Hattiesburg Music Teachers League

Hattiesburg Music Teachers League February 2025 Recitals at WCU

Students performers included: Anna Guan, Sonia Sumner, Nathan Bai, Luca Ciraldo, Kiana Li, Jianyu Zhao, Chenyi Yang, Duke Payne, Olivia Jacobs, Kohen Johnson, Charlotte Nida, Alina Zheng, Lucas Zheng, Olivia Daho, Catherine Daho, Thomas Daho, Bonnie Littlejohn, Haotong Fu, Yu Lei, Johanna Tarcson, Kendle McCaskey, and Yinghan Zhang. Students are from the piano studios of Laura Broughton, Joanna Burnside, Ellen Elder, Victoria Johnson, Elizabeth Moak, and Dixie Lawson.

The Catherine Rollin Composer Festival was a huge success!

The weekend was filled with a fantastic teacher workshop, four wonderful recitals filled with her beautiful music, followed by an autograph party where Catherine Rollin signed each student's music.

Catherine Rollin Composer Festival Pictures 2025

Big thank you to Composer Festival Chair Laura Broughton

for her tireless dedication and attention to detail! She did a fantastic job!

OCTOBER 2025 Hattiesburg Music Teachers League Student Recitals

Students performing (and pictured) include: Chenyi Yang, Olivia Jacobs, Alina Zheng, Lucas Zheng, Kohen Johnson, Alayna Johnson, Amelia Bennett, Margo Bennett, Anna Guan, Anna Christina Bitar, Sonia Sumner, Luca Ciraldo, Kiana Li, Eddie Yucheng Lin, Zhao Zhang, Wenwen Che, Haotong Fu, Yu Lei, and Johanna Tarcson.

Students are from the studios of Laura Broughton, Joanna Burnside, Erick Diaz, Ellen Elder, Victoria Johnson and Elizabeth Moak.

2025 Composer Festival featuring guest composer Catherine Rollin

Catherine Rollin is a pianist, composer, clinician, author and dedicated teacher. Her more than 450 published pedagogical compositions are recognized worldwide for their combination of musicality and "teachability." As a clinician, Catherine has given over 350 workshops and masterclasses throughout the U.S., Canada, Japan and Taiwan. Her efforts as a composer, clinician and author are an outgrowth of her central passion for teaching. Finding the answers to help her students develop artistic, relaxed and confident technical skills led Catherine to insights featured in her groundbreaking series, Pathways to Artistry. Catherine's ASCAP award-winning books, Museum Masterpieces, feature her original piano works inspired by great art masterpieces from museums around the world. Catherine wrote this series after seeing how her students' creativity was sparked by artwork imagery. She is also the co-author of the 2011 edition of the highly regarded college text, Creative Piano Teaching. In 2023, Catherine officially launched her own publishing company, Catherine Rollin Music, with the publication of Museum Masterpieces: The Premier Exhibition followed by Museum Masterpieces: Celebrating Women Artists Through the Ages Books 1 and 2.

Catherine has received numerous commissions from state and local associations as well as Clavier Magazine and from the Music Teachers National Association. (MTNA) . Her two concertos, "Concerto Romantique" and "Concerto in C," have been performed with piano and orchestra in the U.S., Canada, Ukraine, Thailand, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Israel and South Africa. Catherine’s students have won many honors, including national finalists in solo piano, duet and composition competitions of the MTNA. Catherine received her principle training with Detroit Symphony pianist, Mischa Kottler, a disciple of von Sauer and Cortot. Rollin holds the BMA degree with distinction from the University of Michigan and the MM from Oakland University, where she was the recipient of the distinguished alumni award.

