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Advanced Piano
Alan Chow
Tuesday, March 24, 9:15 a.m.
Alan Chow has performed as a recitalist and concerto soloist in nearly all 50 states, as well as throughout Asia and Europe. Competition honors include winning first prizes at the Concert Artists Guild, the Palm Beach Invitational, and the UCLA International Piano Competitions, as well as the silver medal and audience favorite prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition.
Chow has given master classes throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and is active as a juror for many piano competitions in the U.S., China, and Singapore. He has served as guest professor at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, Shenyang Conservatory, and also presented master classes for the conservatories in Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Xian. He recently joined the faculty of the Yehudi Menuhin School in Qingdao, China, as visiting professor of piano.
Chow graduated co-valedictorian (with his brother) at the University of Maryland, where he was a student of Nelita True. At the Juilliard School, he studied with Sasha Gorodnitzki and at Indiana University, he was a student of Menahem Pressler. Chow is currently professor of piano and chair of the piano department at the Eastman School of Music.
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Intermediate Piano
Nancy O'Neill Breth
Sunday, March 22, 10:30 a.m.
Nancy O’Neill Breth teaches piano and chamber music in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
Breth studied with musical giants such as Margaret Ott, György Sebők, János Starker, and Josef Gingold. Chamber music performance was her all-encompassing passion until her fascination with teaching drew her into a second career.
Breth’s students excel in local, regional, and national piano and chamber music competitions, including four first-place wins in MTNA’s Senior Duet Competition. Also appearing on NPR’s From the Top, her students have entered the profession as university professors, conductors, performers, and neighborhood piano teachers.
Breth’s publications on practicing, including Practicing the Piano and The Piano Student’s Guide to Effective Practicing, both on Hal Leonard, have sold in the tens of thousands in the U.S. and abroad. Online contributions include Effective Practicing, a dozen short demonstrations of “best-practice” practice tips, and her Modern Piano Music List, a clickable list of more than 200 20th- and 21st-century piano pieces, with links to performances and purchase sources.
Breth attributes a lot of her success to her longtime association with MTNA. She has given multiple presentations at MTNA conferences—just one example of the personal and professional interactions with teachers around the country that enriches her life.
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