Multi-Piano Festival

What a fun new venture for our students to explore - the JOY of ensemble playing. The Multi-Piano Festival is an exciting piano ensemble concert, performed on 4-6 grand pianos simultaneously, featuring as many as 12 students playing a piece in unison led by a conductor. It is truly an amazing opportunity for students, and one of the only festivals of its kind in the entire state. The concert includes LOTS of fun and exciting repertoire, and a special teacher feature! Students must audition to participate in this event, so plan ahead!

Open to students studying piano.

Event Details

Event Date | 3pm on October 10, 2026

Auditions | TBA

Registration Deadline | TBA

Rehearsal #1 | TBA

Rehearsal #2 | TBA

Dress Rehearsal | TBA

Location | Trinity Lutheran Church, Vancouver

Upload Audition "unlisted" video to YouTube and email to Event Chair. Register students online. Pay online after you submit your registration (up to 5 students at a time), or mail a check made payable to MTACC to the Festival Chair within one week with registration fees.

REPERTOIRE + VIDEOS

Festival Chairs

Have questions about the Multi-Piano Festival? We have answers!

Brenda Staub

Multi-Piano Festival Chair

Debbie Lee

Multi-Piano Festival Chair

Multi-Piano Festival!

"Want young people to work together? Put them in a music ensemble. Want them to listen to each other? Put them in a music ensemble. Want them to learn the importance of personal responsibility? Put them in a music ensemble. Want them to connect? Put them in a music ensemble." ~ Vaughan Fleischfresser

Six pianos on stage with different ensemble groupings of students and a special teacher feature! What are the skills that this festival can teach our students?

Playing with a Metronome

For some students, this is intuitive, but it takes practice and can often be VERY difficult. Students who audition for this event will be required to demonstrate their ability to play with a metronome.

Page Turning

This skill may seem intuitive, but we pianists who play collaboratively know how hard it is to device exactly where to choose which hand to leave on the keyboard so we miss the fewest notes!

Sight Reading + Technique

In solo playing, we focus on mastering just one way of playing. In ensemble playing, this is not an option. Strong sight-reading skills make us more adaptable. Adaptability is essential and the foundation of a strong technique.

Continuity

Pianists usually practice and perform alone, so students will learn the ability to keep going, no matter what! Students will practice with recordings, live with their piano partner, and finally with other pianists and a conductor. All this focused practice adds "continuity" to the vocabulary of musical skills.

Responsibility to Others

Unlike private lessons where unpreparedness is more easily forgiven, it is not acceptable to cop out on your partner once you've committed to learning a duet. Peer pressure, in the best sense, can be a powerful incentive to completing a piece.

Following an External Tempo

Playing in an ensemble means careful listening and observing the conductor, while simultaneously watching the music and your hands! There is a lot going on in ensemble playing - multi-tasking at its best!

Festival Guidlines

Festival Guidelines

Teachers registering students will be expected to assist with the event
Concert ticket suggested donation for all non-participants: $15 each. Participating students receive one free ticket

Rehearsal Guidelines + Schedule

Specific audition times and rehearsal schedules will be organized in October following registration and auditions. Students are required to be present at all rehearsals.
Teacher's deadline for registration forms, audition videos, and fees: TBA

Repertoire Guidelines

Studio most own a copy of the original score and teachers may photocopy for their own students
Purchased digital downloaded sheet music must be contained in a black binder (no loose sheets) or on a digital device
It is expected that students have practiced with the practice recordings, found here. These recordings are provided for your benefit to play along with the recordings. This will help you know exactly what the other part(s) sound like, and should make our rehearsals easier for ALL!
Make any needed corrections to pieces as indicated on repertoire notes
Students are required to attend ALL scheduled rehearsals

Student Fees

Registration Fee: $30 ($32.61 w/ sales tax), including adult participants ($50 non-MTACC member price)
Please mail checks made payable to MTACC to the Treasurer within one week of registration

Auditions

Auditions will be performed individually with a conductor. Playing with a partner is optional.
All students should be prepared to play their pieces with the metronome (see the Repertoire list for the tempo markings and check for updates) and should also know their music well enough that they can keep an eye on the conductor. This is especially important at the beginning of the piece and at cadences or changes of tempo.
It is a privilege to be chosen to play in this event. Every attempt will be made to accept as many students as possible, but if there are too many students for a specific piece, they might not be able to perform all of the pieces they audition form - even if they are very good.
Audition results will be available to teachers by October 20th.
Adult students are welcome to participate.
Judges' audition decisions are final and cannot be changed.

Audition Criteria to be Selected

Accuracy of notes
Consistency of tempo
Dynamics
Ability to follow conductor's directions
Ability to play accurately with the metronome