Dr. Nathan Buckner
of Music and Performing Arts, 308-865-8608
A University of Nebraska at Kearney piano performance major has taken top state honors in the 2011 MTNA Young Artist Competition.
Dan Yu, a UNK piano performance major from China, won the state level at the competition held earlier this month in Lincoln. Yu is a student of Dr. Nathan Buckner, UNK professor of music and a graduate of the Juilliard School.
“The UNK community and the Nebraska members of MTNA are all very proud of Dan for her achievement,” Dr. Buckner said.
Yu is the fourth UNK pianist to have won the annual MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition for Nebraska in the space of a decade. She competed against five other pianists from Nebraska colleges and universities.
“We congratulate Dan Yu on her winning the 2011 MTNA Young Artist Competition.” said Dr. Ron Crocker, chair of the UNK Department of Music and Performing Arts. “Her achievement also speaks well for the level of teaching taking place in UNK music department studios.”
For the competition, Yu performed “Prelude & Fugue in G minor (WTC-I)” by J. S. Bach, “Funérailles” by Franz Liszt, “Córdoba” by Isaac Albeniz and Franz Schubert’s “Piano Sonata in D Major, D. 850.”
Yu will compete at the regional level against the other West Central Division winners in January. Winning pianists from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota will compete at the regional level.
The Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) is more than a century old. The organization’s mission is to advance the value of music study and music making to society, and to support the professionalism of music teachers.