A number of Hattiesburg area students were awarded medals and ribbons at the annual Mississippi Music Teachers Association Pre-College State Finals held May 17, 2025 at Mississippi State University in Starkville. Winners were selected from numerous piano, voice and string students from all over the state who qualified to perform at the competition. Hattiesburg area winners picture below include:

Pictured in the group photo:

Bottom row (L-R): Tiana Zheng, Juliana Wang, Bowen Ge and Kiana Li

Top row (L-R): Robert King, Lucas Zheng, Aiyana Li and Yucheng Eddie Lin

Individual photos: Chenyi Yang, Duo winners Lucas and Alina Zheng, Alayna Johnson and Finley Pittman

Not Pictured: Nathan Bai, Lydia Grace Crouch, Anna Guan, Claire Lin, Finley Pittman, and Alina Zheng.

Piano students of Dr. Laura Broughton:

Juliana Wang: 2nd Place, Solo Piano Level 4; Finley Pittman: 3rd Place, Solo Piano Level 6; Robert King: 4th Place, Solo Piano Level 6 and Highest Composite Score Award Level 6 and 2nd Place, Piano Sonata/Sonatina Div. B; Claire Lin: Honorable Mention, Solo Piano Level 7; Alina Zheng: 4th Place, Solo Piano Level 8 and Highest Composite Score Award Level 8; Lucas Zheng and Alina Zheng: Gold Medal, Piano Ensemble Div. D.

Piano Students of Dr. Joanna Burnside:

Chenyi Yang: 3rd Place, Solo Piano Level 3 and; Alayna Johnson: 3rd Place, Solo Piano Level 11 and Highest Composite Score Award Level 11.

Piano Student of Dr. Ellen Elder: Yucheng Eddie Lin: 3rd Place, Solo Piano Level 7 and Highest Composite Score Award Level 7.

Violin Student of Gail Fox: Tiana Zheng: Gold Medal, Strings Solo Level 6 and Highest Composite Score Award Strings Level 6.

Piano Students of Dr. Victoria Johnson: Anna Guan: Honorable Mention, Solo Piano Level 3 and Below; Bowen Ge: 2nd Place, Solo Piano Level 5 and Highest Composite Score Award Level 5 and 2nd Place, Piano Sonata/Sonatina Div. B; Nathan Bai: 3rd Place, Piano Theme & Variations Div. D; Lydia Grace Crouch: 4th Place, Solo Piano Level 10; Kiana Li: 3rd Place, Solo Piano Level 10 and 2nd Place, Piano Theme & Variations Div. D; Aiyana Li: Highest Composite Score Award Level 12; Kiana Li and Aiyana Li: Gold Medal, Piano Ensemble Div. E.

HMTL Camp Scholarship Winner

Josie Beard, 15-year-old violinist and homeschooler from Seminary, Mississippi, has been under the instruction of Ms. Gail Fox since she was seven years old. Although she enjoys various genres of music, Irish songs are among her favorites. Additionally, she has been a part of the Hattiesburg Youth Orchestra since 2022, which she greatly enjoys.

Hattiesburg Music Teachers League 2025 Spring Concert

Pictured are the students who performed in the annual Spring Concert of the Hattiesburg Music Teachers League on Sunday, April 27, 2025 in Bass Memorial Chapel at William Carey University.

Front row (L-R): Yucheng Lin, Claire Lin, Alina Zheng, Mackenzie Smith, Aiyana Li, Amari Walker, Kiana Li, Alayna Johnson, and Margo Bennett. Back row (L-R): Isaac Russell, Sonia Sumner, Lucas Zheng, Nathan Bai, Jackson Hays and Anna Leigh Schmidt.

Performers were from the studios of: Laura Broughton, Joanna Burnside, Anne Kathryn DeViney, Ellen Elder and Victoria Johnson.

Senior Aiyana Li was honored at this year's HMTL Spring Concert. She is a student of Victoria Johnson.

The Hattiesburg Music Teachers League presented three recitals at Main Street Baptist Church on Saturday, March 29, 2025. Performers are pictured below.

Front row (L-R): Jenna Hamm, Olivia Daho, Catherine Daho; Back row (L-R): Yucheng Lin, Lucas Zheng, Josue Valdez and Erick Diaz. (not pictured: Wenwen Che)

Front row (L-R): Olivia Jacobs, Anna Guan, Patrick Brett, Chenyi Yang; Back row (L-R): Bowen Ge, Amari Walker, Sonia Sumner, Alayna Johnson and Margaleth Espinoza

The Hattiesburg Music Teachers League is so Proud of our founder and colleague, Jan Mesrobian!

