Naperville Central Student Wins First Place
Naperville Central student, Melody Xu, won first place in two music competitions hosted by the Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA).
The high school freshman won first place in the Illinois state competition, 2020 Illinois State Music Teachers Association (North), for the piano division in the junior age group.
The 14-year-old also won first place in the 2020 Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) competition in the state round for the piano division in the junior age group. She will now move on to the regional division, then eventually the national round if she succeeds.
“It was very exhilarating. I’m very grateful to my teacher,” said Xu. “I’m very honored to win both the first place of ISMTA and become the only state representative for MTNA.”
For the competitions, she played Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6.
The Naperville student has been playing the piano for nine years.
“I think it teaches me that I need to persevere through my downs and learn from my mistakes and I should never give up my dream,” said Xu.
This year’s competitions were virtual due to the pandemic. Xu will compete in the regional division on December 2.
Full Performance
Her full performance can be found here.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.
photo courtesy: Melody Xu
