2021 Conference Information
NKU has a Masking Mandate in place for all indoor spaces on campus. All participants attending the live sessions are required to abide by protocols put in place by the NKU COVID-19 Task Force. Please check for the most up-to-date information on the NKU COVID-19 Webpage.
Conference Schedule/Information
The 2021 KyMTA/OhioMTA Joint State Conference will be held at Northern Kentucky University from October 17-19, 2021.
For Conference information “at a glance,” please check out the Session Schedule. The banquets have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please note the schedule is subject to change.
Hotel Information
Five hotels in Northern Kentucky will be offering discounts for the KYMTA/OhioMTA Conference scheduled from October 17-19. You may register by phone at the number listed. If a link has been provided, you may choose to register online. The two Hotels in Newport are close to the riverfront with better access to entertainment and dining. The three located in Wilder are closer to NKU. Feel free to register at the hotel that best fits your needs.
2021 Conference Artist
Aaron Diehl
Piano
Recital Performance: Monday, October 18, 2021 at 8:00 pm in Greaves Concert Hall
Pianist and composer Aaron Diehl mystifies listeners with his layered artistry. At once temporal and ethereal, his expression transforms the piano into an orchestral vessel in the spirit of beloved predecessors Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner and Jelly Roll Morton. Following three critically-acclaimed leader albums on Mack Avenue Records — and live appearances at historic venues from Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Village Vanguard to New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonie de Paris — the American Pianist Association’s 2011 Cole Porter fellow now focuses his attention on what it means to be present within himself. His forthcoming solo record promises an expansion of that exploration in a setting at once unbound and intimate.
Aaron conjures three-dimensional expansion of melody, counterpoint and movement through time. Rather than choose one sound or another, he invites listeners into the chambered whole of his artistry. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Aaron traveled to New York in 2003, following his success as a finalist in JALC’s Essentially Ellington competition and a subsequent European tour with Wynton Marsalis. His love affair with rub and tension prompted a years-long immersion in distinctive repertoire from Monk and Ravel to Gershwin and William Grant Still. Among other towering figures, Still in particular inspires Aaron’s ongoing curation of Black American composers in his own performance programming, unveiled this past fall at 92nd St. Y.
Aaron has enjoyed artistic associations with Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Buster Williams, Branford Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Philip Glass and multi GRAMMY award-winning artist Cecile McLorin Salvant. He recently appeared with the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra as featured soloist.
Aaron holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Juilliard. A licensed pilot, when he’s not at the studio or on the road, he’s likely in the air. Follow both his earthbound and aerial exploits via Instagram at www.instagram.com/aaronjdiehl.
See what critics have to say about Aaron Diehl!
Conference Educator
Todd Haydon
Two sessions:
“If B.F. Skinner taught piano: Using behavior principles during piano lessons”
“Keep your students: Strategies for dealing with frustration, lack of motivation and attrition”
Monday, October 18, 10:00 to 11:50
Todd Haydon PhD, BCBA-D, LISW is a Professor in the Special Education Program. He earned his doctorate from the University of Florida in Special Education with a focus on emotional and behavioral disorders and Autism. Dr. Haydon’s current research interests include effective teaching practices, functional behavior assessments, positive behavior and supports, and mental health services for students with Autism.
Conference Pedagogue
Catherine Rollin
Session and MasterClass
“Technique and Artistry: You Cannot Have One Without the Other”
Sunday, October 17, 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm
“Early Intermediate through Early Advanced Master Class”
Sunday, October 17, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
2021 Conference Information
NKU has a Masking Mandate in place for all indoor spaces on campus. All participants attending the live sessions are required to abide by protocols put in place by the NKU COVID-19 Task Force. Please check for the most up-to-date information on the NKU COVID-19 Webpage.
Conference Schedule/Information
The 2021 KyMTA/OhioMTA Joint State Conference will be held at Northern Kentucky University from October 17-19, 2021.
For Conference information “at a glance,” please check out the Session Schedule. The banquets have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please note the schedule is subject to change.
Hotel Information
Five hotels in Northern Kentucky will be offering discounts for the KYMTA/OhioMTA Conference scheduled from October 17-19. You may register by phone at the number listed. If a link has been provided, you may choose to register online. The two Hotels in Newport are close to the riverfront with better access to entertainment and dining. The three located in Wilder are closer to NKU. Feel free to register at the hotel that best fits your needs.
