API Summer Festival 2024
June 2 – 8 | Phoenix College
Frequently Asked Questions
Please read the information below for answers to frequently asked questions about the API Summer Festival. If you still have questions, please send an email to info@azpianoinstitute.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
What are the dates and times for the Summer Festival 2024?
The Summer Festival will be held during the week of June 2 through June 8, 2024. The first day kicks off the Festival with Student Registration and the Faculty Artist Recital. The following days (Monday – Friday) traditionally begin at 9 AM and end at 5 PM. The last day culminates with the Student Recital.
How do I register for the API Summer Festival 2024?
To register, please visit our Summer Festival 2024 home page.
PLEASE NOTE: The 2024 Summer Festival is currently fully booked. You can still register as usual and be placed on the waitlist, in case there are cancellations.
Who will the faculty be for the Summer Festival 2024?
Every year we bring together a small, but dynamic, group of pianists who are world-class performers and excellent pedagogues to our Summer Festival. This year our faculty includes Aviram Reichert, Elisabeth Pridonoff, Eckart Sellheim, and Dian Baker. You can learn more about them by visiting our artist roster webpage. In addition to this outstanding faculty, API will be bringing in other talented pianists as well to perform and present workshops – stay tuned!
Where will the Summer Festival 2024 be held?
This year the API Summer Festival is being co-sponsored by the Phoenix College Music Program. Phoenix College is a community college centrally located at Thomas and 11th Ave, in Phoenix, Arizona. It is a charming campus, first constructed in 1920, that offers an intimate and delightful mix of historic and contemporary facilities. Located at the north end of the Encanto district, Phoenix College is easy to drive to, with abundant parking close to where the Summer Festival will be held.
Where will the 2024 Faculty Recital be held?
We invite everyone to join our Faculty Recital, the traditional opening of the API Summer Festival, on Sunday, June 2nd, from 3 to 5 pm in the Lakeside Auditorium at the Tempe Center for the Arts.
Prior to the Faculty Recital, student registration will take place from 1:30 to 2:45 pm in the Upstairs Lounge at the Tempe Center for the Arts.
What activities take place at the Summer Festival 2024?
Our 8th Festival season opens with a Faculty Artist Concert featuring inspiring performances by our internationally acclaimed faculty. Participants then engage in a week of enriching master classes and workshops on a variety of topics helpful to emerging pianists, including performance practice, theory, sight-reading, improvisation, and more. The festival closes with a celebration of talent and artistry in the Student Showcase Recital.
At the Summer Festival 2024, every day is an opportunity to perform and learn from world renowned artists and teachers; study new approaches to piano performance; learn something new about music, composers, and styles; and engage with like-minded peers who share your passion for the piano. At Summer Festival 2024 students will enjoy:
Recital performances
Daily master classes in solo and ensemble repertoire
Daily studio performance
Enriching workshops on a variety of topics –
Approaches for learning repertoire
Piano improvisation
Prepared piano performance
Approaches to collaboration
Stylistic articulation
Music apps & technology
Piano tech
Music appreciation
Memorization techniques
And more…
A typical daily schedule for the week (Monday through Friday) begins at 9:00 AM with two sets of master classes and workshops. After lunch there is another round of master classes and workshops, culminating in larger gatherings and ending at 4:55 PM. Participants in the Summer Festival are divided into six teams based on capability and age. Each team will participate in a master class with all three of our faculty artists every day. In addition, we are offering a “Rep Class”, which students can participate throughout the day in performing and exploring aways to improve their craft and musical understandings.
Who is eligible to attend the Summer Festival 2024?
Pianists between the age of 8 and 21 who perform at the Arizona Study Program Level 5 and above may attend the API Summer Festival. Pianists enrolled in a Bachelor program may also attend. A YouTube video is required for each applicant to correctly place the students in their respective teams.
When can I register for the Summer Festival 2024?
We are planning to open registration on January 15, 2024. Links and information for registering will be made available on our 2024 Summer Festival page.
How much is the registration fee for the Summer Festival 2024?
Registration fees are published on the 2024 Summer Festival page. There will be early, regular, and late registration fee tiers. For two participants or more from the same household, a family rate is offered.
How many students can participate in the API Summer Festival?
Typically, we let 36 students participate. This allows our teachers to give every participant the full attention they deserve, so everyone can make the most of the festival.
Can I still register after all 36 spots have been taken?
If registrations exceed 36, the remaining registrants will be put on a waitlist. Please follow all requirements for registration and submit all forms and payment. If any of the participants cancel, you may be eligible to take their place, depending on the number of people on the waitlist and the time you registered. If no one cancels and you cannot participate, your registration fee will be refunded.
I am interested in volunteering for the Summer Festival 2024. How do I sign up?
Volunteers are very much appreciated, especially during the Summer Festival. The generosity of our volunteers is vital to the quality of the festival. You can sign up to be a volunteer on this page.
Can adults audit the Summer Festival for one or more days?
Anyone over the age of 18 can audit the Summer Festival for a day or for the week. Day and week rates apply. Auditors are invited to observe, but not participate. For more information about auditing and to register, click here.
Can underage children audit the Summer Festival for one or more days?
A person under the age of 18 may audit the Summer Festival if accompanied by an adult while attending the festival. Day or week rates apply. Or they may audit the Summer Festival without an adult with the following understandings:
a) Underage auditors are assigned to a team for the entire day and will accompany that team through all the team’s activities that day. In the morning the parent/guardian will be asked to park and escort their child to the API Registration Desk. At the end of the day the parent/guardian will pick up their child at the API Registration Desk. Underage auditors will need to bring their lunch and stay with the team during the lunch period.
b) Underage auditors are expected to comply with the security arrangements of the API Summer Festival, which includes wearing an API Summer Festival badge and always remaining in the company of an API-assigned volunteer or staff person. The parent/guardian will need to complete the required forms for being an auditor before their arrival on the first day.
How much is the fee for auditing the Summer Festival?
Auditing fees for the Summer Festival are published on the auditing page.
How do I register for auditing the Summer Festival for one or more days?
To register as an auditor for the Summer Festival, see the auditing page.
How do I contact someone at the Arizona Piano Institute?
You can send an email to info@azpianoinstitute.org and we will get back to you quickly.