The Invigorated Pianist with Dr. Michael Low – grade 8+
Invigorate your piano playing and take ownership of your music with this new course, developed by Dr. Michael Low!
This course focuses on the technical and musical foundations that underpin effective piano playing. Through a combination of workshops, performance classes, and individual feedback, it addresses common inefficiencies in practice and technique, and challenges widely held assumptions about how pianists develop.
In particular, the course examines the relationship between physical approach, sound production, and musical intention. Participants will work on developing greater clarity and efficiency at the instrument, alongside a more informed and independent approach to interpretation.
A central aim of the course is to enable pianists to take greater ownership of their playing: to understand not only what to do, but why, and to develop the ability to identify and resolve technical and musical problems independently.
In doing so, we hope to encourage and inspire participants to:
- develop a clearer and more efficient technical approach at the instrument
- identify and resolve persistent technical issues in a structured and reliable way
- approach repertoire with greater control, understanding, and confidence
- strengthen the connection between sound, movement, and musical intention
- develop greater independence in practice and interpretation
The Invigorated Pianist will have a slightly different format to the usual Finchcocks one.
Mornings will begin with the established interactive workshop but, in order to offer guests a longer allocation in the open, performance class sessions, slots will be doubled to at least 45 minutes per pianist – in lieu of one-to-one lessons. Should guests prefer a closed, one-to-one lesson instead, this can be arranged, given notice.
Workshops will include:
- Taking inspiration from the great pianists. What they can teach us and how we can put these ideas into practice in our own playing OR Taking Ownership of Your Music
- Misreading the score: some musical examples as to how all of us, including some of the greatest musicians of all times, have ‘misread’ the musical score (Introduce Roberto Poti’s book, The Secret Life of Musical Notation): Beethoven’s Fur Else, opening motif of the 5th Symphony, possibly the opening of the middle section of Chopin’s B minor Scherzo.
And on the Saturday evening, Michael and Fran will discuss and challenge the conventional idea of musical rubato with a recital-talk on Brahms Intermezzo in A Major Opus 118 No. 2; Saint-Saens/Bizet: First movement of Piano Concerto in G minor Opus 22; Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor Opus 5, Liszt Benediction of God in Solitude.
In between the workshop and performance class sessions there will be time for private practice on one of our beautiful grand pianos.
Guests will:
- Have the chance to play in and observe extended (45min+ per player) performance masterclasses.
- 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.)
- Experience a private accompanied recital-talk for course participants in the main hall of the family home, performed by Michael.
- 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.
Praised for his innovative approach and passionate insight into piano playing, Dr. Michael Low’s teaching career in Asia and Africa has spanned almost a quarter of a century. As a student, Michael studied piano with Richard Frostick (the current director of the BBC World Voice Programme) before enrolling as a member of London’s prestigious Centre For Young Musician where he studied piano with the international pedagogue Graham Fitch. He obtained his Honours at Surrey University under the tutelage of Clive Williamson before completing his Masters of Music whilst studying with Nils Franke and Niel Immelman.
An International Scholarship brought Michael to Cape Town where he completed his Doctorate under the supervision of South African greatest living composer, Hendrik Hofmeyr. Michael has also worked with numerous eminent teachers and pianists including, Nina Svetlanova, Frank Heneghan, James Gibb, Phillip Fowke, Renna Kellaway, Carolina Oltsmann, Florian Uhlig, Gordon Fergus Thompson, Francois du Toit and Helena van Heerden.