A recital and workshop by Garnet Ungar, from University of Evansville, was hosted by the Wabash Valley Music Teachers Association (WVMTA) February 7-8. His appearance was made possible by a local association programming grant from IMTA and with the cooperation of Indiana State University (ISU) in providing recital and workshop space.
Garnet’s recital and workshop were well attended by members of both WVMTA, ISU, and the Terre Haute community. His recital featured music of the 19th century – Chopin and his contemporaries. The workshop “Practicing Catalysts” included ISU students and pre-college students of WVMTA members in a lecture/master class format. Dr. Ungar, a gifted performer and teacher, engaged and inspired his audience. It was an outstanding event and fulfilled the purpose of IMTA grants, to support the educational and professional development of teachers and to support the promotion of music in the immediate community.

On Wednesday, February 13, the SBAMTA program featured a master class with Professor Giuseppe Lupis of Grand Valley State University located in Allendale, Michigan.  Giuseppe Lupis is known for his explorations of unique repertoire. He is the first pianist to have performed an entire solo piano recital with music by Keith Emerson. Between concerts of the classics, a manuscript work of Italian composer Nino Rota, and his own compositions, he is also one of the few pianists in the world to have mastered and frequently performed entire George Gershwin solo piano programs.  Giuseppe Lupis is an active piano composer and arranger.  A former pupil of renowned concert pianist Aldo Ciccolini, Lupis holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts in piano performance at the University of Georgia, under the tutelage of Richard Zimdars, and a piano performance degree earned with highest honors at the State Conservatory of Music in Bari, Italy, with Pierluigi Camicia. Professor Lupus work with three students  performing, “Venetian Gondola Song in F# Minor, Op. 30 No. 6 by Mendelssohn, Lotus Land, Op. 47 No. 1 by Scott and Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 14, 4^th movement.  Dr. Lupis gave insightful ideas on the background of each composer as well has performance practices and technical strategies.
The master class was partially funded by the IMTA Local Association Grant.

In November NIMTA (Northern Indiana Music Teachers Association) met for a meeting in Huntertown at the Piano Shoppe http://thepianoshoppe.org/ owned by piano tuner and technician Larry Merriman. Merriman has been a piano technician in the area for over 45 years. His shop is in a warehouse that houses a large amount of pianos both ready to be restored or ready to be sold after having been restored by himself. Since piano students often go to their teacher for advice regarding the purchase of an acoustic piano, he discussed basic things one can look for to determine their quality. Larry also explained different issues one may have with an acoustic piano (such as sticking keys) that may be easily fixed without a tuner/technician. Did you know Indiana was the home to several piano manufactures including two in Northern Indiana? Merriman gave the group a unique look at one of those factories. In 1871 the Packard Piano & Organ Company was in Ft. Wayne 1871 – circa 1935. The Estey Piano Corp. manufactured pianos in Bluffton from 1935 – 1982.