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You are an amateur pianist, aiming to improve your solo practice with an internationally respected expert:

Graham Fitch is recognised worldwide for his brilliant career as a pianist and his outstanding teaching.

It is a great honour and pleasure to welcome him back in Blonay.

Do you like duets ?

Silvia Fraser and Jennifer Maslin

will be more than happy to unveil the secrets of piano accompaniment.

Fanny Gsteiger

will help you release the tension while playing and improve your posture and coordination.

Graham Fitch, piano

Based in London, Graham Fitch maintains an international career not only as a pianist, but also as a teacher, adjudicator and writer. His workshops and classes, which he gives all over the world, have received high praise for their creative and illuminating approach to the subject. First Prizewinner in the Mieczyslaw Munz Piano Competition, he graduated with honours from the Royal College of Music in London as a Hopkinson Gold Medallist. His teachers at the RCM included Stephen Savage, Peter Wallfisch and Roger Vignoles. A Fullbright Scholarship then took him to the United States, where he completed his studies with Ann Schein and Nina Svetlanova, as well as participating in weekly classes with Leon Fleisher.

During much of the 1990s, Graham Fitch's career straddled the Atlantic with solo and chamber performances in England (where he taught piano at the Purcell School, St. Paul's Girls' School, and the Centre for Young Musicians), in Europe and North America. The New York Times spoke of his playing as "unalloyed pleasure". In the UK, he was a recitalist at the Bournemouth Festival, and appeared in repeated engagements with the London Chamber Soloists on London's South Bank. US activities included concerts with his trio, the Trio dell'Arte, various solo appearances, (including a performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations in Merkin Hall during the 250th anniversary of the composer's death) and a performance of Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with Jonathan Haas.

From 1997 to 2008, Graham Fitch was Head of Keyboard at the South African College of Music, University of Cape Town, from where he travelled to Australia, New Zealand and the USA to perform and teach. Graham gave recitals, masterclasses and keynote addresses at four successive Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conferences across Australia from 1999 to 2005. He was in residence at the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2006, giving a masterclass, directing a performance class and teaching the Head of Piano's studio.

Graham is a principal tutor for the Piano Teachers' Course UK, Britain's flagship training programme for piano teachers. He is also a tutor at the Summer School for Pianists in Stowe, and gives regular workshops for pianists and teachers in London and Finchcocks. Graham is a regular contributor to Pianist Magazine, with articles on technique, style, practising and performance as well as producing an ongoing series of video demonstrations on YouTube. Graham was commissioned by Trinity College London to write the teaching notes for a series of graded piano pieces, Raise the Bar, as well as for advanced grades for the new syllabus. He is also doing some consulting work for the ABRSM on new syllabus for advanced grades.

Graham teaches privately in South West London, and counts among his students professional pianists, piano teachers, adult amateurs as well as youngsters. Schedule permitting, Graham's philosophy is to be available to anyone who wishes to study with him who is serious about developing their piano playing.

Silvia Fraser, piano accompanying

Born in Vancouver, Silvia Fraser complete her B Mus in Piano Performance under Prof Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music and her Masters of Music in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of music, studying with Dr Jean Barr. She subsequently completed two years as Junior Fellow at the Royal College of Music, for which she was awarded a prestigious Wingate Scholarship- She studied there with John Blakely and at the Fondation Royaumont with Ruben Lifschitz.

Silvia Fraser has appeard in concert with Renaud Capuçon, Françoise Pollet, Sergiu Schwartz, Christian Immler, Paul Marleynand, Guy Johnston, in places such as London'sWigmore Hall, Royal Festival Halland Purcell Room, Paris's Salon des Invalides, Switzerland's Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, the Risor and Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Aubonne Classeek, Victoria Halland New York's Frick Collection. She was recently nominated Professor od instrumental accompanying at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne (HEMU). She worked closely with Pierre Amoyal for two years as class pianist and coach at the HEMU, continuing this position now with Svetlana Makarova and Renaud Capuçon.

