The Oxford International Piano Festival has taken place annually in Oxford, England since 1998, and is now established as one of the world's foremost summer music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 academies.

The Festival comprises several professors and professional pianists giving masterclasses to approximately 20 students over the period of one week, usually in late July or early August. Selection for participants is highly competitive, as the Festival draws interest from young virtuosi from across the world. The Festival also includes a series of concerts given by the professors in a number of Oxford University's concert venues, including Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also, uniquely, the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford.-History:...

, the Holywell Music Room

Holywell Music Room

The Holywell Music Room is the city of Oxford's chamber music hall, situated in Holywell Street in the city centre, attached to Wadham College. It is said to be the oldest, purpose built music room in Europe, and hence England's first concert hall....

 and the Magdalen College Auditorium.

History

The Festival is hosted by St Hilda's College, Oxford

St Hilda's College, Oxford

St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.The college was founded in 1893 as a hall for women, and remained an all-women's college until 2006....

, and the masterclasses take place in the Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building. Previous professors have included Peter Donohoe, Jack Gibbons

Jack Gibbons

Jack Gibbons is an English classical pianist and composer.-Biography:Gibbons was born in England. His father is a scientist and his mother a visual artist. He began his piano studies in Stockton-on-Tees, later continuing in Oxford. He began performing in public at the age of 10...

, Gary Graffman

Gary Graffman

Gary Graffman is an American classical pianist, teacher of piano and music administrator.Graffman was born in New York City to Russian-Jewish parents. Having started piano at age 3, Graffman entered the Curtis Institute of Music at age 7 in 1936 as a piano student of Isabelle Vengerova...

, Niel Immelman

Niel Immelman

Niel Immelman is a South African classical pianist.He studied with Cyril Smith, Ilona Kabos and Maria Curcio. He was still a student at the Royal College of Music when Bernard Haitink invited him to play Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the London Philharmonic Orchestra...

, Andras Schiff

András Schiff

András Schiff is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist, who has won a number of awards including the Grammy and made numerous recordings.- Biography :...

 and Fou Ts'ong

Fou Ts'ong

Fou Ts'ong is a Chinese pianist.Born in Shanghai to a family of intellectuals , Fou first studied piano with Mario Paci, the Italian founder of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra...

. The Festival is run by the Oxford Philomusica

Oxford Philomusica

The Oxford Philomusica, based in Oxford, England, is an orchestra. It was launched with a concert at London's Barbican Centre in November 1998 and made its Oxford debut the following February at the Sheldonian Theatre...

, of which Marios Papadopoulos, who also acts as the Artistic Director of the Festival, is conductor.

External links

• Homepage of the Oxford International Piano Festival
• Homepage of the Oxford Philomusica
• University of Oxford
• St Hilda's College, Oxford