Nelita True adjudicates Japan piano competition. (National Association News).

Nelita True, NCTM, professor of piano at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, represented MTNA and the United States as a final-round adjudicator for the Piano Teachers' National Association (PTNA) of Japan's 25th annual competition.

"It was a wonderful experience for me," says True. "[PNTA Founder and CEO] Mr. Fukuda and the young PTNA staff could not have been more cordial and accommodating. The competition was extremely well organized."

The PTNA competition, showcasing pianists of all nationalities and ages, took place in Tokyo, August 27, 2001. True joined six Japanese judges and two other foreign judges from China and Canada. Students competed for first prize of a gold medal, a concerto performance with the Nippon Philharmony Orchestra and 1 million yen, roughly equivalent to $9,000. A silver medalist earned approximately $3,700, and the bronze-level pianist took home $1,850.

"Nelita's involvement marks the beginning of a partnership between MTNA and PTNA of Japan," says MTNA Executive Director Dr. Gary L. Ingle. "Mr. Fukuda and I discussed several possible collaborations between our organizations. This one seemed to be the right way to begin.

"Nelita was the perfect choice. She is not only a world-class performer and pedagogue, she has been a dedicated member of MTNA for many, many years."

Nonprofit PTNA was founded in 1966 by the Japanese government to "raise recognition of Japanese piano pieces throughout the country and continue research of this music in depth," according to its website. The competition seeks to find "young, promising pianists who have competent ability and talent to reach the international level." With 120 local branches in Japan, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, PTNA has 7,000 members.

"Thank you for introducing Nelita True as a jury member of PTNA Piano Competition," says Fukuda. "The competition had over 27,000 participants this year and found a very talented pianist partly because of her."

"The level of playing was exceptionally high from everyone we heard," True notes. "The grand-prize winner, Noriko Sato, is already an artist, though only 23. What the teachers are doing in Japan is simply phenomenal. Even the less gifted are extremely strong pianistically. And the gifted ones were outstanding in every way."