Sonata-Sonatina Festival

The annual NSMTA Sonata-Sonatina Festival (SSF) provides students with an opportunity to perform and be evaluated by a panel of professional adjudicators. All participants receive a blue ribbon, and those earning a score between 90 and 100 are awarded a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Gold medalists are invited to perform in the Gold Medal Winners Recital, held the weekend following the festival.

SSF Co-Coordinators: Jennifer Merry and Shihui Yin, ssf@nsmta.org

SSF Committee: Yeeseon Kwon, Jennifer Cohen and Grace Juang

 2025 Sonata-Sonatina Festival

Date: Sunday, February 16, 2025

Location: Music Institute of Chicago Winnetka, 300 Green Bay Road, Winnetka 60093

Fee: $40 per entrant (non-refundable)

Online Registration Begins: Monday, December 16, 2024

Online Registration Closes: Monday, January 13, 2025

Gold Medal Recital: Sunday, February 23, 2025

Repertoire Requirements

Each performer must play either two contrasting movements of a Sonatina (including the 2nd movement) or one movement - first or last - of a Sonata.

  • Entrants will play two movements from the same sonatina that must be contrasting in mood and tempo (i.e., movements 1 and 2 or 2 and 3.) Sonatinas must include a 2nd movement. In the case of sonatinas with only two movements, the student shall play both movements. Entrants are not allowed to combine movements from two different Sonatinas.

    The following Sonatas will count as Sonatinas for this event due to shortness of length and complexity. Two contrasting movements are required.

    • Haydn Sonatas Hoboken XVI:7, 8 and 9

    • Camidge Sonata No. 6

    The following Sonatinas are NOT eligible since they only contain one movement:

    • Biehl Sonatina in C

    • Benda Sonatina in A minor

    • Duncombe Sonatina in C

    • Kabalevsky Sonatina in A minor, Op. 27, No. 18

    • Salutrinskaya Sonatina in D

  • Entrants will play either the first or last movement of a sonata chosen from the classical through modern periods.

    Exclusions:

    • Sonatas by Scarlatti and other bipartite sonatas.

    • Mozart’s K.331- 1st movement, as it is a set of variations.

    • Schubert Sonata in f# minor (D571, unfinished)

    The following compositions qualify as Sonatas due to the length of the pieces and complexity:

    • Beethoven Op. 49, No. 1 (Gm)

    • Beethoven Op. 49, No. 2 (G)

    • Clementi Op. 36 No. 6 (D) - 1st movement only

    • Dussek, Op. 20 No. 6 (E-flat)

    • Kabalevsky Op. 13, No. 1 (C)

    • Kapustin Sonatina Op. 100

    • Khachaturian Sonatina in C

    • Kuhlau Op. 20, No.3 (F)

    • Kuhlau Op. 59, No.1, (A)

    • Kuhlau Op. 59, No.2 (F) 1st movement only

    • Kuhlau Op. 59, No.3, (C)

    • Kuhlau Op. 60, No.2 (A)

    • Kuhlau Op. 60, No.3 (C)

    • Ravel Sonatine

Awards and Gold Medal Recital

Each participant will receive an award ribbon for participating in the Festival. Medals are awarded for the following scores:

  • Gold 96-100

  • Silver 93-95

  • Bronze 90-92

  • No Medal 89 and below

Gold Medal Recital

Gold medal recipients will be invited to perform in one of the Gold Medal Recitals and listed in The SCORE newsletter.

Gold Medal Recital Chairs: Adam Chlastawa, Eric Sutz, Christina Tio, ssfgoldmedal@nsmta.org

Recital Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025

Times: 1:00, 2:30, 4:00 and 5:30 PM

Location: Trinity United Methodist Church, 1024 Lake Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091

  • Church parking lot is located right across the street on Wilmette Ave. 

  • Entrance to the church is also from Wilmette Ave.

Festival Rules and Requirements

SSF Eligibility Rules

  • Your NSMTA dues must be paid by October 31, 2024 to be eligible. Members who joined or renewed after October 31st must pay an additional $25. This is a one-time fee per calendar year.

  • Teachers must reside in the Chicago North Shore area and be available to participate on the day of the festival.

SSF Registration & Fee

  • Teachers are responsible for registering their students. All registrations must be submitted online through the NSMTA Member Portal. There are no exceptions to the deadline.

  • A maximum of ten (10) students per teacher may be entered.

  • Fee: $40.00 per entrant (non-refundable)

Non-member Participation

Teachers who are not members of NSMTA may enter students in SSF. A one-time $25 non-member fee per calendar year will be automatically applied to the student registration fees in the Member Portal.

Teacher Help Requirement

Running this festival requires a great deal of support from the participating teachers. All teachers are required to help with the festival in order for their students to participate in the Festival.

