Local Music Student Wins Prestigious Performance Competition

High School Flute Player Juan Carlos Narvaez, 17, is a Division Finalist in the MTNA Senior Woodwind Competition held last weekend at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.

An Elizabeth, NJ native, and son of Paulina Mejia and Segundo Narvaez, Juan will travel to Morgantown, West Virginia, in January to compete as a Division Finalist in the MTNA Senior Woodwind Competition. In West Virginia Juan will compete against winners from 13 other states in an effort to advance to the final national round.

A senior at EHS Frank J. Cicarell Academy, Narvaez has been studying flute for 8 years and is currently a student of Ms. Amy I-Yun Tu at Mason Gross School of Music Extension Division at Rutgers University - New Brunswick.

In addition to pursuing his musical studies, Juan is a Superintendent Scholar and a member of the Humanitarian Club at his high school. A recipient of the National John Phillip Sousa Award and Heritage Maestro Award, Juan mentors music lessons for young students, and maintains a part-time job to support his studies. As an aspiring flutist, Juan regularly performs with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra-Academy Youth Orchestra. He is pursuing flute performance and music education in college and is preparing for auditions in early 2018.

The three-tiered MTNA competitions begin at the state level. Winners of each State Competition advance to the division competition. Division winners then proceed to the National Competition Finals.

The Senior Woodwind Competition will take place on Sunday, January 7th, 2018, during the MTNA Eastern Division Conference. The winner of this competition will compete in the National Finals during the MTNA National Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in March.

To receive more information about the MTNA National Competitions, including competition rules and applications please contact MTNA national headquarters at (888) 512-5278, mtnanet@mtna.org or visit the website at www.mtna.org.

Music Teachers National Association is a nonprofit organization comprised of 20,000 independent and collegiate music teachers committed to advancing the value of music study and music making to society and to supporting the professionalism of music teachers. Founded in 1876, Music Teachers National Association is the oldest professional music association in the United States.