Richmond Music Teachers Association

10/27/2026

Celebrating music, community, and friendship in Harmony Together!!

What a wonderful and enriching experience it has been to gather once again with fellow music teachers from across Virginia at the 2026 Virginia Music Teachers Association State Conference, October 22–24, at Liberty University in Lynchburg!

Three days filled with inspiring workshops, outstanding concerts, student performances, competition winners’ recitals, a festive banquet, and, above all, the joy of reconnecting with colleagues and friends who share our passion for music and teaching!

The theme “In Harmony Together” brought Guest Clinician, Dr. Michelle Conda, Professor Emerita at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she served as Head of the Keyboard Division and Program Director of the Piano Pedagogy Program.

In Harmony Together also featured guest artist, and Masterclass Clinician, Dr. Jennifer Hayghe. “Pianist Jennifer Hayghe, has been sought as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher throughout the United States and in Central America, Europa and Asia……”

A very special and heartfelt thank-you to Dr. Peter Ryan, VMTA President-Elect, for his extraordinary dedication, leadership, and countless hours of work organizing this remarkable conference. My sincere appreciation also goes to Christy Tallamy, VMTA President, for her outstanding leadership, commitment, and tireless efforts in guiding our association and supporting the success of this wonderful event. Bravo to both of you and to everyone who contributed to making this conference such a memorable experience!

And what a wonderful representation of our Richmond Music Teachers Association (RMTA)!

As RMTA President, I could not be prouder of the many contributions of our members to this enriching event!

On Thursday evening, Dr. Magda Adamek and Dr. Mary-Victoria Voutsas represented RMTA in the Virginia Teachers Concert. Dr. Adamek also participated in the pedagogical section of Studio One, presenting “Trust the Process: How a Chopin Etude Almost Beat Us Both,” while Dr. Voutsas contributed to the fascinating presentation “The Beatles at the Piano.”

It was equally rewarding to see our RMTA colleagues taking leadership roles at the state level! Jennifer Scott, NCTM, VMTA Vice President/Membership, and Dr. Miles Massicotte, NCTM,VMTA Treasurer, presented their respective reports during the General Membership Meeting.

We were also thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of several students of our RMTA members and colleagues at the VMTA Conference!

Maria Neal, student of Dr. Maria Yefimova, won First Place in the 2026
VMTA Concerto Competition! “She has participated in numerous state and international competitions, festivals, and recitals consistently earning top prizes”

Viet Dao, student of Dr. Magda Adamek, earned Second Place (Alternate) in the MTNA State Competition, Young Artist Division! A wonderful recognition of his dedication, musical growth, and artistry!

Simon Fass, student of Sharon Stewart, NCTM, received Honorable Mention at VMTA State Auditions, Level III. We are so proud of Simon who has also received the RMTA Student Achievement Award this year and who delighted us with his piano performance on our opening meeting this past September 19th.

Michael Yin, student of Ruta Smedina-Starke, NCTM, received Honorable Mention, Level IB, at the VMTA State Auditions! An especially meaningful achievement, as Michael overcame a recent hand injury to deliver a beautiful performance!

Heartfelt congratulations to these talented young musicians and their dedicated teachers! We are so proud of their accomplishments and delighted to see RMTA so beautifully represented at the state level!

Another special recognition goes to our RMTA member Hope Armstrong Erb, Chair of the VMTA Commissioned Composer Program, for her work in selecting this year’s featured composer, Curt Sydnor, whose composition River Codex “a three -movement work for solo piano that is loosely inspired by Leonardo da Vinci ‘s Deluge Drawings, was featured in Saturday afternoon’s concert.

And as your RMTA President, I was personally delighted to contribute to the conference on Thursday afternoon with my presentation, “Acento Musical: Building Bridges Through Musical Conversations,” sharing a project that is especially close to my heart!

Our RMTA pride continued at Friday evening’s Recognition Banquet, where several of our members received special recognition!

We were especially proud to see Sharon Stewart recognized as a candidate for the prestigious MTNA Foundation Fellow honor! Congratulations also to Roma Scriven, from the Roanoke Valley Music Teachers Association Chapter, who was selected to represent VMTA as its MTNA Foundation Fellow honoree!

Fay Barss, Russell Wilson, and Debbi Lamb were honored for their remarkable 50 years of membership, an extraordinary milestone reflecting a lifetime of dedication to music education!

