2026 Preliminary Round — Boston Regional, MA
Date: May 23rd, 2026
Location: Steinway & Sons
1069 Washington St, Newton, MA 02465
Application Fee:
Early Bird: $170
Regular: $185
Important Date:
April 1, 2026 - Applications Submission Deadline (Early Bird)
April 20, 2026 - Regular Applications Submission Deadline
May 23 , 2026 - Boston Regional Competition
May 23 , 2026 - Finalists announced
August 6-7, 2026 - Final Round Competition (San Francisco) & Awards Ceremony
Meet the 2026 Boston Jury
Get to know the distinguished members of our jury, each bringing a unique perspective and wealth of experience to this year’s competition.
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Roth first taught eurhythmics at NEC before joining the Preparatory School’s piano faculty, where she developed the “Sight-reading for Pianists” course. In 1997 she became co-chair of the Preparatory School’s piano department, and has been chair since 2002.
Roth’s presentations include “Artistic Beginnings” and “Stephen Heller, Kleinemeister.” Roth was invited twice to present at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, as a member of the Committee on Theories and Learning.
Marilyn Roth teaches a wide range of repertoire, and her class includes young beginners as well as advanced high school students. Her students have performed on NPR’s “From the Top” and have been winners and finalists in the NEC Prep Concerto Competition, New England Piano Teachers’ Association Alice Hamet and Ruth Davidson Competitions, A. Ramòn Rivera Competition, and the Ithaca College Piano Competition for High School Students. After graduating from NEC Prep, Roth’s students have entered Brandeis, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, Stanford, Tufts, Yale, and the University of Chicago.
Marilyn Roth has led NEC Prep pianists in two performing/learning tours to Europe. In 2006, NEC exchanged visits with students from the Musikschule Margareten of Vienna. In Austria fourteen auditioned students, representing nine studios, performed recitals in Vienna and at the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt. In 2008 eleven pianists, auditioned from nine studios, toured Germany and the Czech Republic, performing in Weimar at the Musikschule Ottmar Gerster, and in Leipzig at the Schumann House. At the Mendelssohn House in Leipzig, they played in a masterclass given by Markus Tomás of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig. The tour continued with visits to Berlin and Prague. Roth commissioned international artist/architect John Diebboll (author of The Art of the Piano) to design the 2008 Germany Tour T-shirts.
Born in Pittsburgh, Marilyn Roth was the first-prize winner in the Three Rivers Piano Competition and performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She has performed locally in chamber music and solo recitals at New England Conservatory, University of New Hampshire, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and other venues.
Also faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; former faculty, University of Massachusetts/Lowell.
Photo of Marilyn Roth by Andrew Hurlbut
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Christina Dietrich, pianist, has built a distinguished career as both a performer and educator, appearing throughout the United States and Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. Her concert appearances have included such notable venues as Jordan Hall, Symphony Hall in Boston, and Lincoln Center in New York.
For more than twelve years, Ms. Dietrich was a regular artist on the New York Public Library Concert Series and gave over fifty performances for the Chopin Society of New England in the Boston area alone. At the Chopin Society, her collaboration with the distinguished soprano Danuta Sava-Wysocka led to the Boston premiere of the complete songs of Fryderyk Chopin. In recognition of her artistic accomplishments, she was specially invited by the Consul General of Poland to perform at the Polish Consulate in New York, and later received a letter of recognition and thanks from then-President Lech Wałęsa of Poland.
Ms. Dietrich received her Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, her Master of Music degree from Boston University, and also pursued doctoral studies there. Her principal teachers included A. Ramon Rivera, Victor Rosenbaum, Veronica Jochum, and the internationally acclaimed pianist Anthony di Bonaventura.
Through her teachers, Ms. Dietrich’s musical lineage traces back to Beethoven and Salieri, as well as to the traditions of Franz Liszt and Theodor Leschetizky, two of the great schools of piano playing. She is deeply committed to carrying this legacy forward through her work as a teacher, performer, and public advocate for what she calls the “joy of classical music.”
In addition to her performance career, Professor Dietrich regularly presents masterclasses in piano performance and serves as an adjudicator for competitions. She is currently Director of Belmont Piano Academy; faculty member and Chair of the Piano Department at Groton Hill Music Center; faculty at Steinert’s Piano Academy; Adjunct Music Professor at Mount Wachusett Community College; Artistic Director of the Steinway Society of Massachusetts; and a Steinway Ambassador. Since 2017, she has received the Steinway & Sons Top Teacher Award six times. Most recently, she was also named a Top Teacher by the Crescendo International Competition and the Little Mozarts International Competition.
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Jia Shi, pianist, embarked on a teaching career in the Boston region and was born into a musical family in Guangzhou, China. Strongly influenced by her grandfather, Mingxin Shi, a renowned conductor, her talent was evident at an early age. She received her initial piano instruction from her grandfather, laying the foundation for her success.
Ms. Shi’s many competition awards include the Sendai Piano Competition in Japan, the Kaiserburg Competition in China, the Horowitz Piano Competition in Kiev, Ukraine, and in 2005, First Prize and Best Performance at the National Haiziman Piano Competition in China. She received scholarships for both her undergraduate and graduate studies, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing under the guidance of the world-renowned professor Zhihong Guo. She furthered her studies with international soloist Alexander Korsantia at the New England Conservatory, where she earned a second Master’s Degree in Piano Performance. During her time at NEC, Ms. Shi also taught non-piano graduate students.
Ms. Shi has performed across the United States, Europe, and China, with highlights including Jordan Hall, Tanglewood Music Theater in Boston; Steinway Hall in New York; Basilica di San Pietro and Sala Dei Notari in Perugia, Italy; Centro Municipal Integrado de Pumarín Gijón Sur in Spain; Paderewski Music Hall, Poland; and Beijing Concert Hall and Xinghai Concert Hall in China.
In addition to performing, Ms. Shi is passionate about teaching students of all ages and levels, many of whom have gone on to study at leading music conservatories. Her students have received top prizes in prestigious international competitions and have been invited to perform in some of the world’s most renowned concert halls. Her students have also attracted the attention and admiration of legendary pianist Martha Argerich.
Ms. Shi is the Founder and Artistic Director of the New England Music Festival in Boston and has successfully organized international piano programs with Boston University at Tanglewood in 2016. She serves as the Chairperson of the Music Teachers National Association (Massachusetts), Co-chair of the Hamlet Davidson Piano Competition. In 2018, Ms. Shi was invited to join the Artist Faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory Music Piano Festival. In June 2025, Ms. Shi was inducted into the Steinway Hall of Fame, an honor awarded to exceptional educators who have made a lasting impact on music education and inspired generations of young musicians.
Ms. Shi also integrates her passion for collaboration by participating in the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and adjudicating prestigious piano competitions in the U.S., Europe, and China.