Currently living in Switzerland, she performs with artists such as Sergiu Schwartz, Diana Pasko, Alexandra Conunova and Stéphanie Gurga. Silvia is alos vocal coach with Nouvel Opéra Fribourg, specialising in contemporary opera, including Gerald Barry's The Importance of Being Earnest and Thomas Adès's Powder Her Face. Her first experience with them, jumping in the last minute as a two-piano team with Stephanie Gurga for five concerts in Paris, was awarded top five best New Operas of 2018 by Le Monde.

Together with Christian Immler, her baritone-turned-husband, she has performed in Vienna and New York, the last hailed by the New York Times as "A Harmonious Conversation between a Baritone and a Pianist". They have recently released a CD on BR Klassik with Danny Driver and Anna Stephany featuring Leonard Bernstein.

Her performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio-3, including In Tune and Voices, CBC Radio Vancouver, BBC Television and the Swiss Espace 2. She was featured twice in their series Nomade, which focused on the approach which she has developed in coaching string instruments as well as a separate programme with mezzo-soprano Marie-Claude Chappuis, with whom she frequently collaborates. She has often been a part of their Masters on broadcast.

Winning first prize for best pianist in a competition she did not even know she had entered was a pleasant surprise: The Concours d'Interprétation Musicale de Lausanne awarded her this honour in 2022. Laureate of the 1st International Swedisch Duo Competition with cellist Katharine Wood, Silvia has long been interested in the duo repertoire and was founder and co-artistic director of Rencontres Musicales Lémaniques with violonist Yuuki Wong. Always interested in chamber music, she has coached at Lausanne Conservatoire and for the University Association of Chamber Music at the Paul Hindemith Centre in Blonay.

Her experience of playing for masterclasses is extensive. She has had the great honour and pleasure over the years of being the official pianist for three -day masterclasses with Ivry Gitlis, Gilles Apap, Pavel Vernikov, Shmuel Ashkenazi, Jean-Jacques Kantarow, Patrice Fontanorosa, Régis Pasquier, György Pauk, Véronique Gens, Donald Weilerstein, as well as participating with Christa Ludwig, Thomas Hampson, Yo-Yo Ma, Zara Nelsova, Tsuyoshi Tsustumi, Natalya Gutman, Anner Bylsma, Samuel Sanders, Gaelyne Gabora, Sarah Walker, Warren Jones, Malcom Bilson, Barry Tuckwell, Michael Collins, Cho-Liang Lin and Steven Doane.

Jennifer Maslin, singer and violinist

Jennifer is an extremely versatile singer and violinist. After graduating with a first-class honour degree from Southampton University in 2005 (with an Erasmus year spent at Hamburg University) and a PGCE in 2006, she has forged a successful freelance career as both performer and teacher.
Jennifer's violin playing has taken her all over the world – on a tour of China with Kent Sinfonia, across the Northern United States with the Paul Dunton Orchestra and to Germany, Spain and Italy. Vocal highlights have been singing on HMS President overlooking the Shard, at the Roman Baths in Bath, the Pheasantry, Chelsea, for Radisson Blu and Champneys, as well providing choral evensong with various choirs at cathedrals across the UK.
Her active performing schedule currently includes choral singing at Eton College, with the King Charles Singers, as well as multiple jazz residencies across the South East of England (www.jennifermaslin.co.uk). She also works as a session violinist and singer, with clients including Andy Bell (Erasure), Wojtek Godzisz(Symposium), Billy Jupp and the Standard Lamps.
Jennifer has a Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy with Kerrie Obert (VoiceStudy Centre), Estill Certificate of Figures Proficiency (CFP) in Voice Training and is currently studying for a Master's in Voice Pedagogy. She teaches singing at Sevenoaks School, Beechwood School, withwww.singjazzinternational.com– as well as having a popular private practice in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Alongside this, Jennifer is Programme Director at Finchcocks in Goudhurst, Kent which offers inspirational, luxury residential piano courses for adults https://www.finchcocks.com/Jennifer will provide voice or violin for pianists to practise their accompanying skills with Silvia, or a singing lesson upon request.

