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21st International Piano Week, 21–27 July 2024
OrkesterEfterskolen Holstebro, Denmark
Application deadline: 15 May 2024
The most inspiring get-together for pianists
Recitals and masterclasses with
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Dina Yoffe
Recital Tuesday 23 July
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Zlata Chochieva
Recital Wednesday 24 July
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Kevin Kenner
Recital Friday 26 July
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Tove Lønskov
Lied-recital with tenor Mahias Hedegaard
Thursday 25 July
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Jean-Baptiste Doulcet
Improvisation recital Monday 22 July
Recitals take place at Holstebro Musikskole, Bisgårdmark 16, Holstebro.
Tickets are sold at the entrance and at the free event on Monday 22 July.
DKK 200 (students DKK 100). Pass to all recitals: DKK 500 (students DKK 250)
Meet the professors: free Q&A event
Monday 22 July at 14.00
Holstebro Musikskole, Bisgårdmark 16, Holstebro
Masterclasses Sunday 21–Friday 26 July
With Professors Chochieva, Yoffe, Kenner and Lønskov.
OrkesterEfterskolen, Bisgårdmark 18, Holstebro
21st International Piano Week
EPTA Denmark proudly presents a week-long festival for young pianists, piano teachers and piano lovers.
The festival is open to performing (ages 9–26) and non-performing (no age limit) participants. Performing participants receive three individual lessons in open class and will have access to practice rooms. All participants will have free entry to all master classes, recitals, workshops and social gatherings, which are held throughout the week.
Piano recitals take place on the evenings of 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 July. Each recital opens with a mixed programme, in which all performing participants are encouraged to perform. Second half features a 50-60 minute recital with each of the faculty members.
With a maximum of 32 performing participants, International Piano Week offers a supportive and friendly environment; large enough to be lively and vibrant, yet so intimate that everyone can get to know each other and feel safe among peers.
The festival takes place in beautiful surroundings at OrkesterEfterskolen, Holstebro. The school features a newly inaugurated concert hall, classrooms and rooms for practise. All participants receive full board, and may choose between single and double rooms.
21st International Piano Week is proudly sponsored by Augustinus Fonden, the Danish Arts Foundation, William Demant Foundation, Færch Fonden, Knud Højgaards Fond, Dansk Solist Forbund, Danish Musician Union and Juhl-Sørensen A/S.
Festival programme
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Sunday 21 July
Arrival.
Evening: Social event, folk dance
Late evening: Social event, meet and greet
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Monday 22 July
Morning: Masterclasses
Early afternoon: Q&A with professors (free admission)
Afternoon: Masterclasses
Evening: Improvisation recital with Prof. Jean-Baptiste Doulcet (tickets sold at entrance)
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Tuesday 23 July
Morning: Improvisation workshop with Prof. Jean-Baptiste Doulcet
Afternoon: Masterclasses
Evening: Recital with performing participants and Prof. Dina Yoffe (tickets sold at entrance)
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Wednesday 24 July
Morning: Masterclasses
Afternoon: Masterclasses
Evening: Recital with performing participants and Prof. Zlata Chochieva (tickets sold at entrance)
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Thursday 25 July
Morning: Masterclasses
Afternoon: Masterclasses
Evening: Recital with performing participants and Prof. Tove Lønskov (tickets sold at entrance)
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Friday 26 July
Morning: Masterclasses
Afternoon: Masterclasses
Evening: Recital with performing participants and Prof. Kevin Kenner (tickets sold at entrance)
Late evening: Reception and party (participants only)
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Saturday 27 July
Morning: Departure
Meet the Faculty
Including top prize winners from the world’s leading piano competitions, we are proud to present an outstanding faculty of internationally acclaimed pianists and piano teachers.
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Recital Wednesday 24 July
Masterclass for students aged 15–26 years
Zlata Chochieva's musical prowess was recognised early on, as she made her first stage appearance at the age of four and gave her debut performance with an orchestra at the Grand Hall of Moscow State Conservatory when she was only seven. She continued to hone her skills under the guidance of Mikhail Pletnev at the Central Special Music School and later studied with Pavel Nersessian at Moscow State Conservatory. She completed her studies at Mozarteum University of Salzburg with Jacques Rouvier and was subsequently his assistant for several years. Chochieva has won top prizes at the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition and the London International Piano Competition. She has worked with esteemed artists such as Stephen Kovacevic, Lynn Harrell and Jacquelyn Wagner. In addition to her impressive solo career, Chochieva is also a devoted chamber music performer and has performed with major orchestras around the world. Her recordings, exclusively released by Naïve Records, have received critical acclaim and have been featured in Gramophone and International Piano Magazine. Chochieva is Director of the International Festival at Rachmaninov's estate in lvanovka.