Letter below from OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USM)

Dear OLLI community,

I’m delighted to inform you that OLLI friend and longtime professional pianist Janice “Jan” Mesrobian recently donated a beautiful Yamaha piano to OLLI [pictured right.] In the photo below, Jan is seated at the piano in its new home, the Peck House Asbury Annex in Hattiesburg. It will be a valuable asset to our community, and we could not be more grateful to Jan for her thoughtfulness and generosity.

Thank you ever so much, Jan!

Paula Mathis, Director

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

The Hattiesburg Music Teachers first 2025 student recital was held at

William Carey University Bass Chapel on February 8

Performers included - front row left to right: Olivia Jacobs, Chenyi Yang, Anna Guan, Bowen Ge, Patrick Brett. Back row left to right: Wenwen Che, Alina Zheng, Lucas Zheng, Amari Walker, Alayna Johnson, and Lewei He. Students are from the studios of Laura Broughton, Joanna Burnside, Ellen Elder, Victoria Johnson, and Elizabeth Moak.

Hattiesburg music student winners/finalists from MMTA State Finals Founded in 1972, the Hattiesburg Music Teachers League affords many wonderful opportunities to students of member teachers. Students can participate in league recitals, as well as local, state, and national festivals and competitions and can also audition for scholarships for local and state summer music camps. Recently, a number of Hattiesburg area students were awarded medals, ribbons and plaques at the annual Mississippi Music Teachers Association Pre-College Finals held May 18, 2024 at Hinds Community College in Raymond. Winners were selected from numerous piano, voice and string students from all over the state who qualified to perform at the competition.

Group photo below: (Top row, L-R): Nathan Bai, Alina Zheng, Aiyana Li and Kiana Li (Bottom row, L-R): Jiayi Xiao, Yucheng Lin, Bowen Ge, Juliana Wang, and Finley Pittman. Individual photo below: David Brett. Photo with two students below: Olivia Jacobs, Patrick Brett. Not Pictured: Amelia Bennett, Margo Bennett and Sonia Sumner.

Piano students of Dr. Laura Broughton: Juliana Wang, Gold Medal, Piano Solo Level 3 and Below; Finley Pittman, Gold Medal, Piano Solo Level 5; Alina Zheng, Honorable Mention, Piano Solo Level 7; Amelia Bennett and Margo Bennett, 4th Place, Piano Ensemble Division D.

Piano Students of Dr. Joanna Burnside: Olivia Jacobs, 3rd Place, Piano Solo Level 3 and Below; Patrick Brett, 3rd Place, Piano Solo Level 4; David Brett, Gold Medal, Piano Solo Level 12 and Highest Composite Score Award, Level 12.

Piano Student of Erick Diaz: Jiayi Xiao, Gold Medal, Piano Solo Level 5

Piano Student of Dr. Ellen Elder: Yucheng Lin, 3rd Place, Piano Solo Level 6

Piano Students of Dr. Victoria Johnson: Bowen Ge, 2nd Place, Piano Solo Level 4 and 2nd Place, Piano Sonata/Sonatina Div. A; Sonia Sumner, 2nd Place, Piano Solo Level 7 and 2nd Place, Piano Sonata/Sonatina Div. C; Nathan Bai, 2nd Place, Piano Solo Level 8 and 2nd Place, Piano Theme and Variations Division C; Kiana Li, 2nd Place, Piano Theme and Variations Div. D and Outstanding Achievement Award; Aiyana Li, Highest Composite Score, Piano Level 11 and Outstanding Achievement Award; Kiana Li and Aiyana Li, Gold Medal, Piano Ensemble Div. E

The Hattiesburg Music Teachers League held it's annual Spring Concert at William Carey University on April 28, 2024. Students performing were Sonia Sumner, Nathan Bai, Alina Zheng, Lucas Zheng, Kiana Li, Margo Bennett, Alayna Johnson Aiyana Li, Aidan Shemper and David Brett.

