2021– MTNA National Finalists

Our student composers look forward to the annual MTNA Composition Competition, a time-honored and prestigious event. They work hard all summer to finish their pieces by the September deadline, then count the days until the winners are announced!
The Southern Division winners were announced December 7th. We are proud to introduce to you, in ascending order by age, some of these talented winners and their music:
January 23, 2022 – News flash!
The National MTNA winners were just announced, and Alex Moiseev won Third Place!
Congratulations, Alex, on a well-deserved win.
You can read about Alex and hear his winning piece below.
Raphael Mouawad, Composer and Pianist

From the very young age of around five years old, Raphael gravitated towards the piano, picking out and experimenting with various tunes he had in his head. At seven years of age, Raphael started taking piano lessons. This is when he discovered his deep passion for music.
For four years, he continued to learn and improve as well as compose a few of his own compositions until one of his teachers introduced him to Julie Harris, a wonderful composition teacher. Julie was able to improve Raphael’s lack of music theory training as well as help him understand how to compose.
Three years later, Raphael is now writing a string quintet which he will be presenting as an end of middle school project as well as entering it into upcoming competitions. He is looking forward to creating more compositions that will help him become a professional musician.
Raphael’s three-movement piece for solo piano, entitled Piano Moods, won him a place as a National Finalist. Enjoy listening to the recording and then read more about the piece.
Piano Moods demonstrates a strong understanding of classical functional tonal harmony, and an inherent talent for memorable melodic lines. He is very inventive with his rhythms, using changing meters to keep the energy flowing. Piano Moods was the first place winner in North Carolina, and went on to win first place in the Southern Division. Raphael is now a Junior National Finalist, which is quite an achievement!
Alex Moiseev, Composer and Pianist

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