2021 Conference Artist
Aaron Diehl
Piano
Recital Performance: Monday, October 18, 2021 at 8:00 pm in Greaves Concert Hall
Pianist and composer Aaron Diehl mystifies listeners with his layered artistry. At once temporal and ethereal, his expression transforms the piano into an orchestral vessel in the spirit of beloved predecessors Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner and Jelly Roll Morton. Following three critically-acclaimed leader albums on Mack Avenue Records — and live appearances at historic venues from Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Village Vanguard to New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonie de Paris — the American Pianist Association’s 2011 Cole Porter fellow now focuses his attention on what it means to be present within himself. His forthcoming solo record promises an expansion of that exploration in a setting at once unbound and intimate.
Aaron conjures three-dimensional expansion of melody, counterpoint and movement through time. Rather than choose one sound or another, he invites listeners into the chambered whole of his artistry. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Aaron traveled to New York in 2003, following his success as a finalist in JALC’s Essentially Ellington competition and a subsequent European tour with Wynton Marsalis. His love affair with rub and tension prompted a years-long immersion in distinctive repertoire from Monk and Ravel to Gershwin and William Grant Still. Among other towering figures, Still in particular inspires Aaron’s ongoing curation of Black American composers in his own performance programming, unveiled this past fall at 92nd St. Y.
Aaron has enjoyed artistic associations with Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Buster Williams, Branford Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Philip Glass and multi GRAMMY award-winning artist Cecile McLorin Salvant. He recently appeared with the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra as featured soloist.
Aaron holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Juilliard. A licensed pilot, when he’s not at the studio or on the road, he’s likely in the air. Follow both his earthbound and aerial exploits via Instagram at www.instagram.com/aaronjdiehl.
See what critics have to say about Aaron Diehl!
Conference Educator
Todd Haydon
Two sessions:
“If B.F. Skinner taught piano: Using behavior principles during piano lessons”
“Keep your students: Strategies for dealing with frustration, lack of motivation and attrition”
Monday, October 18, 10:00 to 11:50
Todd Haydon PhD, BCBA-D, LISW is a Professor in the Special Education Program. He earned his doctorate from the University of Florida in Special Education with a focus on emotional and behavioral disorders and Autism. Dr. Haydon’s current research interests include effective teaching practices, functional behavior assessments, positive behavior and supports, and mental health services for students with Autism.
Conference Pedagogue
Catherine Rollin
Session and MasterClass
“Technique and Artistry: You Cannot Have One Without the Other”
Sunday, October 17, 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm
“Early Intermediate through Early Advanced Master Class”
Sunday, October 17, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Host Site
Dr. Zachary Lopes
zachary.lopes@wku.edu
Dr. Jessie Welsh
jessica.welsh@wku.edu
Conference Coordinators
Richard Van Dyke
Conference Chair
vandyker1@nku.edu
Yukiko Fujimura, Doctor of Arts
Union College Assistant Professor of Music
310 College St., Barbourville, KY 40906
yfujimura@unionky.edu
Conference Committee
Polina Bespalko, OhioMTA
Nina Belle Durr, KMTA ex-officio
Holly Kessis, OhioMTA ex-officio
Rita Larkin, KMTA
Clinton Pratt, OhioMTA
Becky Lins Slater, KMTA
Andy Villemez, OMTA
Conference Composition Coordinator
Host Site
Dr. Zachary Lopes
zachary.lopes@wku.edu
Dr. Jessie Welsh
jessica.welsh@wku.edu
Conference Coordinators
Richard Van Dyke
Conference Chair
vandyker1@nku.edu
Yukiko Fujimura, Doctor of Arts
Union College Assistant Professor of Music
310 College St., Barbourville, KY 40906
yfujimura@unionky.edu
Conference Committee
Polina Bespalko, OhioMTA
Nina Belle Durr, KMTA ex-officio
Holly Kessis, OhioMTA ex-officio
Rita Larkin, KMTA
Clinton Pratt, OhioMTA
Becky Lins Slater, KMTA
Andy Villemez, OMTA
Conference Composition Coordinator
Matthew Herman
matthew.herman@wku.edu
(270) 745-5400