Fanny Gsteiger, Alexander technique

Fanny Gsteiger discovered the Technique during her singing studies at the Conservatoire of Music in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and graduated as a techer of the technique in Geneva in 1990.

The Alexander Technique, named after its creator Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869 - 1955), is an educational process that was created to re-train habitual patterns of movement and posture. Alexander believed that poor habits ins posture and movement damaged spatial self-awareness as well as health, and that movement efficiency could support overall physical well-being. Many actors, dancers and musicians use the Alexander technique to improve their body posture and artistic development.

Fanny maintains a full-tim private practice and works under the auspices of the Conservatory of Music in Lausanne. She participates to numerous international congresses and professional courses mainly in London. Fanny will give private sessions on the technique in Blonay (pre-reservations required).

         MORE INFORMATION

Booking

• Booking includes teaching fees, food and accommodation in the Music Center (see Application form).
• Piano private lessons and Alexander technique lessons are not included (see Application form, pre-reservations required).
• Places are limited. Bookings will be allocated on a first come-first serve basis.
• The course begins at 12:00 on September 3, and will end by 12:00 on Sepember 6.
• Participants organise their own travel arrangements.
• Courses are given in English.

Due to the limited number of rooms at the Centre, bedrooms will be allocated on a first come–first serve basis according to availability. We can help people not interested to stay at the Centre to obtain special rates in a hotel within walking distance from the Centre. Participants are free to make their own reservations directly with other hotels, though no transportation will be organised.

Address

Centre de musique Hindemith

 Chemin Lacuez 3

1807 Blonay 

Tel. 0041 (0) 21 943 05 20

Informations and administration

Véronique Moret

Crêt-Mouton 36

1091 Grandvaux Switzerland

Email : masterclassvm@bluewin.ch or, vmoret4@gmail.com

Tel. 0041 (0) 79 213 69 77.

Bank account: Postfinance, Mingerstrasse 20, 3030 Berne, Suisse. IBAN CH49 0900 0000 1519 4064 6; BIC POFICHBEXXX.

Access

By plane: the nearest airport is Geneva Airport, at around 80 km from Blonay, with direct rail connection to Vevey.

By train: from all directions, change in Vevey and take the rack-railway Vevey-Blonay-Les Pléiades to the station “Château de Blonay”. Walk down the main road (5-min walk). At the signpost “Fondation Hindemith”, turn left on the Chemin Lacuez. The entrance to the Centre is on the left side.

By car: exit the motorway A1 at Vevey. Follow the indications Blonay / St-Légier. Drive through the city of St-Légier. Turn left after the 1st railway crossing. Follow the sign “Fondation Hindemith”. The entrance of the Centre is about 30 m to the left, with a large complimentary carpark.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do my pieces have to be at a good standard or can I bring pieces that are “in progress”? Participants usually find that they get the maximum benefit in class and the most out of the course from playing pieces which are securely “under the fingers” and at a good standard.

2. What are the performance opportunities? There will be opportunities to play your pieces in front of all participants in the grand Salon Hindemith after dinner (mini-recitals).

3. Do I have to attend all sessions that are scheduled in the timetable? You are free to choose and observe sessions that are of interest to you. You may prefer to practice on one of the six pianos at the disposition of the group or take a walk in the surrounding area.

4. What are the conditions in case of special diet or other medical conditions? Please contact Véronique Moret by email for any special need.

5. More information is available on the following websites: http://www.hindemith.info/fr/centre/;http://www.grahamfitch.com/; https://practisingthepiano.com/;https://www.techniquealexander.ch/fanny-gsteiger.

Contact