May, 2026, Grapevine
- waltersaul
- May 5
- 8 min read
MTAC Fresno County
GRAPEVINE
Educate, Enrich, Enjoy
BE SURE TO SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO
Meeting Place: University Presbyterian Church
1776 E Roberts Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710
Calendar:
May
12th
9:00 am Board Meeting
10:00 am Membership Meeting
11:00 am Program: Teacher Performance
Events Dates:
June 9th End of the Year Meeting and Potluck
President’s Message - May 2026
President’s Message - May 2026
My April Message was brief because I was in Europe and had forgotten about the deadline! So some of this may seem old, but I’m playing catch up on acknowledging some things!
I will continue to encourage you to check out our Fresno County Branch website. Lots of great information there about events, teachers, programs, scholarships: mtacfresno.com. Check it out. Walter is doing a marvelous job to make this a hub of community awareness, as well as a place to keep our members in the know.
Tina Carter and I made our second presentation to Fresno State Music Majors, this time to the Music Education Majors in Dr. Tony Mowrer’s class, letting them know about our Student Membership Scholarships. We are glad for our connections at Fresno State and hope to grow that even more in the years to come.
Our second Adult Music Student Social is May 15th at Tina Cater’s. Be on the lookout for a poster with information. Emails have gone out to the students who participated last time.
We continue to have a presence at the Youth Orchestra performances. Our time making connections in the lobby with the students and teachers will hopefully prove to be an invaluable source of new connections that will strengthen and grow our branch. We also continue to reach out at the Keyboard Concerts and lovemaking connections there with so many generous supporters of music.
Solo Competition was a full event and the student performers did an amazing job! Thanks to the teachers who prepared for this level of playing - very inspirational! Details will be reported by Tina Carter. Daniel, from Gottschalks Music was there to hand out the prizes and promote the store, and mentioned that they are looking for a Piano Sales Associate, preferably someone with piano experience. Any former student looking for a job?
On another note, if you have questions about a specific event, please email the Chair of that event directly, not the mtacfresno email.
The 11:00 program in March featured Bookmark Music with newly published music and a music boutique. Tina Carter and Arlene Steffen took us through some of the music by playing through several pieces and sharing their insights with us. It was a great day and I spent way too much money! I bought a book by Jason Sifford about dragons and have been really enjoying these pieces.
Spring Celebration closed on April 18th. It will be a full day so please make sure your students know to be ON TIME!
Ongoing are our preparations for our 100th year Anniversary celebration. Thanks to Tina Carter for leading the charge here. So many great ideas and lots of opportunities for participation!
Congratulations to Karen Reinhard on earning Second Place in the Composers Today State Competition Level 11 for mature works. Her piece is written for SAB and Organ and titled “Peace I leave with you”.
There are so many members who go above and beyond to support MTAC Fresno County Branch in
so many different ways and I have been awestruck by your dedication to the art and business of
teaching, as well as by your willingness to prepare and share experiences, students’ progress, as well as lending hands to our events and participating in so many ways. THANK YOU!
In light of that, I wanted to give a shout out specifically to our BOARD and highlight what an amazing Board we have:
As Vice President, Peter Klimo brings a wonderful connection to Fresno State, a much appreciated commitment to music education, some greatly needed tech savvy and a “can do” attitude with some really creative thoughts on how to run our events. His evaluations for our Fall Festival opened up a whole new take on the potential of that event and Spring Celebration. I have especially enjoyed hearing the amazing progress his students are making as they participate in our events from year to year.
Laurel Ridgway, as Secretary, is nothing less than amazing. Her many years of service in our organization at numerous positions has been a lifeline for me. She knows her stuff and helps keep us in compliance with past decisions, state expectations and the day to day management of MTAC. She monitors our email and makes sure communication gets to the right people. She sends out our Newsletter - tracking down those who need to submit articles or info! And she has a huge heart for MTAC.
Sevan Balabanian, Treasurer. Not sure I can say enough about her. She is meticulous and thoughtful. When presented with all of the new ways to use QR codes and how to keep track of funds coming in and going out, as well as making sure we are using our funding appropriately, she doesn’t shy away, but researches, takes on the challenge and makes it happen. She is also generous with her time - cleaning out the storage unit with Peter and I, and sharing some of her personal insights on tracking finances with me for my studio and also sharing techniques to motivate students.
Erin Chang is our Finance Secretary. She is so thoughtful and organized. She has held many positions in MTAC and with every one she cleans up the binder, the file box, or whatever format she receives! We have decided she needs to hold every position so we can have that level of organization throughout!! She is also a great team member. She works closely with Sevan and they are a “dream team”. She is consistently part of our events and is always a reliable support. She can also work miracles with the Post Office - yes there is a story there!
Walter Saul is in charge of Communications and is managing our website as it grows with all of the changes in technology. He dreams big and continues to find ways to use our website to its full potential. Behind the scenes, Walter also takes on leadership roles for events and is a crucial player when it comes to our connection with Fresno Pacific. He is a wizard at turning the event databases into recital programs and then printing them - cutting HOURS off preparation. He has a gift in procuring funding for events. He has cast his net wide, in that he has a heart for the music community and is working diligently to bring lots of different organizations together in pursuit of supporting all music endeavors. A global thinker. AND he partners with Andreas Werz to bring us our wonderful 11:00 am programs. His commitment to making sure those events are of high caliber and great value are greatly appreciated.
