Do you enjoy playing with others? Do you contemplate a career that will include collaboration with singers or instrumentalists? Are you eager to help finance your college education with generous grant support?
The Lawrence Conservatory proudly offers accompanying fellowships to its top piano applicants in a unique program available only to graduate students at most other institutions. Should you be chosen for a fellowship at Lawrence, you will be placed with voice students, instrumentalists, and large ensembles throughout your four (or five, should you be a double degree student) years here. You will perform in concerts and masterclasses, attend retreats, and receive coaching from instrumental, vocal, and piano faculty. By the time you graduate, you will have learned and performed at least 8 of the major standard repertoire string sonatas (e.g. Beethoven, Brahms, Franck) and a sizeable chunk of the song literature. Should you wish to go on to graduate school in collaborative piano or apply for an accompanying fellowship in a piano performance program, you will be competitively prepared.
And for this you will be paid! Lawrence prides itself on offering the ultimate in undergraduate opportunity to enterprising music students. Yet another example of the broad education provided here and the individual attention available from faculty.
Meet some of our current AF’s:
Jesse Pieper, Sr. recently returned from the Aspen Summer Music Festival, where his collaborative skills gained him a major public performance of the Beethoven C Minor Vln. Sonata in the big tent.
Allison Shinnick, Soph., whose skills won her acceptance (and a large scholarship) as one of only 20 pianists at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C. this past summer. Allison is an oboe major as well as a piano major and enjoys accompanying colleagues in her oboe studio.
Marshall Cuffe, Soph., who was recently chosen as one of only five finalists in the Seattle International Piano Competition this fall and won the Audience Favorite prize.
Dario LaPoma, 4th year in a 5 year program; whose band was the recent winner of the Downbeat Magazine Award for Best College Band and who spent Fall 2009 studying tango in Argentina.
Laura Hauer, Sr. won the 2009 concerto competition at Lawrence this year...on violin. If it were possible, she’d be accompanying herself!
Irina Nedelcu-Erickson, Sr. spent last summer touring Romania as a concerto soloist and attending a festival of song in Italy, where she honed her skills as a vocal accompanist before applying this year to collaborative piano graduate programs.
