MTAC Fresno County GRAPEVINE Educate, Enrich, Enjoy

BE SURE TO SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO mtacfresno@gmail.com

Meeting Place: University Presbyterian Church

1776 E Roberts Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710

Calendar

February 10th

9:00 am Board Meeting

10:00 am Membership Meeting

11:00 am Program: Dr. Michael Krikorian Masterclass

Our very own Vice President, Peter Klimo, is presenting a Faculty Recital on February 10th at 6:00 p.m. at Fresno State’s Concert Hall. For ticket information: cah.fresnostate.edu.

Events Dates:

Solo Competition – April 18th @Fresno Pacific University

Chair: Tina Carter

Spring Celebration – May 2nd @Fresno Pacific University

Chair: Peter Klimo

CM dates: Teacher syllabus, information, videos, quizzes on State MTAC website.

Deadline to submit all videos and scores is February 10th

Results will be available on March 2nd

President’s Message - February 2026

This year is off to a great start!

Certificate of Merit. Best wishes to all as the window opens and closes!

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.

At our January All Things Apps program, it was apparent that we need more times like this to discuss All Things Studio. You all bring such a wealth of information to the table and we benefit greatly from sharing those resources. I am reminded of how easily kids learn technology, especially in regard to what phones can do. That is because they are at school and constantly in community sharing what they figure out and learn. While we are relatively isolated from one another, running our studios and taking care of family, etc.

ADULTING! We have to be better at planning those community times and sharing. A huge thanks to Arlene Steffen, Tina Carter and Sevan Balabanian for getting us off to a good start.

Remember that you can invite anyone to our programs. It is a good way for folks to get to know us and see what we can offer in terms of support and connection. This month we will have Dr. Michael Krikorian as our guest to do a Master Class with a few of our branch students. Invite a friend!

Central California Baroque Festival was wonderful. Thanks to all participating teachers who prepared students to perform and also worked the event. Hearing all of the Baroque music was a true gift. A huge thanks to Walter Saul and Cactus Harris (AGO) for all of the organizing. Thanks also to the many teachers who came out to support the event, even if they didn’t have students involved. Grant Smith and his wife, Sunkyung Noh, were truly delightful as evaluators and performers. Their organ duet was a treat - such a cute couple! Their playing . . . superb. Again, I am amazed at the talent that comes to Fresno to share their music. We had a good audience also. Thanks to all who promoted the recital. Grant’s Master Class was such a blessing. He worked well with the students and they were receptive to his suggestions. A good day!

Keyboard Concerts! Don’t miss it - February 6th at 7:30 p.m. Aristo Sham Gold Medalist of the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Also this month, we have our Adult Music Student Social on February 20th. This is a brand new addition to our offerings and I am so excited to see it launch! See the newsletter for more information.

On that same night, there is an exciting opportunity at Fresno Pacific to participate in a salon experience with Robert Poortinga. Karen Madden is the contact person for that event.

I also want to send out congratulations to Arlene Steffen on having her article about key study being accepted for publication in the Piano Magazine. This was part of what she presented to us in September. And also, congratulations to Nick Estrada at Gottschalk Piano on his promotion. So many good things!

We will have our table up in the lobby at the next Keyboard Concert and the Youth Orchestra Concert. Stop by and say hello!

February’s Reflection:

I have learned so much from the Certificate of Merit program. I did not have any piano pedagogy in my college education, since I was going for a choral degree. The CM curriculum has been a wonderful tool for me to use as I guide my students through their learning. Some take the tests, some don’t, but they are all getting a good foundation of music. If you don’t use CM, or Royal Conservatory, how do you set goals for your students? How do you track and evaluate your students’ progress?

PLEASE RESPOND! kblumer77@gmail.com

I hope to see you at our February meeting and please invite a friend to our 11:00 a.m. program and then go to lunch after!!! A great excuse to spend quality time with a friend.

See you then, Kathy Blumer

The Central California Baroque Festival Update

Please open the attachment to the email

Adult Music Student Social

We are pleased to announce we have a full house for our first meeting!

