Eastside MTA
Music Artistry Program (MAP)
DATES: March 1-6, 2027
MAP Committee: Yunbo Cassady, Nancy Jang, Jennifer Li, and Yimo Zhang
LOCATIONS: Rose Hill Church in Kirkland and various private studios
October 15, 2026
Deadline for MTNA dues for MAP participation: renewing members.
January 8, 2027
Deadline for MTNA dues for MAP participation: new members.
Friday, January 8, 2027
Deadline for MAP Registration: Friday, January 8, 2027
Online payments can be made below. See “Registration Procedure” for more info.
Deadline for Student Chapter Fee ($10 per MAP student)
Postmarked Friday, January 8, 2027
March 6, 2027
Submission of Honors Students’ recital information due.
March 14, 2027
Honors Recital: March 15, 2026 location Rose Hill Church
Visiting Artist
Eneida Larti
Eneida Larti enjoys an exciting career as a performer, educator, and chamber musician. She is an Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Idaho, where she also serves as Director for the Auditorium Chamber Music Series.
Dr. Larti has earned prizes in numerous competitions and has performed throughout the United States, Turkey, Albania, Switzerland, France, Thailand, and this summer will perform Listz’s Totentanz in Costa Rica. Her recording of works
for oboe and piano Balkan Soundscapes was released in 2024 by Oboe Classics of London, and she has presented numerous programs of piano and cello works by women composers throughout the U.S. and Costa Rica. She is co-artistic director of the Uriche International Collaborative Piano Festival in Costa Rica and has worked with cellist Ralph Kirschbaum, Anne Epperson, and the world-renowned Takács Quartet.
In addition to her performance career, Dr. Larti is invited regularly to present at the National Center for Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) and at the MTNA National convention with her most recent presentation on piano technique at the 2025 MTNA National Conference in Minneapolis. In demand as an adjudicator, she has served on competition juries in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Idaho, Missouri, Texas, and Washington state. She is currently the president for the Idaho Music Teachers Association.
Dr. Larti’s students have earned prices at the MTNA state competitions in Idaho and Colorado, and at the
Idaho-Washington Young Artist Concerto Competition. They present at the MTNA national conference regularly and have worked with esteemed pianists and pedagogues such as Jeremy Denk, Anne-Marie
McDermott, Martin Katz, Anne Epperson, and more.
Visiting Artist
Jensina Oliver
Jensina Oliver, known for her expressive and passionate performances, has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, China, Canada, Costa Rica, Israel, and throughout Europe. Her performances with orchestra include appearances with the Hubei Provincial Orchestra of Wuhan, China, as well the Utah Philharmonia, Orchestra of Southern Utah,
Intermountain Chamber Orchestra, University of Washington Symphony, and University of Utah Symphony Orchestra.
She was a national finalist of the MTNA Chamber Competition, a resident artist at the Banff Chamber Music Festival, and has won several solo and concerto competitions throughout the United States. As a member of Duo Cascadia, Dr. Oliver performs with Dr. Kay Zavislak, exploring a diverse piano ensemble repertoire and concertizing throughout the Pacific Northwest region.
Ms. Oliver has been praised by critics as “highly talented,” with a “steely-fingered” technique and a flair for “panache and drama.” (SL Trib.) “Byington’s command of dynamic phrasing infused each note with elegant intensity in slower passages; in virtuosic sections, she played with assuredness and authority.” Ms. Oliver’s first CD, JENSINA OLIVER performs Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff is available on CDBaby.com.
Ms. Oliver earned her Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) in Piano Performance at the University of Washington under the guidance of Mr. Craig Sheppard and has taught music courses at Shoreline Community College since 1998. As a National Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM), she has a thriving studio with students of all ages. Dr. Oliver travels and teaches around the Pacific Northwest, providing meaningful artistic instruction to students and teachers alike. She currently resides with her family in
Seattle, where she is a well-known performer, instructor, clinician, and adjudicator.
Visiting Artist
Dr. Jody Graves
Dr. Jody Graves maintains an exciting, diverse and active performing career, and is recognized nationally and internationally as a distinguished concert solo artist, collaborative pianist and teacher of piano. Her recital engagements as a solo artist and collaborative pianist take her across the United States and abroad. She has been a featured guest artist in the U.S.
and abroad, including serving as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department in the Middle East on four tours. She is also the pianist with the acclaimed Sapphire Trio and Tango Volcado. Dr. Graves is also in great demand as an adjudicator for piano competitions and festivals and she has an active schedule each year as a workshop presenter for teachers. She has been a presenter and Keynote Speaker at numerous state and national music conferences such as the National MTNA Conference (Kansas City, Seattle, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Las Vegas, etc) and has been the invited guest artist/clinician for the Utah State, Idaho State and Montana State MTNA conferences. Dr. Graves has authored articles for the American Music Teacher and Clavier magazines, and has served on the editorial board for the AMT e-journal. She served as the NW Division Director and on the national board of directors for the Music Teachers National Association 2020-22.
Dr. Graves was honored with a Distinguished Service Award from the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and in October 2019 she was inducted into the Steinway Piano Teacher Hall of Fame by the Steinway Company in New York. She was named as an MTNA Foundation Fellow in 2021 and was honored for her contributions to the music field at the national MTNA Conference in 2022. She holds a Doctorate Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music Conservatory in Rochester, New York and is currently the Music Department Chair and Professor of Piano Performance Studies at Eastern Washington University.
Visiting Artist
Del Parkinson
Del Parkinson is the keyboard chair and was recently designated as distinguished professor of piano at Boise State University. He was previously the keyboard chair at BYU–Idaho, where he taught piano. He holds a doctor of music degree from Indiana University and a postgraduate diploma from The Juilliard School. He was the recipient of a Fulbright-Hays grant for graduate study in London. Parkinson has performed in Europe, Asia, South America, and throughout the United
States. His London debut recital was on the American bicentennial series, and his New York debut recital in Carnegie Recital Hall was sponsored by the Idaho Commission on the Arts. He has soloed with the Guadalajara Symphony,
Indiana University Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Boise Philharmonic, and the Utah Symphony. Parkinson is on the international roster of Steinway artists and is featured on four compact disc recordings. He is a recipient of the Idaho Commission on the Arts fellowship award and the Idaho Governor’s Award for excellence in the arts.
MAP
Registration Procedure
1. Log in to wsmta.org using your membership # and password.
2. Print out and follow the Music Artistry Program booklet https://wsmta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2023-2024-MAP-Booklet.pdf
3. Complete the online Teacher Registration Form for the Music Artistry Program, observing all instructions in the “Must Read” document.
4. Pay online.
5. Print one copy of the Registration for your records.
6. Pay your Student Chapter Fee ($10 x number of participating MAP students) AND submit your request for a location or a date or a Visiting Artist.
• You may pay and submit your request online at www.eastsidemta.org (Click on the tab: Student Events→Eastside Chapter Music Artistry Program→scroll to bottom of the page)
OR
• Send a check (payable to EMTA) with your request to Nancy Jang (18204 NW Montreux Drive, Issaquah, WA 98027)
Please note: State WILL NOT accept your requests for location and date. Requests will not be considered unless the Student Chapter fee has been postmarked by January 6, 2025.
general info & inquiry
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