Shu Liu and Asleif Willmer

Two Arizona State University music students were named finalists at the Southwest regional division of the 2014 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Competition. They will go on to compete for a chance to win $3,000 at the national competition, to be held March 22––24, 2014, at the MTNA national conference in Chicago.

Shu Liu, junior violin performance major and student of Danwen Jiang, won the string regional division competition, and Asleif Willmer, a Master of Music in vocal performance major and student of Carole FitzPatrick, was chosen as a finalist in the voice regional division competition. Both young artists will compete against five or six musicians in their instrument division at the national level.

Since 1967, MTNA has held a three-tiered competition; students compete at the state level, and winners go on to one of seven regional divisions. Winners of the regional division compete at the national level. The Music Teachers National Association Performance competitions provide educational experiences for students and teachers and recognize exceptionally talented young artists and their teachers in their pursuit of musical excellence. The state competitions are considered the primary educational level with the division and national levels showcasing outstanding performance and honoring significant pedagogical achievement.