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Sheridan Music Studio and IN.LIVE proudly announce The "Bach with a View" International Competition and Festival for Young Artists

On March 5-7, 2021

The dynamic duo of Steinway Artists Susan Merdinger and Dr. Svetlana Belsky are back at it again with their second Annual Young Artists Festival and Competition. This year’s competition and the festival will be “Bach with a View”, and focus entirely on works by Johann Sebastian Bach, in conjunction with Bach’s birthday on March 5-7, 2021. As Co-Artistic Directors of Sheridan Music Studio LLC in Chicago, IL, Merdinger and Belsky inaugurated their Young Artist Festival held in-person at Sheridan Music Studio in February 2020 to resounding success for all participants and audience members alike. IN.LIVE, a new Silicon-Valley tech startup for live streaming music co-sponsored the events and will continue to do so for 2021.

The 2021 “Bach with a View” Festival and Competition has now been expanded to include two categories for both Piano and Strings. The distinguished jury is International in scope and includes distinguished Pianists and String Players: Jeffrey Biegel, Giacomo Scinardo, Svetlana Belsky, Susan Merdinger, and Jory Vinikour for the Piano Division and David Yonan, Charles Pikler, Martine Benmann, Nazar Dzhuryn, and Marta Szlubowska for the Strings Division.

Open to students in three age groups 8-13 years, 14-18 years, and 18 -23 years, the Competition and Festival aim to inspire and motivate young music students to recognize their fullest potential and to provide an opportunity to focus on a particular composer or genre of music. This year’s Festival and Competition is expanded but also VIRTUAL, which will enable students from around the world to participate and benefit from all that is being offered. Taking place over three days, the festival will include Lecture-Recitals, a Special Bach-Gala Concert, MasterClasses for selected non-Finalists and Finalists, and the airing of the pre-recorded performances by a selected group of Finalists. The Top prize winners in each group and category will receive prizes and certificates and may be awarded the opportunity to perform in Sheridan Music Studio’s Music with a View Concert Series in downtown Chicago.

About Sheridan Music Studio’s Artistic Directors:

Steinway Artist Susan Merdinger is a multi-awarded classical pianist, music director, recording artist, and educator with a distinguished career. She has been internationally acclaimed in prestigious newspapers and journals for her stunning performances. Critics have described her playing as “eloquent”, “spellbinding”, and “virtuosic”. With a riveting stage presence, she regularly commands standing ovations from her emotionally charged and spiritually uplifting performances with orchestras and solo recitals in major concert halls around the world. Indeed, performances by Ms. Merdinger are a celebration of a life passionately immersed in classical music. Merdinger is an alumna of Yale University, the Yale School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music.

Steinway Artist, Dr. Svetlana Belsky, is an award-winning recitalist, chamber pianist, and recording artist, noted for her remarkable rapport with audiences and stylistic versatility. She has toured internationally in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Italy, Canada, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and throughout the United States, performing at Carnegie Recital Hall, Kiev Philharmonic Hall, Dame Myra Hess Series, Music in the Loft, Chicago’s Cultural Center and Harris Theater, countless university concert series, live recitals on Chicago’s WFMT and New York’s WQXR. Dr. Belsky served as the Director of the Piano Program at the University of Chicago for fifteen years, teaching students from four continents, guiding numerous students to victories in competitions for professionals and amateurs alike.

About IN.LIVE:

In.Live’s mission is to empower artists and their fans to create immersive moments together through the power of live digital experiences. Artists can leverage the best of live streaming technology to create captivating shared moments through the power of live music, in real-time. The team at In.Live is led by veteran entrepreneurs and technologists, who above all else love music and the creative process and who have held senior leadership roles at companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Ticket Master and Yahoo!

Congratulations to Svetlana Belsky on becoming a Steinway Artist

Svetlana Belsky joins the roster of Steinway Artists

As of December 2020, Sheridan Music studio is now proud to be led by Two Steinway Artists! Please congratulate Svetlana Belsky on this superb distinction and honor as she joins me on the Roster of International Steinway Artists!

