The Nordic Piano Academy

The Nordic Piano Academy organises an annual master class for young pianists in connection with the Mänttä Music Festival. It brings together talented pianists of school and high school age from all the Nordic countries.

When a pianist enters the concert stage, he or she has a huge amount of hard work behind them. Learning a piece and finding one's own interpretation is a long and multi-stage process. The Nordic Piano Academy provides an inspiring environment for new musical influences and perspectives.

The unique spirit of the Masterclass is created both by the Mänttä Music Festival's high quality concert series and by the artistic community of students, teachers and performers at the Music Festival.

The public has free access to the student and teacher concerts and to the lessons.

The Master Class is organised in collaboration with the Young Piano Academy. The Young Piano Academy is a coaching group for talented young pianists, founded in 2013. It aims to create an inspiring and supportive environment where promising young pianists can learn from the Masterclass teachers and from each other.

Master class and final concert in the summer of 2024

The next Nordic Piano Academy's master class will take place from 26 July to 1 August 2024. The teachers for the master class are professors Ivari Ilja (Estonia), Patrick Jovell (Sweden), Marina Pliassova (Norway) and Niklas Pokki (Finland).

The artist Tamara Stefanovich, who will perform at the opening concert of the Mänttä Music Festival on 30 July, will also hold a master class for a selected group of students at the Koskela School Centre on Wednesday 31 July from 9.00-11.15.

Students invited to the master class will be awarded scholarships to cover the course fees.

Festival Head Start concert on 30 July

Festival Head Start (Varaslähtö) is the final concert of the Nordic Piano Academy's master class and, as the name suggests, a traditional head start to the Mänttä Music Festival week. The concert, which is free to the public, will take place at Mänttä Club on Tuesday 30 July 2024 at 3.30 PM.