President's Message

Kim Farrell, President

Happy Spring Everyone!

As I look at our CNYAMT calendar full of events, I am amazed at what our organization is able to accomplish every year. Without our dedicated teachers, event chairs, committee members, sponsors, tech. support, and Board of Directors, none of our events would be possible. Thank you all so much for your diligence, perseverance, and support of our mission to serve the needs of our members and their students!

Congratulations go out to:

• Lynn Moroz for organizing the Baroque, Classical and Sonatina Festival on March 7th, which was a huge success. Thank you also to Bernadette Kessler for helping with the supervision of the day. Congratulations to all the 41 students who performed on a job well done!
• The teachers and students who were involved in the Artist Pianos Advanced Piano Competition. With a total of 18 participants and 8 winners performing at the recital on March 22nd, I continue to be overwhelmed with pride at our students’ talent. I hope you were able to see some of the videos and pictures that we posted on Facebook. What a wonderful and impressive array of music and performers! Thank you especially to our event chairs for this competition: Amy Heyman, Ya-Wei Tseng and Bernadette Kessler.



All members are welcome to join us at the next Zoom Board Meeting on 06-03-26 at 10:30 am.

Email me for an invitation at farrellka4@gmail.com.

Kim

CNYAMT 2025-2026 Calendar

Visit us at cnyamt.org

Email us at cnyamt@gmail.com

Follow us on Facebook

CNYAMT  Senior Music Merit Scholarship

Offered to current high school seniors pursuing a college degree in music.

No audition is required.

Applications must be submitted by May 15th.

The Music Merit Scholarship forms are now available on our CNYAMT website. If you have a student who is currently a high school senior, and is planning to major in music next year at an accredited university or college, please encourage them to apply. If they meet the following eligibility requirements and are interested in applying, they must have their applications in by May 15th. The award will be determined by the scholarship committee based on the number of applicants. Last year the committee awarded two applicants $500.00 each. The student must currently be a high school senior in good academic standing. Students must currently be taking lessons from a CNYAMT teacher who has been a member since November 2023. The student must have participated in at least 3 CNYAMT performances, events or competitions.

1. Students who have won the high school scholarship competition are not eligible for this scholarship.
2. Students must be approved by their current CNYAMT teacher.
3. Students must have participated in at least 3 CNYAMT performances, events, or competitions.
4. Students must submit their scholarship application on or before the deadline date, May 15^th. There is now an online application.

(The Senior Music Merit Scholarship should not be confused with the competition scholarship for which the student must compete.)

If you have any questions, please contact Barb Irwin, birwin1@twcny.rr.com or (315) 314-0815.

SAVE THE DATE! 

Annual CNYAMT Luncheon and Scores For Scholars Music Sale 

 June 10th ~ 11:00 ~ Drumlins Country Club 

You will soon be receiving your invitation, via email, to our annual CNYAMT luncheon and Scores for Scholars music sale to be held June 10th. It is our hope that many of you will plan to attend and enjoy the delicious buffet, which will include a vegetarian option, entertainment, to socialize, renew your membership, purchase music, and participate in our raffle. It’s free for all members and $15.00 for guests. It’s great to see old friends and make some new ones. It’s what keeps our organization alive and well.  

The money raised from the music sale and raffle baskets helps fund several student events. We could use your help with the basket raffle. CNYAMT will be raffling off a basket of beautiful flowers as usual. If you have an item or basket you’d like to provide for the raffle please contact Barb Irwin. (Birwin1@twcny.rr.com). 

Basket Suggestions; Beach, Picnic, Cooking, Coffee, Spa Day, Gardening, Movie Night, Gourmet, Local Gift Cards, Cocktails, Beer, Wine, Snacks, Lottery Tickets, Event Tickets, etc. But, the best ideas come from you! 

Thank you all! We hope to see you there. Barb Irwin 

Scores for Scholars Music Sale

The annual Scores for Scholars Music Sale will be held before the June luncheon on Wednesday, June 10th. The sale is scheduled from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM and will resume at the conclusion of the luncheon after the business meeting.

Contribution Guidelines

Members are encouraged to bring music books and sheet music that are fairly new, gently used, and minimally marked. To help with organization, please label your box to indicate the instrumentation, genre, or other relevant details. All materials should be arranged before the sale begins. If any items remain unsold, we request that you take them home and consider donating them to your local charity or library.

