Piano Summer School: Scottish International Youth Piano Competition 2024

This summer, we will be holding our Piano Summer School from the 23rd until the 25th of July. We are delighted to also present the 6th Scottish International Youth Piano Competition for younger pianists of great potential from around the world.

All students ages 12-17 attending our piano summer school will have the opportunity to participate in this competition on Friday 26^thJuly 2024. There will be two categories:

• Juniors (ages 12-14)
• Seniors (ages 15-17)
• *Please note, adults will not be able to compete in the Competition on 26 July.*

A distinguished jury, chaired by Head of Keyboard, Fali Pavri, will select the prize winners. Please note that it is not compulsory to take part in the competition on Friday, and any students who do not wish to take part are welcome to support their peers in the audience.

Senior (ages 15-17)

A 20 minute free choice recital.

Senior prizes:

1st:  £800 Moray Prize
2nd: £400
3rd: £150

Juniors (ages 12-14)

10 minute free choice recital.

Junior prizes:

1st: £500 Hutchings Prize
2nd: £200
3rd: £100

Please look through the Indicative Schedule, Course Outline, Course Preparation and Entry Requirements for further information.

If you have any questions in advance of booking, please contact us at summerschools@rcs.ac.uk or (0044) 141 270 8213.

Throughout the summer school students can expect:

• 1:1 lessons
• Performance classes
• Improvisation workshops
• Recording sessions

Students will also learn about:

• Performance technique
• Alexander technique
• Practice methods

During the course of the week, we are delighted to invite students to attend a special recital by guest artist Mar Sánchez-Domènech.

Born in 1997 in Guadalajara, she started playing the piano at 4, graduating with honours from the “Sebastián Durón” Conservatory. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from “Alfonso X el Sabio” University in Madrid with a perfect 10. Now pursuing a Master’s in Solo Performance at Utrechts Conservatorium, she has won prestigious awards and scholarships, excelling in international competitions including a scholarship from the esteemed IV Kaunas Piano Festival in Lithuania and being granted a full scholarship for her outstanding talent at the Naarden International Piano Festival 2023 in the Netherlands. Her excellence as a master’s student has led her to become an integral part of the esteemed “Masters & Meesters” project at the Utrechts Conservatorium, where she showcased her talents in a remarkable collaboration with the renowned cellist, Timora Rosler. Her musical journey continues to captivate audiences and inspire fellow musicians, establishing her as a shining star in the world of classical music.

Recital Programme:

Fantasy G minor BWV 542- Bach/Liszt.

Ballada n. 2- F. Liszt.

Vallèe d’Obermann- F. Liszt

Etudes Op. 8 n. 2 & n. 12- A. Skriabin.

Sonata n. 3- S. Prokofiev.

Course Leader

Fali Pavri

Aaron Shorr

Sinae Lee

Isobel Anderson

Graeme McNaught

Saša Gerželj-Donaldson

Please see Entry Requirements tab for further information about the supporting materials which are required for application.

Payment of the balance of the tuition fee is payable once applicants have been notified that they have been successful in their application to the course and completed their booking.

Summer Accommodation

We are pleased to welcome students from across the world to our Summer Schools. Our course fees do not include accommodation or food, and these should be organised by the student. Our campus is located in Glasgow city centre, and you can find the addresses below.

We recommend Base Glasgow, as purpose-built accommodation for Conservatoire students, with Rehearsal Rooms, Practice spaces and Dance Studios. Base Glasgow is perfectly suited for our summer school students; both safe and secure, with 24/7 staff presence and only 3 mins walk from our main Renfrew Street building, keeping travel costs to a minimum. Students under 16 years old are required to have a chaperone (two rooms required) on site.

Classic En-Suite rooms come with a 3/4 bed, en-suite bathroom, ample storage, mirror, study desk and chair. The shared area includes a spacious lounge and kitchen area.

Please note that Short Courses staff are not affiliated with BASE or on site out with the summer school teaching hours, and therefore cannot take responsibility for students outside of these hours.

For more information about booking accommodation at BASE Glasgow you can contact them directly via website BASE – Student Accommodation in Glasgow or email baseglasgow@herestudent.com.

Please note BASE is currently undergoing a website and email refurbishment. BASE hope to open bookings in late December/early January. You can email now, and BASE will contact you with more information about rooms and fees when booking opens.

