Piano

Download a PDF of the 2010 Piano Brochure

Conservatory Dates
June 21 - July 23, 2010 (five weeks, Monday through Friday)
Please check the Concert Info page for performance dates

Daily Hours
8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Private lesson times will be scheduled individually starting at 3:30 p.m.

Department Description
The AFA piano department offers students a variety of enriching and rewarding experiences for young performers. All piano students participate in chamber music, rehearsing and performing quartets and quintets with students from the AFA Conservatory Orchestra or in piano duets. Pianists also receive individual coaching and lessons from the AFA Piano faculty and participate in a variety of master classes and enrichment courses designed to improve their skills in individual and group performance.

Chamber Music
Most piano students participate in chamber music. Students receive daily coaching from the AFA faculty and rehearse music from the standard repertory and a limited amount of contemporary and new works. Student groups perform in one recital of the Chamber Music Recital Series, giving students valuable experience performing in small ensembles.

The repertory played by these groups is demanding and requires a high level of sight-reading and performance proficiency. In order to facilitate the learning process, accepted piano students receive their chamber music in advance so that they may begin to practice the music before the beginning of the Conservatory. Typically, music for enrolled pianists is mailed out 2-3 weeks in advance of the Conservatory's start date.

Private Instruction
All piano students receive a minimum of five private lessons during the festival. Due to the limited amount of time students have with private teachers, AFA suggests that students come prepared to address any specific issues with which they may desire assistance. Items students may wish to address with private teachers include, but are not limited to, rehearsing and preparing chamber music repertory, specific technical questions or concerns, receiving coaching on a solo or concerto movement they are preparing or rehearsing for upcoming contests and/or competitions. This type of focused, one-on-one interaction between working musicians and AFA students is specifically designed to help AFA students address individual musical goals.

Repertory & Technique Classes
Taught by a rotating faculty, pianists take part in repertory class where they receive a thorough introduction to piano literature. Pianists are also enrolled in sight-reading classes and technique master classes.

Solo Competition
All full-time piano students are eligible to compete in the AFA Concerto Competition. The Competition is judged in two divisions: 1) Strings, Piano, Harp and 2) Winds, Brass and Percussion. Application forms are mailed with enrollment packages after acceptance into the Conservatory, and the competition will be held during the second week of the program.

Additionally, full-time students are eligible to compete in the AFA Young Artist Competition. The YAC is a solo competition with a scholarship prize and solo recital for the grand prize winner. Applications for the YAC are also included in enrollment packages, and the competition is held during the last week of AFA.