A Very Happy New Year! I wish you all a wonderful, healthy and happy 2026.
We galloped through 2025 at such speed that I hope 2026 will slow down a little!
There are many events and projects in the pipeline over the course of the coming year. A few highlights include several forthcoming publications: a new repertoire addition to the Play it again: PIANO (Schott) family and the original Book 1 of this series will be translated and published in German later in the year. I’m looking forward to the start of an exciting new piano project for a leading music publisher for whom I’ve not written before, and a couple of volumes of my advanced instrumental music will also find their way into print, too.
Turning to events, in February, the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge will perform my unaccompanied vocal piece, Hope is the Thing, at the university as part of a Contemporary music choral concert. I’m also returning to adjudicate the piano classes at the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival during both their 2026 (online) and 2027 (live) seasons, and after the publication (by the Shanghai Music Publishing House) of the whole Play it again series in Chinese, there will be a substantial tour to China later in the year as well.
Guildhall Young Artists Online Programme
I’m pleased to be part of the Guildhall Young Artists Online Programme (or GYA). Introduced during the pandemic, this innovative programme encompasses both music and drama, and delivers all lessons via online platforms, enabling any student to join from around the world. This applies to workshops, classes, and one-to-one lessons.
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is the only music conservatoire in the UK to offer a completely online music study programme available for junior students worldwide.
I’ve taught the piano at the Guildhall Junior School on the Junior Music Programme since 2019. Junior music schools, departments, or pre-college programmes seek to offer instrumental, vocal and class music lessons to children aged between 7 – 18. I studied at the Royal College of Music Junior Department and can recommend a Saturday music school to any young student as a beneficial way to study a musical instrument, composition or voice to a high level, as well as the opportunity to work with others in ensembles, choirs and orchestras, to connect with like-minded individuals, and to understand how music conservatoires function.
Whilst there is an entrance audition for GYA Online, in a similar manner to a traditional ‘live’ Saturday school, the recommended standard for younger children is from around a fairly obtainable ABRSM Grade 4 level. Faculty members for this programme are generally drawn from the live Saturday junior music school. I really enjoy teaching online and, providing I’m able to meet up with my students occasionally to give them live lessons, it can really work very well as a complete study method. And it’s important to remember that it’s possible to access this programme from anywhere in the world, which makes it a viable option for those who simply can’t attend a Saturday school in person.
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a world-class music institution, ranked as number one in Arts, Drama & Music by the Complete University Guide 2025, and in the top four in the world for Music and Performing Arts by the QS World University Rankings 2025.
Pathways to Conservatoire
I’ve previously written about the ‘Pathways To Conservatoire’ programme, which is also a GYA initiative. Delivered online, this course is intended to ‘fast track’ the first year of a BMus degree course; it will be of interest to those of 15 or 16 years old, and who are preparing to study at a UK music conservatoire. Find out more about it here.
GYA Residencies
A further development for 2026 are the new GYA Residencies. These will pop up around the world and offer current GYA students, as well as those who live more locally, the chance to work together with Guildhall teachers. The first of these is a Dubai Residency to be held during the half-term break in February.
This course takes place over four days live in Dubai and will focus on instrumental, composition and piano events. I will be teaching the piano (and some composition classes) during this residency, and there will be a packed schedule of ensembles, workshops, lessons, and a final concert.
It’s hoped that this initiative will become a regular GYA fixture encouraging live playing, and we are delighted to be working with the excellent Centre for Musical Arts for this project. The residency will be held at the newly opened New Covent Garden Theatre and Pineapple Dubai Studios at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai from February 19th – 22nd 2026.
Here’s to 2026! Let’s get started…
If you’re keen to find out more about the Guildhall Young Artists Online Programme, click here, and for more about the GYA Residences, click here.
Find out more about the Play it again: PIANO series by clicking here.
There’s a clear sense of intention in this showcase that feels alive rather than ornamental. Reading about Guildhall Young Artists Online 2026 makes me think less about competition and more about emergence — how young musicians articulate their voices before the weight of expectation settles on them.
What stays with me is the quiet seriousness with which these artists approach making sound in a digital space. It isn’t spectacle for spectacle’s sake, but a conviction that craft and curiosity can coexist even when the venue is a screen rather than a concert hall. That feels like an honest negotiation between tradition and the conditions of the moment.
The diversity of approaches in the programme suggests that young performers are not simply inheriting forms, but experimenting with what performance can be now — something hybrid, open-ended, and responsive. In an age that often reduces musical youth to social metrics, this feels like a necessary recalibration.
Many thanks for your considered comments. I’m glad that you agree that this online programme is an exciting and forward thinking development. Best wishes, Melanie