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NEWS RELEASE
Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
1/30/2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES-Jane Truksa, a music performance major at Northwestern State University won the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Divisional Collegiate Piano Competition held recently at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.
Truksa will be one of five competitors in the MTNA National Finals in Salt Lake City in March. She advanced to the regional competition against pianists from Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma after winning the state competition in Baton Rouge.
"I did everything I could and played well," said Truksa, who is from Riga, Latvia. "I was pleased because other people appreciated what I did. There were many outstanding pianists in the competition, some from Russia and Korea. The competition was very strong. I did not expect to win. It was amazing."
Contestants played a grueling 90-minute program without a break. Truksa performed works by Prokofiev, Beethoven, Schumann and a transcription of Bach by Liszt.
"All of the works were different styles," said Truksa. "The Prokokiev was contemporary while the Schumann was romantic. The work by Beethoven was classical and the transcription was baroque with a lot of romantic elements. I was able to switch styles very quickly."
Truksa is a student of NSU assistant professor of piano Nikita Fitenko.
"It has been outstanding working with him," she said. "He is a very good professor. Not all good pianists are good teachers. He works with several international students who are pianists and each of us are different."
According to Truksa, the MTNA competition has been helpful to her.
"It was good to see so many outstanding pianists and to compare. Hearing so many good pianists drove me," she said. "It was a good test for me to have to play for more than one hour. It was very demanding, but I thought I could handle it."
Although Truksa was pleased to win, she did not let measure her success by where she placed.
"If I go into a competition with an idea to win, I would not feel right about it," said Truksa. "I enjoy musical performances. It is what I do. I share that with people, so winning is not my main goal."