UMTA Online Chapter

Online Music Conference 

Honoring the MTNA 150th Anniversary

"You Are Seen. You Belong!"

The conference will be held on May 15, 2026, from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM on Zoom. We have extremely prestigious presenters and are so exicted! All UMTA-OC chapter members, other state virtual chapter members, and MTNA Board members across the United States through MTNA are invited to attend for free. A registration email will be sent to all members. Teachers who are not yet part of the UMTA-OC may attend the conference by joining the UMTA-OC or their closest state online chapter.

Piano Competition 

Honoring the MTNA 150th Anniversary

Rules

This event will be held online, and judges will provide feedback through Simplissimoevents.com, a piano competition organization. An email detailing registration details will be forthcoming. All judging decisions are final. Teachers will submit payment via Simplissimo and the fee is $22 per piece. Students may enter up to three different pieces in addition to one concerto. 

Concertos must be accompanied. 18-year-olds must be no older than a recently graduated high school senior and no college students may participate.

Teachers may only enter students if they are members of the UMTA-OC or if they are students of a member of a virtual chapter invited to the conference. Students who wish to participate outside of these two categories may do so if their teacher joins the UMTA-OC chapter or state online chapter. The UMTA-OC may be joined for a $15 membership fee. Instructions on how to join the chapter are on the home page of umtaoc.org. 

Awards

First-, second-, and third-place winners will be announced, along with up to three honorable mentions. The names of all participating students and their teachers will be posted on the UMTA-OC website and Facebook page.

Winners Recital

The winners will be announced at the May 15 conference at noon and will be showcased in the recital, which will begin immediately following the winners’ announcements.

Submitting videos

All videos will open for submission on April 25, 2026, and must be submitted by April 30, 2026, at 10:00 PM MST. There will be no refunds if a student chooses to withdraw for any reason. All music must be memorized. All videos will need to be uploaded per Simplissimo instructions via YouTube. Please film in landscape and include the full body of the performer and hands. Videos cannot be older than March 1, 2026.

Additional information

No sheet music is required for uploading. Judges will evaluate performances without sheet music. If you enter more than one category, you must submit a different piece for each category. 

Judges

The most qualified judges will be asked to judge students. Comments will be typed in Simplissimo for teachers and students to view.

Levels

When registering, students must be placed in the appropriate playing level. The cutoff deadline is April 25. (i.e. a student who has a birthday on April 25 and is turning 9, will be in the Ages 9–11 category). If a student is misplaced, they will be moved to the appropriate level. Method book entries include any song that is included in the method book (e.g., if a simplified version of a Classical piece is put in a method book, it should be entered in the method book category and not the Classical era). Books like the Royal Conservatory of Music should be entered according to what era the piece is listed (e.g., Baroque, Romantic, etc).