Tina Carter is our Membership Chair. To say she goes above and beyond is an understatement. She has also taken on the leadership of our 100th Year Anniversary - no small task. Her knowledge of Canva and Google and other tech things has been a true blessing, as she created our new brochures, business cards, forms for Solo Competition, Fall Festival and flyers for a variety of events. Her generosity in opening her home for our newly launched Adult Music Socials and baking cookies for our Fresno State visits is just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of what she does for our Fresno County Branch. She is another one who has held many positions with our Branch and has also served at the state level, so her insights and wisdom are invaluable.
What I love about Tina is the positive encouragement she provides to everyone in her sphere. If you are lucky enough to interact with her, you know what I mean.
To say I feel blessed by these people is an understatement. I know how rare it is to have this kind of support from such an amazing group of people, so I cherish this time and these circumstances. Also, I’m sure I have failed to list all of the ways these people have given to MTAC, so I ask for your forgiveness in advance. I focused on the Board, but we have so many members who are generous, thoughtful, kind, talented and so much more! Please know that your work does not go unnoticed, or unappreciated.
See you soon,
Kathy Blumer
Spring Celebration
May 2nd at Fresno Pacific University
Peter Klimo @ peter.p.klimo@gmail.com
Join us for a day of wonderful music!
Recital Times:
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
1:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
MTAC Fresno Teacher’s Recital
May 12, 2026
11:00 a.m.
University Presbyterian Church
Please see attachment for the program
Adult Music Student Social
Adult Piano Social
Friday, May 15th at 7:00 p.m.
Tina Carter's home at 5485 E. Sussex Way in Fresno
Please RSVP to TIna at 559-341-0732
Adult students are invited to attend a low-key gathering of music-making and light refreshment.
Interested adult students are encouraged to perform, but are also welcome to come and enjoy being a supportive audience for all “life long learners,” and getting to know others who are on that same journey.
Questions? Contact Tina Carter or Kathy Blumer
Piano Solo Competition
Saturday, April 18, 2026
Many thanks to all the teachers and students who participated in our Piano Solo Competition!
The event ran smoothly thanks to our volunteer-teachers. A special thanks to Committee-members Karen Madden and Walter Saul, and to our President, Kathy Blumer -- who was there all day to lend support and assist the judges. We are so appreciative to our donors McDonald’s and Gottschalk Piano for supplying our student awards. It was a special bonus to have Daniel Alamilla there representing Yamaha Piano and presenting our prizes.
Congratulations to all the teachers and their students -- the competition was close with so many amazing performances.
Here is a list of who our judges Dr. Sonia Leong (UOP) and Dr. Drew Quiring CSUF) selected:
WINNERS
Junior Division
1st Allie Liang (Werz)
2nd Andy Huang (Werz)
HM Raphael Loeweheim (Werz)
Intermediate Division
1st Kaitlin Pettigrew (Steffen)
2nd Mia Wu (Oaks)
HM Emmanuel Loeweheim (Werz)
Senior Division 1st Daniel Lien (Werz)
1st Daniel Lien (Werz)
2nd Leo Wu (Oaks)
HM Arman Razzaqi (Werz)
MTAC Fresno Turns 100!
100th UPDATE
Plans are in the making -- get your ideas to Tina Carter.
We'd also love to have you join our committee! There will be lots for everyone to join in!
Tina Carter
(559) 341-0732
Announcements
Community Calendar
Disclaimer: we recommend you go to the specific websites of these organizations for updated and accurate information
May
· May 2 - 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Fresno Community Concert Band. A Trip to the Zoo. Fresno City College.
United Sound & Hoover High School Concert Band. 559-440-9429. fresnocommunityband.org
· May 2 - Spring Celebration presented by MTAC Fresno. Fresno Pacific. mtacfresno.com
· May 17 - 3:00 p.m. Moment Musicale Trumpet and Winds. upc@upcfresno.org
· May 24 - 3:00 p.m. Fresno Community Concert Band. Echoes of Courage. Shaghoian Concert Hall.
· May 29 - 7:00 p.m. Sierra Chorale. University Presbyterian Church. https://sierrachorale.org
· May 31 - 2:30 p.m. Fresno County Youth Orchestra. Shaghoian Hall.
· May 31 - 3:00 p.m. The Robert Morgan Organ Series at the Warnor’s Theatre. Stars and Stripes and Pipes. $20
June
· June 5 - 7:00 p.m. Zephyr Saxophone Quartet. University Presbyterian. Fresno Musical Club.
September
· September 13 - 3:00 p.m. The Best of Broadway. The Robert Morgan Organ Series at the Warnors Theatre.
December
· December 6 - 3:00 p.m. A Warnors Christmas. The Robert Morgan Organ Series at the Warnors Theatre.
If you would like something to be added to the calendar, or just announced at an MTAC Membership Meeting, please email kblumer77@gmail.com.
Sources:
ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK THE INFORMATION with the organization’s website