Sonata-Sonatina Festival

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Information for Teachers

♫ NMTA and the North Central College Department of Music are pleased to announce:

Sonata & Sonatina Festival 2026

The Festival will include three days of events, all held at Wentz Fine Arts Center of North Central College in Naperville.  Students of NMTA Members will have the opportunity to perform for a judge on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14. The other days of the festival will include a faculty recital, a guest lecturer, and masterclasses.  

When: November 13-15, 2026

  • Friday, November 13: NCC Presentations (TBA)

  • Saturday, November 14 all day: Adjudicated Festival for Young Pianists and North Central College Piano Scholarship Auditions

  • Sunday, November 15 afternoon (times TBA): Lecture and/or Masterclass for Students of NMTA Members

Where: Wentz Fine Arts Center, North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, IL

Eligible Students: All ages through high school senior

  • Students must be studying with a current Naperville Music Teachers Association (NMTA) member.

  • There is no limit on the number of students an individual teacher may enter.

  • Of special note: High school junior and seniors may choose to use their Sonata-Sonatina performance as an audition for a generous North Central College piano scholarship!

Important Limitations

  • If local schools close for health reasons, the event will be cancelled. In that case, a refund will be given.

  • No virtual judging will be available for any reason.

  • No alternative or make-up dates will be available.

Purpose and Goals of the Event

To provide to students:

  • an encouraging and constructive evaluation of their preparation and performance,

  • an opportunity to perform for highly-respected piano educators, and

  • experience with the sonata form.

Registration

ONLINE REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE SENT TO NMTA MEMBERS BEFORE REGISTRATION OPENS.

Online registration opens: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2026

Registration Ends: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (CENTRAL TIME)

Fee: $35 per student

The Festival is non-competitive.

Students of all levels are welcome, from those playing beginner sonatinas up to advanced sonatas.

Festival participants will perform for one judge only, and each will receive an encouraging and constructive evaluation of their performance, as well as a numerical score. (See below for awards designations.)

The judging rooms will be open only to the contestant, judge and monitor. No family members are allowed.

Format

Repertoire Requirements

ALL REPERTOIRE MUST INCLUDE THE WORD “Sonatina” or “Sonata”, IN THE TITLE.

SONATINAS

  1. Two contrasting* movements of a three-movement sonatina, OR

  2. A complete two-movement sonatina, OR

  3. A one-movement sonatina accompanied by a contrasting* movement from a different sonatina, OR

  4. One movement from works such as Beethoven’s “Bonn” Sonatinas, Nos. 1, 2, & 3; the Leicht Sonatas, Op. 49, Nos. 1 & 2 (aka Sonatinas in the Peters Edition); one movement from Kabalevsky’s Sonatina, Op. 13, No. 1; Khachaturian’s Sonatina.

OR

SONATAS

One movement of a sonata; HOWEVER, please note:

  • If performing a one-movement sonata of 54-64 measures or less, the student should perform an additional movement from another sonata.

  • If performing a short movement (less than 54-64 measures) from a multi-movement sonata, the student should perform an additional movement from the same sonata.

*Movements should contrast in tempi, time signature, or key, etc., understanding that some sonatinas do not have dramatically contrasting-tempi movements.

Please direct repertoire question to Yuyin Wang at xiaosuidian@gmail.com

Rules & Guidelines

Eligible Students

  • All ages through high school senior

  • Students must currently be studying with a Naperville Music Teachers Association (NMTA) member

Memorization: Students must perform their pieces from memory (repeats at teacher discretion).

Music Scores: Judges must be provided with original scores, in the same edition as prepared by the student.

  • All measures must be numbered.

  • No photocopies are allowed. (Scores purchased online must include proper documentation.)

Student knowledge about the pieces: Students should be prepared to describe their pieces briefly, including the following:

  • for each movement: the title, the form, key, explanation of tempo marking and/or mood.

  • the musical period of composition

  • one or two facts about the composer

For example: “I will perform___(title)_______, by (composer). Movement I is (tempo/mood). It is in (key), in (form). Movement II is (tempo/mood) and is in (key). Its form is ____. (Composer’s name) was /is a (period) composer who lived/lives in (composer’s nationality). He/she (interesting fact/s)

Pre-performance Warm-up: Students may play a scale or 5-finger pattern as a warm-up, although this is not required.

Attire: The festival is a formal performance, and students should dress accordingly. (Jeans, T-shirts, flip flops, athletic shoes and other sports/casual attire are not appropriate.)

Scoring & Awards

Gold, Silver and Bronze awards will be based on the following 100-point system:

  • 95-100 for performances meriting gold trophies

  • 87 - 94 for performances meriting silver trophies

  • 80 - 86 for performances meriting bronze trophies

Students will receive a certificate of participation at the end of the festival.

Judging scores will be emailed to teachers (for their own students) by the next day.

Judging sheets will be available to teachers within two days after the Festival.

Trophies will be prepared and made available for pick up by teachers within 3-4 weeks after the festival.

Teacher Work Requirement

IMPORTANT: TEACHER WORK REQUIREMENTS

A dynamic event such as this requires teachers to help the day of the festival* in order to keep the registration fees within reach for families. For that reason, teachers who register their students in the Festival will be required to help according to their number of performing students:

  • 1-5 students = 3 teacher work hours

  • 6-10 students = 6 teacher work hours

  • 11 or more students = 8 teacher work hours (with lunch break if requested)

NCC Piano Scholarship Auditions

NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE PIANO SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS

Special Opportunity for High School Juniors and Seniors

All 12th grade students are encouraged to use their Sonata-Sonatina Festival performance as a piano scholarship audition for North Central College. This scholarship is for students in any field of study. Qualified students will be notified of their scholarship amount, up to $4000 per year for four years, when the student completes the application for admission.

The scholarship will be awarded if the student chooses to attend North Central College. 11th grade students are also eligible to audition; however, scholarships will not be awarded until the students become 12th graders. This scholarship is for students in any field of study (not limited to music majors).