HKSMF


Of course it is through people connections that I was able to go to Hong Kong for this adjudicating. Two other teachers from Charlottesville had been invited previously through their own connections. They are Kay Pitt and Corky Sablinsky. Through Kay, my friend and fellow musician, Eugene Mishustin, was invited. He in turn recommended me, and he and I flew over there together along with Eric Ruple. Eric is the chair of the piano department at James Madison University over in Harrisonburg. After we returned, David Maurer of the Daily Progress wrote an article on us and our trip which was featured in the Lifestyles section of the Sunday April 10th, 2005 paper. Charlotte Crystal, the mother of one of my students at the time was the connection to David Maurer. The trip was interesting in so many ways, but especially in a personal way for me. One of the other adjudicators was Garnet Ungar, a piano professor at the University of Evansville. I had attended that University for two years, 1994-1996, and then left for many reasons. I was one of Garnet’s first students when he got the job there in 1995. We had not seen each other since, and were reunited in Hong Kong. To me it was a special occurrence. We have been in communication since, and now both have children just born last year within a month or two of each other. Eugene and I were two of the youngest judges there. We had a wonderful time meeting so many different people, and we were treated with the highest level of respect and appreciation.