An aspect of teaching that I particularly enjoy is the chance to meet and work with new students and this type of coaching is instantly possible on music courses. Here, one has the chance to work with a variety of students in a much shorter time frame than would be feasible with regular one-to-one coaching….
Tag: London
Julian Jacobson plays the ‘Hammerklavier’: Part 2
This is the second post in pianist and professor Julian Jacobson’s mini-series for this blog focusing on Beethoven’s most complex master piece for the piano, the ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata in B flat major Op. 106, which he will be performing in London on Sunday January 11th 2026 at Mill Hill Library. Today, he discusses his past…
Opus One Summer Music Festival
Over the summer, I had the good fortune to adjudicate at an up-and-coming music festival and competition in London held at the Royal Academy of Music (pictured above). The Opus One Summer Music Festival concluded its second edition this year, further establishing itself as an international platform for young musicians. The week-long programme running in…
Music & Drama Education Expo 2025
I’m looking forward to the Music & Drama Education Expo in London next week. This two-day event is held every year and has been through several transformations since its inception twelve years ago. According to its website, the Expo consists of ‘a mix of practical workshops, CPD sessions, seminars and networking for music and drama…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview Series with James Kirby – Part 1
My Piano Pedagogy Spotlight series has proved popular. In this second series of interviews, concert pianist and piano professor James Kirby throws light on his career over a series of five posts. James has an interesting background: he studied the piano at the Moscow Conservatoire and was a semi-finalist at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition…
New Online Courses at Guildhall Young Artists: Pathways To Conservatoire Programme
Guildhall Young Artists Online – Pathways To Conservatoire Programme – BMus 2 Since September 2023, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London has offered an innovative new course for students. This advanced two-year online course is aimed at international musicians who are interested in studying for a degree at the Guildhall School. This course has proved popular and Guildhall are…
A Journey Through Debussy’s Preludes 3: Julian Jacobson
In this series of articles, concert pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson throws light on his preparation process for a forthcoming recital at the 1901 Arts Club in London on June 6th, where he will play both books of Debussy’s deliciously enigmatic Preludes. This is the third article in the series. Preludes Book 1, Nos….
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 Journey Through Debussy’s Preludes: Julian Jacobson
I enjoy hosting articles written by friends and colleagues on this blog. Pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson is no stranger to my website, and you can read the very popular 2022 series he wrote documenting his Beethoven sonata marathon, here. Today’s new series pays homage to Debussy; Julian will be performing the French composer’s…
On preparing for a Beethoven marathon – Finale: Julian Jacobson
Pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson has been writing a splendid and very popular guest post series for this blog. He is focusing on a recent Beethoven marathon where he performed all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas in one day – both in London and in Uruguay. This final article is the postlude. Here, he…
Vanessa Latarche in conversation with Melanie Spanswick
My twenty-fifth interview features British concert pianist, Head of Keyboard and Professor of International Keyboard Studies at the Royal College of Music Vanessa Latarche. Find out more about Vanessa, here. Here’s the transcript, for those who prefer reading interviews: MELANIE SPANSWICK: British concert pianist and professor of piano, Vanessa Latarche, has performed extensively. She’s in…