  • Teachers will be assigned jobs of at least 2 hours on Festival Day. Please indicate your AM or PM availability to help when you register.

  • Only teachers are to complete their assigned job times. No substitutes (parents, students, relatives, etc.) are allowed to replace the teacher volunteer for the assigned job. Please plan for your availability and participation on the festival date, in order for your students to participate in the Festival.

  • Any teacher in violation of these volunteer guidelines will not be allowed to participate in the festival the following year.

Special Scheduling Requests

Students may request either AM or PM, but specific time requests cannot be honored. However, if there are siblings playing in the Festival, please indicate that in the registration form and they will be scheduled within the same hour. Be certain to double-check all of your information.

Music Scores

Each student should bring their original music book for the judges, with measure numbers marked at the beginning of every system. No photocopies are allowed. Students who bring in illegal copies/photocopies will receive no score or medal.

For any students using legally downloaded computer-printed scores, an adult over the age of eighteen (18) will be required to sign a Music Release Form. The form is available here and will also be provided in hard copy on the day of the festival.

Memorization

All music must be memorized and performed without repeats. The judges will have the authority to stop an entrant before the end of a performance and their decisions will be final. Students who do not memorize the music or do not play two movements of a Sonatina will still be allowed to perform and receive written comments, but neither score nor medal will be awarded.

Score Sheets and Medal Pick-Up

After the conclusion of the SSF Festival, teachers will be able to pick-up score sheets and medals for their students from MIC Lobby. Pick-up times TBD.

Parking at MIC

Parking is available in the lot in front of the building (lower level) or behind the building.

Sonata-Sonatina Festival Registration

For NSMTA Members

To register students for the Sonata-Sonatina Festival, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to the Member Portal.

  2. Go to Account Settings and verify your mailing address and phone number.

  3. Add students to your Student Roster by entering their name and contact information. If your students are already listed in your Student Roster from previous events, there is no need to add them again.

  4. Once registration opens, the 2025 Sonata-Sonatina Festival will appear in your Active Events list. From the event dashboard, click Register next to a student’s name and submit the registration form.

  5. When ready to check out, go to the Payment Cart to make your payment and complete the registration(s). Note: fees are non-refundable.

  6. Your registered students will now appear in the Registered column.

If you’re setting up your Member Portal account for the first time, visit the Member Portal How-Tos page for step-by-step instructions.

For Non-Members

Piano teachers who are not members of NSMTA are welcome to enter students in the Sonata-Sonatina Festival.

  • If you have previously created a Member Portal account for another NSMTA event, you may log in using your existing username and password.

  • If you have not yet created a Member Portal account, please complete the Non-Member Portal Account Request Form (found below). You will receive an email from admin@nsmta.org with instructions to set up your account.

Once your account is activated, follow the same registration steps outlined for NSMTA members. A $25 non-member fee will be applied to your payment cart. Note: All SSF registrations must go through the teacher and not the parent.

See Festival Rules and Requirements for more information.

Sonata-Sonatina Festival - Event Information

Important Reminders for all SSF Participants

Music Requirement

Each student must bring their original book for the judges, with measure numbers clearly marked at the beginning of each line.

  • Photocopied music or scores downloaded from IMSLP are not allowed. Students who bring these will not receive scores or medals.

  • If a student is using a legally downloaded computer-printed score, an adult over the age of 18 is required to sign a Music Release Form. To expedite the check-in process, please download, complete and bring the form with you on festival day.

Dress Code

Students are expected to wear appropriate performance attire and should not wear jeans, sweatshirts, or sports uniforms.

Arrival Time

  • Please arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled performance time and check in at the table in the central lobby. Students will be directed to their assigned room.

  • Students are encouraged to warm up at home, as there is no opportunity to warm up at the Music Institute.

Parking at MIC

Parking is available in the lot in front of the building (lower level) or behind the building.

Instructions for Parents

  • Only students, monitors and judges will be allowed in the performance hallway.

  • To eliminate congestion in the MIC lobby, parents should plan to wait in their cars during their child’s performance. Parents of young children may assist with check-in if needed.

Cancellations

  • Students should be mindful of health considerations and stay home if they are ill.

  • If a student needs to withdraw for any reason, please notify the festival coordinators via email as soon as possible.

Scoresheet Pickup (for Teachers)

Teacher packets with scoresheets and medals will be available for pick up in the MIC lobby between 5:30-6:30 PM on the day of the festival. Any remaining envelopes will be mailed after the event.

Contact

For questions, contact SSF Co-Chairs, Jennifer Merry and Shihui Yin at: ssf@nsmta.org.

Questions about SSF?

For further information, fill out the form to contact SSF Co-Chairs, Jennifer Merry and Shihui Yin.