NEWS RELEASES
July 10, 2023
Megan Slay Wins Platinum Prize in Franz Schubert International Music Competition
Megan Slay has been chosen as Platinum Prize Winner for Piano in the Professional Category in the Franz Schubert International Music Competition. For this award, she played Franz Schubert’s Sonata D 845, I. Moderato and Sergei Rachmaninov’s Moments Musicaux No 3, 4.
Megan Slay graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance in 2019. She received a Master of Music in Piano Performance from George Mason University in 2020. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from George Mason University where she is a Dr. Linda A. Monson Scholar.
June 28, 2023
Megan Slay is a prizewinner in the Sixth International Online Piano Competition
Megan Slay placed as a prize winner (Honorable Mention) in the Sixth International Online Piano Competition, announced on June 28, 2023.
Pianists who were recognized in the competition were from South Korea, Poland, Greece, Ukraine, the Bahamas, China, and Italy. Megan Slay was honored as the only American in her category.
Jury members (judges) are described by the competition’s organizers as “prizewinners in international competitions, first-class concert pianists, and experienced piano pedagogues.”
For more about the competition, visit:https://www.piano-competition.online/ix-category-6th-edition/
March 26, 2023
Megan Slay to Play Works by Schubert, Rachmaninoff
As Part of 2023 Gellman Room Concerts Series on April 29th
Richmond pianist Megan Slay will perform a program titled “Romancing the Piano” on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 2 p.m., as part of the Gellman Room Concerts series at the Richmond Public Library. She will play “Piano Sonata No. 16 in A Minor D 845” by Franz Schubert and “Moments Musicaux Op. 16” by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
“Schubert suffered from illness all his life and died at the age of 31,” said Slay. “He wrote this sonata at a time of good health. It is composed in three movements, Moderato, Andante poco moto, and Scherzo: Allegro vivace-Trio: Un poco più lento.
“Rachmaninoff wrote “Moments Musicaux” at the tender age of 23, before the more famous second piano concerto,” she said. “In many ways, it seems to be a precursor and foreshadowing to his later compositions.”
“It is an innovative piece, with romantic rubato, polyrhythms, complex melodies and faster tempi. Accents and tenuti are written for acutely expressive moments, dynamics are larger. The dynamic scale is significantly larger than previous pieces in piano repertoire, sometimes written fortissississimo (ffff)!”
Megan Slay graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance in 2019. She received a Master of Music in Piano Performance from George Mason University in 2020. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from George Mason where she is a Dr. Linda A. Monson Scholar and where she has taught keyboard skills and classical music appreciation.
In January 2023, she won a first place prize in the Charleston International Music Competition, performing Danzas Argentinas by Alberto Ginastera. In 2020, she was the Virginia winner of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Competition.
For more information, visit: www.meganslaypiano.com
Jan. 10, 2023
Pianist Megan Slay Wins First Prize in 2022 Charleston International Music Competition
Pianist Megan Slay of Richmond, Virginia has been selected as first prize winner in the 2022 Charleston International Music Competition. The selection, announced today, was based on her performance of Alberto Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas.
Ms. Slay is a candidate for a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where she is a Dr. Linda A. Monson Scholar and graduate teaching assistant. She received a Master of Music degree from GMU in 2021, receiving the Graduate Academic Award, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, where she studied with Ruta Smedina-Starke. In 2020, she was the Virginia winner of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Competition.
In June 2022, she performed in the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association’s Summer Chamber Music Series at the Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia. She will perform on April 29, 2023 at 2 p.m., as part of the Gellman Room Concert series at the Richmond Public Library.
June 19, 2022
Megan Slay Performs in Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Chamber Series
Pianist and George Mason University Doctor of Musical Arts candidate Megan Slay performed June 19, 2022 at the historic Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia. Her program included:
Toccata in C minor BWV 911 Johann Sebastian Bach
Piano Rag Music Igor Stravinsky
Trois Mouvements Perpétuals Francis Poulenc
I. Assez modéré
II. Très modéré
III. Alerte
Danzas Argentinas Alberto Ginastera
I. Danza del Viejo Boyero
II. Danza del Moza Donosa
III. Danza del Gaucho Matrero
Sonata No. 3, Op. 58 in B minor Frédéric Chopin
I. Allegro Maestoso
II. Scherzo: Molto vivace
III. Largo
IV. Finale: Presto non tanto
Nov. 17, 2020
Richmond Pianist Megan Slay is Statewide Winner in Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Competition
Megan Slay, a Richmond, VA native, is the Virginia winner of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist piano competition and will compete as a finalist in the Southern MTNA Division in December.
Megan is in her second year of a Master’s of Music in Piano Performance program at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, where she is a Linda A. Monson Scholarship winner and studies with Dr. Monson. She was a 2019 graduate in piano performance at Virginia Commonwealth University where she studied with Ruta Smedina-Starke.
Megan was a featured soloist in Fairfax, VA in the 2020 Grand Piano Celebration and in the 2019 celebration of Arts by George! Additionally, Megan was featured in a full-length live-streamed solo piano recital on George Mason University's YouTube channel. She was a featured performer for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) recitals in 2019-2020 and performed a live-stream solo piano lecture recital as part of the Fall 2020 OLLI Music Sampler Series.
In July 2020, Megan performed in the Philadelphia Young Pianists’ Academy (PYPA) International Online Piano Festival, the first of its kind. As part of this festival, Megan played in master classes with Gary Graffman, Ching-Yun Hu, Jerome Lowenthal, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Alexander Moutouzkine, and Ursula Oppens. Megan received a Brevard Summer Music Institute scholarship in Summer 2018 where she premiered new works by living composers.