These area students performed at the honors recital, held this past January at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge. In the front row standing and sitting are (from left to right) Carsten Hrnicek (Level A Alternate, Webster City), Addison Potter (Level B Alternate, Fort Dodge), Marie Fedderson (Level B Winner, Fort Dodge), Suan Jo (Level A Winner, Fort Dodge) and Jenna Lim (Level A Alternate, Fort Dodge). In the back row are Maggie Mikkelsen (Level D Alternate, Jefferson), Jacob Sorenson (Level D Winner, Humboldt), Joel Schroeder (Level C Winner, Jefferson), Ava Otteros (Level B Winner, Williams) and Marissa Schrad (Level C Alternate, West Side). Otteros advanced to the state auditions, set for Saturday in Ames, while Hrnicek will be an alternate.

This weekend, Ava Otteros of Williams will sit in front of an awfully nice piano at the Simon Estes Music Hall on the campus of Iowa State University. There, her Level B performance on the instrument will be judged by representatives from the Iowa Music Teachers Association.

Webster City’s Carsten Hrnieck will wait in the wings as a Level A alternate.

The two area pianists are among an assortment of piano students at the IMTA State Auditions, which will take place on Saturday at Iowa State University in Ames. They earned their spots after going through district piano auditions, held on Jan. 28 at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge.

Otteros and Hrnicek were among 40 area students who hail from studios located in Fort Dodge and Webster City, along with Algona, Gowrie, Humboldt, Jefferson, Lytton and Rolfe.

The locally-based studios are overseen by Mavis Chen (Fort Dodge, Webster City) and Joan Hopkins (Webster City).

Allison Chenoweth of Cedar Rapids was the adjudicator for the district event.

The students are grouped into levels, according to age. One student from each level may be advanced to the state event by the decision of the judge.

Performance requirements include three memorized compositions of contrasting style, as well as scales, harmonic cadences and arpeggios. The students also complete written theory and ear-training exams.

Suan Jo and Marie Feddersen of Fort Dodge were selected to perform in IMTA state auditions at Level A. Hrnicek and Jenna Lim of Fort Dodge are tabbed as alternates, while Everett Hill and Harin Oh of Fort Dodge received honorable mentions.

Otteros advanced to the state auditions in Level B. Alternate was Addison Potter of Fort Dodge. Honorable Mentions went to Clara Brown and Reba Moffitt of Fort Dodge.

Joel Schroeder, from Jefferson, advanced to the state auditions in Level C, and Marissa Schrad of West Side was Alternate.

In Level D, Jacob Sorenson of Humboldt was selected to advance to the state event, with Maggie Mikkelsen of Jefferson being named alternate. Jefferson’s Ava Brinkley was an honorable mention for Level D.

Students receiving 90 percent and higher on the theory and ear-training tests are named to the Theory Honor Roll.

Jhea Castareda, Luke Chia Chiaco, Hrnicek and Caed Moffitt all received 100 percent in Level A, while Corban McHone earned 100 percent in Level C. Fedderson, Hill, Jo, Lim and Oh were placed on the Level A Theory Honor Roll, as the Level B theory honor roll included Max Anderson, Clara Brown, Mason Hoffman, Ayana Hopkins, Otteros, and Renee Schroeder.

The Level C theory honor roll was made up of Schrad and Joel Schroeder, and students named to the Level D theory honor roll were Binkley and Sorenson.