Piano Program

Fellowship & Scholarships available

Festival dates: June 3-22, 2024

Early Deadline: February 1
Regular Deadline: March 1
Late Deadline: April 1

Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for a complete admissions timeline.

MMF Institute—

  • Private Lessons: one 55-minute private lesson with each piano faculty member.

  • Collaborative performances: at least two guaranteed ensemble performances with either Mostly Modern Orchestra (MMO), and/or chamber music and/or a piano vocal concert. So, for example, you may perform in one chamber concert and one vocal concert, or one chamber and one orchestral, etc. Note that not all pianists will get to perform within the orchestra or with vocalists, etc. Placement is at the discretion of the faculty and in consultation with the accepted participants.

  • Solo performance: all pianists perform a solo on a piano program. This can consist of solos, piano duos, or piano ensembles, but not general mixed instrumentation chamber music. Repertoire will be chosen in consultation with the piano faculty.

  • Recordings: pianists receive archival audio WAV files and links to three-camera-shot videos of their performances via the Mostly Modern Projects YouTube channel.

  • Masterclasses: attend and optional participation in two masterclasses, in which pianists play repertoire and/or excerpts, coached by faculty members. These are closed to the institute community and general population.

  • Seminars/Workshops: attend three seminars and/or workshops, one by each piano faculty member, and access to other seminars by other faculty members as time permits. See the Institute Events schedule for a list of other Institute events. Seminars/workshops include the following (subject to change):

    • Geoffrey Burleson
      Seminar: Swiftly Decoding the Score: Learning Contemporary Piano Music Quickly, Efficiently, and Thoroughly
      This seminar explores how to adapt an efficient method for learning sometimes very difficult piano scores quickly, which can be accomplished via techniques of segmentation, “tempo testing,” and well-developed sight-reading facility.

      Improvisation Workshops: Approaches, Styles, and the Composition-Improvisation Continuum
      These workshops will include elements of everything from Baroque to jazz and “free” improvisation, and explore the fluidity between the realms of pre-meditated composition and more spontaneous improvisation. No previous improvisation experience required!

      • Workshop 1: Louis Couperin unmeasured preludes and improvising on works of J.S. Bach

      • Workshop 2: Classical idioms and florid romantic improvisation

      • Workshop 3: blues, jazz harmony, modal improv, and “structured freedom”

    • Anthony De Mare

      Seminar: The Speaking/Singing Pianist
      Anthony De Mare has been credited with pioneering the speaking/singing pianist genre nearly thirty years ago. This workshop/talk will focus on different works within this genre, with a particular focus on Frederic Rzewski's De Profundis and Jerome Kitzke's Sunflower Sutra, both of which were written for De Mare. De Mare will have just performed the Rzewski at a three-concert tribute event that he co-curated in May 2023 at Merkin Hall, which is also a celebration of what would have been his Rzewski’s 85th birthday year.

      Workshop: Extended Piano Techniques
      In this lecture/demonstration workshop, De Mare will demonstrate common and some no-so-common extended techniques used by pianists using a few examples from the repertoire De Mare has commissioned and performed. Selected piano participants will be invited to perform extended technique pieces or excerpts coached by De Mare.

  • Concerto Competition: option to apply for the Mostly Modern Concerto Competition. Two winners will be chosen each season to perform a concerto with the orchestra during the following season.

  • All-Access Pass: one all-access pass to all concerts and applicable Institute Events at the festival.

  • Welcome Party, Opening and Closing night parties!

Room And Board—

Scholarships, Work Study, and Resident Advisor (RA) positions are available. Those awarded a work-study or RA position will be required to attend the festival a day early for orientation. All three options may be selected during the application process.

Tuition: $5,975

Fellowship & Scholarships available

Application Fee (non-refundable)
Early Deadline: $75
Priority Deadline: $95.00
Late Deadline: $135.00

Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for further information, application deadline dates, and for answers to questions not covered here.