Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition

 
 HARTMAN STICKLEY MEMORIAL PIANO COMPETITION
 
Event: Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition
Dates: March 4 & 5, 2016
Place: Harris Prairie Christian Church, 14719 SR 23, Granger, IN
Times: Approximately 10 AM – 6 PM on Friday, March 4, and
Approximately 9 AM – 4 PM on Saturday, March 5
 
Free and Open to the Public
Announcement is made of the twenty-first annual Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition, which will be held on March 4 & 5, 2016 at the Harris Prairie Christian Church, Granger, Indiana. The competition is open to pre-college students, ages 4-18. There are six divisions where winners will receive cash prizes:
 
Division I        ages 7 yrs. and younger; $50.00
Division II       ages 8 & 9; $75.00
Division III     ages 10 & 11; $100.00
Division IV     ages 12 & 13; $125.00
Division V       ages 14 & 15; $150.00
Division VI     ages 16, 17 & 18; $175.00
Contestants who receive Honorable Mention will win cash prizes as well.
The competition, which is sponsored by the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association, is open to piano students residing in Berrien, Cass & St. Joseph counties, Michigan; and Allen, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, St. Joseph, and Starke counties, Indiana. Prize money is made available through the Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund.
Judges will be: Dr. Wael Farouk, Roosevelt University, Chicago; Nicole Lee, Valparaiso University; Lori Sims, Western Michigan University; Dr. James Helton, Ball State University; Dr. Lori Rhoden, Ball State University; Dr. Joyanne Outland, Indiana University Purdue University, Fort Wayne 
The purpose of the competition is two-fold: 1) to honor the memory of Elnora Hartman Stickley, and 2) to reward talented pianists in the Michiana area. The competition’s goal is to provide a performance venue for piano students in this area. Music is a performing art, and all musicians need many chances to practice the art of performance. This competition provides an excellent opportunity to do just that, along with getting feedback from highly qualified judges.
Competition applications must be postmarked by February 6, 2016. Brochures and applications are available on the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association website at www.sbamta.org. For further information, please contact the competition chair, Michelle Beyler, at (574) 226-2950.
 
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON
THE HARTMAN STICKLEY MEMORIAL PIANO COMPETITION:
From – Michelle Beyler, Competition Chair
Contact Information — Phone: 574-226-2950, E-Mail: mbbeyler@aol.com
 
Competition History
This is the 21st year of the Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition, which is a continuation of the Indiana University, South Bend Piano Competition. Originally the brainchild of artist-in-residence at IUSB, Robert Hamilton, this competition was designed for pre-college students ranging from Kindergarten through senior year in high school. The competition was held for 25 years at Indiana University South Bend, with the South Bend Area Music Teachers assisting in its running since 1980.
IUSB discontinued the competition in 1994. In 1996, the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association reinstated it, with help from funds from the Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund. The first Stickley Memorial Piano Competition was held at Bethel College. For the next 9 years, it took place at Saint Mary’s College. Century Center was the venue for several years. Then it was held at the Main Branch of the St. Joseph County Public Library, downtown South Bend, and at the Penn Harris Library, downtown Mishawaka. Currently the competition is held at the Harris Prairie Christian Church, Granger.
 
Hartman-Stickley History:
The Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund Trust was established in 1995 from funds left by Marcella Hartman to the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association in memory of her sister, Elnora Hartman Stickley.
Elnora Stickley (1908-1987), was a former president of the South Bend-Michiana Piano Teachers Association (now known as the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association), from 1977 to 1979, and served as treasurer of the organization from 1981-1983. She was graduated from IU Bloomington and also studied for a year at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She received two masters degrees in music from the University of Notre Dame. She was also a policewoman in the South Bend police force (the third woman so named). She taught music for 10 years in the South Bend Community School Corporation, and upon retiring, opened an independent piano studio in South Bend.
Her sister, Marcella Hartman (1900-1993), was an associate member of the organization. She was a language teacher in the South Bend Schools. Marcella, who also did undergraduate work at Indiana University, Bloomington, held a masters degree in French from Northwestern University. She was a published poet, some of her poems having appeared in the Wall Street Journal and New Yorker Magazine.
The Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund distributes approximately $30,000 each year to deserving music students, music teachers, and area music organizations.
 
South Bend Area Music Teachers Association History:
The organization celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006-7. The first president was Dora Hershenow, a concert pianist who played with the South Bend Symphony, and lived and taught in South Bend. (She had Elnora Stickley as an adult student). The group affiliated with the Music Teachers National Association in 1988, and many of its members hold offices at the State, Division, and National level. SBAMTA has had 39 presidents, 17 of whom are still alive. It is an organization for teachers in all areas of music, which meets monthly, and offers multi-piano concerts, recitals, workshops, master classes and professional networking for area music teachers.

Posted in Local Associations, Stickley Competition.