durham music teachers association

History

Started in 1989 under the name Alice C Hundley award, it was named the Loren Withers Competition in 1996. Loren Withers was a founding member of DMTA, and a much beloved professor at Duke University. Longtime DMTA member Charles F.T. Nakarai endowed the competition and upon his death in 2010 his name was added to honor his support of this competition.

 

Eligibility

This competition is geared towards the motivated middle school student. Participating student pianists must be between eleven and fourteen years of age on the day of the competition. No student may win first place more than once. Previous first place winners may enter the contest for comments only and are encouraged to enter other contests as they continue their pursuit of musical excellence.

 

Repertoire requirements

Intermediate level

Each contestant must play one piece by J.S. Bach, at the level of the Minuets, 2-part Inventions, or Small Preludes.

Each contestant must play up to two additional pieces, chosen from contrasting stylistic periods: Classical (through Beethoven), Romantic, Impressionistic, or 20th Century/Contemporary. These pieces should be at the level comparable to the NCMTA Junior B and Senior A, subject to approval of the competition chair. 

Maximum number of pieces: 3

Suggested time: 4-8 minutes

Maximum time: 8 minutes

Awards: 1st place, $75; 2nd place, $50; Lyrical Award, $30

Advanced level

Each contestant must play one piece by J.S. Bach. 

Each contestant must play up to two additional pieces, chosen from contrasting stylistic periods: Classical (through Beethoven), Romantic, Impressionistic, or 20th Century/Contemporary. These pieces should be at the level comparable to the NCMTA Senior A or B, subject to approval of the competition chair. 

Maximum number of pieces: 3

Suggested time: 6-15 minutes

Maximum time: 15 minutes

Awards: 1st place, $100; 2nd place, $75; Lyrical Award, $50. The first place winner is also invited to perform at the Performance Festival Sunday Honors Recital in May.

 All pieces must be played from memory. Participants are strongly encouraged to perform pieces that are of contrasting style and mood. If you have questions about repertoire requirements, please contact the Withers/Nakarai Chair.

2025 programs are available below:

Intermediate Program

Advanced Program

 

Time Requirements

The maximum time limit is 8 minutes for early intermediate level and fifteen minutes for the upper intermediate/advanced level. Students who exceed the time limit will be asked to stop playing, but not disqualified, by the Room Monitor. Short repeats indicated by the composer may or may not be taken. Longer repeats, such as sonatina or sonata expositions, may not be taken. Pieces may not be cut.

 

Judging

Judges will be engaged to select winners. The judges will base their decisions on the quality of the performances, as well as the level of difficulty of the music. The student must present the score of each piece on his/her program to the chair for use by the judges.  While we encourage students to work from the best editions, we understand some music is only available online. For music not in a bound edition, please CLICK HERE for the release form to be complete by the student. 

 

Registration & Fees

Completed registration forms are due by midnight, MARCH 1, 2026. The non-refundable entrance fee is $35 per student.An additional fee of $35 will be charged for non-member teachers to enter one or more students. An invoice will be emailed to the teacher once the online registration form is received. Be sure to give detailed information about each piece (exact title, movement, opus number, etc.).  Time requests will not be honored.  Registration forms with incomplete information will not be processed.