UNCSA viola students sweep strings categories at state MTNA competition
Five violists from the School of Music at UNCSA swept the Young Artist and Senior strings categories at the recent state
competition of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).
The state competition was held in late October in conjunction with the N.C. MTNA Annual State Conference, held at UNC-Wilmington.
Jordan Bak
“Congratulations to our School of Music students who made such a great showing at the competition, and to all of our students who participated,” said UNCSA School of Music faculty member and award-winning violist Jordan Bak, who joined the faculty this fall and teaches four of the winning violists. “Of course I am particularly proud of our viola studio, which continues to grow creatively and excel artistically. They have taken the foundation that our faculty artists have provided and have put in the work. Such a successful outcome at a statewide competition speaks volumes about the training and support students receive at UNCSA.”
Winner of the Young Artist Strings category was Joshua Forbes of Durham, an undergraduate student of Bak. As the winner of the category, Forbes performed in the winners’ recital and will represent the state in the division competition in December. Forbes graduated from the UNCSA High School Music program in 2020.
From left to right: Arina Komarova, Yiming Zhao, Joshua Forbes
Also recognized in the Young Artist Strings category was Arina Komarova, alternate, of Moscow, and Yiming Zhao, honorable mention, of Baoding, Hebei, China. Both are also undergraduate students of Bak.
In the Senior Strings category, two UNCSA violists received honorable mention: Hehe Qi of Beijing, a High School student of Bak, and Julia “Jules” Rabinalek of Westport, Connecticut, a High School student of UNCSA faculty member Ida Bieler.
Two UNCSA piano students were also recognized in their category, Young Artist Piano: Eric Hoang, alternate, of Cary, a 2021 High School Music graduate of UNCSA and an undergraduate student of UNCSA faculty member Dmitri Vorobiev, and Sarah Core, honorable mention, of Mesa, Arizona, an undergraduate student of UNCSA faculty member Dmitri Shteinberg.
Completing the UNCSA team of participants were pianist Samuel Han of Charlotte, a High School Music student of Vorobiev, and violist David Rankin, also of Charlotte, a High School Music student of Bak.
UNCSA pianists Allison Gagnon, Collaborative Piano Department chair, and Polina Khatsko performed with all six of UNCSA’s string competitors.
State representatives or their alternates will advance to the video-only division competition in December. Division winners will compete live in the National Finals at the annual MTNA National Conference, to be held March 16-20, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.
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February 25, 2026