Welcome to PIANO WEEK, the international festival and summer school for pianists of any age and ability, inaugurating its 11th season at the magnificent Dulwich College in London on 15th July 2024. With two more weeks (21st – 28th July & 28th July – 4th August) held at the superb music department of Rugby School, we hope you will join us to celebrate the very best of piano playing. As an entirely non-selective programme, our summer school runs simultaneously alongside our festival, offering our participants from around the globe three inspiring course options to choose from, delivered by our team of renowned concert pianists and pedagogues.
Aside from honing your pianistic skills with one of our fantastic artists, you will also have the chance to perform in multiple concerts and take part in lessons and classes in topics such as harmony and memorisation, composition, how to practise, sight reading, theory, how to pedal and many more. At the end of each day, you will be able to listen to awe-inspiring faculty or guest artist recitals taking place in stunning concert venues such as The Old Library (London), Temple Speech Room (Rugby) and Memorial Chapel (Rugby).
The festival and summer school was launched in North Wales in 2013 by British concert pianist, recording artist and founder Samantha Ward, and we are proud to have taken our PIANO WEEK family around the world over the past eleven years, to the UK, Italy, Germany, China and Japan. We are thrilled to have been able to welcome so many of our returners each year, many of whom have travelled together to our residencies overseas, and the camaraderie felt by all who attend is second to none. PIANO WEEK is produced in collaboration with some of the leading household names in the industry; Steinway & Sons, G. Henle Verlag, Schott Music and the festival’s official media partner Pianist magazine and we are always striving to deliver the very best experience to all our participants, both through our musical excellence coupled with our friendly and supportive approach.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, PIANO WEEK launched an online edition worldwide, which brought us many new faces and experiences. As a thank you to our growing online family, all of our in-person programmes in 2024 are now available in digital format, making it possible for online participants to join the festival from virtually anywhere in the world.
Please get in touch with us if you would like to know more about our events in 2024. We are always happy to welcome you to any of our summer weeks and bimonthly PIANO WEEKends held in central London. In the meantime, we wish you happy practising!
Samantha Ward
Artistic Director & Founder
Maciej Raginia
Creative Director