Our members Tatiana Tatum, Dr. Magda Adamek, and Ilona Rectenwald were also recognized for their respective 30 and 10 years of membership!

Heartfelt congratulations to all! What a wonderful celebration of dedication, service, and commitment to our musical community! We are so proud of our RMTA members!

These gatherings remind us how fortunate we are to belong to such a vibrant musical community, where we continue to learn from one another, celebrate our students’ achievements, strengthen friendships, and return to our studios renewed, inspired, and full of ideas!

Bravo to our RMTA members, to Peter and Christy, and to everyone who made this conference such a memorable and rewarding experience!

Proud to be part of RMTA and VMTA!

Warmly,

Marina Croce Andueza
RMTA President (2025-2027)

10/12/2026

What a wonderful and memorable workshop we enjoyed this past Saturday, October 10th, with Dr. Jerry Lee!

It was truly inspiring to welcome back a musician whose early musical journey was shaped, in part, by our own RMTA community. How gratifying it was to hear Dr. Lee speaking so warmly and appreciatively of our association and the role it played in his musical development!

For those who have been RMTA members for many years, it was especially meaningful to remember seeing Jerry participate in our events as a young musician and now to welcome him back as an accomplished artist and educator, sharing his knowledge and insights with us. What a beautiful example of the lasting impact our association can have on the lives of young musicians!

His presentation on teaching adult students, referred to as Recreational Music Making included the cognitive, emotional, and physical benefits of piano study for adults; benefits of group lessons for adults; and how the pedagogical approach to teaching adults may differ from the approach to teaching younger students was truly fascinating! The following Master Class with five adult students was also memorable!

It was certainly a workshop to remember!

My heartfelt thanks go to our wonderful Vice President of Programs, Ruta Smedina-Starke, for inviting Dr. Lee and organizing such a successful event. Thank you also to our dear Fay Barss for once again opening her beautiful, music-filled home to RMTA, providing such a welcoming setting for our gathering.
A special thank-you to Sharon Stewart for preparing and printing the programs, and to all the teachers who encouraged their students to participate. Congratulations to our performers, who demonstrated such dedication, courage, and willingness to learn, responding so wonderfully to Dr. Lee's guidance. And, of course, thank you to everyone who came to our first workshop of this academic year and who also contributed to our delicious and beautifully arranged reception!

What a joy!! Enjoy the photos!
🎹❤️🎹❤️🎹

09/29/2026

At our Opening General Meeting, for the academic year 2026-2027, we were delighted by the wonderful performances of two of our distinguished award recipients:

RMTA Achievement Award Winner: Simon Fass, student of Sharon Stewart.

RMTA 2026 Collegiate Scholarship Recipient: Henry Bingman, music education major, trumpet performer in multiple ensembles, and composer. Henry is a student of Davy DeArmond and was accompanied by pianist, Mary -Victoria Voutsas from NVMTA, who is also now a member of RMTA.

We also had the joy of recognizing Sharon Stewart with a plaque honoring her nomination as a candidate for the VMTA Foundation Fellowship Award.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Fay for always opening her home for our opening meetings and other RMTA gatherings.

We also highlighted the upcoming VMTA Conference, October 22-24 at Liberty University. We hope many of our RMTA members will be able to attend.

Enjoy the pictures!

07/17/2026

The Richmond Music Teachers Association is delighted to share this wonderful Richmond Magazine article, written by Joan Tupponce, honoring Dr. Sonia Vlahcevic.

A longtime RMTA member, distinguished pianist, educator, mentor, and inspiring leader in our musical community, Dr. Vlahcevic has profoundly influenced generations of students, teachers, and performers through her artistry, dedication, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Her vision also gave life to the Sonia Vlahcevic Contemporary Music Festival, creating a lasting platform that has inspired performers, audiences, and the appreciation of contemporary music in our community.

Congratulations, Dr. V, on this well-deserved recognition. We are proud to celebrate your extraordinary legacy and the lasting impact you continue to have on music education in Richmond and beyond.

A retired VCU professor has inspired scores of students.

07/04/2026

I am very happy to share this post from our RMTA member Dr. Magdalena Adamek. I hope you will enjoy reading it!

Delighted to be featured in the RMTA (Richmond Music Teachers Association) Summer 2026 Newsletter’s ‘Meet Our RMTA Members’ series! 🎹.

