Award-Winning Pianist Gerardo Teissonnière To Lead CIM's Young Artist Piano Seminar In July

CIM will again hold its acclaimed Young Artist Piano Seminar, July 6-12. The program also will be led again by pianist Gerardo Teissonnière (BM ’85, MM ’89, Vronsky), a distinguished member of the faculty and winner of the 2025 Governor’s Award for the Arts in the Individual Artist category. 

“It will be my great pleasure to once again lead the Young Artist Piano Seminar,” said Teissonnière, the program’s artistic director. 

“I continue to receive letters from program alumni, expressing gratitude for how much they learned last year, and we have even greater things planned for this summer.” 

Launched in 2024, the Young Artist Piano Seminar (YAPS) is an intensive, one-week program designed to inspire and challenge advanced pianists ages 10 to 18. Working closely with CIM’s world-class faculty, young artists from all over the world refine their performances and deepen their musical and technical skills with daily lessons, masterclasses, Dalcroze eurhythmics, piano literature classes, a concerto competition, and a final concert on July 12.  

Overseeing the program will be Teissonnière, an esteemed member of the CIM faculty in both the Conservatory and the Academy and a heralded performer with credits including collaborations with members of The Cleveland Orchestra and appearances at Lincoln Center and major venues across the world. His students have performed with The Cleveland Orchestra and performed at Carnegie Hall. 

Teissonnière’s recent recordings of major works by Beethoven and Schubert have received critical praise and award nominations, and in January, he was named a recipient of the 2025 Governor’s Award for the Arts in the Individual Artist category. 

In addition to Teissonnière, participants will train with new CIM faculty member Daria Rabotkina, Director of Academy Piano Studies, and guest artist Nicolas Namoradze, faculty assistant to pianists Veda Kaplinsky and Emanuel Ax at The Juilliard School and winner of the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition. 

“Nicolas is one of today’s outstanding world-class pianists, and Daria’s enormous and serious talent for nurturing young pianists will make this year’s program one to remember,” Teissonnière said. 

Applications to the Young Artist Piano Seminar, available at cim.edu/yaps, are open now. Admission decisions for priority applicants will be sent by March 1.

In addition to the application form, all candidates must submit links to two unedited, newly recorded video performances of contrasting works from the standard classical piano literature. A detailed curriculum vitae and letter of recommendation from a current teacher are also required of each applicant. 

Applicants interested in the competition must also submit a recording of their performance of one movement from a concerto with orchestra or second piano. Audition recordings must be submitted by Feb. 15. 

Tuition for the program is $1,250. Housing is $490 and dining is $300. Local applicants may waive the housing fee but not the dining fee. All travel expenses are the responsibility of the participant.