The best thing in life is doing what you love, while being surrounded by people who love what they do. The Collaborative Piano Program was a pure joy, playing and sharing music with talented Festival peers. Pei-Shan Lee’s performing and teaching inspired me to explore further possibility in sound and musicality.
Bowdoin’s Collaborative Piano Program is a six-week summer course of intensive instrumental study for accomplished pianists interested in a collaborative career.
Full fellowships cover tuition, all fees, room, and board. Scholarships are also available for non-fellows. A full six-week participation is required. All collaborative piano fellows and students receive private lessons on their assignments, coachings with instrumental partners, weekly studio classes, and advisement on professional topics. Valuable experience is gained from collaboration in the instrumental studios, masterclasses, and concert performances both on campus and in the community. Upon arrival, interested collaborative pianists may also audition to be placed in a piano chamber group, and have the chance to work with composer fellows on contemporary music.
Program Details
Study
- Private lessons and coachings with esteemed faculty
- Studio classes
- Chamber music
- Composer lectures
- Seminars with faculty and industry professionals
Perform
- Subscription Concert Series performances
- Young Artist Series performances
- Community Concert performances
- Masterclasses
- Collaborations with guest and student composers
Benefits
- Several fully-funded fellowships available
- Free tickets to faculty concerts
- Livestreaming of performances and masterclasses
- HD video recordings of performances
- Photo sessions with Festival photographer
application requirements
Age Requirements
The Collaborative Piano program is open to college age students and older.
Audition Videos or Live Audition*
A. Duo Sonata. First AND Second movements from one of the following sonatas:
- Beethoven: Sonata for Piano & Violin No. 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, or 9
- Beethoven: Any Sonata for Piano & Cello
- Brahms: Any Sonata for Piano & Violin, Piano & Clarinet (Viola), or Piano & Cello
B. Orchestral Reductions. First movement from one of the following concerti:
- Sibelius: Violin Concerto
- Walton: Viola Concerto
- Dvorak: Cello Concerto
C. Brief Interview and Sight-Reading may be requested through an online video appointment.
Submit audition videos from categories A and B. Recordings must be live performances with an instrumental partner(s). Videos may be uploaded or linked from YouTube or Vimeo. Applicants wishing to submit alternative repertoire must request permission from the Collaborative Piano Director. Please direct your inquiries to Pei-Shan Lee at impeishan@gmail.com.
*Applicants may choose to take a live audition in Boston, MA. Date/Time will be arranged directly with Collaborative Piano Director, Pei-Shan Lee. 2020 live audition dates will be announced soon. Applicants taking live auditions must still complete the online application and upload all the required documents but should skip the video upload section.
Curriculum Vitae
A personal résumé detailing your education, musical background, and concert activities.
Repertoire List
A “collaborative” repertoire list, detailing all duo sonatas, concerti, and character pieces previously studied. Please organize the repertoire first by instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and chamber music), then by composers in alphabetical order. Place an * next to pieces you have performed in public.
Letter of Recommendation
Please provide one reference. You will need to provide your recommender’s email address. Please tell them to expect an email from SlideRoom requesting an electronic submission of your recommendation.
Financial Assistance
Select top applicants admitted to the Collaborative Piano program will receive full fellowships (free tuition/fees/room/board). In addition, applicants not awarded the full fellowship may be admitted to the instrumental program where scholarships are available.
Application Fee
- 2020 application fees and deadlines will be announced soon!
- Application Deadline: January 21, 2019, 11:59 PM EST
- Non-refundable Application Fee: $99
- Fee for late applicants, after January 21: $149
The summer I spent with the Festival was one of the most special summers I've ever had. I felt grateful that I was able to spend time with beautiful music in every moment in Maine's beautiful environment. Pei-Shan Lee’s coaching was very helpful, and her performance was amazing and inspiring. Here, I learned not only the art of piano playing but also the art of collaboration. I felt so lucky to study with world-renowned and world-class musicians as a collaborative pianist.