I’ve been working in Germany over the weekend, tutoring a bilingual piano workshop near Düsseldorf, so I thought it appropriate to highlight a master class today. Gelsenkirchen is a city in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany. I’ve been visiting a couple of times a year since 2014. I provide piano classes (which are free…
Tag: Festivals and Competitions
The Value of Lectures and Master Classes
For many pianists, teachers and students, master classes, lectures and workshops can play a fascinating and beneficial part of ongoing musical development. Last Friday night I attended the first event of the new London Piano Festival, of which pianists Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen are artistic directors, held at King’s Place. Legendary Austrian pianist Alfred…
Do Piano Exams Matter?
On returning from my holiday, I enjoyed reading Rosie Millard’s recent interesting and thought-provoking article in The Telegraph deliberating over the benefits of music exams. She labels herself a ‘pushy’ parent, although I don’t find her approach particularly ‘pushy’. I think her concerns are fairly natural amongst parents who want their children to succeed. This…
A Master Class given by Brazilian pianist Cristina Ortiz
With the Olympics in full swing in Rio de Janeiro, it’s hard not to be impressed by the sheer dedication and tenacity emanating from every Olympian. Whilst piano playing is much more subjective, a similar pursuit of excellence and perfection must be sought by the concert pianist too, whether they be young or old. As…
Piano Classes with Nikolai Lugansky
This short but interesting master class given by Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky was published just last month and recorded in October 2015. This acclaimed virtuoso pianist gave a class for piano students at the Rudolfinum in Prague. He was also giving concerts with the Czech Philharmonic. I feel there is so much to learn and…
So You Want To Organize A Piano Competition? Part III
Sally Olson is an amateur pianist and competition planner. She lives in Chicago (USA) and is on the committee of the Chicago Amateur Piano Competition 2016. Sally organises this competition. She has been writing a series of guest blog posts. These posts reveal her organisational skills and marketing strategies. Today’s topic is all about the…
Jazz Piano Tutorials by Tim Richards
I don’t usually feature jazz, rock or pop piano music here on this blog, but occasionally it’s fun to ring the changes. Acclaimed jazz pianist and educator Tim Richards has recently released five excellent tutorial videos to accompany his successful books Exploring Jazz Piano (Volume 1), published by Schott Music. These informative and engaging clips…
So You Want To Organize A Piano Competition? Part II
Amateur pianist and competition planner, Sally Olson, lives in Chicago (US) and is on the committee of the Chicago Amateur Piano Competition 2016. This competition, which began in 2010, is steadily growing in popularity with entrants hailing from many countries. Few realise the tremendous amount of planning, fund-raising and marketing behind such an enterprise. Last…
Master classes at the Royal College of Music with Sir Andras Schiff
Sir András Schiff visited the Royal College of Music in London last month and conducted a series of master classes. These will no doubt be of interest to many readers. These classes were filmed on April 10th 2016 and they feature several students. One of these students is Martin James Bartlett, BBC Young Musician 2014…
A master class with Sir Andras Schiff
I really enjoy attending master classes and if I can’t go, the next best thing is to watch on YouTube. With so many fascinating classes given by celebrated pianists and teachers posted online, one could spend weeks just viewing them all. The following workshop given by Hungarian concert pianist Sir András Schiff, was recorded last…
Micro-Lectures by Boris Giltburg
I’m pleased to feature the first of several ‘micro-lectures’ recorded by Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg. According to Giltburg, the videos will focus on musical or technical questions relating to various pieces. Each lasting just a few minutes, they have been recorded by Louisiana Music at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I chatted to Giltburg…
Musica Nova Stars of the Albion Competition 2016
The Musica Nova Russian-British Music Academy has been a thriving music education establishment for many years. Situated in London, it was founded by Russian pianist, singer, teacher, composer and educator Evgenia Terentieva, who is also the CEO. Evgenia’s academy offers a broad spectrum of music tuition from instrumental lessons to one day intensive courses, plus…