SMTA Piano Masterclass Series
Chair: Michelle Huang, NCTM
Date: May 15, 2027
2:00 - 3:30 pm Session 1
3:30 - 3:45 pm Break
3:45 - 5:15 pm Session 2
Registration period: April 28 - May 5, 2027
After you register, you will be sent an invoice to complete your registration.
Location: Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (8008 35th Ave, NE Seattle, WA 98115)
Masterclass Artist Teacher: Dr. Kay Zavislak, Western Washington University
Registration Process: Student entries to the masterclass are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registration Fees:
SMTA Members:
Intermediate: $45, Advanced: $55
Non-SMTA Members:
Intermediate: $55, Advanced $65
The SMTA Masterclass Series provides students the opportunity to be coached by highly qualified visiting master teachers. Students will receive valuable feedback on their pieces and benefit from observing the critiques of the other participating students. Open to pre-college students at the intermediate and advanced levels.
Masterclass is open to the public.
General Guidelines
1) Registration is first come, first served. 3-4 students will be selected per session. The chair will email confirmation of registration within 24 hours of completing the registration form. Registration closes once the sessions are full, which may happen anytime during the registration period, so register as early as possible.
2) Once registration closes, an email will notify teachers, parents, and students whether they have been selected for the masterclass. For students selected to play in the masterclass, SMTA will send an invoice to the parents to pay the registration fee by May 8.
3) Teachers: if you would like to register multiple students, you may do so, but please keep in mind that we will select the student that registers first from your studio. If spaces remain after the registration period ends, we will select additional students to fill those slots.
3) Memorization is strongly encouraged.
4) Please provide one copy of the music for the masterclass teacher.
American pianist Kay Zavislak enjoys a multi-faceted career as a performer, teacher, adjudicator, and clinician. Spending her formative years in Japan, Ms. Zavislak attended the Toho Gakuen High School of Music, one of the most prestigious conservatories in Japan. Ms. Zavislak then moved to the U.S. and earned the degrees Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan.
As a performer, Kay Zavislak has given solo recitals and chamber concerts regionally and nationally, in addition to public performances in Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, and Poland. In collaboration with flutist Leonard Garrison and saxophonist Bill Perconti, Ms. Zavislak has also recorded two commercial CDs for Centaur Records.
In 2001, Ms. Zavislak was named a winner of the concerto competition at the University of Michigan. Her other awards include first prize in the Frances Walton Competition, second prize in the Richardson Young Artist Award Competition, second prize in the All-Tohoku Piano Competition in Japan, and third prize in the William Byrd International Concerto Competition.
Many of Ms. Zavislak’s university and pre-college students have received top prizes and honors in a number of regional piano festivals and competitions, such as the Music Fest Northwest in Spokane, Sonata-Sonatina Festival in Ellensburg, Northern Idaho Piano Festival, Spokane Piano Competition, Music Teachers National Association Idaho State and Washington State Competitions, and MTNA Northwest Regional Competition.
Before joining her family in Bellingham in 2013, Ms. Zavislak was an Assistant Professor of Piano and the Keyboard Area Coordinator at the University of Idaho Lionel Hampton School of Music. In addition, she has held teaching positions at Schoolcraft College, Albion College, and the University of Michigan. She studied piano under the guidance of Arthur Greene, Logan Skelton, Yoshie Kora, and Miyoko Hamamoto, harpsichord with Edward Parmentier, and organ with Marilyn Mason.