Questions may be directed to Tina Carter at: tcarter.mtac@gmail.com

March Program: A Morning with Bookmark Music

Join us next month when members Arlene and Tina review new piano publications, courtesy of Marcia from Bookmark Music. Marcia will have copies of the music along with other piano books and boutique items for sale afterwards.

You may also send your music orders to Marcia by February 20 and she will bring them to our meeting. She offers a 10% discount to teachers. Email her at: marica@bookmarkmusic.com

Solo Competition

Saturday, April 18, 2026 @ FPU - Warkentine Culture and Arts Center

Updated documents and link to online registration will be posted on our website by February 10th.

Application deadline: March 28th.

Questions? Email Tina Carter: tcarter.mtac@gmail.com

MTAC Fresno Turns 100!

100th UPDATE

Plans are in the making -- get your ideas to one of our committee members: Karen Hembree, John Hord, 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

tcarter.mtac@gmail.com

Announcements

Keyboard Concert Series

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2026

7:30 PM

Fresno State Concert Hall

PHILIP LORENZ INTERNATIONAL KEYBOARD CONCERTS

presents pianist

ARISTO SHAM

Works by J.S. Bach/Busoni, Brahms/Busoni, Chopin/Busoni, and Brahms

GOLD MEDALIST OF THE

2025 VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION

Hailed by The New York Times as a pianist “whose playing combines clarity, elegance and abundant technique” and by The Washington Post as a young artist with “boundless potential” who can “already hold his own with the best”, pianist Aristo Sham has dazzled audiences on five continents. In 2009 he was featured in the documentary, ‘The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies’, broadcast by Channel 4 in the UK.

For the Love of Piano: A Return to the Romantic Era Salon

This February, the Fresno Pacific University music program invites the community to step back in time and experience the elegance, intimacy and expressive beauty of the Romantic era. For the Love of Piano: A Return to the Romantic Era

Salon offers audiences a rare opportunity to hear beloved 19th-century piano works in an intimate setting, more like the atmosphere in which this music was originally shared and enjoyed.

This solo piano concert features international pianist Robert Poortinga (the Netherlands) who has concertized extensively as a recital and concerto soloist and chamber musician in Europe and the United States, and in musical salons of great houses in Europe. He will perform in the Warkentine Culture and Arts Center Lin Family Performance Studio on Friday, February 20, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

This concert re-imagines performances of the Romantic era salon, with beloved 19th century compositions performed in an intimate venue with chairs surrounding the piano. (Call it an attempt at time travel, if you will.) The thoughtfully selected program includes favorites by Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Schumann, Glinka, Grünfeld, Herz, and Debussy—brought to life with Robert Poortinga’s masterful piano storytelling.

Please join us for a special evening for the love of piano. Tickets are available online at fpu.edu/piano or at the door: $20 General / $10 for Students and FPU Community, doors open at 6:30 pm).

Community Calendar

February

• February 6 - 7:30 p.m. Aristo Sham Gold Medalist of the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Philip Lorenz Internation Keyboard Concerts. csufresno.edu/music

• February 22 - 3:00 p.m. Moment Musicale. University Presbyterian. Lush Brahms, Lively Mozart. upcfresno.org

March

• March 8 -7:00 p.m. Alexander Malofeev. Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Concerts. csufresno.edu/music

• March 14 - 3:00 p.m. Fresno Community Concert Band. Music Speaks Louder Than Words. Shaghoian Concert Hall. fresnocommunityband.org

• March 26 - 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Fresno Philharmonic. Farm to Fiddle.

April

• April 11, Saturday - 7:30 pm and April 12, Sunday - 3:00 pm Fresno Philharmonic.

Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall

• April 18 - Solo Competition - presented by MTAC Fresno. Fresno Pacific. mtacfresno.com

• April 19 - 2:30 pm. Fresno Master Chorale: Handel's ISRAEL IN EGYPT

Shaghoian Concert Hall. Tickets available in January

• April 26 - 3:00 p.m. Sergei Babayan. Philip Lorenz Keyboard Concerts. csufresno.edu/music

• April 26 - 3:00 p.m. Soli Deo Gloria. Shaghoian Concert Hall. sdgchoir.org

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. fresnocommunityband.org

If you would like something to be added to the calendar, or just announced at an MTAC Membership Meeting, please

email kblumer77@gmail.com.