Alternatively, there are plenty of hotels, hostels, and b’n’b options available. We are located close to transport links should you wish to stay outside the city centre. If you are travelling to Glasgow for a course, we strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance that covers course fees, travel, accommodation, and cancellations due to COVID-19 – as RCS will not refund in this circumstance. You can view the Cancellations and Refund policy for full information.

For students under 18 years old, we strongly advise travelling with a responsible adult should any emergency situations arise during class. Students are only monitored by staff during class times.

Renfrew Street Campus: 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, G2 3DB
Wallace Studios Campus: 210 Garscube Road, Glasgow, G4 9RR

The course is designed to give pianists the chance to experience an intensive week of study in a conservatoire environment, culminating in an opportunity to take part in the prestigious Scottish International Youth Piano Competition.

We are delighted to offer this course for students age 12+, with students aged 12-17 having the opportunity to take part in the Piano Competition at the end of the week.

Students will be required to submit a recording for consideration by the Course Leader in advance of being accepted to the summer school.

Please record and send a solo piece which you feel comfortably demonstrates your strengths as a pianist.

Recordings can be uploaded to your online application form as a unlisted YouTube link or mp3. This can be done using your mobile phone, tablet or any hand held recording device.

We would anticipate that students playing at Grade 8 standard and above will benefit most from participation in these summer schools.

We welcome both keen amateur players and specialist music students from schools and conservatoires around the world to join us for this intensive study in Glasgow.

Students will be expected to prepare repertoire as per the requirements of the Scottish International Youth Piano Competition.

The only requirements for repertoire are that the pieces should be of at least on or around Grade 7 standard for the 12-14 age group and Grade 8 standard for the 15-17 and 18+ age group.

All participants are required to prepare at least two contrasting pieces.

Students should also wear comfortable clothes during classes, and wear smart clothes for the sharing/competition.

Please note this is an example schedule and may be liable to change.

Tuesday 

• Welcome
• 1:1 lessons
• Performance class
• Seminar on technique

Wednesday 

• 1:1 lessons
• Alexander Technique
• Recording session
• Performance Class
• Social event

Thursday

• 1:1 lessons
• Recording session
• Improvisation workshop
• Performance class

Friday

• Scottish International Youth Piano Competition

Promotional Offers

We offer a selection of promotional offers for our Short Courses, take a look!

To receive the promotional offer code, contact shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk before booking a course.

This course runs from Tuesday 25th – Thursday 27th July with the Piano Competition taking place on Friday 28th, 10am – 5pm.

Please note that it is not compulsory to take part in the competition on Friday, and any students who do not wish to take part are welcome to support their peers in the audience.

“A wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the teaching of many different teachers working together to improve your piano skills. A positive and enjoyable experience that was “building up” rather than “tearing down”. The whole experience was relaxed and put us at ease.” (2019 participant)

“I was initially hesitant about what to expect, but I had a wonderful experience learning from the various and wonderful teachers, meeting new people and competing against high quality pianists. I came away a better musician.” (2019 participant)

“This was great course with brilliant and kind teachers. The pianos in the practise rooms were very high quality and lots of practise time and performance opportunities were offered.” (2019 participant)

“A chance to be with and learn from one of the best tutors and extremely talented children of similar age from all over the world. Terrific support from staff. Thank you!” (2019 participant)

“A week-long experience of life as a conservatoire student; getting daily lessons from different tutors, practicing intensely for the majority of the day to improve your skills; meeting talented people who are passionate about their music.” (2018 participant)

“Great facilities, a huge conservatoire with high quality pianos. The teachers were excellent but their kindness was even better. The level of the students was high but for me the competition was not the most important part of it. There were opportunities to perform in front is students too. A very good course.” (2018 participant)

Agnes Allan Bursary

Agnes Allan was a teacher, passionate about inclusion, and this bursary scheme exists to offer support to students to participate in the performing or production arts.

The Agnes Allan Bursary provides some support to students who may require financial assistance to take part in a short course in dance, drama, music, production or screen.

Anyone who wishes to take part in our Short Courses and faces a financial barrier can apply for bursary support to help meet the cost of tuition fees.

More information about the Agnes Allan Bursary.