The Simon-Fiset Suite of Competitions
The Simon-Fiset Competitions were established to encourage young students to continue the serious study of music by acknowledging their exceptional ability, application, and meritorious accomplishment by awarding monetary prizes in the areas of composition, piano, and strings. The legacy of these outstanding opportunities represents one of SMTA’s premier offerings for young musicians in the Seattle area. We hope to see you and your students at next season’s Simon-Fiset!
Piano Division
Performance space at The Center for Chamber Music
Thank you to all contestants and volunteers who participated! Results can be seen here. Certificates will be mailed to winners in the coming weeks. Teachers will receive adjudication notes via email in the coming weeks.
The Simon-Fiset Piano Division is supported by a generous gift from Willard Schultz.
Chair: Colleen Kennedy
Event Dates: January 9-10, 2027
Location: The Center for Chamber Music
Guidelines:
You can read the 2026 Guideline below. A 2027 rulebook will be posted in the coming months.
Click to download 2026 Guidelines
Registration:
December 7 at 7:00 am PT - December 18 at 10:30 pm PT *
*registration may close earlier if applicant capacity is reached prior to the end of the registration window
As the professional standard of this competition requires extensive effort and cost to ensure the utmost quality for students, all registration fees are final and nonrefundable.
Please reach out to Colleen Kennedy, Simon-Fiset Piano Competition Chair, at simonfisetpiano@gmail.com.
Low Strings Division
Chair: Haeyoon Krentz
Event Date: TBD
Registration: TBD
Location: TBD
2026 Adjudicator: TBD
Please watch future Staccato Notes and the website for details and information on the dates, rules, and fees or contact Haeyoon Krentz at haeyoonsk12@gmail.com.
The Simon-Fiset Low Strings Competition is open to students ages 5-18 who have not graduated from high school.
High Strings Division
Thank you to all who participated in the 2026 competition. Results are here.
Chair: Jan Coleman
Event Date: TBD
Registration Dates: TBD
Location: TBD
2026 Adjudicator: TBD
For questions please contact Jan Coleman, the competition chair or email smtaoffice@gmail.com.
Composition Division
Chair: Peter Mack, NCTM
Registration Period: March 31st, 2027 at 11:59 pm PT
Winners Announced: April 30, 2027
Location: Online submissions
Rules/Guidelines:
ELIGIBILITYThe contest is open to students of grades 1-12 in four divisions:
Myrtle Noble Division: School grades 1-3
Vie Husted Division: School grades 4-6
Laura Jensen Division: School grades 7-9
Lockrem Johnson Division: School grades 10-12
REQUIREMENTS
Each level has the same requirements with the exception of the Myrtle Noble Division.
Entries from students in Myrtle Noble Division (grade 1-3) should also include a scan or photograph of an original piece of artwork that expresses the musical idea of the piece. Students in grades 4-12 are welcome to submit artwork as well, but it is not mandatory and will not affect the adjudication.
There is no limit on length, form, instrumentation/voice or style/genre. However, this competition is intended to be for Classical music (not Popular music) which can include ideas taken from the Baroque, Classic, Romantic, Impressionistic, and Contemporary periods, including Jazz.
Students may enter more than once, but must submit a separate application and fee with each composition.
A composition that utilizes copyrighted text must include a written statement from the copyright holder that gives permission to use the text. If the text is in the public domain or original, you will sign to attest that the text is permissible to use on the registration form.
Students may submit a live audio recording with acoustic instrumentation, or a “computer performance” (for example, a midi file) of the composition. Recordings must be audio only, no video. There must be nothing on the recording that could be used to identify the contestant (like talking or unnecessary background noise).
No indication of the student’s name or teachers’ name(s) should be on the score or recording. Pages must be numbered. Put the student's grade level in school and length of time they have studied COMPOSITION in the upper right corner of the first page of the piece.
