The Bard College Conservatory's Collaborative Piano Fellowship Will Be Accepting Three Pianists in 2023

Erika Switzer, Director
of the Postgraduate
Collaborative Piano Fellowship

Katie Rossiter sends along the following information regarding Bard Conservatory's collaborative piano fellowship:

The Bard College Conservatory is seeking applicants for three fellowship positions in the Postgraduate Collaborative Piano Fellowship, a two-year fellowship program designed to give professional experience to pianists who have a strong interest in becoming collaborative artists, with the ultimate aim of easing the transition between school and the working world of a collaborative pianist. Directed by collaborative pianist Erika Switzer, the fellowship is open to students who have already completed a degree in collaborative piano as well as those who have completed a master’s degree in piano performance and have a strong interest in further study in collaborative piano. This fellowship program is tuition-free, and all fellows receive a $28,000 annual stipend for living expenses, as well as access to Bard's Student Health Services. Application and audition information may be found here.

The Postgraduate Collaborative Piano Fellowship allows fellows to expand their knowledge of the core collaborative piano repertoire; to gain experience in playing for high-level undergraduate and graduate students under the mentorship of master musicians; and to deepen their musical understanding through the guidance of the distinguished faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, including artists such as mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, violinist Gil Shaham, and composer Joan Tower. 

Fellows are responsible for playing for studio lessons, master classes, rehearsals, auditions, and performances for the instrumental and vocal students of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and the Graduate Vocal Arts Program. In this capacity, they play for and are coached by the faculty and guest artists of the Conservatory. In the past, piano fellows have performed at Bard Fisher Center, National Sawdust and the Morgan Library in New York City, the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and throughout the Hudson Valley. They have also had the opportunity to play for guest artists such as Renée Fleming, Pierre Vallet, and Margo Garrett. Fellows may also teach, on a limited basis, some secondary piano lessons to undergraduate instrumentalists, under the supervision of the program director, Erika Switzer. Learn about the current fellows on the Bard Conservatory website. 

Questions? Please contact the Bard Conservatory Admissions staff at conservatoryadmission [at] bard.edu. 

The deadline for the program is December 1. Application information can be found here.