UAB Music Student Wins MTNA State Competition for Piano, Heads to Division Competition

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) music student Cahill Smith, 21, of Montgomery, won first place in the state Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competition, piano category, of the collegiate or young artist performance level, held Nov. 2-3 at Samford University.

November 5, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) music student Cahill Smith, 21, of Montgomery, won first place in the state Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competition, piano category, of the collegiate or young artist performance level, held Nov. 2-3 at Samford University.

Smith is the son of Patricia and Byron Smith of Montgomery. He is a graduate of Alabama Christian Academy in Montgomery. Smith transferred to UAB from Samford University in order to study piano with Yakov Kasman, D.M.A., assistant professor of music.

Smith will represent Alabama in the division competition in January in Greeneville, S.C. He will compete against winners from eight other Southern states. Winners from the seven division competitions will compete in the national competition March 29-April 2 in Denver, Co.

The MTNA competition has junior, senior and young artist performance competitions in brass, piano, string, voice and woodwind, as well as chamber music performance and student composition categories.