This year's “NCAA Championships” for Piano ended Monday, March 22, with Weber State University on Top. Fan-Ya Lin, a piano student of WSU Professor, Yu-Jane Yang, took First Place at this year's Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Finals, held in New Mexico.

The road to the finals began last November when all of the major Universities in Utah put forward their top pianists at the MTNA State showdown. Fan-Ya won. Representing the State of Utah, Fan-Ya next competed in Hawaii at the Southwest Divisionals, against first place collegiate winners from California, New Mexico, Hawaii, Nevada, and Arizona. Fanya won again. And finally, the first place winners from all seven U.S. Divisions met at the National Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and once again, Fan-Ya took home the big prize. In addition to the trophies, certificates, and accolades, Ms. Lin was awarded a new Steinway piano. According to Ralph van Der Beek, WSU, "Ms. Lin is a great virtuoso and her achievement is every bit equivalent to that of a gold medal athlete for her unrivaled discipline, dedication, talent, and sheer artistry. She deserves this fantastic prize." Fan-Ya's teacher, said, “if you make your audience cry (in a good way), then your performance was a success.” To that end, Fan-Ya has been moving and inspiring her audiences across the country, and we expect that she will continue to do so in her professional career.

Weber State is on its way to becoming yet another All-Steinway School, joining the ranks of the world's most prestigious music schools, among them Julliard, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Yale, and the University of Utah, Snow College, and Southern Utah University. See the article/video in the March 2010 Melodeon. Daynes Music heartily congratulates WSU and Fan-Ya Lin!

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