Piano
Studying Piano at the Fontys Conservatory offers the opportunity to master your instrument while immersing yourself in a dynamic international community at the Fontys Academy of the Arts. In addition to your primary focus and theory courses, you'll engage in ensemble playing, collaborative creation, and entrepreneurship. Your performance skills will be closely integrated with your overall development as a musician, encouraging you to explore diverse creative avenues.
Teachers
Nicolas Callot
Nicolas Callot graduated from the Conservatory of Amsterdam under the guidance of the Russian pianist Mila Baslawskaja in 2004. He has given numerous concerts in Europe and the U.S. and has performed with conductors like Philippe Herreweghe, Michael Schoenwandt, Frans Cuypers, Fernand Terby, among others. He has regularly been a guest at the VRT (Flemish Radio and Television) and was invited to represent Belgium in the Eurovision Festival as soloist with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Nicolas teaches piano and historical keyboards at the Fontys Conservatory and piano at the Kunsthumaniora Antwerp (BE). Besides his career as a pianist and teacher, he also works as a recording engineer and supervisor for different labels.
Vitaly Samoshko
Vitaly Samoshko, a multi-awarded pianist born in 1973 in Ukraine, is celebrated for his performances at major festivals worldwide and collaborations with renowned orchestras and conductors. A prizewinner in several international competitions, he has released acclaimed recordings and teaches master classes, enhancing his remarkable solo career. Samoshko has contributed to many major festivals, amongst which the Klavier Festival Ruhr in Germany, French Festival de Montpellier Radio France and Festival de Besançon, the Festival Música Romântica in Switzerland, Yokohama International Piano Festival in Japan, among others.
Keiko Shichijo
Keiko Shichijo, a Japanese pianist and fortepianist based in the Netherlands, blends traditional Japanese sensibilities with European historical performance practices. A prizewinner in several international competitions, she has released acclaimed CDs and regularly performs in Europe, including a duo with violinist Cecilia Bernardini. Since 2017, she has taught at the Fontys Conservatory.
Hülya Keser
(teacher Young Musicians Academy)
Hülya Keser, a pianist and professor has a distinguished education, including degrees from the Rotterdam Conservatory and Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg. She has won several competitions and teaches at her own Piano Academy in The Hague. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed internationally and recorded multiple albums, with upcoming projects involving collaborations with notable ensembles and artists.
Audition
Candidates that live in the Netherlands, Belgium or western Germany will do a live audition.
Candidates from other countries will do an online audition.
The audition will include a sight reading test.
Applicants should prepare from memory (unless you play contemporary music) a program of three works of their own choice. This should last at least 15 minutes and show a variety of style, period and character.
It must include a polyphonic work and a sonata form. The audition panel reserves the right to hear only two pieces overall.
Examples:
• C. Czerny etudes op. 299 • polyphonic work, e.g. J.S. Bach Inventions or Symfonics
• movement from a classical sonata: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
• (part of a) concert piece from the Romantic Era: Chopin, Schubert, Schumann up to Rachmaninov, Skriabin
• (part of a) concert piece in a more modern style: Debussy, Bartok, Prokofiev up to the present era.