Golden Key and Little Mozarts 2026: Celebrating Our Students’ Success in New York

We have some lovely news to share from Munno’s Piano Studio. This spring, our students earned first, second, and third place awards across the Golden Key International Music Competition and Little Mozarts International Competition, with performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York.

As their teacher, I’m proud of what each student accomplished. I know how much patience it takes to prepare a piece, return to the difficult passages, and keep practicing until the music feels ready to share. Getting to celebrate that work together made this spring especially meaningful.

Performing at Carnegie Hall

Students from our Glenview piano studio had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of this year’s competition season. It was a special occasion for the young pianists and the families who supported them along the way.

Preparing for a performance like this involves so many small decisions: shaping a phrase, bringing out a melody, choosing the right touch, and learning to keep going through nerves. Those details take time, and hearing them come together in a performance is one of my favorite parts of teaching.

The photographs outside Carnegie Hall, with students holding their certificates and wearing their medals, are memories we will be happy to look back on.

Golden Key International Music Festival at Lincoln Center

Our students also performed at the Golden Key International Music Festival at Lincoln Center. They worked hard to prepare and played beautifully.

I was particularly proud of their growing confidence. Performing away from home means adjusting to a different piano, a different room, and an unfamiliar audience. It takes courage to sit down and begin, even when you have practiced your piece many times.

Experiences like these give students something to carry into their next performance. They have prepared, stepped onto a new stage, and shared their music. That is an accomplishment worth remembering.

Congratulations to Our Students and Families

To every student who participated in Golden Key and Little Mozarts this year: congratulations! You earned this moment through your effort and commitment, and I hope you feel proud of yourselves.

Thank you, too, to our families. Behind each performance are the practice reminders, the rides to lessons, the encouragement on frustrating days, and the planning that makes a trip like this possible. I’m grateful for the care you put into your children’s musical education.

Since our first Golden Key competition experience in 2024, these events have become a meaningful part of our studio’s story. This year gave us wonderful new memories at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and plenty to celebrate back home in Glenview.

Munno Gantulga
Munno’s Piano Studio