2015 Summer Symposium at Princeton University

ABOUT EVENT

OVERVIEW
SCHEDULE
INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL
STRINGS PROGRAM
FEES
MORE INFO
PRESENTATIONS
OVERVIEW

JULY 11-19, 2015

At the Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium at Princeton University, participants will attend lectures, master classes, technique clinics, and other presentations by Edna Golandsky and the Institute’s expert faculty, all of whom have undergone years of rigorous training to qualify as teachers of the Taubman Approach. The performers and pedagogues of the Golandsky Institute’s faculty work with pianists of all levels - professional, student, and amateur. This one-week Symposium includes:

  • 4 private lessons
  • 4 supervised practice times in addition to private lessons (first-time participants only)
  • 3 interactive technique clinics
  • 6 Breakout groups where you can experience specific keyboard passages that are being discussed in relation to applicable concepts of the Taubman Approach (for participants with previous exposure to the Taubman Approach)
  • Master classes
  • Presentations and lectures by Edna Golandsky and the co-founders of the Institute.
  • 6 evening concerts by world-class artists (International Piano Festival)

The Summer Symposium attracts participants from all over the world - Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Canada, South and Central America, and from two dozen U.S. states. First-time participants are made to feel at home right away by the extraodinarily warm and friendly atmosphere. Many participants come back to the Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium year after year to learn from the Institute's faculty how the Taubman Approach can be used to accurately diagnose problems and determine their solutions.

RESIDENT AND COMMUTING PARTICIPANTS

For resident participants, tuition includes four private half-hour lessons, interactive technique clinics, daily lectures, master classes, practice time, and admission to all Symposium presentations and all Festival concerts. Resident participants will enjoy air-conditioned rooms in Princeton University dormitories. Most rooms are private with a shared bathroom between every two rooms. Depending on room availability, some participants may be housed in suites of four private rooms that share a bathroom.

For commuting participants, tuition includes everything listed above except dormitory accommodations.


Arrival: Saturday, July 11, 2015. Participants register from 2:00 - 7:00 PM. There is an orientation meeting that evening.

Symposium starts: Sunday, July 12, 2015.

Symposium ends: The program will end after the concert on Saturday evening, July 18, 2015.

Departure: Participants will depart by noon on Sunday morning, July 19, 2015.


Program is subject to change without notice. 

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SCHEDULE

At registration you will be assigned a teacher, with whom you will have scheduled lessons. If you have had no prior experience with the Taubman Approach, a practice assistant will be assigned to help you apply during practice time what you learn at lessons.

8:00 AM Breakfast with friends and colleagues, practice time.
10:00 AM A lecture appropriate to your level.

LEVEL 1
For participants who are new to the Taubman work, there will be a presentation of the basic elements of the technique with explanations and demonstrations about how each element works.

LEVEL 2
For participants who have had prior exposure to the Taubman Approach, the lectures will focus on how the elements of the basic technique are integrated in order to promote ease of execution for passagework.

LEVEL 3
For participants enrolled in the Professional Training Program, interactive presentations will deepen the understanding of complex technical and musical issues in specific passages from the repertoire.
Noon Lunch with friends and colleagues in Princeton University dining hall.
1:00 PM Most of the master classes, presentations, and panel discussions are scheduled between 1:00 PM and 5:30 PM.
5:30 PM Practice time, dinner with friends and colleagues.
8:00 PM Attend a concert at the Golandsky Institute International Piano Festival (every evening except Wednesday).
9:30 PM Reception following performance.
10:00 PM Practice time, relax with friends and colleagues.
INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL

The Golandsky Institute International Piano Festival features six concerts in seven days every July at Princeton University. This Festival runs in conjunction with the Institute's Summer Symposium.

The International Piano Festival is open to the public and features performances by a roster of brilliant musicians from around the world presented for the benefit of Princeton's community.

If one attends the Symposium, they receive complimentary access to the Festival.

