Two SMU Piano Majors Named National Finalists in MTNA Piano Competitions

SMU Meadows piano majors Lewis Warren Jr. and Esther Pham will compete as National Finalists in the Music Teachers National Association’s Young Artist and Senior Competitions, respectively. Pham is a sophomore student of Dr. Catharine Lysinger pursuing her B.M. in Performance and Warren Jr. is a second year Performer’s Diploma student studying under Dr. Carol Leone.

These two Meadows students earned this opportunity after winning the South Central Division of their respective age groups in the competition. The three-tiered MTNA competitions begin at the state level. Winners of each State Competition advance to the video-only division competition and division winners then proceed to the National Competition Finals. It is extremely rare for one university to have two representatives in the MTNA national finals.

"Esther Pham and Lewis Warren Jr. beautifully represent the caliber and commitment of our piano students,” says Dr. Carol Leone, piano professor and Chair of Piano Studies at Meadows. “I suspect that sending two piano students to the MTNA national competitions in the same year is unprecedented for any American university.”

The winners of this competition receive a cash prize and will perform in a Winners Concert during the MTNA National Conference in March 2023. To learn more about the MTNA or receive more information about the MTNA National Competitions, including competition rules and applications, please visit www.mtna.org.