Students are from the studios of Dr. Laura Broughton, Dr. Joanna Burnside and Dr. Victoria Johnson.

Aidan Shemper and David Brett, graduating seniors, were honored at the annual HMTL Spring Concert for their long-term dedication to piano study and numerous accomplishments.

Students of HMTL members performed beautifully on two recitals, held March 23, 2024 at William Carey University's recital hall. Students performing were Catherine Daho, Chenyi Yang, Olivia Jacobs, Zayn Walker, Thomas Daho, Patrick Brett, Bowen Ge, Amari Walker, Nathan Bai, Sonia Sumner, Alayna Johnson, Isaiah Way, Jiayi Zhang, Josué Valdez Casco, and Yu Lei.

Presented by the studios of Joanna Burnside, Victoria Johnson, Dixie Lawson, and Elizabeth Moak

Ellen Elder, Christina Mathis, and Elizabeth Moak had students participate in the Mississippi Music Teachers Association Collegiate Competitions. The competitions were held at USM on March 2, 2024. Students participating:

Freshman-Sophomore Solo Piano

Angelina Boos, student of Christina Mathis

Junior-Senior Solo Piano

1st Place: Isaiah Way, student of Elizabeth Moak

2nd Place: Josué Valdez Casco, student of Elizabeth Moak

Graduate Solo Piano

1st Place: Yuqiao Guan, student of Ellen Elder

2nd Place: Jéferson Lopez Sarmiento, student of Ellen Elder

Honorable Mention: Ziran Xu, student of Elizabeth Moak

The HMTL held it's February student recital on the campus of William Carey University in the Thomas Fine Arts Recital Hall. Eighteen students presented piano music by a wide variety of composers. Students performing in the recital were Anna Guan, Ana Catherine Roberts, Chenyi Yang, Zayn Walker, Olivia Jacobs, Patrick Brett, Alina Zheng, Amari Walker, Bowen Ge, Claire Lin, Nathan Bai, Lucas Zheng, Sonia Sumner, Kiana Li, Ruth Bond, Alayna Johnson, Aiyana Li, and David Brett. Students are from the studios of Laura Broughton, Joanna Burnside, and Victoria Johnson.

HMTL had good representation of its members at the 2024 State Conference

Presenters:

- Ellen Elder “Selected Solo Piano Works of Luigi Zaninelli: “Music That Excites the Senses and Stimulates the Mind”

- Christina Mathis “The Intersection of Trauma, Creativity, and Pedagogy: Nurturing Healing and Artistry within Applied Lessons”

- Elizabeth Moak (with the collaboration of Jean-Claude Coquempot) “Clarifying the Muddy Waters of Samuel Barber”

- Brian Murphy (with the collaboration of Jacob Plocher) “From Mozart to Marathons: How Training as a Distance Runner Transformed My Approach to Practice, Pedagogy, and Performance (and Vice Versa!)”

Presiders:

- Laura Broughton for the IMTF Luncheon featuring guest presenter Kevin Chance on “Unconventional Pedagogical Repertoire”

- Vickie Johnson for Jillian Kelly’s “The Baroque Oboe and its Evolution into the Modern Oboe.”

The 2023 Kevin Olson Composer Festival sponsored by the Hattiesburg Music Teachers and Jones College was a great success. Featured composer Dr. Kevin Olson said, "This was truly one of the best-organized events I’ve done in a while. I’m impressed at the buy-in from teachers (both community and university) and the students for the event. It was clear that the kids took it seriously, and there was wonderful, invested music-making going on all weekend."

Pictures of the Kevin Olson 2023 Composer Festival Recitals and Autographs

Pictures from the Kevin Olson Teacher Workshop

The HMTL held it's first recitals of the school year on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at William Carey University music hall.

