never forget the image of Bartok surrounded by peasants who were waiting in line to have their version of a folk song recorded by the 'devil machine'! 

I look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday, March 12th, at the Members' Recital that Ellie Perrone and Irina Baghdasaryan have organized. Scroll down to read more about this exciting event.

I'm also looking forward to the March 27th meeting.  Many years ago I signed up for a one-week introductory session of Dalcroze and Eurhythmics -I loved it! The next thing I knew I was immersed in it for a few years -I was hooked. Lisa Parker is an extraordinary musician and person.  I feel privileged to be able to introduce her to those of you who have not yet had the opportunity to meet her and learn from her.   

This traditional Indian blessing, Sarve Bhavantu, becomes more and more meaningful to me with each passing day so I'd like to share it with you again:
Warmly,
Donna Gross Javel
President, NEPTA

• Irina Baghdasaryan (irinabag@yahoo.com)
• Ellie Perrone (e-pi@rcn.com)

Sunday, March 12 at 5:00
M. Steinert & Sons in Natick
Natick Mall
1245 Worcester Street
Natick, MA 01760

Donations welcome.  Wine and cheese reception to follow. 
For more information visit www.nepta.info

Many thanks to the performers: Anna Avetisyan, Deborah Yardley Beers, Elena Drabkin, Nina Grimaldi, Solmaz Kafi , Tong Liu, Wanda Paik, Kathryn Rosenbach, Shizue Sano, Tatyana Shrago and Sarah Tocco.  Please come support your colleagues and invite your friends and family to this wonderful event.

Solo and Four-Hand Piano Music by Beers, Brahms, Chen, Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Respighi, Schubert and Wyner.

Many thanks to Ellie Perrone and Irina Baghdasaryan for organizing this event.

Lisa Parker is vitally interested in the application of Dalcroze ideas of movement and improvisation to the private lesson.  The topic of her presentation is "Alternatives to Drill in Solving Musical Problems".

Lisa Parker has taught at the Longy School of Music of Bard College for 38 years, serving as head of the Dalcroze Department, which she started and built into one of the three leading training centers in the USA. She is the director of the Longy Dalcroze Summer Institute, which draws students from around the world. In 2015, she received the Nadia Boulanger award for excellence in teaching. Read more online

Annual Dues must be received by May 31, 2017 to avoid the late fee and to be included in the 2017-2018 NEPTA Membership Directory.

DUES
$50 Active and Associate Members
$30 Seniors (over 65) and Student Members
$70 Two Members in One Household (same mailing address)

LATE FEE
$20 Late fee incurred if received after May 31
All payments made after May 31 must be paid online. 
No payments by check will be accepted after May 31.

HOW TO RENEW DUES
1) Online: Dues may be renewed online at www.nepta.info and may be paid by credit card or with a PayPal account.  All transactions are processed securely through PayPal's website.   Diana Tetzlaff is available to talk members through the online  process.  She can be reached at 617-816-1777. 

ALICE PROCTER AWARD

One $100 award for an outstanding original composition in the classical style.

• David Joseph for his composition, 'Your Free Time'          student of Irina Gelman

Congratulations to each of these teachers and their students!

Catherine Costello Hirata currently serves on the Board of Directors and is the founder and chairperson of the new Investment Committee. In the past, she chaired the Advertising Committee (2014-16), facilitated a Teachers' Exchange (2015), and assisted with the High School Competition (2006).

Catherine grew up in Calgary, Alberta where she did her undergraduate degree in Piano Performance with Marilyn Engle. She moved to Vancouver to pursue a Master's in Performance with Lee Kum-Sing at the University of British Columbia, after which she taught for several years at the Vancouver Academy Music. When her husband (a professor of Japanese literature) got his first academic job teaching at Pomona College, she left Canada. At the time, she had no idea that she would only be returning for visits to her family.

Since Catherine did not have the visa status to work when she first moved to the U.S., she decided to return to school. Luckily, she was accepted into the graduate program at Columbia University at the same time as her husband was offered a job at Princeton, and so they moved from the West to the East Coast.  In the intellectually stimulating environment of Columbia, Catherine developed a love for writing about music and ultimately completed both a Master's and Ph.D. degree in music theory. When it came time to choose a topic for her dissertation, she decided to focus on the music of the American composer Morton Feldman, in large part because of the meta-theoretical questions it raises concerning the very nature and purpose of musical analysis. At this stage in her life, Catherine was
active in the Society for Music Theory, giving talks at conferences, publishing  papers, and teaching some college level theory and history courses. 

When she moved to Belmont some twenty years ago, she found herself gradually returning to teaching piano. For her, it has become a cherished way of contributing to her local community, bringing music into the homes of her friends and neighbors. She feels a sense of honor and responsibility whenever she is entrusted with a child's musical development and aims to bring all of her musical knowledge to bear. When she was first introduced to NEPTA years ago by Mildred Freiburg, she was astonished to find that such a smart, dedicated, curious, and supportive group of teachers had been on her doorstep without her realizing it. Since then, NEPTA has played an enormous role in Catherine's ongoing efforts to improve her teaching.

In her spare time, Catherine enjoys walking, hosting dinner parties, and hanging out with her husband and son at Tatte café in Cambridge.

Remember that you can post your own up-to-the-minute concert listings and other items of interest on NEPTA's Facebook page. Visit www.facebook.com/NEPTApiano 

to see the latest news from your NEPTA friends!

YouTube videos of your performances are especially welcome. 

Saturday, April 8 - Sunday, April 9, 2017
Hosted by Powers Music School

Powers Music School invites you to join them for this annual event honoring pianist and educator, Mildred Freiberg.  This event has become a tradition for area students in grades K-12.

Application Fee: $20
Deadline: Monday, March 20, 2017

There is no charge to attend this event

Concert times: 1:30-7:30pm

Payson Park Church
365 Belmont Street
Belmont, MA

For more information call the Powers Music School, 617-484-4696, or visit the website www.powersmusic.com/piano_festival