The 2024 KMTA Conference was held Friday and Saturday, September 13-14, 2024, at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky.
2024 Conference Artist – Éva Polgár
Pianist Éva Polgár is a sought-after recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, educator, and adjudicator. She joined ETSU as an Assistant Professor in Fall of 2023 to lead the keyboard area, and to teach applied piano, piano literature, and piano ensemble courses. Critics praise her for her “intelligent interpretations” (Funzine Magazine) and “emotional power” (New York Concert Review). Her dedication to her native Hungarian culture resulted in researching Béla Bartók’s piano arrangements of his original orchestral compositions and specializing in Franz Liszt’s music. Her solo album titled Liszt: Harmonies patriotiques et religieuses was released under Hunnia Records. She has appeared on BBC World Service’s program “The Forum: Franz Liszt – Hungarian pianist and painter in sound” as a panelist and expert in the field.
Polgár has toured the Americas, Asia, and Europe, most recently as Hungary Foundation’s Cultural Ambassador of the Year. She was featured at Carnegie Hall in New York City, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Hungarian Culture Centre in London, and the Franz Liszt Museum in Budapest. Her concerto performances include concerts with conductors Tamás Vásáry at the Budapest Danube Palace, Horst Förster at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Okko Kamu at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. In the realm of cross-disciplinary endeavors, she collaborates extensively with visual artist Sándor Vály. Their experimental music albums released under Ektro Records have been broadcast by the Finnish Radio.
Polgár has won top prizes in competitions including the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition (LAILC). She has been elected co-director of LAILC together with Dr. Katherine Hickey in 2017, which empowers her to foster young musicians at their early stage of professional career. A committed educator and adjudicator, she has appeared at masterclasses, festivals, and competitions such as LAILC, the Bogotá International Piano Festival in Columbia, East China Normal University, University of Oregon, Montclair State University, and many more.
Polgár holds Master of Music in piano performance and piano pedagogy degrees from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance at the University of North Texas, specializing in contemporary music performance practice. Before joining the music faculty at East Tennessee State University, she taught piano and related courses at Azusa Pacific University, University of North Texas, and Texas Womans’ University. Besides her teaching appointment, she is an elected member of Board of Directors at the Southern California Chapter and the national organization of the American Liszt Society.
You can find more informaiton on her website: www.evapolgar.com
2024 Conference Clinician
Dr. Andy Villemez is an educator, composer, and author based in Cincinnati, OH where he serves as Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His activities focus on the development of teaching strategies and materials that empower students with well-rounded musicianship and long-lasting creativity.
Andy has presented research at national and international conferences including The National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the MTNA National Conference. He has published articles and reviews in The Piano Magazine, American Music Teacher, and the MTNA e-Journal. He is the author of the piano text Musicianship at the Keyboard: essential skills for the creative musician (VMS Publications, 2021). A revised and expanded edition of this text will be published fall 2024 by Rowman & Littlefield, Inc.
As a composer and arranger, he has been commissioned by concert pianists, performing arts guilds, Cincinnati Public Radio, and regional piano competitions. His works range from pedagogical pieces to concert works with emphasis on writing for piano and other keyboard instruments. His most recently completed work entitled New Hymns is a set of five pieces for piano and analog synthesizer commissioned by Dr. Zachary Lopes, Associate Professor of Piano at Western Kentucky University. Currently in the works is a set of three concert etudes based on songs by Dolly Parton commissioned by Dr. Todd Van Kekerix, Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Houston.
Andy is the founder and director of Creative Commissions – an arts outreach initiative that pairs professional composers with young musicians and their primary music teachers in order to collaborate on the creation of a new work. Each new piece is based on students’ strengths, weaknesses, interests, and goals. Started in 2016, the project has involved award-winning composers and students from all over the country.
Andy currently serves as president-elect of the Ohio Music Teachers Association. He earned degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (DMA, MM) and Vanderbilt University (BM). A native of Little Rock, AR, he currently lives in Cincinnati, OH with his wife, Julie, and their two kids.