For 36 years and counting, the IU Summer Piano Academy has offered serious young pianists, between the ages 12-19, opportunities to grow musically, learn from world-class master teachers and nurturing faculty, and develop lifelong friendships. During this 2-week in-person intensive on the beautiful campus at Indiana University Bloomington, our participants enjoy:
Multiple private lessons each week
Performance opportunities
Masterclasses with world-renowned pianists
Duet coaching
Access to many faculty and guest artist concerts
Group classes
Classes on theory, analysis, and performance topics
*Feldenkrais classes
Academy faculty
Elizabeth Yao is director of the Young Pianists Program and the Summer Piano Academy, as well as coordinator of the secondary piano program and instructor of pedagogy at the IU Jacobs School of Music. She received her Doctor of Music degree at Indiana University under the tutelage of André Watts.
Melinda Baird has served on the Piano Academy faculty since 2015, as counselor supervisor/consultant, instructor of piano and most recently as co-director. Dr. Baird is Director of Piano Programs and teacher of piano and chamber music at the Levine School of Music (Washington DC).
Tony Weinstein holds degrees from Oberlin College and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He teaches and serves on the accompanying staff at DePauw University. He is co-director of the Jacobs School of Music Summer Piano Academy, where he has been on the faculty for ten years.
Dr. Karen Taylor is the Founder/Director emerita of the IU Young Pianists Program and the Summer Piano Academy. She has given recitals in the U.S. and Europe, and has presented 125+ master classes, lectures and workshops. Her teaching honors include an IMTA Teacher of the Year citation and numerous grants for study abroad.
Matt Gianforte has served on the Piano Academy faculty since 2004, teaching piano as well as coordinating and teaching duet classes. He is currently Associate Professor of Music at Murray State University (KY), and has performed across the U.S. and abroad as a soloist, duo pianist, and collaborator.
Caroline Hong, DM, Professor of Piano at Ohio State and artistic director of the Franz Liszt (U.S.) International Piano Festival, received her training from Peabody, Juilliard and Indiana University. Hailed for her “expressive and powerful playing”, she enjoys a flourishing international career as a soloist, chamber musician and master teacher."
Ruth Morrow, DM, is the current Bolin Distinguished Chair of Piano at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX, where she teaches all things piano plus world music. With degrees in piano performance, pedagogy, musicology and philosophy, she enjoys digging deeply into music’s nuances, running, and her polydactyl cats.
Meeyoun Park has taught on the faculty of the Piano Academy since 2017. A highly sought-after collaborator, duo pianist, and soloist, she has been a guest at festivals, artist series and universities across the country and abroad. Dr. Park currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at Murray State University (KY).
Daniel Schene is a founding faculty member of the Piano Academy. A frequent solo and collaborative pianist, he is known for his innovative programming and passionate advocacy of composers of our time, many of whose works he has recorded. Mr. Schene is Professor Emeritus at Webster University (St. Louis).
Guest artists
Edward Auer, Professor of Piano at the Jacobs School, is acclaimed worldwide for his keyboard artistry, especially his Chopin interpretations. He has concertized in over 30 countries on five continents, most often in the U.S., Europe and Asia. A prizewinner in the Warsaw-Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Queen Elizabeth competitions, he is currently recording the complete works of Chopin.
Evelyne Brancart, Professor of Piano at the Jacobs School of Music, received the Laureate de La Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth (Belgium) in 1971. She is recipient of the Belgian Government Medal and prize winner at the Queen Elisabeth, Montreal, and Gina Bachauer international competitions.
Described by The New York Times as “spellbinding” and “delightfully quirky matched with interpretive sensitivity,” Phyllis Chen (2022 Guggenheim Fellow, 2019 Cage-Cunningham Fellow) is a composer, pianist and sound artist whose music draws from her tactile exploration of object and sound. Chen is a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble.
Lauded for “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship” by the Boston Globe, American pianist Spencer Myer is one of the most respected and sought-after artists on today’s concert stage. Myer is a Steinway Artist, and Associate Professor of Piano at the Jacobs School of Music.
Emile Naoumoff, Professor on the artist piano faculty of the Jacobs School, displays the fire of Horowitz and the poetry of Rubinstein, according to one critic. A musical prodigy, Emile was chosen by Nadia Boulanger as her pupil for a decade when he was age seven.
As a performer, educator, and recording artist, pianist Robert Shannon has traveled across the world performing and teaching a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach to John Adams. A double-degree alumnus of Oberlin, Shannon earned a Master of Music at the Juilliard School. Shannon is Director of Keyboard Studies at Oberlin.
Pianist Haewon Song is a member of the acclaimed Oberlin Trio. An internationally recognized artist and pedagogue, Song has performed and taught at top venues throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Song is chair of the piano department at Oberlin College and Conservatory.
André Watts is distinguished professor of piano and the Jack I. and Dora B. Hamlin Endowed Chair in Music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. A much-honored artist, Watts received the 1988 Avery Fisher Prize, one of the top individual honors for an American classical musician.
Interested applicants should plan to submit the following required, supplemental materials after registering and paying only the Non-Refundable Audition Fee - TBD:
List of repertoire studied over the last 2-years. Indicate which pieces have been memorized or performed in recital
*Two pieces of contrasting character. Provide links to unedited recordings; YouTube preferred
Letter of recommendation from student’s principal piano teacher
ATTN: If you attended the Piano Academy in 2023, the directors may be willing to waive your audition recording requirement; please contact elizyao@iu.edu to inquire.
Fees and deadlines
Fees and Deadlines for 2024 Coming Soon
OPTIONAL: Housing and meal plans
Housing and meal information for 2024 coming soon
How to apply
Students are encouraged to apply early. Applicants who need an early decision due to an invitation from another program should contact Dr. Elizabeth Yao, director at elizyao@iu.edu. An early acceptance from the Piano Academy is usually possible if admission is certain.
Eligibility: Accepting serious pianists, ages 12-19. Exceptionally advanced students younger than 12-years may be admitted by special permission of the director.
Application process: To apply, complete the online registration form and pay only the Non-Refundable Audition Fee - TBD. If openings exist, the deadline may be extended for qualified applicants.
Audition requirements: Upon paying the registration fee, you will receive a confirmation email with a link and instructions on how to upload audition materials. (If you have registered previously and need access to the audition portal please email musicsp@iu.edu)
