MASTA Chamber Festival 2016

The 25th Anniversary MASTA Chamber Music Festival took place  on March 7th, 2016 at the College of Music Building on the campus of Michigan State University.   Thanks to Judy Palac and Kevin O’ Donnell for arranging for MASTA to have the event at MSU!

The festival and competition were made possible by the following generous donors:  Shar’s Music, Psarianos Violins, Marshall’s Music, Baroque Violin Shop, Mark Schwartz Violins, D’ Addario Strings, and an Anonymous Prize Donation.

The day started with an inspiring performance of the Kontras Quartet, guest artist group from Chicago, IL.   Then, the thirteen ensembles who attended were given coachings by the Kontras Quartet members and classes in music theory and literature exploration.

In the afternoon, nine ensembles performed on the competition recital judged by the Kontras Quartet members.  The recital was one of the best the festival has had! The winning group was from Ann Arbor and played a Mozart piano quartet movement. The members’ names are: Elena Chambers, Chris Young, Matthew Young, and Forrest Flesher.  This group will be representing MASTA in several honorary performances at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival in May.

Two groups were chosen to be runners up.  One was from Chelsea and played a Chopin piano trio movement.  The members’ names are: Aidan Carry, Lydia Peters, and Anna Argento.   One was from Farmington Hills and played a movement of Dvorak’s “American” string quartet.  The members’ names are:  Margaret Williams, Faith Berry, Calista Burnett, and Gabrielle Hooper.

Nathan Peters organized this event and has organized it for 5 years. He would like to thank Dr. Melissa Gerber-Knecht, Dr. Diane Winder,  Karen Viele, and Bryan Kolk for their assistance and encouragement in making the festivals successful.

Dr. Michael Hopkins, Associate Professor of Music Education and Chair of the Music Education Department at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, will be organizing the event  for next school year.  Dr. Hopkins was in attendance at the festival this year.

Nathan Peters

MASTA Chamber Music Festival Coordinator