— One day. A statewide community.
2026
State Conference
Come together with music teachers, artists, and thinkers from across New York for a day designed to refresh your practice and widen your circle.
REGISTRATION
The State Conference is open to both members and non-members of NYSMTA. Registration is now open.
Online Registration will close on Wednesday, October 7 at 9:00 AM. On-site registration will
also be available; however, lunch may not be provided for same-day registrants.
conference hotel
We are pleased to offer accommodations at the Residence Inn Syracuse Downtown at Armory
Square for conference attendees for October 16–18, 2026. The hotel is a ten-minute drive from Onondaga Community College, and the address is as follows:
Residence Inn Syracuse Downtown at Armory Square
300 W Fayette St
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-422-4864
NYSMTA attendees will have access to a discounted rate of $179 per night, including complimentary breakfast. Please note that daily parking is $19. To secure this rate, reservations must be made by September 16. The official booking link will be provided upon completion of. conference registration. Please refer to the conference registration information at the top of this page.
If you have questions regarding accommodations, please contact Dongwon Shin at d.shin3@sunyocc.edu. We look forward to seeing you in Syracuse!
schedule
8:30 am Registration and Light Refreshments
8:55 am Welcome Address
9:00 am Lecture Forum
Inclusion, Erasure, and Legacy: Women of the Paris Conservatoire
Eleanor Gummer, presenter
9:50 am Break
10:00 am Guest Artist Lecture: Logan Skelton
Seeking Gershwin Lessons from the Critical Edition Orchestra, Opera, Concertos, and Song Arrangements
11:30 am Lunch
12:10 pm NYSMTA Business Meeting
12:40 pm Break
12:50 pm Lecture Forum
The City of Light in Four Hands: Piano Duets and Duos by Mel Bonis & Cécile Chaminade Bonnie Choi, presenter, piano & Kevin Nitsch, piano
1:40 pm Break
1:50 pm Lightning Talks
2:40 pm Break
2:50 pm Commissioned Composer Concert: Pamela Sklar
3:30 pm Social Hour and Light Refreshments
4:15-5:45 pm Closing Remarks & Guest Artist Recital
Logan Skelton and Tzu-Yin Huang
CONFERENCE GUEST ARTIST
Logan Skelton is an internationally acclaimed pianist, teacher, and composer whose
performances have captivated audiences across the United States, Europe, and Asia, and have
been featured on major public radio and television broadcasts. A distinguished teacher, he has
mentored numerous students who have gone on to win many national and international awards
and hold prominent positions at universities and conservatories worldwide.
Dr. Skelton is a leading contributor to the new Critical Edition of George Gershwin’s music, and
his own recent arrangements will soon be published by Schott Music. He holds the titles of Artur
Schnabel Collegiate Professor of Music in Piano, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and Director of
Doctoral Studies in Piano Performance at the University of Michigan. At the NYSMTA
Conference, he will share his latest insights and discoveries on Gershwin’s music.
COMISSIONED COMPOSER
Born in New York City, Pamela Sklar is a composer and flutist known
for writing chamber music for unusual instrumental combinations. Her
works have been performed across the United States and
internationally, and presented by organizations including the National
Flute Association and the International Double Reed Society. Her
award-winning programs and recordings span genres and improvisational
styles. Inspirations include science, community stories, and cultural
traditions. pamelasklar.com
From the composer:
2026 is the Year of the Horse, and fire is its element. This is the
inspiration for FireHorse, composed for English horn and cello. The
first movement is a playful, humorous depiction of a young horse. The
two instruments have a lot of “interplayful” moments between them! The
second movement is a soulful contrast to the previous movement. It
opens with a reverent cello meditation and later includes dance
segments representing survival. This music is a tribute to Native
American culture, whose artistic expression, belief systems,
struggles, spirituality and relationship to their horses are close to
my heart.
LECTURE FORUMS
The Lecture Forum Conference Sub-Committee is pleased to present a curated set of lectures offering a deep dive into the work of French women composers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In Inclusion, Erasure, and Legacy: Women of the Paris Conservatoire, Eleanor Gummer, M.Mus. (Whitby School of Music), will provide an overview of women who achieved notable success during their lifetimes but were later excluded from many historical accounts. Building on this historical context, Dr. Bonnie Choi (Nazareth University), assisted by Dr. Kevin Nitsch, will present The City of Light in Four Hands: Piano Duets and Duos by Mel Bonis & Cécile Chaminade, exploring the music of these two composers through performance and discussion of their duo repertoire.
Inclusion, Erasure, and Legacy: Women of the Paris Conservatoire
Eleanor Gummer, M.Mus, presenter, Whitby School of Music
The City of Light in Four Hands: Piano Duets and Duos by Mel Bonis & Cécile Chaminade
Dr. Bonnie Choi, presenter, Nazareth University
LIGHTNING TALKS SESSION
We are pleased to once again feature our vibrant Lightning Talks session at this year’s conference, showcasing six presenters whose topics reflect a wide range of ideas, perspectives, and areas of expertise. These concise presentations promise to spark thoughtful conversation and highlight the richness of our professional community.
When: Saturday, October 19, 2024, (approx 9am - 5pm, TBA)
Where: Ithaca College School of Music, Ithaca, NY
Schedule: TBA, will include Lightning Talks, Lecture Forum, Commissioned Composer premiere, sessions and recital by the featured Guest Artist/Clinician, networking/social opportunities
- Offers members of NYSMTA a professional opportunity to present a topic of interest or specialization at its Conferences
- Flexible presentation format: read a paper, present a lecture, perform a lecture recital, or demonstrate a technique
- Example topic areas: music literature, teaching techniques, the psychology of teaching, performance anxiety, improvisation, the business side of the music profession, historical performance style, pedagogical repertoire, etc.
- Proposal should be a detailed, written document describing the content and format of the presentation. Maximum 250 words. Include any audio/visual/equipment needs.
- Presentation time is 25 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for questions and discussion
- Notification of proposal status by the end of August
- Click here to submit your Lightning Talks proposal
- Click here for sample lightning talks from the 2023 NYSMTA Virtual Symposium
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- “Lightning” fast 5-minute presentations on a music-related topic of choice. Visual aids are encouraged (E.g. Powerpoint, Canva, Prezi).
- Topics should be practical and applicable to a wide audience of musicians/teachers, focused on a single idea rather than a summary of many ideas.
- 5-minute time limit is strictly but playfully enforced
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- All musicians and teachers (MTNA members/non-members) are encouraged to participate: collegiate chapters, college students, newly graduated young professionals, K-12 music teachers, private music teachers, and collegiate faculty.
