For 38 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
Optional Feldenkrais class
2025 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 Tayloris 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.
Caroline Hong, 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 the Jacobs School. Hailed for her “expressive and powerful playing” and “formidable technique”, she enjoys a flourishing international career as a soloist, master teacher, and competition jury member.
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.
Tatiana Lokhina, collaborative pianist at Oberlin College and Conservatory, was born in Moscow, Russia, into a musical family. Lokhina is a winner of numerous Russian and international prizes. She has performed at the Moscow State Conservatory, Paul Dukas Conservatory in Paris, and the Musikhochschule Hamburg, and she has appeared in concerts in Italy, Austria, Germany, and the United States.
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.
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.
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).
2025 Guest artists
Pianist, host, and author Zsolt Bognár holds a meteoric, multi-dimensional career that re-defines what it means to be a musician in the 21st century.
Known to many around the globe in musical and cultural circles, Mr. Bognár is host of the award-winning film series Living the Classical Life.
Sofya Gulyak is associate professor of music in piano at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. In September 2009 Sofya Gulyak was awarded the 1st prize and the Princess Mary Gold Medal at the Sixteenth Leeds International Piano Competition – the first woman in the history of the competition to achieve this distinction.
Rachelle McCabe, professor emerita at Oregon State University, performs internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and duo pianist with her sister, Robin. Known for her collaborations with authors and scientists to address climate change, she co-created The Extinction Variations, performing Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a Theme of Corelli in an impactful video production.
Celebrated pianist Robin McCabe has established herself as one of America’s most communicative and persuasive artists. She joined the Juilliard faculty in 1978 then returned to the UW in 1987 to accept a position on the piano faculty. Seattle magazine selected McCabe as one of 17 current and past University of Washington professors who have had an impact on life in the Pacific Northwest.
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.
Piano faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Director of piano studies at CIM Academy, Daria Rabotkina continues to influence young generations of pianists of all levels. Her thoughtful programming includes the topics of composers’ mental health and their sources of inspiration. She is an active participant of music festivals.
In August 1995, Alexander Shtarkman was awarded the First Prize of the Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy. In addition to the Busoni Prize, Shtarkman is a major prizewinner of the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the 1994 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. Since 2002 Shtarkman has been serving as a member of the Piano Faculty at the Peabody Conservatory.
Jerry Wong holds critical acclaim as soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. He has held masterclasses in the United States, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan. Wong is Associate Professor and Head of Keyboard at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in Australia.
Interested applicants should plan to submit the following required, supplemental materials after registering and paying only the $100 Non-Refundable Audition Fee.
Auditions must be uploaded to the Jacobs School of Music Audition Portal, creating a guest account if you do not already have one, and select the "Jacobs Academy - Summer Piano Academy" option. (If you have issues accessing the audition portal please emailmusicsp@iu.edu)
Audition materials include:
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. (Note: the audition portal requires a file upload; please paste your YouTube links into a Word document or other text file and upload that file to the portal.)
Letter of recommendation from student’s principal piano teacher
ATTN: If you attended the Piano Academy in 2024, the directors may be willing to waive your audition recording requirement; please contact elizyao@iu.edu to inquire.
2025 Fees and deadlines
Fees
Tuition: $2400
$100 non-refundable enrollment deposit due at registration (credited towards tuition). Do not select a tuition or housing option until you have received notification of acceptance.
Deadlines
Application and Audition Due: April 11, 2025
Notification of Acceptance: April 20, 2025
Acceptance Confirmation: May 4, 2025
Tuition Due: May 21, 2025
Participant Forms Due: June 14, 2025
OPTIONAL: 2025 Housing and meal plan information
Housing
On-campus housing is available in University Halls of Residence. Piano Academy participants will be residing in double rooms in the lovely Spruce Hall. Included in the cost of housing is a Linen Package (incl. pillowcase, top and bottom sheet, two washcloths and towels; blankets available upon request) and Meal Plan:
Double-room housing: $1050
Commuter Meal Plan
This includes a program-provided daily lunch for those living off-campus.
Commuter Meal Plan: $210
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 - $100. Your audition will not be reviewed if the audition fee is not paid. If openings exist, the deadline may be extended for qualified applicants.
Audition requirements: Upon paying the audition fee, you will then need to upload audition materials through the Jacobs School of Music Audition Portal. Please create a guest account if you do not already have one and select the "Jacobs Academy - Summer Piano Academy" option. (If you have issues accessing the audition portal please emailmusicsp@iu.edu)
Scholarships: The Piano Academy offers partial artistic merit scholarships to qualified applicants. Click here for more information. If applying for a merit scholarship, the letter of request must be emailed to the Director by the application/audition deadline of April 11, 2025.
Cancellation Policy:Click here for our most up to date cancellation policy.