“Music found me early. Growing up, my parents filled our home with classical music, and some of my most vivid memories are of doing homework late at night, listening to a Polish radio series hosted by musicologist Jan Weber, devoted entirely to historic recordings of Chopin. Those broadcasts quietly did several things at once: made the late hours feel a little less lonely, left me utterly mesmerized, planted in me a desire to explore Chopin's complete works, and to practice. I didn't just want to listen anymore. I wanted to explore all of Chopin's pieces, even if my fingers weren't ready.

What followed was years of a double life: public school by day, music school in the afternoon — practice, competitions, regional and national awards in Poland. That path led, in time, to the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw for my Master's in Fine Arts in Piano Performance, and later to the University of Alberta in Canada for doctoral studies in piano performance on full scholarship.

Canada gave me more than a degree. At the University of Alberta I taught applied piano and chamber music, and alongside that I maintained a busy private studio. Teaching privately made me more humble, and it shaped how I approach students to this day: leading with an unapologetic strength and empathy, setting them on a path of discovery, and nurturing excellence through consistent practice habits, performances, and local and provincial competitions. Those years reminded me that real teaching happens in the small moments, not just the formal ones.

In 2015, life brought me to Virginia, where I joined VCU's School of the Arts as Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano. I've since grown into my current role as full-time piano faculty and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies, where I teach applied piano and piano ensembles and oversee the piano program. What I've found here goes beyond the classroom: collaborating with students in recitals, performing alongside visiting artists, and being welcomed by RMTA, a wonderful organization that to this day invites me to present workshops and partners with me on community projects involving students at VCU and across the Richmond area.

Over the years I've performed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, and I've had the joy of recording five CDs on the Polish label Acte Préalable, featuring world premiere recordings of works by Polish composers, followed by Romantic Central Europe, a CD made in collaboration with the Wirth Institute for Central and European Studies at the University of Alberta. The most recent release, Spanish Meditations and Dances for euphonium and piano, where I partnered with Bob Powers, came out in summer 2025 and is available on many streaming platforms, including Apple Music Classical and Amazon Music.

One thing I feel strongly about is bringing the music of Polish composers to audiences—Maria Szymanowska, Grażyna Bacewicz, Karol Szymanowski, Stanisław Moniuszko, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. This music deserves to be heard, and I consider it part of my mission to make sure it is.

As a teacher, I'm very much a "read the room" person. I draft a few points before a lesson, but the moment I'm with a student, I know something will immediately go differently than planned. That's the part I enjoy most. The spontaneous exchange is what makes music human. Apps can generate lesson plans and practice schedules, but they can't replicate the alive, unpredictable thing that happens when two people are interacting in the same space.

I believe excellence is a habit, something you must choose every day. In my teaching, I value expressiveness and communication above all, and yes, I can be very direct, and a little wordy. But music is the most honest medium there is, and people sense that immediately. I wouldn't have it any other way.”

05/18/2026

On Saturday, May 9th, we celebrated, as we do every year, the end of another wonderful academic year with our traditional Richmond Music Teachers Association luncheon at Amuse Restaurant at the VMFA.
Looking through these photos brought back so many beautiful memories from some of our past luncheons, so I decided to accompany this year’s pictures with a few special moments from previous years as well.
What a joy it is every year to gather together, celebrate a year dedicated to teaching, music, friendship, and community, and to be part of this beautiful RMTA family.
So grateful for the wonderful colleagues and friends who make these gatherings so meaningful and memorable year after year. 🎶❤️

04/19/2026

🎹 A very special interview on Acento Musical

I am delighted to share my recent interview on Acento Musical with my beloved teacher and mentor, Dr. Sonia Vlahcevic—VCU Piano Professor, long-standing member of RMTA, and a truly inspiring force in our musical community—who retired this past academic year (2025–2026) after more than 50 years of dedicated teaching.

Dr. V has been a guiding presence in my musical journey since 1996, when I began my graduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Recording this interview in her beautiful home made the experience especially meaningful. Creating this episode has been one of the most heartfelt projects of Acento Musical, and I feel deeply honored to share a glimpse of her remarkable life as a pianist, pedagogue, and cherished member of the Richmond community and beyond.

I hope you enjoy it. 🎶

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