Missouri is making plans for its 2019 State Convention to be held May 17-18 at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We are pleased to feature composer/ conductor/performer Mary Sallee, who will give workshops.

NFMC Young Artist Natalie Conte Johnson will delight us with her lovely voice for the Friday night concert.

We are excited to welcome NFMC Vice President Frances Nelson to our state for a keynote address. There will be other workshops and performances that you won't want to miss. Our Junior State Competition will close our conference on Saturday afternoon.

We hope you can join us!

The Marilyn Caldwell Piano Award is given by the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) each year to a Junior Division pianist. It is named for MFMC member Marilyn Caldwell, who has been an NFMC member since 1961 and a life member since 1985.

Marilyn’s service to NFMC and MFMC has been truly extraordinary. At the national level she was the Missouri representative on the NFMC board of directors for two years beginning in 1985, and was a member at large for 14 years beginning in 1999. She was vice president of the South Central Region for two years, was publications chair, was Junior Division chair, and served as Gold Cup (now Festival Cup) chair for ten years. Marilyn was also on the Festival Committee for seven years, was the American Music Showcase chair, and chaired the South Central Region Festivals. She was registration chair for the centennial convention in St. Louis in 1999 and presented a workshop to the NFMC board in 2003.

At the Missouri level, Marilyn was the president from 1983-85 and prior to that was Gold Cup chair, corresponding secretary, editor of Missouri Music Notes, and served as vice president and historian, among other posts. She was a District president from 1977 to 1979 prior to that and also served as District Festival chair.

Marilyn’s music club activities started began with the Wednesday Music Club in the 1960s, where she served as president from 1971-73 and chairman of the scholarship endowment fund for 15 years. These are only a few of the many posts and honors she has held.

The idea for an NFMC piano award in the Junior Division came out of a conversation at a national convention. At that time the Junior Division was allowed to channel 10% of the profits from Junior Festivals (as they were then called) to awards, but the awards needed more funding. A Whitehurst piano award was given only in even numbered years, so the Division needed an award to be given in the odd numbered years.

Eventually the award was established. In a few years the endowment fund had accumulated sufficient assets to enable a $500 award to be given every two years. This Junior Division award was named for Marilyn when she left the Junior Division chair office in 2007. The award has been made based on endowment fund earnings and donations from the honoree.

The first year the award was given was 2011, when Christine Lai of Florida was the winner. In 2013 another award was made, this one to Gabrielle Chou, also of Florida. By 2014 the fund had accumulated enough to give an annual award, and even add a second place award of $250. In 2015 the award amounts were increased to $600 for first place and $300 for second place.

The amounts have continued to increase, and presently the first place award is $1,000 with the second place award being $500.

The number of entries each year has averaged around ten. The judges have commented on the outstanding quality of the applicants. Two award winners have performed at the national convention, Christina Greenwood of Missouri in 2015, and Mary Kate Bielinski of Wisconsin in 2017.

Congratulations, Marilyn, for an exceptional record of NFMC and MFMC service, and for the honor of this continuing award.

Time to start thinking of the Most Musical Family and Church Musician of the year. Please send recommendations and resumes to President Julie Watson by April 1st. Typically, families would have 3 or more musicians.

Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point in Eureka Springs, Arkansas will begin on May 24 and will continue through July 20. This season Opera in the Ozarks will feature Giacomo Puccini’s classic La bohème (sung in Italian), its first production of the Mozart comedy Abduction From the Seraglio (in the original German with English dialogue), and Mark Adamo’s modern classic Little Women, based on the Louisa May Alcott story.

Auditions for Opera in the Ozarks have been conducted nationwide in recent weeks, and beginning in May, almost a hundred young singers, orchestra musicians, coaches, conductors and designers will begin working on the 2019 season. The South Central Region’s annual Federation Days will be held July 17-20. Please plan to be part of the fun this summer!