AWARDS
All participating students will receive a written adjudication. The 1st place-3rd place winners will receive a monetary award, a certificate, and the opportunity to have their composition featured on the SMTA YouTube channel. Honorable mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the adjudicator, and will receive certificates but no monetary prizes.
Contact the SMTA office for more information.
SIMON FISET Composition Competition Results 2026
Division: Myrtle Noble Division (Grades 1-3)
FIRST PLACE Emmett Poon “Dreamland” Student of Sue Poon
SECOND PLACE Dhiyaan Chowdhury “Fantasy Meteor Shower“ Student of Sue Poon
THIRD PLACE Mahathi Vippagunta “Gentle Waves” Student of Sue Poon
HONORABLE MENTION Esther Sunardi “Dolly the Puppy” Student of Josie Zocco
Division: Vie Husted Division (Grades 4-6)
FIRST PLACE Aarya Wagh ”The Calm Cascade” Student of Samantha Yeung
SECOND PLACE Veena Ramanathan “Cappuccino Frappucino - My Dad's Favorite Drink“ Student of Samantha Yeung
Division: Laura Jensen Division (Grades 7-9)
FIRST PLACE Contestant: Sepanta Rahimi “Afsūn” Student of Samantha Yeung
SECOND PLACE Adrian Go “Echoes in Motion “ Student of Sue Poon
THIRD PLACE Willem Goldsworthy “Ocean Watercolors “ Student of Samantha Yeung
HONORABLE MENTION Saisha Kashyap “Ocean Chimes “ Student of Samantha Yeung
Division: Lockrem Johnson Division (Grades 10-12)
FIRST PLACE Brannon Warn-Johnston “A Year with Cancer” Student of Sharon Van Valin and Angelique Poteat
SECOND PLACE Zach Lew “Second movement (2026) - for alto horn and piano” Student of Mark Salman
THIRD PLACE Avery Pun “Skybound “Student of Mark Salman
HONORABLE MENTION Brannon Warn-Johnston “Stages of Inspiration” Student of Sharon Van Valin and Angelique Poteat
HONORABLE MENTION Nina Iorik “Prelude in A minor” Student of Nino Merabishvili
HONORABLE MENTION Xiaonuo Feng “Changes Within and Without” Student of Sharon Van Valin
Christopher Goldston, NCTM
Christopher Goldston (b. 1972), Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, holds a master of music degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University and a bachelor of music degree in piano performance from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. He has taught at Columbia College Chicago, Roosevelt University and Sherwood Conservatory of Music and currently maintains an independent studio in the historic Fine Arts Building in Chicago, in addition to teaching virtually. In 1991, Christopher received the National Federation of Music Clubs Lynn Freeman Olson Composition Award for his first composition, “Night Train.” Since then, he has written numerous pieces for piano, voice, and chamber ensemble, including his “Thesis for Wind Quintet,” which won the 1993 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Composition Contest for North Carolina. Christopher is published by Alfred Music and FJH Music Company, and in 2021, launched Goldston Music, dedicated to publication and promotion of compositions by Christopher and Margaret Goldston.
Christopher has been the national coordinator for the MTNA Composition Competition since 2010. He has also served as state and division coordinator for the competition. Christopher has been very active in the Chicago Area Music Teachers Association and has served in numerous roles, including president, and vice-president in charge of programs. He was member of the year in 2008. He also served as president for the Illinois State Music Teachers Association from 2018 to 2020. Christopher was named an MTNA Foundation Fellow in 2020, and recently served as MTNA National Secretary-Treasurer for the 2021-2023 biennium. MTNA commissioned Christopher to compose “Four Virtues” for oboe, violin, and piano, which premiered at the 2022 MTNA National Conference, as one of two final commissions for the Collaborative Music Commissioning Project.
Christopher is also in demand as a clinician and guest artist. He has presented for music groups across the United States and has presented sessions at numerous MTNA state conferences, as well as at the MTNA National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2004, and the 2024 MTNA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. His students have won local, state, and national composition competitions, including the 2016–2017 Young Artist winner for the MTNA Composition Competition.