Celebrating the 2026 Sonata Contest Winners

​On February 21st, the local music community celebrated a remarkable showcase of young talent as the annual Sonata Contest was jointly hosted by the Santa Fe Music Teachers Association (SFMTA) and the Los Alamos Music Teachers Association (LAMTA).
A total of 36 dedicated piano students participated in the event, each performing rigorous sonata movements that tested both their technical precision and artistic expression. This year’s competition featured two distinguished adjudicators, Tatyana Bayliyeva and Sergio Rodriguez. Both judges brought a wealth of professional expertise to the event, providing invaluable feedback to the participants and selecting the top performers from a competitive field.
All first-place winners were invited to perform their winning pieces at the LAMTA Musicale recital, held at the Fuller Lodge.
The Sonata Contest is open to all pre-college piano students studying with members of SFMTA and LAMTA, and pianists studying with non-members can compete for an extra fee. The LAMTA  and SFMTA are local chapters of the Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico (PMTNM), which is a state chapter of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). These organizations remain committed to fostering musical excellence and professional development within the community.

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Results of the 2026 Sonata Contest
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Level 1 – Sonatina in C, 1st mmt, Allegro (C. Gurlitt) 
1st place: Astrid Fobes (Teacher: Wendy Ge)
2nd place (tie): Archie Chen  (Teacher: Dr. Patricia Wood)
2nd place (tie): Sophie Scheie  (Teacher: Elizabeth Dameworth)
3rd place (tie): Danielle Hoodless (Teacher: Elizabeth Dameworth)
3rd place (tie): Claire Shan (Teacher: Maria Khodorovskaya)

Level 2 – Sonatina in F, 1st mmt, Allegro (D. Alexander) 
1st place (tie): Therese Mathew (Teacher: Wendy Ge)
1st place (tie): Graydon Waters (Teacher: Dr. Patricia Wood)
2nd place (tie): Zephan Zhang (Teacher: Wendy Ge)
2nd place (tie): Lilah Chandra (Teacher: Lydia Madrick)
3rd place (tie): Gabriel Marin (Teacher: Wendy Ge)
3rd place (tie): Pritika Graesser (Teacher: Lydia Madrick)
Honorable Mention: Maureen Lausen (Teacher: Elizabeth Dameworth)
Honorable Mention: James Lei (Teacher: Dr. Patricia Wood)

Level 3 – Sonatina in C, Op. 36, No. 1, 3rd mmt, Vivace (M. Clementi) 
1st place (tie): Zollie Estess (Teacher: Jacquelyn Helin)
1st place (tie): Grace Waters (Teacher: Dr. Patricia Wood)
2nd place (tie): Evelyn Fobes  (Teacher: Wendy Ge)
2nd place (tie): Xochitl Guadalupe Marquez-Alcantar (Teacher: Lydia Madrick)
3rd place (tie): Aylia Stull (Teacher: Wendy Ge)
3rd place (tie): Beckett Bastible Gamble (Teacher: Janna Warren)
3rd place (tie): Nathan Nguyen (Teacher: Janna Warren)

Level 4 – Sonatina in C, Op. 55, No. 1, 2nd mmt, Vivace (F. Kuhlau) 
1st place (tie): Alicia Chen (Teacher: Dr. Patricia Wood)
1st place (tie): Glyn Lo (Teacher: Wendy Ge)
2nd place (tie): Avery Snapp (Teacher: Janna Warren)
2nd place (tie): Manjushri Graesser (Teacher: Lydia Madrick)
3rd place: Adam Turner (Teacher: Janna Warren)

Level 5 – Sonatina in A Minor, Allegro (G. Benda) 
1st place (tie): Lucy Smith (Teacher: Dr. Patricia Wood)
1st place (tie): Andy Liu (Teacher: Maria Khodorovskaya)
2nd place: Cindy Shan (Teacher: Maria Khodorovskaya)

Level 6 – Sonata in G Major, Op. 49, No. 2, 2nd mmt, Tempo di Menuetto (Beethoven) 
1st place: Kenneth De Graeve (Teacher: Janna Warren)

Level 7– Sonata in D Major, HOB. XVI:4, 1st mmt, Moderato (Haydn) 
1st place: Justin Lei (Teacher: Dr. Patricia Wood)
2nd place (tie): Cindy Fu  (Teacher: Wendy Ge)
2nd place (tie): Matthew Mabbitt (Teacher: Janna Warren)
3rd place: Aniuta Dziuba (Teacher: Janna Warren)

Level 8 – Sonatina (1959), 1st mmt, Allegro giocoso (Khachaturian) 
1st place: Lyla Lo (Teacher: Aejin Chang)

Level 9 – Sonata in G Major, Op. 79, 1st mmt, Presto alla tedesca (Beethoven) 
1st place: Gavin Hu (Teacher: Dr. Patricia Wood)