Office of the Private Education Commission joins ISB’s Intensive Learning Needs program launch

ISB was honored to have Dr Payom Chinnawong, Secretary General, Office of the Private Education Commission of the Ministry of Education join our Intensive Learning Needs program launch.

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Musical Odyssey

I enjoy highlighting various piano courses, whether they be in the UK, or abroad. Today’s featured Summer course is held in Nafplio in Greece, and is intended for singers and pianists. Musical Odyssey runs from the 19th to the 26th July 2017, and is organised by artistic director and Russian pianist Yekaterina Lebedeva.

The faculty includes Yekaterina and Artur Pizarro (piano), and Nuccia Focile (soprano), and Manolis Papasifakis (accompanist and accompaniment teacher). These are Summer masterclasses with a difference, offering intensive tuition from expert pianists and pedagogues, sponsored concert engagements and various prizes. The course offers three unique programmes for different age groups, as well as future concert engagements and continuing support for successful participants.

Younger pianists (those under 16 years of age) are supervised by more experienced conservatoire students who work with them, visiting lessons as well as helping practice sessions. The older students also receive help and guidance with teaching practices from the expert pedagogues too. Previous pianists and pedagogues who have given classes at this course include Cristina Ortiz, Janina Fialkowska, Vanessa Latarche, Laurens Patzlaff, Susan Bullock, Judith Howarth and Sumi Jo.

Set in beautiful stunning Greek scenery, Musical Odyssey is sure to be a great way to spend your Summer holiday.

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For more information, click on the link below:

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Weekend Competition winners…

Many thanks to all who took part in my weekend competition. The prizes consist of one copy of My First Chopin and one of The Piano Playlist, both published by German music publisher, Schott Music.

Without further ado, the winners are…

David Barton wins My First Chopin

and Helen Miller wins The Piano Playlist

CONGRATULATIONS!

Please send your address via the contact page on this blog, and your book will be on its way.

You can find out more about these publications on Schott’s website here.

There will be more competitions coming soon!

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Weekend Competition: The Piano Playlist & My First Chopin

Today’s weekend competition features two volumes, both new publications from Schott Music.

The Piano Playlist is a collection of 50 arrangements by Barrie Carson Turner, featuring many popular favourites from opera arias (Habanera from Carmen by Bizet, Nessun Dorma from Turandot, and O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schicchi both by Puccini), to ballet numbers, famous gems from orchestral works (Ode to Joy (Beethoven), The Swan (Saint-Saëns), Adagietto (Mahler’s 4th Symphony)), to piano concertos, instrumental music and  arrangements of piano pieces. Great for intermediate to advanced players.

My First Chopin has been  compiled by German pianist and pedagogue, Wilhelm Ohman. This collection of 20 pieces lies well within the capabilities of the advanced player, and contains some of Chopin’s best-loved works including a group of Preludes, Waltzes, Mazurkas and Nocturnes. These works are particularly popular amongst students, and this book features Raindrop Prelude Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in B minor Op. 28 No. 6, Waltz in B minor Op. posth. 69 No. 2, Mazurka in B flat major Op. 7 No. 1, Nocturne in C sharp minor No. 20 Op. posth., Funeral March (from Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor Op. 35), to name a few favourites. An excellent addition to any library.

I have one copy of each to give away for two lucky winners, Please leave your comment in the comment box at the end of this blog post to be in with a chance of winning. I will announce the winners on Sunday evening (British time).

To find out more or purchase these books click here and here.

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The ‘Stars of the Albion’ Arts Competition and Festival

Over the past few weekends I’ve been adjudicating at various competitions. On several occasions I worked alone (as an adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Music Festivals), but this past weekend, I was one of a panel of judges for the ‘Stars of the Albion’ competition.  Although I enjoy both challenges, working with others is not only more interesting and convivial, but it also shares the responsibility of selecting winners (which is never an easy task).

‘Stars of the Albion’ is an international performing arts festival and competition. It’s an annual event, uniting young talented musicians and dancers from across the world. The project forms a unique bridge connecting different cultures and in particular that of Russia and Great Britain. It aims to provide valuable opportunities for young emerging artists to perform, learn, communicate and develop.

Organised and promoted by Musica Nova Academy of Music, which was founded and is owned by Russian singer, pianist and educator Evgenia Terentieva. This bilingual establishment (situated just around the corner from King’s Cross station, on Crommer Street), combines the British and Russian principles of teaching. It’s held under the Patronage of the World Association of Performing Arts (WAPA) and is supported by the Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian cultural centre in the UK.

This is the fourth arts festival & competition. There are two rounds; the first one is based on video recordings (DVD and YouTube), and the second is open to the public and held at the concert hall of the Rossotrudnichestvo (situated just off Kensington High Street), and at the Musica Nova Academy. The Rudolf Steiner Theatre (also in London) plays host to the final awards ceremony and gala concert. Thirty international and twenty national soloists as well as five ensembles were selected to participate in the second round.

Participants hail from a large spectrum of nations including the UK, Russia, Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Republic of Belarus, Bulgaria, Malta, Philippines, Latvia, Armenia, Ukraine, Ghana, and India.

I was one of four to judge the instrumental category at the Musica Nova Academy (with colleagues, Alexander Ioffe and Yuri Zhislin (both from Russia), and Natalia Varkentin (who is Latvian)). The awards were segregated into three age categories; 6 -10 years old, 11 – 15 years, and 16 years and over, and all competitors were either pianists or violinists. The standard was reasonably high; students were expected to play their programmes from memory (including the duet classes), and many performed fairly advanced pieces (particularly in the age category from 6 – 10 years).

I’m always fascinated by the repertoire chosen for such events; there was a diverse selection from a piano arrangement of the theme from Schindler’s List (John Williams) and Yiruma’s ubiquitous piano piece The River Flows In You (played by a six-year-old!), to the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 by Liszt. We heard several renditions of Tchaikovsky’s Melody in E Op. 42 No. 3 (for violin) as well as typical selections from the ABRSM Grade 8 repertoire.

The winners of each class perform in the final gala concert (which was held last night), and some of them also win cash prizes. Whilst we enjoyed the instrumental classes at the Musica Nova Academy, a much larger panel judged the singing classes at the Rossotrudnichestvo Cultural Centre  (which were huge in comparison). I like the inclusion of multiple disciplines; there’s something for literally everyone (both amateur or professional), whether a classical performer, jazz player, pop singer, dancer, or folk musician. This flexibility will ensure that the ‘Stars of the Albion’ goes from strength to strength, and it will no doubt flourish and develop over the coming years.

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Lang Lang at the Royal College of Music: an event for piano teachers

Faber Music are offering an interesting and innovative event for piano teachers, which is to be held at the Royal College of Music on Tuesday 14th March. Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang (pictured above) will be at the college from 5.15pm – 6.00pm, discussing how his own experiences have led to his extensive work in music education and his aspirations for inspiring the next generation of young musicians. There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions as well as to hear Lang Lang play from his Lang Lang Piano Academy series, published by Faber Music.

The Chinese star pianist has been widely credited with encouraging 40 million children to learn the piano; Lang Lang engages with children around the world through his fun personality and imaginative approach to music education.

Secure your free ticket by calling the RCM Box Office on 020 7591 4314, Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm, or call into the Box Office in person. Your ticket can be emailed to you or collected from the Box Office. Unfortunately, booking for this event is not available online.

This event is for piano teachers only. You can find out about and purchase the Lang Lang piano method here, and his Piano Academy series here.

www.fabermusic.com

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 Top photo: Rhys Frampton

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The Smithe – 107 Downtown Vancouver Presale Boutique City Homes at 885 Cambie

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