~ Susan Merdinger, Steinway Artist

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Harry Yu wins top award in the Great Composers Competition

Harry Yu was born in West Long Branch, New Jersey in 2005. He began studying piano performance at four and half years old. He currently studies under Professor Svetlana Belsky. Since he started to learn piano, Harry has won many awards in different piano competitions. As the first prize with special honor plus winner of The Sonatina and Sonata International Youth Piano Competition in 2018, he played at Carnegie Hall in the September of 2018.

Announcing the Winners of the 2020 Scott Joplin Memorial Scholarship Award

Pianists Annika Huprikar of Deerfield, IL and Rosalba Salinas of Chicago, IL are the Two Winners of the 2020 Scott Joplin Memorial Scholarship Award presented by Steinway Artist Susan Merdinger

Susan Merdinger, Founder and Artistic Director of Sheridan Music Studio is pleased to announce the two winners of the Scott Joplin Memorial Scholarship Award for 2020. Based on merit alone, this award includes a scholarship valued at approximately $1500 to each student. The competition for this scholarship is offered to serious students of piano who represent minorities or persons of color, and there is no fee to apply.

Indian-American pianist, Annika Huprikar, has been a piano and composition student of Susan Merdinger for the past 5 years and recently graduated from Deerfield High School as the Valedictorian of her Class of 2020. She became a National Merit Scholar and also won the prestigious Coca-Cola Scholarship. While in High School she was a Winner of numerous local, state and national awards, including the ILMEA Prize in in Composition. She also performed in Carnegie Hall twice and soloed with orchestras twice during her high school years. She was also honored as a Winner at the INTEL Science Fair, for her award-winning original design of an App to help children develop better nutritional habits. After her acceptance to many prestigious Ivy-League Colleges and Universities and Music Conservatories, such as Cornell, Columbia, Duke, Rice, Berklee College of Music and Carnegie Mellon Schools of Music and Computer Science, Annika decided to matriculate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Computer Science and Music Major. She plans to pursue a career in Computer Science, Music Technology, and as a composer/performer. Annika will continue to study piano privately with Susan Merdinger for the Fall Semester of her Freshman year, as a recipient of the Scott Joplin Memorial Scholarship Award.

Rosalba (Rosa) Salinas is a pianist of Mexican descent, who was born in San Antonio, Texas and moved with her family to Chicago in 1982. She studied with Jirina Serwas at American Music World (1997-2007) and continued classical and piano improvisation at Sherwood Conservatory of Music at Columbia College (2008-2011) under the instructions of Dr. Thomas Jefferson. She subsequently began studies with Susan Merdinger and has continued studying on and off until the present. Rosa currently serves as the pianist of the Lakeview Hispanic Church, having been a pianist at dozens of churches since 1998. She has also been a piano teacher at the Ravenswood Montessori School, where she discovered her gift of teaching. Currently, she is on faculty at The Family Piano Company in Golf Mill, IL and at Sheridan Music Studio- Chicago, where she is currently accepting Beginner to Intermediate students. Ms. Salinas is nearing completion of a Certificate in Piano Pedagogy at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada, and is continuing to pursue a career in piano pedagogy after many years working as a Administrative Assistant and Paralegal for the Jurisprudence Health Law Group, and as a HACCP certified Lab Technician Assistant in the General Packaging Products factory. This Scott Joplin Memorial Scholarship will enable Rosa to continue her studies with Susan, in order to further her piano teaching career and church music ministry.

Merdinger says of these two students, “Annika and Rosa are truly deserving of this honor and recognition because of their true talent, passion and commitment to music as well as the incredible hard work that they have demonstrated in their piano studies. They will each have a great impact in the field of music due to their talent and dedication.”