Tickets are sold separately to the public wishing to attend the Festival, but not the Symposium.

The general public may purchase general admission tickets online through the Princeton University Box Office or call 609-258-9220 weekdays from 10 AM –1 PM beginning July 10, 2015. The Box Office opens one hour before each scheduled concert. For the Stoltzman/Wyner concert, the only way to purchase tickets is in person, one hour before the concert in Taplin's lobby.

Tickets: $25 for the general public, $15 for students and seniors. Seating is general admission.

DATE TIME DESCRIPTION
Sunday, July 12 8:00 PM

Giants of Russian Piano Music: Waltzes to Elegies in Beloved and Little Known Works of Scriabin and Rachmaninov

ILYA ITIN, piano

Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall

[Watch videos of the performance]

Monday, July 13 8:00 PM

The Sounds of the Midnight Sun: Scandinavian Chamber Music for Tenor, Cello and Piano

ALEX RICHARDSON, tenor
SOPHIE SHAO, cello
THOMAS BAGWELL, piano

Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall

[Watch videos of the performance]

Tuesday, July 14 8:00 PM

Journey with a Masterpiece: Beethoven Hammerklavier and Works of J.S. Bach

FR. SEÁN DUGGAN, piano

Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall

[Watch videos of the performance]

Thursday, July 16 8:00 PM

Young Artist Debut: A Tour de Force of Virtuoso Variations and More

WEI LUO, piano

Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall

[Watch videos of the performance]

Friday, July 17 8:00 PM

“Finger Buster” Piano Legend Dick Hyman: Solos for an Evening of Jazz

DICK HYMAN, piano

Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall

Saturday, July 18 8:00 PM

Duos Among Friends: From Brahms to Wyner

RICHARD STOLTZMAN, clarinet
YEHUDI WYNER, piano

Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Tickets are only sold one hour before this concert in Taplin's lobby.

[Watch videos of the performance]

 

STRINGS PROGRAM

The Strings Program at the Summer Symposium is a week-long program for violinists and violists - professionals, students and amateurs. The daily technique lectures cover Taubman/Golandsky principles for first time and returning participants. Daily workshops provide hands-on practical help with problem passages and enable participants to experience the Taubman/Golandsky work in action. Master classes offer performance opportunities, both for solo and chamber music repertoire, and four private lessons enable every participant to address specific personal needs.

ABOUT

British violinist Sophie Till has been studying with Edna Golandsky for many years. The Taubman/Golandsky Approach for Strings has developed out of their collaboration. Ms Till presents this new approach annually in a week-long program at the Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium.

Ms. Till teaches internationally and gives seminars, workshops and master classes for string musicians.


TESTIMONIALS 

"At the age of 35, despite world-class teachers and a successful career as a violinist, I found myself in a predicament; my playing felt limited and I was groping for answers I could not seem to find. The result was solutions more like a patchwork of guesses that were far from reliable. Many colleagues seemed to be in a similar spot or worse, were starting to feel pain and discomfort from previously reliable technique. By contrast, I had seen my duo partner who had suffered a severe piano injury, retrain to a stunning level of virtuosity and musicianship under the guidance of Edna Golandsky and the Taubman Approach. I went to a lesson with him and intrigued by what I saw, started having lessons with Edna Golandsky: Violin lessons from a pianist. I immediately realized that here was an approach that could identify and itemize each separate physical movement that goes into playing, how these movements interact and how the physical motions go directly into music making of the highest order. Furthermore, through the Golandsky Institute, here also was a pedagogy so immaculately developed, that there was a clarity of communication beyond anything I had ever experienced before. For the past seven years, Edna Golandsky and I have been developing this approach and its pedagogy for the violin. I now work with professionals and students from all over the world and have adapted it for my work with children."