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Recital Friday 26 July
Masterclass for students aged 15–26 years
Recognized as one of the top Chopin interpreters of our time, Kevin Kenner was the top prize winner in the 1990 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, as well as top prizes in the Tchaikovsky, Gina Bachauer and Terrance Judd Competitions, among others. Born in California, Kenner was introduced early to the classical music traditions of Poland and studied as a teenager with Poland’s eminent professor Ludwik Stefański in Cracow. When he returned to the U.S. he continued his studies with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and worked with Leonard Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Center. Following a concert tour with conductor Stanisław Skrowaczewski, who frequently performed and recorded with Artur Rubinstein, described his collaborations with Kenner to be the most sensitive and beautiful he remembered. He has performed and recorded with violinist Kyung-Wha Chung and concertized with the Tokyo, Escher, Belcea, Mosaiques, Apollon Musagete, Endellion and Vogler Quartets. In addition, he has frequently been invited to appear at the Verbier Festival and Warsaw’s “Chopin and His Europe” Festival. A distinguished recording artist, Kenner’s interpretations of works by Paderewski and Chopin were each picked as recordings of the month by Grammophone magazine. Other recordings were heralded by Diapason, Fanfare and Polish National Radio. After teaching for more than a decade as professor at London’s Royal College of Music, Kenner accepted a post at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he continues to prepare many young talented pianists for international performance careers. He has served as juror at the Busoni Competition in Bolzano and at the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw among many others.
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Improvisation recital Monday 22 July
Improvisation Workshop, Tuesday 23 July
Born in 1992, the versatile French pianist, Jean-Baptiste Doulcet is also an accomplished improviser and composer, and a recipient of Prizes in international competitions such as Marguerite Long (4th Prize and Audience Prize), Clara Haskil (Modern Times award) and Nordic Piano Competition (2nd Prize). One of the Rising Stars of the young generation of French pianists, Jean-Baptiste released his first CD in 2017 with a Beethoven/Schuman programme, followed by Schumann and Liszt, all completed with his own compositions or improvisations. Jean-Baptiste Doulcet performs extensively in France, in such festivals as La Roque d'Anthéron, Piano en Valois, Piano aux Jacobins, Chopin Festival in Nohant and in Scandinavia, where he resided and studied. The programme of his next CD will reflect this particular interest in the music of the North. Jean-Baptiste Doulcet graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in piano, improvisation and chamber music and later studied with Emile Naoumoff, Dmitri Bashkirov, Epifanio Comis and Alexey Lebedev. He is also a very prolific composer, with no less than twenty works in his catalogue comprising music for solo instruments, chamber music groups and ensembles.
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Recital Tuesday 23 July
Masterclass for students aged 15–26 years
Dina Yoffe began her musical journey at the Emil Darzin's Special School of Music in Riga, Latvia. She continued her education at the Central Music School in Moscow, studying under Professor Vera Gornostaeva. Yoffe has won top prizes at the Schumann and Chopin International Piano Competitions and has performed at music festivals across Europe, Japan, and the United States. She has collaborated with prestigious orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic, NHK, and the Moscow Philharmonic, working with esteemed conductors like Zubin Mehta, Neville Marriner, and Dmitri Kitayenko. Yoffe's recitals have taken place at renowned venues including the Barbican Centre in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. She is also a dedicated educator, conducting masterclasses worldwide and serving as a guest professor at esteemed institutions such as Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg, Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music in London. Yoffe has also served as a jury member for international piano competitions, including the Cleveland, Hamamatsu, and Chopin competitions, and has played a crucial role in nurturing young talents. Many of her students have gone on to win national and international piano competitions and are now teaching at prestigious music academies worldwide.
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Lied-recital with tenor Mathias Hedegaard Thursday 25 July
Masterclass for students aged 9–14 years
Danish pianist Tove Lønskov studied under Alma Jørgensen and Georg Vásarhelyi at The Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. She furthered her education in Paris with Magda Tagliaferro and Vlado Perlemuter, in Rome with Guido Agosti, and in Positano with Wilhelm Kempff. For many years, Tove Lønskov taught at Nordjysk Musikkonservatorium in Aalborg and The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where she mentored numerous young Danish pianists who have since gained great recognition. She regularly conducts masterclasses and maintains an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist. She has also formed a successful duo with pianist Rodolfo Llambias, receiving awards and producing multiple recordings. Tove Lønskov has frequently performed in recitals with Jean-Pierre Rampal and Leonid Kogan. In recent years, she has established a regular duo with András Adorjän and is highly sought after as a song accompanist. Her extensive discography, which includes Poul Schierbeck's complete piano compositions and recordings of piano pieces by Rued Langgaard and Otto Mortensen, is a testament to her artistic abilities. In 2002, she was honored with the Danish Order of Dannebrog.