The Annual Scott Joplin Memorial Scholarship Award will be presented once a year, with a deadline of July 1st. There is no fee to apply, and it is open to high school and college students.

Email us for more information!

Susan Merdinger's Star Student Profile:

Annika Huprikar

Annika Hurprikar, a piano and composition student of Susan Merdinger for the past 5 years, has recently graduated from Deerfiield High School as the Valedictorian of her Class of 2020. She became a National Merit Scholar and also won the prestigious Coca-Cola Scholarship. While in High School she was a Winner of numerous local, state and national awards, including the ILMEA Prize in in Composition. She also performed in Carnegie Hall twice and soloed with orchestras twice during her high school years. She was also honored as a Winner at the INTEL Science Fair, for her award-winning original design of an App to help children develop better nutritional habits.

After her acceptance to many prestigious Ivy-League Colleges and Universities and Music Conservatories, such as Cornell, Columbia, Duke, Rice, Berklee College of Music and Carnegie Mellon Schools of Music and Computer Science, she decided to matriculate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Computer Science and Music Major.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Annika will continue to study piano privately with Susan Merdinger for the Fall Semester, as a recipient of the Scott Joplin Memorial Scholarship Award.

Brava, Annika!

Annika Huprikar

Sheridan Music Studio is proud to announce that Harry Yu, piano student of Dr. Svetlana Belsky, has just won First Prize in the Level D of the Roberta Savler Piano Competition of CAMTA.

Sheridan Music Studio is also proud to announce that Dr. Svetlana Belsky and Violinist Marta Szlubowska were awarded Third Prize in The American Prize for Chamber Music, Professional Division!

This is exciting news and just two more reasons any serious, aspiring musicians should sign up for private music lessons at Sheridan Music Studio-Chicago! Our students are successful, and our teachers are internationally recognized and acclaimed artists!

The Music with a View Concert Series for 2020-2021 Calendar and Brochure is almost ready for publication and distribution! Yes, the SHOWS MUST GO ON! We can't wait to share with you our great line-up of world-class musicians for our series, starting up in September. Stay tuned for a SPECIAL By-Invitation-only event this Summer to introduce all the we have to offer!

SHERIDAN MUSIC STUDIO ONLINE MUSIC LESSONS!

"Music hath Charms that Calm the Savage Beast!

No worries about keeping up your skills on piano, violin, viola, voice, chamber music and more! Are you bored and going stir-crazy from being quarantined?

We are currently offering ONLINE LESSONS to ALL CURRENT AND NEW STUDENTS!

All you need is an iPhone, iPad, or computer with camera and microphone, with one of these Apps installed.

Contact us for more information! Everyone is LOVING their online lessons and staying connected during this worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic.

Don't worry, be Happy! We've got you covered, and we are here for you! Best regards, Susan and Svetlana

P.S. Sarah and Stefanie Greene are also now offering lessons on violin, viola, and voice ONLINE!

MARCH 12, 2020: The March 22 "Music with a View" Concert by the EStrella Duo has officially been canceled due to the COVID-19 (Corona Virus) Pandemic.

Please stay tuned for future notifications about re-scheduling or cancellation of this and all "Music with a View" Concerts for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.

Additionally, all Private piano lessons offered by Susan Merdinger and Dr. Svetlana Belsky will be provided via online video conferencing- Skype, Facetime, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, until the Pandemic subsides.

American Melting Pot CD Wins Two Major International Awards

Gold Medal in the Global Music Awards for Album and Instrumentalist and Best Classical Album in the Clouzine International Music Awards

The American Melting Pot CD is an All-American Contemporary Classical Piano CD featuring works by five distinguished composers: Morton Gould, Fernando Vazquez, Aaron Alter, Elbio Barilari and Ilya Levinson. It's concept and purpose is to highlight the myriad international cultural influences that immigrants bring to the USA through their music. It will become available in CD format in January 2020, and will be released digitally on all major download and streaming music platforms.