Greetings NEPTA Members,

"The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other." ~Arthur Rubenstein

Our "Spring awakening" speaker, Nelita True, thoroughly engaged us with her two-part program on memorization and Beethoven's sonatas. Her insights on musical analysis and on teaching music from the end of a work back to the beginning were particularly valuable. Click here to access notes from the meeting beautifully prepared by Linda Vieira.

Nelita True

Please be sure to join us at our exciting April and May events, including the Student Masterclass with Konstantinos Papadakis on April 30th and our Annual Meeting and Awards Recital followed by a festive Luncheon on May 21st!  

Warm regards,

Colleen Campbell

President

The Ensemble Recital ventured into Boston this year, graciously hosted by M. Steinert & Sons in lovely Steinert Hall on Beacon Hill. Students gave beautiful performances and were treated afterward to a hearty reception. Many thanks to Recital Chair Elizabeth Landman and Caroline Heatherton, assistant, for coordinating this event!

Ensemble Recital

The Adult Recital also moved to a new location this year due to the generosity of Dr. David Rosenthal, amateur pianist and long-time participant in the NEPTA recitals. The students gathered in his home for a Sunday soiree and performed sensitively on a beautiful grand piano. A lavish reception followed. Sincere thanks to Phoebe Yassa and Jean Alderman for Co-Chairing this recital.

First Place Michelle Chen, student of Nilly Shilo

Second Place Catherine Song, student of Tanya Schwartzman

Third Place Alec Sun, student of Helena Vesterman

Honorable Mention Sierra Tseng, student of Isabella Li

We look forward to hearing these dedicated and accomplished students when they perform in the Awards Recital on May 21.

Irina Gelman, Chair of the Middle School Competition, along with Ranko Konishi-Houston, spent many hours of dedicated time and effort in planning all of the details and coordinating schedules between students and judges, and I am very appreciative of their commitment and support!

The Alice Hamlet/Ruth Davidson High School Competition, our last student event before the Awards Recital, will take place on Saturday, April 14. Good luck to all participants!

NEPTA is pleased to announce the winner of the Alice Procter Award for Composition: Sarika Rao, student of Valerie Henkin, who performed her original works, "Little Ballerina" and "Walking in the Park" at the Composition Recital on Sunday, March 4, 2012. Congratulations to Sarika, who will be invited to play in the Awards Recital on May 21, and to her teacher Ms. Henkin!

Come one, come all to celebrate the conclusion of another wonderful year of NEPTA! The Annual Luncheon is only six weeks away! It will take place at The Talk Restaurant in Waltham immediately following the Annual Meeting and Awards Recital at First Parish. Please remember to mail your luncheon check to Nina Grimaldi and take a minute to invite your special friends. People love to be invited and it makes for all the merrier a crowd! Click here to download the luncheon form.

For a limited time only, NEPTA will match your contribution to the Susan Demb Teacher Fund dollar for dollar with a maximum ceiling of $5,000.00. This matching offer ends on May 21, 2012. NEPTA has already received $425 thanks to two generous donors. Remember, encouraging excellence in our teachers benefits all of us. If you give $50 it will automatically become $100. Please consider contributing to this worthy cause. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Do you or your significant other have a special skill you would like to market in 2012-13? Look no further! We are looking for special advertisers in the 2012-13 NEPTA Program Booklet! Lawyers, decorators, builders, specialty shop owners, therapists, web designers, we all look for these wonderful services, why not support our own NEPTA family businesses and in turn bring in advertising revenue for our booklet? For rates and sizes click here: For more information, please email Nina Grimaldi at dalcroze@gmail.com or call 857.753.8994.  Deadline for ad-copy is June 15, 2012. Click here  for the PDF file with rates and details.  

NEPTA members can renew their dues online for the 2012-2013 season at www.nepta.info through the secure PayPal site or download the registration form and mail with a check to Lindsey Robb, our NEPTA Treasurer. The deadline to be included in the printed directory is May 31, 2012.

Now that most of you have completed your 2011 taxes, it's not too early to think of donations and write offs for next year. Please consider donating to the NEPTA Scholarship Fund and support our organizational efforts as you renew your dues. It is through this generous spirit that NEPTA has been able to provide aid to many students, either in recognition of their talents or by facilitating the financial commitment that some families are unable to afford.

Visit us at www.facebook.com/NEPTApiano to see and hear videos of recent performances by NEPTA members. Post your own up-to-the-minute concert listings and see the latest news from your NEPTA friends!