- Sophie Till, violin

"An intense two days, this was a brilliant workshop, one of the most comprehensive and immediately useful presentations that I've seen. Sophie Till is a gifted pedagogue who shares a depth of understanding with generosity. Her wisdom germinates in efficient body use and grows through all manner of technique, blossoming into meaningful musical outcomes. It was inspiring to be touched by her dedication, intelligence and passion." 

- Natalie Sharp, Review for the Music Teachers’ Association Queensland, Australia

"I approached Sophie as I had been experiencing playing discomfort and was in need of quick solution. From our first skype lesson, I knew this was going to be ‘big’. She was able to logically and clearly explain the answers to my many questions about approaching violin playing in a healthy way. The depth of her knowledge is extraordinary.”

 - Rachel Smith, Freelance violinist and teacher in the UK and Australia: works with Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Australian Chamber Orchestra. Former principal violin, Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Founder and Artistic Director of Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival.

FEES

Summer Symposium Fees

Resident participant: $1,775
Commuting participant: $1,375
Breakfast option: $85

Try our $75 one-day pass for first-time attendees (valid for any single day).

MORE INFO

IMPORTANT LINKS

Driving Directions to Princeton University

Map of Princeton University

Cancellation Policy


RECORDING

By registering for the Symposium, participants grant permission to the Golandsky Institute to use any photograph or video containing their likeness. Such images may be used for promotional, news, research, or educational purposes.

Participants also agree not to record any part of the Summer Symposium (except for their private lessons) or International Piano Festival. Further, participants agree that any such recording will be used for personal reference only and may not be shared except with the written permission of the teacher.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Call toll-free in the US: 1-877-343-3434
Call or fax: 212-875-0034

Email: symposium@golandskyinstitute.org

Please submit items through the post by regular mail (not special delivery) to the address below:

The Golandsky Institute
Summer Symposium 2015
Park West Finance Station
P O Box 20726
New York, NY 10025

PRESENTATIONS

Edna Golandsky

Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday @ 3:30 PM
McCormick Auditorium, Princeton University Art Museum

Perception and Reality in Piano Technique

Edna Golandsky shows how the Taubman Approach can be illusive and that there is more to what we see than meets the eye. Through multiple examples, she will expand on this fascinating subject to bring perception and reality closer.

Mary Moran

Tuesday, July 14 @ 11:00 AM
McCormick Auditorium, Princeton University Art Museum

Navigating the Franck Sonata

Using concepts of the Taubman Approach, Mary Moran will discuss different considerations for technical and interpretive issues in the difficult piano part of Franck's Sonata in A Major, one of the finest pieces in chamber music repertoire.

Robert Durso

Thursday, July 16 @ 11:00 AM
McCormick Auditorium, Princeton University Art Museum

Schubert - Impromptu in G-flat Major, Op.90

Robert Durso examines the historical and musical elements of Schubert's Impromptu in G-flat Major Op. 90 and analyzes how to practice and master multi-level textures by applying principles of the Taubman Approach.

John Bloomfield

Saturday, July 18 @ 11:00 AM
McCormick Auditorium, Princeton University Art Museum

When Hands Collide

It often spells trouble when both hands are required to play in the very same area of the keyboard at the same time. Using many examples from the repertoire, John Bloomfield shows how the two hands can be taken off a collision course.

Scott Burnham

Tuesday, July 14 @ 4:30 PM
McCormick Auditorium, Princeton University Art Museum

The Hammerklavier: Beethoven's Lonely Masterpiece

Scott Burnham, the Scheide Professor of Music History, is on the faculty of Princeton University. He is known as a musicologist and writer on mainstream Western music, music theory, aesthetics, and criticism.

Anne Fitzgibbon

Friday, July 17 @ 4:30 PM
McCormick Auditorium, Princeton University Art Museum

El Sistema in New York? Changing lives with intensive music study in NYC's undeserved neighborhoods

Anne Fitzgibbon is founder and Executive Director of the Harmony Program. Prior to founding the Harmony Program, Ms. Fitzgibbon worked for five years as a policy advisor, focusing principally on social services, youth programs, and education.

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