Student performers (pictured below) include:

Chenyi Yang, Alayna Johnson, Ruth Bond, David Brett, Patrick Brett, Zion Causey, Amari Walker, Olivia Jacobs, Anna Guan, Bowen Ge, Sonia Sumner, Kiana Li, Aiyana Li, Ana Catherine Roberts, Amelia Bennett, Margo Bennett, Claire Lin, Tiffany Chen, John Bridges, Alina Zheng, Anna Leigh Schmidt, Lucas Zhen, Wen wen Che, Erick Diaz Quispe, Margaleth Espinoza Fernandez.

The students are from the piano studios of Laura Broughton, Joanna Burnside, Ellen Elder and Victoria Johnson.

KEVIN OLSON

HATTIESBURG MUSIC TEACHERS LEAGUE

JONES COLLEGE

2023 COMPOSER FESTIVAL

FEATURING KEVIN OLSON

November 10-11, 2023

Jones College

ALL MISSISSIPPI STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ARE WELCOME!

STUDENT RECITALS, AUTOGRAPH PARTIES,

AND POSTER CONTEST

TEACHER WORKSHOP AND LUNCHEON

For more information, contact:

Victoria Johnson (Victoria Johnson)

Theresa Sanchez (Theresa Sanchez)

A number of Hattiesburg Music Teachers League students were awarded medals, ribbons and plaques at the annual Mississippi Music Teachers Association Pre-College Finals held May 20 at Jones College in Ellisville. Winners were selected from numerous piano, voice and string students from all over the state who qualified to perform at the competition. Hattiesburg area student winners are from the piano studios of Dr. Laura Broughton, Dr. Joanna Burnside, Erick Diaz, Dr. Ellen Elder, Gail Fox, and Dr. Vicky Johnson.

Hattiesburg area winners include: Finley Pittman, 3rd Place, Solo Piano Grade 4; Liuliu Ding, 3rd Place, Solo Piano Grade 5; Alina Zheng, 4th Place, Solo Piano Grade 6; Margo Bennett, 3rd Place (tie), Solo Piano Grade 8; Lucas Zheng, 3rd Place (tie), Solo Piano Grade 8 and Highest Composite Score Award; Amelia Bennett and Margo Bennett, Gold Medal, Piano Ensemble Division C. David Brett, 2nd Place and Outstanding Achievement Award, Solo Piano Grade 11; Molly Xiao, 2nd Place, Solo Piano Grade 4 and Highest Composite Score Award; Yucheng Lin, 2nd Place, Solo Piano Grade 5; Jayden Li, Gold Medal, Solo Strings Division A; Yuxiang Lin, Highest Composite Score Award, Solo Strings Division C; Nathan Bai, 3rd Place, Theme and Variations Division C and Honorable Mention, Solo Piano Grade 7; Aiyana Li, 2nd Place, Solo Piano Grade 10; Kiana Li, Gold Medal, Theme and Variations Division C; Aiyana Li and Kiana Li, 3rd Place, Piano Ensemble Division D; Sonia Sumner, Gold Medal, Sonata/Sonatina Division B; 3rd Place, Solo Piano Grade 6.

Performers (pictured above) in the HMTL Spring Recital 2023 were Sonia Sumner, Jackson Hays, Kiana Li, Lucas Zheng, Aiyana Li, Jayden Hibbets, James Sakalarios, David Brett and Michael Ray DeViney III. Students are from the piano studios of Laura Broughton, Joanna Burnside, Anne Kathryn DeViney, and Victoria Johnson.

This year’s Spring Concert was lovingly dedicated to Janice Mesrobian upon her retirement from teaching.

Seniors honored at the recital were Jayden Hibbets and Michael Ray DeViney, III.

