We always announce the recipient of MMTA’s Music Study Award at YMS. Tricia Martin presented the award this year to Abigail Heinen, a 7th grade pianist! The Music Study Award is an award of $500 designed to help a student take a significant step forward in their musical pursuits by defraying the cost of lessons or the purchase of music or an instrument. Congratulations, Abigail!

One more exciting announcement we made at the concerts was the sponsorship of YMS for the next five years by Bullard Children's Dentistry, in honor of Steve Hamer's 75th birthday earlier that week. They have made a five-year commitment to give $2,000 per year for the concert. Steve helped found this event 12 years ago with the dream of making it possible for kids to play on the big stage at the Weill Center, where the pros play, and inspire the musical youth of our community. To date, Young Musical Stars has allowed more than 1,000 young musicians in our area to perform at the Weill Center. Steve is Shannon Bullard's father and Dr. George's father-in-law. The Bullards have also been active in YMS with their children performing in YMS concerts each year since the very first one. MMTA is very grateful for Steve Hamer's support of YMS over the years and the Bullards' sponsorship!

We hope to see you back next year for YMS 2023!

We were thrilled with the students who chose to participate in Young Musical Stars in Concert Saturday, May 4, at the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts. Michibago Music Teachers Association and Shorewest Realtors were excited to offer the opportunity to showcase Sheboygan County’s talented youth for our 10th Annual Concert.

A Special performance at this year’s concert included NICHOLAS SUMINSKI, from Williamsburg, Michigan and Appleton, Wisconsin, a piano concerto soloist who has performed with the Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra. He won the Wisconsin State Music Teachers National Association Piano Competition and Lawrence Conservatory’s Concerto Competition. He was awarded the 2016 Marjory Irwin Prize for Piano Performance and the 2018 Margaret Gary Daniels Keyboard Performance Award, and the prestigious Wriston Scholarship. He is simultaneously pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in chemistry and Bachelor of Music Degree in piano.

"Here’s what Michibago Music Teachers is about—a long day of volunteering so that over 100 music students in our area can play on the Stephanie [H.] Weill stage. Tricia Marton and Drea Wagner sword fighting to Pirate music backstage helping one of my students feel more at ease as she gets ready to go on stage. Young Musical Stars just had its 10th concert in big part because the backstage energy is deliberately kept light and fun." -Louise Mann, President and Treasurer of MMTA

That backstage energy is characteristic of all Michibago events. Kind encouragement and inclusion is the overarching tone of our organization, and it has allowed us to work together to serve our students with opportunities like Young Musical Stars.

Thank you to all of our Parent Booster volunteers! Teachers are grateful when parents step in to give a helping hand with the many tasks that go into putting on this concert each year. Our families have been wonderful to step forward and help to make everything go so smoothly.

​Here's to many more years of showcasing the talent and hard work of youth in our community!