About Us

History of SJMTA

The South Jersey Music Teachers' Association was founded by Aurelia Bender and Marjorie Richie in 1967. Gladys Story was elected as our first President, Trudi Reim as vice-president, and Sylvia Denbo as our first treasurer. In our first season, eight meetings were held, all but one at the Haddonfield Conservatory of Music. Guest speakers for the first season included Sylvia Rabinof of the Brevard Music Center, Natalie Hinderas of Temple University, and John Sears of Wanamaker's Music Department, who gave a lecture-recital using a harpsichord supplied by Wanamaker's.

By the end of the 1967-68 year, SJMTA boasted 23 members.

SJMTA held its first Student Recital in March 1971; 22 students performed at the Haddonfield Conservatory. The first Teachers' Recital was held in March 1975, with eight teachers performing.

Over the years, the SJMTA Calendar of Events has grown. Thanks to a generous bequest from Sylvia Denbo, one of our original members, we have been able to offer a piano Scholarship in her name annually since our 1996-97 season. Over the years, we have added a Fall Festival, Master Class, Technique Competition/Theory Test, and Student Musicale to our program.

In 2005, SJMTA became an affiliate of MTNA, the Music Teachers National Association.

Who We Are

SJMTA currently consists of approximately 60 members, professional instructors of piano, organ, and voice. Our bylaws provide for both active and retired members.

Thanks to our affiliation with the Music Teachers National Association, our members can take advantage of a nationwide network of resources for music professionals, including performance and competition opportunties for students, a variety of professional publications, group life, health, and liability insurance, and annual national conferences featuring educational sessions, master classes, and concerts.

Because of our affiliation with MTNA, all SJMTA members also belong to MTNA, as well as to the New Jersey Music Teachers Association (NJMTA). To find out more about MTNA membership, please visit the Music Teachers National Association website, http://www.mtna.org.

Board of Directors:

President: Elvira Kipnis epianist@comcast.net

Immediate Past President: Andre Vermuelen

Treasurer: Joseph Krupa Joseph.Krupa@comcast.net

Recording Secretary: Marcia Yurko mjyurko@hotmail.com

Vice President: Marcia Yurko

Scholarship Treasurer: Dr. Alexander Timofeev

Chairs and Committees:

Website Coordinators: Elvira Kipnis and Marcia Yurko

Website administrator: Joseph Mathew lojosephmathew@gmail.com

Student Activities:

Piano Judging Coordinator: Elvira Kipnis and Marcia Yurko

Facilities/ Venues Coordinator: Elvira Kipnis and Marcia Yurko

Awards Coordinator: Elvira Kipnis, Joe Krupa and Marcia Yurko

Fall Piano Festival Chairperson: Marcia Yurko

Advanced Master Class Chairperson: Olga Yelkina oyelkina@yahoo.com

Spring Juried Piano Auditions: Elvira Kipnis and Marcia Yurko

Spring Juried Piano Recitals Chairperson: Elvira Kipnis

Technique Competition Chairperson: Elina Galletta galletta@rowan.edu

Musicale (Themed Recitals) Chairperson: Joseph Krupa

Sylvia Denbo Memorial Scholarship Chairperson: Ariane Alexander

Attn. Students and Parents:

If you are looking for a teacher, you can contact any board members for referrals. If you already have a teacher, please address all the questions to your teacher. Kindly contact a Chairperson only through your teachers.