Rates
DKK 5,300
Performing participants in double room
All inclusive. Members of EPTA Denmark DKK 5,000.
DKK 4,300
Non-performing participants in double room
All inclusive. Members of EPTA Denmark DKK 4,000.
DKK 7,300
Performing participant with parent/guardian in double room
All inclusive. Members of EPTA Denmark DKK 7,000.
DKK 5,800
Performing participants in single room (limited availability)
All inclusive. Members of EPTA Denmark DKK 5,500.
DKK 4,800
Non-performing participants in single room (limited availability)
All inclusive. Members of EPTA Denmark DKK 4,500.
Other rates
Single night with breakfast (one person in single room): DKK 400
Single-day pass to masterclasses: DKK 200 (students DKK 75)
Half-day pass to masterclasses: DKK 125 (students DKK 50)
Single meal: DKK 80
Ticket for one recital: DKK 200 (students DKK 100)
Pass to all recitals: DKK 500 (students DKK 250)
Recital tickets, masterclass passes and single meals are sold on site. For shorter overnight stays, please contact festival director Dr Balder Neergaard at bn (a) epta.dk.
Application form is available at the bottom of this page, and are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Apply today, as applications will close as soon as all places have been taken.
FAQs
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You can specify a 1st and 2nd choice of professor in the application form. While we cannot guarantee that you will be allocated to your professors of choice, we will do our best.
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All teaching, announcements and events are in English.
Participants aged 9–14 may opt to receive their lessons in Danish.
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We offer single as well as double rooms. If there is someone you wish to share room with, please specify in the application form.
Rooms are spread across a number of smaller houses, containing six rooms and two bathrooms in each.
Please note that you will need to bring your own bed linen and towels for your stay.
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Please specify any allergies in the application form, and we will inform the kitchen.
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OrkesterEfterskolen is situated in Holstebro, a town of nearly 37,000 inhabitants in the mid-west of Jutland.
By train/bus:
Holstebro Railway Station is a 20-minute walk from OrkesterEfterskolen. The station is connected to the InterCity railway system, and serves a number of local and regional bus lines.
Visit rejseplanen.dk to plan your journey and book tickets.
By air:
The nearest international airport i Billund Airport, which serves selected destinations across Europe. From Billund Airport, bus lines 43 and 119 connect to the InterCity railway system, from where you can take a direct train to Holstebro. The journey from Billund Airport to Holstebro Station takes 1h30m–2h10m.
Alternatively, Copenhagen Airport serves a broader variety of destinations. The airport connects to Holstebro on a one-stop journey by train of about 4 hours.
By car:
Distances from major cities:
Aarhus: 120 km
Aalborg: 135 km
Copenhagen: 344 km
Hamburg: 377 kmThe address of OrkesterEfterskolen is:
Bisgårdmark 18
7500 Holstebro
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Please send all enquiries to festival director Dr Balder Neergaard at bn (a) epta.dk or fill in the form on our contact page, and we will get in touch with you shortly.
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Please fill in the application form at the bottom of this page.
Upon receipt of your application, please deposit 1000 DKK, either to MobilePay number 496554 or to our account in Danske Bank:
Reg.nr. 1551. Account 001679 6603
IBAN: DK54 3000 0016796603. SWIFT/ BIC: DABADKKK
Please make sure to cover transaction fees.
We kindly ask you to deposit the remainder of the participation fee by 15 May 2024 to the MobilePay number or bank account above.
Please be aware that the application is only finalised when the full participation fee has been received by EPTA Denmark.
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If you’ve been accepted to International Piano Week, but are unable to come, please contact Festival Director Dr Balder Neergaard as soon as possible at bn (a) epta.dk.
We may reimburse part of your participation fee depending on the date of your cancellation:
Cancellations until 15 May: 1000 DKK
Cancellations between 16 May and 30 June : 50% of the participation fee
Cancellations on or after 1 July: No refund.
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International Piano Week is an annual piano festival organised by EPTA Denmark. We are the Danish branch of European Piano Teachers Association, an international society of pianists, piano teachers, students and music lovers. Our goal is to strengthen the interest for the piano and its literature, and to support the further development of piano education in Denmark.
Organising Committee
Dr Balder Neergaard (Festival Director and President of EPTA Denmark)
Vagn Sørensen (Vice-President of EPTA Denmark)
Lise Andersen (Treasurer of EPTA Denmark)
Tony Nguyen (Committee member of EPTA Denmark)
Application