MTNA Foundation Fellow

The Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Fellow program offers a meaningful method for honoring deserving individuals while supporting the efforts of the MTNA Foundation Fund through a donation to the Foundation Fund in an individual’s name. Anyone can nominate and fund an MTNA Fellow.   Each year, the ISMTA board nominates one fellow, and raises funds to fund that fellow.  

To contribute to the MTNA Foundation Fund and help fund the ISMTA fellow, click the button below, check the box that reads “Foundation Fellow (enter name below),” and enter this year’s fellow as the Fellow name.

For more information about the MTNA Foundation Fund, visit https://www.mtnafoundation.org/

2024 Foundation Fellow:
Heidi Mayer

The following people have been designated MTNA Foundation Fellows in recognition of their extraordinary service to ISMTA:

2023

Amy Jo Sawyer

2022

Cathy Albergo

2021

Craig Sale

2020

Janice Razaq
Christopher Goldston

2019

Lynette Zelis

2018

Ludmila Lazar

2017

Bruce Berr
Patricia Nyien

2017

Lynd Corley

2015

Helen Grosshans

2014

Emi Murata
Marlene S. Chatain
Rita Brown
Linda K. Barker

2012

Frances I. Onley
Phyllis A. Hill

2011

Brenda L. Conroy

2010

Mary Beth Molenaar

2008

Elvina Truman Pearce
Kenneth O. Drake

2007

Karen Rogers

2006

Frances H. Larimer

2003

William Ronald YaDeau

2002

Mary Veverka

2001

Anna McGrosso
James Lyke

Heidi Mayer earned bachelor’s degrees in Piano Performance and Choral Music Education from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Eastern Michigan University. As a Fulbright scholar, she received a Diploma in Vocal Accompanying from the Schule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria. She then studied for many years at the Taubman Institute, and privately with Edna Golandsky in New York City. Her most beloved and influential teacher was French pianist and teacher, Annie Sherter, in Geneva, Illinois.

An MTNA nationally-certified teacher, Heidi currently maintains a thriving independent piano studio in Park Ridge and is grateful to be a faculty member of Northwestern Music Academy. Over several decades, she has held offices and chaired events for CAMTA and NSMTA, and served on the boards of both ISMTA and MTNA.

Her musical journey has been shaped by the guidance of teachers such as Charles Fisher, Joseph Gurt, Edna Golandsky, Flavio Varani, Hans Graf, Robert Schollum, Ed Parmentier, Annie Sherter, and so many esteemed colleagues in MTNA and local associations. She has performed master classes conducted by Dorothy Taubman, Dmitry Paperno, John Browning, and Joseph Banowetz.

Heidi expanded her interests beyond piano to include studying harpsichord with Edward Parmentier at the University of Michigan summer workshops and has performed all the Bach multi-harpsichord concerti with her harpsichord ensemble. After commissioning Minnesota composer, Asako Hirabayashi, to write a multi-harpsichord concerto, the ensemble premiered the work in Cincinnati at the Midwest Historic Keyboard Society Conference.

Heidi was the recipient of Teacher Enrichment grants from MTNA and The National Piano Technician’s Guild and was the first to be awarded ISMTA Teacher of the Year in 2015. She received the Steinway 2022 Teacher of the Year Award and is honored to have been named MTNA 2024 Foundation Fellow in Illinois.

In addition to her teaching, Heidi performs collaboratively with other local musicians and their students. In June 2023, Heidi was privileged and excited to perform a full recital for flute and piano, live on WFMT.