In this final part of my interview series with Chinese concert pianist Chenyin Li we discuss the importance of teaching both in her life and to her work. Why do you love teaching? What is your teaching philosophy? For me, teaching feels like an extension of performing. At its heart, both are about communication. In…
Tag: Concert Pianist
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 2
Today’s post continues the Piano Pedagogy Series with Part 2 of four interviews featuring Chinese concert pianist and teacher Chenyin Li. In this post, we discuss Chenyin’s advanced study, research and her repertoire. You won a full scholarship to study with Tamas Vesmas at the University of Auckland. Tell us about your experience studying in…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview Series with James Kirby – Part 3
Today’s post continues my series Piano Pedagogy Spotlight featuring pianist and piano professor James Kirby. Here, we discuss his work as a concert pianist and chamber music player. Were you tempted to enter the Tchaikovsky competition again, or any other international competitions? And after the competition ended, were you approached for concerts or management in…
A Journey Through Debussy’s Preludes 6: Julian Jacobson
Julian Jacobson’s final post in his Debussy series spotlights the last six preludes from Book 2 in preparation for his recital on June 6th 2024 at the 1901 Arts Club in London. Preludes Book 2 nos. 7-12 And so to the final six Preludes of Debussy’s magnum opus for piano. Having diverted us with a…
A Journey Through Debussy’s Preludes 4: Julian Jacobson
Concert pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson continues his Debussy journey in today’s blog post. This fourth article surveys the final six works of the French composer’s Preludes Book 1 (Preludes Nos. 7 – 12), in preparation for Julian’s concert on June 6th at the 1901 Arts Club in London, where he will play the…
A Journey Through Debussy’s Preludes 2: Julian Jacobson
Today’s post is the second in a series written by concert pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson, who is ‘journeying’ through Debussy’s two books of Preludes in preparation for his concert on Thursday June 6th 2024 at 7.30 pm, at the 1901 Arts Club in London (pictured in the featured image at the top of…
A Master Class with Nikolai Lugansky
The Oxford Piano Festival is held annually in Oxford, UK. It is one of the few educational courses to film almost every session during their festival. This allows us to hear a wealth of extremely interesting piano classes given by renowned pianists. All of this is at our fingertips on YouTube. Russian pianist Nikolai Luganksy…
Butterflies: Rami Bar-Niv
Pianist, teacher, and composer Rami Bar-Niv continues his journey into piano technique and today’s post is the fifth in the series for this blog. Many thanks to those of you who’ve written to tell us how much you have been enjoying these articles. The fifth pillar of my five main piano-playing-technique pillars is the butterfly…
Chord Playing and Improvising 6: Christopher Norton
Today’s post continues renowned composer Christopher Norton’s series here on my blog. Christopher suggests helpful practice tips and advice for one of his pieces, which can be downloaded for free; ‘In The Spirit’ comes from the highly successful series, Connections For Piano. Connections for Piano has been very popular since its launch in 2007. It…
The Beauty of the Rotation Technique: Rami Bar-Niv
Pianist, teacher, and composer Rami Bar-Niv returns this week to continue his excellent, and very popular, series here on my blog. Rami’s articles are focusing various aspects of piano technique and today’s surveys the rotation technique. A rotational movement is the movement we do when we turn a doorknob or a key in a door….
The Music of the Wrists: Rami Bar-Niv
Today’s post has been written by guest writer Rami Bar-Niv. Rami is an israeli pianist, composer, author, and instructor of master classes, who is based in the USA. In this article, he discusses that vital topic for all pianists: wrist movement. Rudolf Serkin complained once: “how come, before I play the opening chord of Beethoven’s…
Happy New Year: ‘Ukraine Will Rise Again!’
A Happy New Year to you all As it’s the beginning of the year, I want to highlight something special, and with the war still raging in Ukraine, this wonderful, heart-warming project offers a positive start to 2023. The internationally acclaimed concert pianist Margaret Fingerhut is known for her innovative recital programmes where she explores…