Piano

Overview

The Advanced Artist Diploma (AAD) is a one-year course for a select group of instrumentalists at the highest level.

The programme supports development of a range of industry-related skills (as appropriate to your individual profile) with mentoring provided in addition to one-to-one lessons. Successful applicants will be ready to take full advantage of a recording opportunity with world-class production and special release arrangements on major streaming platforms and/or record labels.

AAD students will be required to self-manage critical aspects of the delivery of the recording, and the range of work undertaken during the programme, in line with professional expectations. The programme is at level 8 of the FHEQ, which demands a high level of autonomy and initiative, as well as highly developed artistry.

This course is right for you if you are on the cusp of an international career and aim to develop musical collaborations at a corresponding level. It is designed to enable students to make the most of the artistic and educational opportunities afforded by the Academy and its location in the heart of London.

A note on assessments: AAD candidates will be asked within their Acceptd profile to state if they also wish to be considered for alternative postgraduate courses. Your ultimate course placement remains flexible; the panel may discuss and recommend a different postgraduate pathway during your assessment if they feel it better matches your needs.

The Piano Department: What to expect

We aim to develop you into a complete, individual artist equipped with all the essential skills for a great modern career.

Masterclasses & Visiting Professors

• Dedicated Mentorship: Every student is assigned a world-class piano professor, chamber music professor, and academic tutor, alongside weekly informal repertoire classes.
• Dynamic Visiting Faculty: Benefit from termly classes and one-to-one tuition from distinguished visiting professors, including Dame Imogen Cooper, Leif Ove Andsnes, Yevgeny Sudbin, Pascal Rogé, Steven Osborne, Neil Brand (improvising to film), and Adrian Brendel (chamber music).
• Celebrated Masterclasses: Regular guest tuition from world-renowned artists such as Igor Levit, Alfred Brendel, Garrick Ohlsson, Inon Barnatan, and Gabriela Montero.

Developing your career

• Concerto & Conducting Skills: Receive expert coaching in conducting from the keyboard from Timothy Redmond, collaborate with Head of Conducting Sian Edwards and her students, and access concerto exams and performance opportunities.
• Early Keyboards: Access training on harpsichord, fortepiano, and early piano with Carole Cerasi, Steven Devine, and Jane Chapman, utilizing the Academy Museum's Piano Gallery.
• Chamber & Lieder Coaching: Participate in regular coaching sessions with Adrian Brendel, James Baillieu, and other acclaimed chamber musicians.
• Cross-Arts & Contemporary Music: Engage in groundbreaking cross-arts and multimedia collaborations, public speaking classes, composition lessons, transcription training, and the contemporary-focused 'Piano Lab' series.
• Improvisation & Digital Skills: Expand your versatility with jazz classes from Dominic Alldis, film improvisation with Neil Brand, and digital skills training with Sofia Sacco to build websites, manage social media, and edit recordings.
• Professional Career Sessions: Attend termly sessions led by Joanna MacGregor covering essential industry business skills, including finding an agent, securing performance work, creating recordings, diary management, and establishing independent festivals or ensembles.

Concerts, recordings and festivals

• Prestige Venues & Broadcasting: Perform in the year-round Academy Piano Series at Wigmore Hall, alongside opportunities at Steinway Hall, Southbank Centre, King’s Place, St James’s Piccadilly, UK festivals, music clubs, and broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.
• Recording Debuts & Competitions: Receive annual support and marketing guidance to produce a debut recording, alongside active encouragement to enter international piano competitions.
• On-Site Festivals: Showcase your work in the exuberant, student-driven Autumn and Summer Piano Festivals, which featured over 60 student pianists performing to large public audiences this year.

Entry Requirements

• Performance: You are required to have a performance standard at least equivalent to a Distinction at Master’s level.
• Academic: You are also required to have a Master’s qualification or equivalent (in a relevant subject), but the Academy welcomes applications from students who may not meet the usual academic requirements.

You will also need to include the following three items in your Acceptd profile:

• a repertoire list (repertoire that has been at performance level or that is being prepared for performance, or has been learnt recently, including the titles of the pieces as well as the composers' names).
• recording portfolio (a text list of your professional recordings, with links or details of the CD/DVD where possible)
• your ideas for the year, including a list of professional engagements to which you are already committed

Assessment

The Advanced Artist Diploma is only auditioned by in-person attendance at our London auditions in December.