The Hattiesburg Piano Teachers League was founded in February of 1972, with 14 charter members and 5 student members. Janice Mesrobian had been a member of a similar organization in Wichita, Kansas and had found it to be invaluable to her as a professional piano teacher. She set about to establish such an organization in Hattiesburg. In 1976, the Hattiesburg Piano Teachers League became a local affiliate of the Music Teachers National Association and its state affiliate, the Mississippi Music Teachers Association. In May 1990, the name of the league was changed to the Hattiesburg Music Teachers League to include music educators in addition to piano teachers. From the very beginning of the formation of the league, Ms. Mesrobian stressed that the Spring Concert should be one of the most important activities. She felt that it should be a formal occasion, one that would recognize and reward our best high school students. That first Spring Concert was held here at William Carey College on May 16, 1972, with 26 students participating, and Jan was one of the teachers who had students on the program. In the last few years, the Spring Concert has been changed to include outstanding middle school students as well. The Hattiesburg Music Teachers League has benefited countless students and teachers in its 51-year history, and it simply would not exist as a professional organization today without the sheer determination and professional vision of Janice Mesrobian. In 2019, she was named a Music Teachers National Association Fellow, one of the highest awards any music teacher can receive. Jan has touched numerous lives throughout her long teaching career and we are all deeply grateful for her devotion, professionalism, and service. We are extremely proud that she is still a member of the Hattiesburg Music Teachers League today.

The Hattiesburg Music Teachers held three student recitals on Saturday morning, April 1, 2023 at William Carey University.

Performing were (below): Catherine Daho, Olivia Jacobs, Amelia Bennett, Patrick Brett, Caelyn Johnston, Yucheng Lin. David Brett, Chris Dixon, James Morris, Molly Xiao, David Morris, Isaiah Way, Jiayi Zhang, Sichun Gao, Jing Li, Lewei He, Ziran Xu, Ana Catherine Roberts, Claire Lin, Alina Zheng, Amelia Bennett, Lucas Zheng, Margo Bennett.

Students are from the studios of Joanna Burnside, Ellen Elder, Dixie Lawson, Laura Broughton, Elizabeth Moak and Erick Diaz.

The Hattiesburg Music Teachers League held its annual Spring Concert at William Carey University on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Graduating seniors are honored during this concert.

Recital performers left to right are: Lucas Zheng, Anna Leigh Schmidt, James Sakalarios, Aiyana Li, Sam Powell, Ian Marks, Noah Lowery, Rachele Chung, Michelle Chung, David Brett, Margo Bennett and Michael Ray DeViney.

This year's recital honored seniors (left to right small photo) Sam Powell, Ian Marks and Noah Lowery.

Students performing are from the studios of Laura Broughton, Jan Mesrobian, Anne Kathryn Deviney, Victoria Johnson, and Stephen Redfield.

Melody Bober visits Hattiesburg

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES FROM FRIDAY - COMPOSER FESTIVAL 2021

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES FROM SATURDAY - COMPOSER FESTIVAL 2021

Melody Bober will be the featured composer at the HMTL Composer Festival in November.

HMTL will host a teacher workshop on Friday, November 19, and student recitals will be held Friday evening and Saturday morning, November 20. For more information, email: Laura Broughton, Composer Festival Chair.

As a composer, Melody Bober enjoys creating motivational piano pieces that foster her students' understanding and love of music.

Melody graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a bachelor's degree in music education. She later received a Master of Arts degree in piano performance from Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Melody credits much of her success to her influential teachers who include Joel Shapiro and Andrew Froelich (piano), Mary Hoffman (music education), and Tony Caramia (jazz).

An active church pianist and accompanist, Melody has also held the position of church music director. In addition to teaching piano in her private studio, Melody's music-teaching experience includes 20 years of public school and two years at the university level.

A dynamic clinician and innovative composer, Melody is in great demand at conventions and workshops for piano teachers across North America. She resides in Minnesota with her husband Jeff.

The Hattiesburg Music Teachers League held a Student Recital at Parkway Heights United Methodist Church on October 16, 2021.

Students performing were Caleb Bailey, Amelia Bennett, Margo Bennett, Patrick Brett, Caelyn Johnson, Claire Lin, Gabriella Mezzadri, Zepppe Mezzadri, Sam Powell, Sonia Sumner, Alina Zheng, and Lucas Zheng