Piano

Overview

The Advanced Professional Diploma in Performance (APD) is for students seeking a final-stage bridge to professional work. The course supports development of a range of industry-related skills (as appropriate to the individual profile) with course supervision provided in addition to one-to-one lessons (see list of possible specialisms below).

Successful applicants will have highly developed performance or compositional skills and a detailed understanding of their individual professional development needs. This will need to be articulated in the form of a deliverable set of outcomes/goals for the work during the course.

APD students will be supported in developing a high degree of independence in their work through the course, in order to be able to meet professional expectations. The course is at level 8 of the FHEQ, which demands a high level of autonomy and initiative.

This course is right for you if you are almost ready to enter the profession and have a strategy for refining or developing specific skills to make the transition. 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

Diploma candidates will be asked within their Acceptd profile to state if they also wish to be considered for alternative postgraduate courses. Your course choice is not final; your study length and pathway can be discussed and adjusted with the panel during your assessment.

Specialisms

1. Side-by-side activity alongside internal and/or visiting professors. (Workshops and rehearsals as well as concert activity.)
2. Developing critical and verbal skills for teaching and/or entrepreneurship and/or public communication, choosing from a range of PG electives as appropriate; minimum class attendance will be required.
3. Chamber music – either as member of an existing ensemble(s), or with the aim of establishing new collaborations.
4. Leadership: ensemble direction, principal roles in orchestra, other aspects of mentoring.
5. Recording focus – enrolment on Self-recording and Self-editing elective mandatory.
6. Performer embedded in Composition and Contemporary Music Department (where applicable).
7. A specific project (or projects) resulting in live performance(s) and/or a recording.
8. Ensemble piano partnership development
9. HiP specialisms (repertoire and/or instruments)
10. Extended instrument family specialisms (bass clarinet, etc.)
11. Any compositional specialism (where applicable)

Entry Requirements

• Performance: A performance (or compositional, where applicable) standard at least equivalent to a Distinction at Master’s level.
• Academic: 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.

Applying for both the Professional Diploma and Advanced Professional Diploma pathways

Students completing the Professional Diploma (PD) in June will also be eligible to apply to the Advanced Professional Diploma (APD) as a nine-month enrolment starting the following September in Year 2 of the course.

The first year of the APD is identical to the PD, meaning that the PD will be a potential exit award for students unable to continue into, or complete, the second year of the APD.

If you want to apply for either of these courses alongside your main application, you do not need to create a second profile or submit a new application on UCAS Conservatoires.

Instead, simply follow these two steps:

1. Opt-in: When prompted in Acceptd, indicate that you would like to be considered.
2. Upload your documents: Add the required specialist proposal document (for the Prof Dip) or written requirements (for the Adv Prof Dip) directly to your existing Acceptd profile.

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.

Auditions & Assessment

We want you to view your audition as a recital rather than a rigid test. Our panel is looking for your unique musical personality, your technical command, and your potential for growth. Try to relax, focus on your storytelling through the instrument, and let us hear who you are as a musician.

Candidates applying for the Advanced Professional Diploma are assessed through a combination of a specialised 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 for the Advanced Professional Diploma. The guide length is 1,500 words.

• Outline the skills that you wish to develop during the APD, 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.

Your Audition Repertoire

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

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).
• 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

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.

Please note: 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 academic needs.

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.