Advanced Artist Diploma applicants may also take part in a formal Academic Assessment interview.

During this session, you will meet with a member of the postgraduate academic staff to discuss:

• Your individual study plans and artistic ambitions.
• A detailed review of your project proposal, evaluating the scope and academic rigor of your intended creative outcomes.

Please note: Your performance and academic reviews are handled in tandem to determine overall suitability for this highly specialised level of study.

See entry requirements for full information, including English language requirements.

Auditions & Assessment

Auditions at this level are evaluated against a high professional benchmark. The panel is looking for artistic maturity, stylistic authority, and a clearly defined vision.

Candidates are assessed through a combination of a digital video portfolio, written submissions, and a practical audition process.

Written Proposal

You must submit a written Proposal in Acceptd covering the points below if you wish to be considered. The guide length is 1,500 words.

• Outline the skills that you wish to develop, drawing on an area of specialism. Include a brief account of how development of these skills supports your career aims.
• Give examples of the repertoire, activities and/or projects that you envisage playing a part in your studies. Include any external commitments currently scheduled or in planning.
• What aspects of your musical studies so far are most relevant to these plans?
• Are there any particular members of Academy staff (in addition to a Principal Study professor) you would be keen to receive guidance from during the programme?

Video Portfolio

You must also submit a performance portfolio as part of your application:

• Video Portfolio Requirement: Your Acceptd profile must include video recordings of a minimum of two works of your own choice from contrasting periods and/or featuring contrasting musical challenges.
• Specialism Focus: At least one of the pieces in your video portfolio should relate in some way to your proposed project specialism.
• Recording Standard: Each item must be an unedited performance, recorded either as a captured live performance or under 'studio' conditions. If your project specialism includes an ensemble focus, you should ensure that ensemble work is included in these recordings.
• Written Proposal: You must submit a comprehensive written project proposal outlining your intended research or performance focus for the diploma course.

Repertoire Guidelines:

• Duration: Your selected performance programme must be a minimum of 40 minutes long.
• Selection and Structure: You must offer a free-choice programme of solo piano music consisting of a minimum of two works. Concerto repertoire is not acceptable.
• Stylistic Contrast: Your programme should show a wide diversity of character and style, as well as clear evidence of technical accomplishment. It can include individual movements rather than complete works (for instance, a single movement of a sonata). We suggest including music in a classical or Baroque style, a Romantic work, and something 20th-century or contemporary.
• Performance from Memory: All items must be performed from memory, except for highly complex contemporary works which may be played from the score.

Your Audition/Assessment Format

For your audition, you must prepare an advanced performance programme that highlights your technical mastery, musical breadth, and interpretive capability.

International Audition Centres

Please note that the Advanced Artist Diploma is not available by video or through our international centres.

If you are selected from your video recordings to perform in person at one of our international audition centres, you should take the same repertoire items you uploaded into your Acceptd profile.

What to Expect on Audition Day 

Delivery Options & Practical Assessment 

• In-Person (London): Your video portfolio and written proposal will normally be reviewed by the specialist panel before your live audition date. You will perform your repertoire live for our panel. As live audition time is strictly limited, the panel may choose to hear selected sections or movements of your pieces rather than the full programme. This is standard procedure to ensure they experience a balanced overview of your technical skills and repertoire.
• Video recordings (video application, or international centres): You must upload one unedited video containing your complete audition performance programme to the Acceptd portal by the designated deadline. Your recording must be captured under clear audio and visual conditions.

Postgraduate Interview

You may participate in a structured conversation with a postgraduate programme tutor, which may take place in person or online. This interview is designed to explore your future study plans, your artistic direction, and the specific details of your written project proposal.

Postgraduate Application Profile 

Your digital application profile on the Acceptd portal must contain: 

• Video portfolio: as detailed above
• Written proposal: as detailed above
• Curriculum Vitae (CV): A current copy of your CV detailing your musical education, masterclasses, solo and chamber performance history, and competitions.
• Spoken English Introduction (video application, or international centres): A short recorded verbal introduction introducing yourself, your musical background, and your professional goals to the faculty panel.
• Audition Performance video (video application, or international centres)

For more information see auditions.