Congrats, Shota Homma! Teen Pianist From Los Gatos Wins State Competition

Written by Hyuntae Byun

Shota Homma, who will be a junior this fall at Los Gatos High School, recently won first place in the Music Teacher’s Association of California (MTAC) Piano Solo State Competition Finals -- ranking him among the top pianists in his age group in all of California. 

Homma competed in Division 3, which included other pianists across the state between the ages of 16 and 18. 

To advance to state finals, Homma first competed in the MTAC Solo Piano Competition’s Northern Division this spring, where he also scored first place. 

The MTAC is a highly competitive annual concerto competition. 

Homma also recently won first place in the Celia Mendez Beethoven Piano Competition, which is hosted by the American Beethoven Society.

As a result of winning the competition, Homma was given the opportunity to attend a class taught by professional pianist Angela Hewitt.

Homma has been playing piano for more than 12 years, and his musical career is full of successes. 

For example, as a young child he was showcased in an honor recital at the Los Angeles Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he was originally a student with a scholarship. 

Homma also has won first place in the 2006 and 207 Aoba Piano Competitions and in the Kathryn Gawartin Chopin Piano Competition. 

He has played at famous venues, including the Landmark Tower in Japan and the San Diego 65th Annual Salute to the Champions.

According to Homma, his piano teacher was the one who urged him to try out for the MTAC competition. 

Homma said that he felt “really excited, because I’ve never challenged myself at any state-wide competitions before.” 

Though he is successful, he is also as modest as ever, saying that when he received the email from MTAC notifying him of his success in the regional semifinals, he felt “thankful to my fans, friends, teacher, and especially my parents because I wouldn’t have won the competition without their full support.”

As Homma advanced to finals, his confidence started to waver, and he states that it was at this point that his “parents and teacher really pushed me [to do better] by encouraging me and supporting my practice… As a result, on the day of the final competition, I was completely ready and believed in myself.”

Hyuntae Byun is 16 and a student at Los Gatos High School. He enjoys practicing the violin and writing in his spare time.