Recognising the intrinsic value of collaborative piano education: Presentation to the 2024 Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference

On 15 April 2025, David G. Miller spoke at a dinner in Brisbane to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Accompanists' Guild of Queensland. This is what he said.

There’s a common assumption that the pianist will be there to support the soloist. But in a concert like Musica Viva's Northern Lights, this dynamic couldn’t be further from the truth.

The accompanists of the Paris and Lyon Conservatoires have been on strike for nearly two weeks amid ongoing salary negotiations

It was such an honour and privilege for my 14-year-old son Isaac Schiavone to have had the opportunity to play collaboratively Saint-Saëns’ Sonata for Clarinet and Piano with the highly talented young chamber musician James Skelton, at the AGSA and AMEB’s DUO Day on Aug 25th at Adelaide University.

Experience matters for pianists, and one great money-making way of getting experience is accompanying or collaborative piano work. You may work with solo vocalists or instrumental groups. The venues may be formal or casual. And the styles could vary from classical to pop.

If becoming a confident and accomplished collaborative pianist is your goal, the London Piano Centre can help you. Contact us at your earliest convenience to schedule a lesson.

A list of offenses and associated fines for abusing your accompanist...

The purpose of this study was to examine the sociocultural and musical factors that
facilitate and constrain audience engagement with classical chamber music in a
regional Australian community.

An exploration of the skills required by pianists working in small ensembles. This research seeks to investigate chamber music from a practicing pianist’s perspective and to explore the proposition that a chamber music pianist requires a unique set of skills distinct from those of the piano soloist or accompanist.

For many pianists, the most rewarding musical experiences come from working closely with singers and collaborating with other artists. Jessica Duchen talks to some of today’s finest practitioners to find out more...

Although piano playing is considered to be a solitary occupation, much pianistic repertoire is collaborative. This research examines views about the essence of collaborative piano, the skills necessary to collaborate well, and collaborative experiences, both positive and less so.

Hours before the start of a twelve-concert tour, a violinist whom he was accompanying stopped to berate Katz for his interpretation. “You just play. I’ll handle the expression,” the violinist said. “I played the first concert and cancelled the other eleven,” said Katz.

On 31 August 2024, AGCP Associate Leonie Hempton presented a broadcast on radio station 5MBS on behalf of the Accompanists’ Guild of South Australia. In the program, Leonie explains the development of the Australian Guild of Collaborative Pianists and plays recordings of David G. Miller performing with mezzo soprano, Elizabeth Campbell and flautist, Geoffrey Collins.

Collaborative piano in the academy is essential - and undervalued. How can we make things better?

Many have an indifferent, if not dismissive, attitude towards accompanists. Perhaps the problem is due to the word “accompaniment”?

A Case Study of Amy Beach’s Romance for Violin and Piano and Three Browning Songs: Supporting document submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in Music

Christina Boughen (1920-2014) was associated with Brisbane City Council concerts for almost sixty years. In these concerts she performed, accompanied, encouraged young and emerging professional musicians, and ensured Brisbane audiences could hear pleasing repertoire performed to a high standard.

The Collaborative Piano Summer Institute was created to put the spotlight on the needs of the next generation of inspiring collaborative pianists, singers, composers, and instrumentalists.

Damien Mansfield, from the Accompanists' Guild of South Australia, shares his memories of Geoffrey Parsons on 5MBS radio.

Flying the Flag for the Examination Collaborative Pianist

Flying the Flag for the Audition Collaborative Pianist

The graphics for professional gigs presents the instrumental “star” soloist in big bold type while the piano player’s name is much smaller, like an afterthought. Such is the life of the collaborative pianist.

Recent preparations with some musicians for various competitions have led to some heated discussions, and I need to know if I am being a GOM (Grumpy Old Man)

String players and pianists are uniting to end the perception of piano accompanists as lesser musicians. Elana Estrin delves into the field of collaborative piano

In a world where collaborative pianists are still fighting for recognition in press releases, printed programs and critical media reviews, please spare a thought specifically for the pianists who play for choirs.

What is collaborative piano? Singers are well aware of the need for accompanists, but as a pianist, did you know there’s an entire field of study dedicated to the art of accompanying?

En route to west Cork, he talks about his ‘Damascene moment’ and how chamber music is an equaliser

Thanks to a lifetime of harpsichord concert performance, Huguette Brassine knows the logistics required to put these instruments on the stage. Although she is unfazed by hard work, Huguette has nevertheless made a plan for the future: “In my next life, I will play the triangle.”

Good accompanying doesn’t necessarily mean arriving on the same beat as your partner, says pianist Alisdair Hogarth. It’s about listening and sharing – and some last-minute transposing

It was 2019, and she had received the Ena Williams Award for Postgraduate Study Overseas based on her solo piano performance. But Elli wanted to study and play collaboratively, so she enrolled in the Professional Diploma of Piano Accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music. Then the pandemic hit...

The piano in ensemble. The piano in real life.

When I first started working professionally as a collaborative pianist, I became obsessed with the idea of perfect ensemble. Of course, there's much more to interpreting music than just being perfectly in time together, but there was a part of me that just wanted to watch the many notes my musical partners were playing go past and try to catch every one at the perfect moment, like a real-life version of Guitar Hero.

Audrey Axinn and Lydia Brown, both outstanding collaborative pianists and seasoned administrators at Juilliard’s campuses in New York and Tianjin, got together to share how they first became interested in collaborative piano, what it takes to be successful in the field, and more.

Soloist takes her bow, receiving endless admiration, basking in the adulation of her fans. In the meantime, some two meters away, another hardworking artist stands up at the grand piano by himself, only to find his mum and little sister back in the audience waving shyly but enthusiastically to him. He’s The Accompanist...

In 2018 the Royal College of Music (RCM) became the first London conservatoire to rename its Masters in Piano Accompaniment. The new name: ‘Masters in Collaborative Piano’. The driver, to highlight the central role of the pianist in collaborative music making and to give emphasis to the range of skills gained on the course.

In a duo situation, the pianist is invariably considered subservient, an accompanist supporting a soloist. Brieley Cutting begs to differ, suggesting that it could just be the other way around.

We chat with Brisbane-born clarinettist Paul Dean about what he looks for when awarding a “first place” composition, and how he feels about the role of the accompanist.

Over the past 15 years, I have enjoyed the privilege (most of the time) of playing the piano with countless individuals, ensembles, and events around the world, but I struggle with this conversation around identity.

Recently released pre-recorded accompaniments for use in AMEB exams continue to divide opinion.

One of the great challenges in recruiting young, significant pianistic talent into a Collaborative Piano program is that many serious players are not yet contemplating a course that does not focus on solo repertoire.

They get little credit and less pay than the singers they support. So why do accompanists do it?