5-day Autumn School for advanced pianists with Dr. Vedrana Subotic

Explore the music of four piano greats with a 5-day course dedicated to Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt and Debussy.

Do you love playing Chopin, but lack confidence to play Beethoven? Would you love the challenge of learning a Liszt piece when you usually stick to “impressionist” repertoire? Spanning almost a 100 years from the birth of Beethoven through to Debussy, there is a wealth of musical history and influence to experience!

This 5-day course for advanced players aims to expand pianists’ repertoire, technique and confidence under the expert guidance of award-winning Steinway artist, Professor-Lecturer of Music at the University of Utah, visiting Professor of Piano at the University of Chile and President of the World Piano Teachers Association USA Dr. Vedrana Subotic.

Our 5-day courses are a well established highlight of the Finchcocks calendar. To ensure a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, places are open to those who have attended at least one weekend Finchcocks course previously.

Like our weekend courses, formal tuition takes place in workshops, performance classes and one-to-one lessons.

We recommend that guests prepare TWO pieces, one for two of the four performance masterclasses. We realise this is quite a big ask for advanced players, given the hours of dedication needed to prepare for a performance ready piece. Performance in every masterclass is not mandatory. Even preparing a piece in private will help contextualise the workshop and open-lessons better!

Workshops will include:

1. Beethoven Piano Sonatas: Understanding the difference between classical and romantic elements of Beethoven’s style.
2. Chopin Nocturnes: bel canto and the singing piano. How do we make it sound like a voice?
3. Unlocking the virtuoso technique in Liszt’s music: What’s in the fingers and what is in the arm?
4. Discovering the hidden meanings symbolism in Debussy’s piano music.

Over the course of her vibrant and multi-faceted musical career, pianist Vedrana Subotic has distinguished herself as an internationally acclaimed concert artist, pedagogue, and chamber musician. Subotic’s performances have been lauded by critics and audiences for both “fierce playing and impressive chops” (Salt Lake Tribune), and “nuanced and expressive playing, beautifully phrased lines, and a wonderfully light touch.” (Deseret News). Artists of Utah described her recent performance of Schubert PianoTrio No.2 as “one of the most intuitively verdant and emotionally draining performance of any of Franz Schubert’s compositions that I have ever heard, live or on a recording…truly astonishing.”

Subotic, a Steinway Artist, maintains a busy concert and masterclass schedule with over 60 engagements in North and South America, Europe, and Asia every year. She has performed more than 500 works in the solo, chamber, and concerto genres, including the 32 piano sonatas, and complete chamber works with piano by Beethoven. Her most recent live-streamed concert performance of works by Brahms, Schubert, and Piazzolla received over 160K views.

​Subotic is an award-winning Professor-Lecturer of Music at the University of Utah, and a Visiting Professor of Piano at the University of Chile. She serves as the newly appointed President of the World Piano Teachers Association USA, Executive Director of the USA Chapter Conference, and as the Music Director (2002-present) of INTERMEZZO Concert Series based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Subotic is the founding member of the Intermezzo Piano Trio, and the state president for the Utah chapter of ALS (American Liszt Society).

This will be Vedrana’s fourth course at Finchcocks and we can’t wait to welcome her back!

As usual, everyone will have access to their own grand piano for the week including our new Steinway, and have plenty of time to practise in our vaulted piano cellar.

We’ll also have a bit of fun! We’ll explore the private gardens at Finchcocks, visit an historic piano collection and be able to go for beautiful Kentish countryside walks to Scotney castle.

And of course, it goes without saying that you can expect the usual!

Guests will:

• Have the chance to play in and observe multiple performance masterclasses.
• Will receive one-to-one lessons with Vedrana.
• Enjoy access to play on our 9 grand pianos anytime between 7am and 8pm. (There are enough pianos to go round that everyone can play a piano at any given time.)
• Have the chance to take part in a recital on the Bosendorfer in the main hall of the family home.
• Join and socialise with a group 8 fellow piano enthusiasts during lunch and dinner.
• Dine in style with lunches and three course dinners prepared by our fabulous chef.
• Experience the Finchcocks bubble, hailed as a “paradise for pianists” by BBC Music Magazine and stay in a grade 1 listed country manor.

Plus ones are very welcome on our courses, with a room surcharge dependant on whether they are a playing or non-playing guest. Please ask for further details.

This is a unique, luxury UK-based piano gem and an experience that you won’t forget anytime soon. Many guests continue friendships made on these courses, encouraging each other on in the piano playing on Whatsapp, organising private piano meet ups further down the line… and bumping into each other again on future courses!

For booking enquiries, please contact Jenny on 01580 428080 or fill in the form below.