Proceeds and Donations

All proceeds and donations collected from the sale will directly support the CNYAMT Scholarship Programs.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding the event, please contact Bernadette at: bcmkessler@gmail.com

Truck Needed!

We are looking for a truck to pull our students in the Manlius Fourth of July Parade this year. The truck is needed for the entire afternoon, on July 4th, must have a 2670 pound towing capacity, and a 2” ball hitch. If you know someone who can help, please let us know!

Mary Whittington

whittingtonpiano@gmail.com

Baroque, Classical, and Sonatina Piano Festival



On March 7, the annual CNYAMT Piano festival was held at Artist Pianos in DeWitt. Eight teachers entered students, totaling 41 participants. Dr. Asami Hagiwara adjudicated.

2026 Artist Pianos Advanced Piano Competition

2026 Artists Pianos Advanced Piano Competition took place on March 21st with the Winners Recital on March 22nd at Park Central Presbyterian Church. A total of 10 teachers and 18 students participated in the competition. This year's judges were Jun Cho, Syracuse University and Dmitri Novgorosky, Ithaca College. They both commented on the wonderful artistry and talent of our students. A very special thank you to our sponsor and underwriter, Jo Beth Dellinger of Artist Pianos, for the continued support of CNYAMT and this wonderful event.

Chairpersons: Amy Heyman, Ya-Wei Tseng, Bernadette Kessler, Kim Farrell

Click here for Artist Pianos Advanced Piano Competition winners list, pictures and the program.

2025-2026 Board and Chairs

Executive Board 

Terms are 3 years with 3-term limit (Numbers listed indicate the year of the present term)

President – Kim Farrell (4)

Vice President – Phil Eisenman (2)

Treasurer – Mary Ellen DiPietra 

Recording Secretary – Gayle Ross (9)

Board of Directors 

Terms are 3 years with 3-term limit (Numbers listed indicate the year of the present term)

Michelle Wilcox (8)

Mary Whittington (6)

Joanne Mroczek (4)

Bernadette Kessler (3)

Lynn Moroz (2)

Barb Irwin (2)

Committee Chairs

Banquet/Scores for Scholars – Barb Irwin and Mary Ellen DiPietra

Membership – Phil Eisenman

Newsletter- Joanne Mroczek

Publicity – Joanne Mroczek

Senior Merit Scholarship – Barb Irwin

Senior Scholarship – Dana DiGennaro

Scholarship/Tuition Assistance – Bernadette Kessler 

Sponsorship – Barb Irwin

Sunshine – Kathy Montcrieff

Teacher Forum – Mary Whittington

Website & Social Media – Joanne Mroczek

Scores for Scholars – Bernadette Kessler

Event Chairs (listed by calendar dates)

Halloween Recital – Barb Irwin/Robbie Padilla

Barnes & Noble Holiday Recital – Bernadette Kessler/Mary Ellen DiPietra

Community Outreach –Kim Farrell

String Community Workshop – OPEN POSITION 

Baroque, Classical, & Sonatina Piano Festival – Lynn Moroz

Artist Piano Advanced Piano Competitions – Amy Heyman/Ya-Wei Tseng/

Bernadette Kessler/Kim Farrell

Instrumental Competition – James Krehbiel/Dana DiGennaro

Vocal Competition – Gayle Ross/Laura Enslin/Kathy Montcrieff

Teacher Concert Series – Mary Whittington/Lana Stafford/Robbie Padilla

Photo Release Form For A Minor

CNYAMT will now be using a PHOTO RELEASE FORM for ALL performance events. If the performer is a minor, the parents/guardians must sign our form to give consent for their child’s photo or video recording to be used on our website, Facebook page or in other media.

Members can find this form on our CNYAMT website under “Forms and Logos” in the Get Involved section.

Find a Music Teacher and Member Directory - Pictures

Don't forget about our "Find a Music Teacher" option on our website. Membership in CNYAMT includes your biography being listed here, along with your information for students and parents to find music teachers. Take a moment and check the link in your biography to make sure it is accurate. Are you currently accepting students? Make sure you let us know if you aren't so we can change your status. Changes to your information can be made by simply emailing your changes to cnyamt@gmail.com.

If you would like a picture in our "Find a Music Teacher" spreadsheet, email a current picture to cnyamt@gmail.com.

Our Member Directory page is also the place to sign out our sign and vase for events!

If you need help logging in to this MEMBERS ONLY LOGIN PAGE to check your bio or other information, please email cnyamt@gmail.com for log in credentials.

CNYAMT 2025-2026 SPONSORS