Piano, Collaborative Piano, Organ, Harpsichord
The Keyboard Department houses a range of instruments at all degree levels. The piano program at Boston University is designed to inspire and prepare artists in the rigor of the tradition. Collaborative Piano is an intensive and in-depth program of study that advances pianists in the fields of song, duo sonata repertoire, and chamber music. World-class instruction is rooted in performance opportunities and masterclasses to prepare students for the stage.
Keyboard Faculty
Program of Study
Piano
In keeping with its long history of world class instruction, the piano department offers students the opportunity to participate in master classes, competitions, seminars, and studio classes. Our graduate students hail from the best universities and conservatories around the world.
Students work closely with internationally-recognized faculty-artists who guide pianistic development. In addition to events on and around campus, the artist-faculty is extremely active with summer festivals, including Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Szechuan International Piano Festival, and the San Juan International Piano Festival. BU students have long participated in those summer festivals, as well as others facilitated by BU faculty in Russia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, and China.
With 160 pianos and 119 state-of-the-art practice rooms, BU School of Music is your laboratory to learn repertoire, build technique, and experiment musically. Fortify ideas and test yourself through our ample performance opportunities in both formal and informal settings. In addition, theory, musicology, and chamber music are all requirements of the program.
We offer and recommend our highly innovative piano pedagogy courses. Upon completion of two of these courses, students have an opportunity to be selected for practical experience teaching students at BU. In addition, several BU piano students have performed and gained coached teaching experience at Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI). BUTI is associated with the Tanglewood Music Festival in the lovely Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. The Young Artists Piano Program takes place for 6 weeks each summer.
Collaborative Piano
Collaborative piano offers two graduate degrees: Master of Music in Performance, piano and Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance, piano. At Boston University, collaborative pianists explore and study not only piano technique and accompaniment skill, but also foreign languages, literature, poetry, music theory, and musicology. Daily interaction with world-renowned faculty encourages growth as complete and versatile artists, and pianists graduate with diverse skills necessary for embracing the rapidly changing classical musical landscape.
In the College of Fine Arts, collaborative pianists benefit from the experience and knowledge of world-renowned teachers in the voice, instrumental, and ensemble departments. Collaborative pianists work in instrumental and vocal teaching studios throughout the School of Music. At BU and throughout the city of Boston, they enjoy varied performance opportunities with vocalists and instrumentalists, in duo partnerships and chamber ensembles.
With 1:1 instruction, doctoral students can choose to specialize in primarily instrumental or vocal repertoire, or can study both.
Graduate students benefit from small studio sizes which foster community, enable group projects, and offer frequent opportunity to perform. Students study vocal, instrumental, and ensemble repertoire, and interact with performance faculty in all departments. Rigorous academics combine with rich array of elective specialty courses and high-intensity collaborative partnership assignments. Departmental faculty members possess expertise in realms of art song, chamber music, opera, instrumental sonata repertoire. Elective study in organ, harpsichord, and continuo is encouraged.
Collaborative pianists perform in all University venues including College of Fine Arts Concert Hall, Tsai Performance Center, CFA’s Marshall Room, and all performance instruments are Steinway pianos.
Through Graduate Assistantships, collaborative pianists are paired with instrumentalists and vocalists in duo partnerships, and are assigned to support courses in vocal diction, song literature, oratorio, and duo sonata repertoire.
Audition Requirements
Thinking of applying? Find out more about prescreening, repertoire, and audition details by instrument.
Performance Opportunities
With hundreds of performances per year at the School of Music alone you will always be just a few steps from taking the stage. Students perform regularly in our venues as well as annual performances at Symphony Hall in Boston and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
In addition to individual private lessons, piano students participate in studio activities, perform in recitals and masterclasses, and also have the opportunity to compete in the annual BU Concerto Competition, several award winners of which have been invited to perform with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall. In addition, our highly-competitive Richmond Competition, which is only open to BU piano students, offers a prize of $10,000 and a prestigious appearance at the Tsai Performing Arts Center. Piano students are also active with the esteemed Boston University Center for Beethoven Research.
Collaborative piano students enjoy a variety of performance opportunities both on and off campus, and benefit from the experience and knowledge of world-renowned teachers from in the voice and instrumental departments. Freelance work in greater Boston is encouraged as a supplement to on-campus learning. Collaborative piano majors frequently teach at community music schools, work as rehearsal pianists for choral organizations, opera companies, and churches, or work with ballet companies and chamber ensembles.
And don’t forget: this is Boston, a city where music matters. Our piano students are provided an exciting array of opportunities and having access to all that Boston offers means that students have an endless supply of musical events and inspiration right outside their door!
Notable Alumni
Next Steps for Applicants
The best way to determine if BU is right for you is to explore our admission requirements, financial tools, and resources to determine if the program is the right match.
Reach out to Graduate Admissions at visitSOM@bu.edu with any questions along the way or to request information. We are happy to discuss your educational interests and career goals.
