Top Young Classical Pianists Gather for Pianofest in the Hamptons

Musicians can form great bonds with each other, especially those who play the same instrument. And for 22 young classical pianists, they have the opportunity to grow new bonds at Pianofest in the Hamptons this summer.

Pianofest in the Hamptons is a long-running summer festival-school where some of the best and brightest young classical piano talents gather to live, work and perform together on the East End in June and July, sharing their talents with each other and the community.

Pianofest was founded in 1988 by Paul Schenly, a classical pianist who is the artistic director of the Cleveland International Piano Competition and artist-in-residence at the Cleveland Institute of Music. With Pianofest, he wanted to give young musicians an opportunity to support each other in a noncompetitive setting, as the world of classical piano can be very competitive, yet also isolating.

“Being a pianist is such a solitary life,” said Schenly. “We don’t belong to an orchestra usually and a lot of our attention is [spent] preparing for competitions. And so what I wanted to do was something that sets it apart from that kind of life and create a community based on mutual support and noncompetitiveness.”

At the heart of the program is a big house on Pantigo Road in East Hampton where the students rehearse. Though they don’t actually live in the house, they spend most of their time there, taking lessons and practicing on the 11 grand pianos located throughout its many rooms. Students are also allowed to attend each other’s lessons.

But the house is not just a place of rehearsal; it’s one of bonding. One of the main ways the students bond is by cooking their own meals in the house’s kitchen, which also features a piano. The students alternate who’s in charge of cooking and they all help each other with this, which Schenly said is how the students bond with each other and adds to the community aspect of the program.

“It’s a community of pianists and they all share the responsibilities with maintaining the house, cooking and all the dynamics of living, which is part of the bonding experience,” said Schenly.

For the students, it’s an experience that’s different from any others they’ve had in their musical careers, but one that they have appreciated.

“It’s just such a unique experience,” said Clayton Stephenson, one of this year’s participants who is pursuing a master’s degree in piano performance and a bachelor’s degree in economics through the Harvard-New England Conservatory dual enrollment program. “I think it reflects [Schenly’s] philosophy of music and life. You see the pianos in all parts of the house and how it connects to all parts of life.”

The students arrive at the house at 8 a.m. and are usually there till around 11 p.m. Though the days are long, the students get to spend a lot of time with each other and bond.

“We’re constantly together all the time, which is great,” said Jair Zacarias, one of this year’s participants who is pursuing a Master of Music in piano performance at Indiana University . “You get to know a lot of people and spend a lot of time together.”

What also makes Pianofest unique from other programs is how diverse the program is in a variety of ways. The students come from a variety of different music programs, including the New England Conservatory, the Juilliard School and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. The students are also of different ages, ranging from high schoolers in preconservatory programs to undergraduate students to students working on their doctorate degrees.

Schenly also added that when reviewing applicants, he’s always interested in finding students with other interests outside of music as a way for the students to connect more.

As part of the program, the students perform weekly concerts across the East End, sometimes performing multiple shows in a week. This year’s concerts have been held at the Southampton Cultural Center’s Levitas Center for the Arts, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton and the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. These venues allow the students to perform in intimate settings, which helps them to connect with the audience more than they usually would.

“[Playing in a smaller setting] was different for sure,” said Zacarias. “The people were so close to us and the acoustics were really nice, so I feel like we could connect here a lot with the audience.”

The concerts feature a variety of different classical composers, including Beethoven, Chopin and Tchaikovsky. The pieces that the students perform range from tender ballads to multi-part suites.

The students have plenty of autonomy when it comes to selecting what they will be performing. Since the students are only in the program for a short time, many of the pieces they play are pieces that they are working on for other performances or something that is already in their repertoire that they know how to play. Many of the pieces are performed solo, but Schenly said that the students perform some pieces that require multiple pianists.

The concerts provide an opportunity for local residents to hear a range of classical music in an up-close and personal setting from young performers that they wouldn’t hear anywhere else on the East End. They can directly see the passion and the energy that the pianists put into their performances, which is what Schenly said that he hopes the audience sees.

“It’s hard for me to know how it comes off to the audience, but what I hope for is that they share [the students’] idealism and optimism and draw out the best feelings through the music in the audience,” said Schenly.

Though students are only with Pianofest for a few weeks, Schenly expressed that he’s been able to make lifelong connections through the program.

“It’s like a perpetual fountain of youth for me,” he said. “I’ve bonded and become very close friends, almost family, with so many generations of students now.”

Schenly also said that he’s grateful for Pianofest’s board of trustees for their “strong support” of the program over the 36 years it has been running.

Remaining Pianofest concerts are on Monday evenings at 5 p.m. from July 15 to 29 at Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane, Southampton. On Thursday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. there will be a Pianofest concert at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 18 James Lane, East Hampton. For more information, visit pianofest.com.