By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - About 300-400 teachers and students from across Kentucky will come to Campbellsville University Oct. 25-28 for the 56th Annual State Conference of the Kentucky Music Teachers Association. This is the third time CU has hosted the event, first in 1985 and again in 1999.

The annual conference is a four-day event with competitions, concerts, lectures and fellowship, according to Dr. Wesley Roberts, professor of music at CU.

The conference begins with piano competitions and student workshops on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the Gosser Fine Arts Center and Ransdell Chapel. Students of all ages from elementary level through college will participate in solo and piano ensemble performances, Roberts said. Four student workshop recitals will be in the afternoon in The Gheens Recital Hall. A Winners Recital from the competitions will be at 5:30 p.m. in Ransdell Chapel. The public is invited to this recital.

On Sunday, Oct. 26, the competitions continue in chamber music, instrumental and vocal entries at junior high through college levels. The All-State Piano Ensemble, consisting of over 20 pianos with two pianists at each instrument, will assemble in the Student Activities Center, while conference sessions led by Richard Burchard and Velislava Dimitrova begin in the Gosser Fine Arts Center.

The Winners Recital from these competitions will take place in The Gheens Recital Hall at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a Kentucky Composers Concert in Ransdell Chapel at 8 p.m. Both concerts are free and open to the public.

The Kentucky Composers Concert will feature the premier of a commissioned work by Richard Burchard for chorus and organ. Campbellsville University's Graduate Piano Quartet and Instructor of Piano Judith Davis will be among the featured artists on the program.

A reception for the Kentucky Composers Concert will be co-hosted by the Campbellsville University School of Music and the Central Kentucky Music Teachers Association.

The conference continues on Monday, Oct. 27, with sessions throughout the day in The Gheens Recital Hall by Martha Mier, Charles Rosen and Janet Bass Smith, as well as in Ransdell Chapel by Schuyler Robinson. The latter program will feature the university's century-old Farrand and Votey pipe organ.

Conference meals include the annual business meeting and the conference banquet, the latter in the atrium of the Student Union Building.

Conference artist Charles Rosen, an internationally renowned pianist and author, will perform at 8 p.m. in Ransdell Chapel in a program co-sponsored by the Central Kentucky Arts Series. CKAS season membership or tickets purchased at the door are required for this program of piano music by Chopin and Brahms.

Rounding out the conference will be the All-State Piano Ensemble's Concert at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, in the Student Activities Center. Guest conductor Susan Ogilvy, Yamaha keyboard specialist, will conduct with the Campbellsville University Chorale, under the direction of Tony Cunha, assistant professor of music, assisting.

Closing ceremonies will follow as KMTA President Vicki McVay of Lexington passes over responsibilities to incoming President Krista Wallace-Boaz of Louisville. The public is invited to attend the free concert.

A listing of the concerts, which are open to the public, is below. All are free except the Oct. 27 recital by Charles Rosen.

Saturday, Oct. 25 - KMTA Piano Competition Winners Recital, Ransdell Chapel, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 26 - KMTA Chamber Music, Instrumental, and Vocal Winners Recital, The Gheens Recital Hall, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 26 - Kentucky Composers Concert, Ransdell Chapel, 8 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 27 - KMTA Conference Artist Recital, Charles Rosen, Ransdell Chapel, 8 p.m., co-sponsored by Central Kentucky Arts Series. Season membership or tickets at the door.
Tuesday, Oct. 28 - KMTA All-State Piano Ensemble, Susan Ogilvy, Conductor, Student Activities Center, 10:30 a.m.
For more information on this year's KMTA Conference, contact Roberts at (270) 789-5287.

Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,601 students who represent 93 Kentucky counties, 27 states and 31 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report's 2009 “America's Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South for the second consecutive year. CU has been ranked 16 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America's Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his tenth year as president.