Introduction
Studying piano and keyboard instruments at Trinity Laban, you will acquire not just technical mastery over the music you play, but also the ability to continually interpret it afresh.
We will help you break out of old patterns and equip you with tools with which to realise your artistic ambitions, as you learn to decipher the originality and daring at the heart of the great masterpieces and the music of today.
Teaching
Our programmes bring together the rigour of professional technical training with an emphasis on creative exploration. Under the guidance of our internationally renowned teachers, you will develop your technique, your confidence and discover your unique voice as a performing artist.
Alongside a generous allocation of individual Principal Study, Principal Study Enhancement and group classes, you will receive regular tutorial, repertoire and performance seminars and be encouraged to explore other keyboard instruments. In addition to the canon, we also ensure you are exposed to the many radical currents taking place in contemporary music, through collaboration with composition students, staff and visiting artists.
In our extensive series of masterclasses we invite renowned visiting artists to bring the richness of their wide experience to your door. Recent visitors include Andrei Gavrilov, Malcolm Martineau and Boris Petrushansky, as well as more frequent opportunities to play before our Artists in Residence Rolf Hind and Pascal Rogé.
Performance
Performance is at the core of the Keyboard Department’s philosophy, with an abundance of solo and chamber opportunities available, affording you the chance to explore varied styles and repertoire. You will have regular opportunities to perform in our weekly recital series in the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, St Alfege Church and at Blackheath Halls. Our pianists often gain places in prestigious external competitions and concert series, and receive key opportunities to play in professional venues across London, including St James’s Church Piccadilly, Steinway Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall.
The Department promotes several concert series each year, in which all our students are encouraged to take part. Examples of recent concert series include:
- Schumann Series: a set of ten concerts exploring Schumann’s solo, chamber works and Lieder
- Conversation Series: an examination of how composers respond to other composers across time
- Music & Art: a series of concerts exploring the relationship between music, colour, paintings and visual artists
A plethora of chamber music opportunities are built into the curriculum. These range from playing in duos to working with trios, quartets and quintets; from work with singers to any other combination of instruments you can think of!
Our new annual undergraduate keyboard festival will provide a platform to perform in front of your contemporaries. It will be recorded, and you will receive immediate feedback, to help inform your progression and develop your confidence as a performer.