Piano

Overview

Gap year students are considered as fully-enrolled members of the Academy’s student body, and have equal access to the Academy’s resources (library, computers, practice rooms etc).

This course is for you if you are about to complete your secondary school (High School) studies and either wish to spend a year at the Academy before taking up a full-time undergraduate programme of study at another institution, or if you would like to receive Academy training but do not require a full programme of study that leads to a degree.

The course principles are:

• To enable students to benefit from one year of conservatoire education
• To provide a tailor-made course of study according to the strengths and needs of each individual student
• To offer the same performance opportunities provided for degree students (with the approval of the Academic Tutor and Head of Programme)
• To offer appropriate academic subjects in consultation with the Academic Tutor and Head of Programme
• To assess practical and/or academic progress by examination
• To provide a transcript of studies showing completed modules (but no degree or other award)

Entry Requirements

• Performance/Composition: High standard of performing potential or composition, strong musicianship, and good aural skills.
• Music Exams: Formal exams are not required, but successful performers are typically at a Grade 8 Distinction level or higher.
• Music Theory: Grade 6 level knowledge is recommended before starting if you aren't taking school music exams.
• Keyboard Skills: No formal minimum required (unless it's your Principal Study), though Grade 5 piano is desirable to support general musicianship.

See Entry Requirements for full academic and international criteria.

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

We treat your audition as a recital rather than an exam. Our distinguished panel is looking for your individual artistry, musical imagination, and technical capability. Try to relax, stay focused, and use the performance to show us who you are as a musician.

Your Audition Repertoire

For your undergraduate audition, you must prepare a comprehensive solo programme that demonstrates stylistic variety and technical accomplishment.

• Repertoire Format: A free-choice programme of solo piano music (please note that concerto repertoire is not permitted).
• Structure: Your programme must include a minimum of two works. You are welcome to perform individual movements rather than complete multi-movement works (e.g., a single movement from a sonata).
• Duration: Your total programme must be a minimum of 30 minutes long.

Stylistic Guidelines & Memorisation

To demonstrate a wide diversity of character and style, we highly recommend including:

1. A work in a Classical or Baroque style.
2. A Romantic work.
3. A 20th-century or contemporary work.

• Performance from Memory: Your entire programme should be performed from memory. The only exception is complex contemporary music, which may be performed using the score.

How Pieces Are Selected (Live Auditions Only)

During a live audition, the panel will ask you to select and play one item of your choice first. Afterward, the panel will select which other items or sections from your prepared repertoire they wish to hear.

What to Expect on Audition Day

1. Delivery Options

• In-Person (London): You will perform your prepared solo repertoire live for our audition panel. Live auditions also include a sight-reading assessment.
• Video Auditions: You must upload one unedited video containing your complete, continuous 30-minute audition programme via the Acceptd portal. If selected, you may be invited to a subsequent online interview with the Head of Piano.

2. Academic Interview & Aural Skills Assessment

All undergraduate candidates will have a subsequent interview with a member of our academic staff. This is a conversational session to discuss your future study plans, musical tastes, and career aspirations.

During this interview, you will be given a short extract of music to discuss and will complete an Aural Skills Assessment consisting of:

• Sight-singing a short test melody.
• Singing the middle notes in a played chord.
• Identification of intervals.
• Sight-reading of rhythms.
• Simultaneous polyrhythms: Sight-reading two different rhythms at the same time (singing one rhythm while clapping the other simultaneously).

Please note: Specimen tests are not issued in advance.

For more information see auditions.