MTNA Competitions – IL State

The purpose of the Music Teachers National Association Performance competitions is to provide educational experiences for students and teachers and to recognize exceptionally talented young artists and their teachers in their pursuit of musical excellence.

MTNA competition is a three-tiered competition (except for chamber music), starting at the state level.  There are no screening or preliminary auditions to register for the state MTNA competitions. 

Registration for all state MTNA Competitions will open in August and must be done online via the MTNA website.  Please see additional links in the Resources box on the right.

Application must be completed and submitted online by 3:00 PM EASTERN TIME, Wednesday September 13, 2023.

Illinois State MTNA Performance Competitions will be held live this year! 

When:  November 3-4, 2023

Where: Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois

Friday, November 3, 2023 Performance Competitions:

  • Young Artist Piano
  • ALL Woodwind (Junior, Senior, Young Artist)
  • ALL Strings (Junior, Senior, Young Artist) 

Saturday, November 4, 2023 Performance Competitions:

  • Junior Piano
  • Senior Piano Solo and Senior Piano Duet
  • ALL Brass and Voice (Senior, Young Artist)

All Illinois State winners will advance to the East Central Division Competitions in January 2024.

Resources:

The MTNA compeition is a three-tier national competition, starting at the state level. Register through the MTNA website. State winners automatically advance to East Central Division competition, and those winners automatically advance to the national competition. The ISMTA Piano Competition is a single-tier competition (in two locations) that ends at the state level. Register through this website. Students can enter in either or both competitions.

Committee

MTNA Competitions

  • Director – Jennifer Cohen
  • MTNA Junior Competitions Coordinator  – Hye Jee Jang
  • MTNA Senior Competitions Coordinator – Grace Trang
  • MTNA Young Artist Competitions Coordinator – Natalie Landowski
  • MTNA Composition/Composer Commissioning Coordinator – Christopher Goldston