Welcome

Welcome to the 2010 Oxford Philomusica International Piano Festival and Summer Academy. Once again, we have a wonderful line-up of artists and professors who will delight and enlighten us with their artistry and students eager to benefit from the knowledge and experience the masters will impart on them.

Every year, we welcome back a nucleus of students who have been attending the Festival for a number of years. It is gratifying to see that the attributes we value most in piano-playing, those of the pianist the musician, are being adopted by these young talented musicians, proving once again that the Festival and its Summer Academy provide an ongoing inspiration for the development of the young pianist of today.

There are a number of artists who will be making a welcome return to the Festival this year, none more so than our President András Schiff, who will once again give a piano recital at Christ Church Cathedral and a masterclass the day after. We also have two special events marking the Chopin bicentenary, a piano recital by Fou Ts’Ong who will also give a class devoted to the works of Chopin, and Cristina Ortiz’s performance of the composer’s 2nd Piano Concerto with the Oxford Philomusica. Our Vice-President Professor Malcolm Troup will give his customary lecture-recital focusing on the music of Israeli composers, including Paul Ben-Haim’s Piano Sonata.

The celebrated Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen makes his first appearance at the Festival with an eclectic programme that includes Scriabin’s complete Etudes Op. 8. Michael Roll, a favourite amongst British pianists, will present to us works from the core classical repertoire as well as Schumann’s poetic Fantasy in C major, celebrating the composer’s bicentenary.

A full programme of masterclasses and lectures given by professors from eminent musical institutions in this country and abroad will once again complement our series of concerts. Amongst them will be Arnaldo Cohen, the internationally renowned Brazilian pianist on the faculty of Indiana University; Tatiana Sarkissova from the Royal Academy of Music; Ian Brown, the pianist in the Nash Ensemble; Gordon Fergus-Thompson from the Royal College; and Anthony Peebles, one of Britain’s most prolific artists.

We are particularly pleased this year to welcome Michael White, former chief music critic of The Independent on Sunday and who now writes for the New York Times and Sunday Telegraph, who will enlighten the young aspiring pianists with a talk entitled ‘The Critics: what they're after, how to deal with them, and why it matters’.

Finally, we devote some time, as always, to those learning the art of piano-playing at an early age: those between Grades V – VIII. Tessa Nicholson from the Purcell School will guide them through the repertoire and she will also give a Pedagogy Class for the many piano teachers who attend the Festival and Summer Academy as observers or daily visitors. To complement this, we are privileged to welcome to the Festival the Chief Examiner elect of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, John Holmes, to give a talk on how a musically integrated approach to the ABRSM exams enables us to get the most out of them and realise what they truly offer.

Remember, the Festival is open to all: whether you are a professional pianist, an amateur, a teacher or simply a piano enthusiast, there will be something for you to enjoy or to be stimulated by in this year’s Festival. I look forward to welcoming you.

Marios Papadopoulos
Artistic Director