Professional Piano Pathways Program (PPPP) – 2023
In 2021, SMPAA launched an advanced piano program called Professional Piano Pathways Program (PPPP) with the mission of opening pathways for piano students who are focused and passionate about their studies and are hoping to pursue a career as a concert pianist. Besides, PPPP also accompanies students so that after completing the entire program, each student can firmly become a quality piano teacher, meeting the need for different levels of training.
SMPAA is proud to offer the PPPP as the first such program in Vietnam and to forge this pathway which will allow talented and dedicated young pianists from Vietnam to make their mark on the international concert stage.
ADMISSIONS FOR TERM I.2023
The Professional Piano Pathways Program (PPPP) audition for Term I. 2023 will have the following details:
- Registration deadline: December 3rd, 2022
- Audition date: December 10th – 11th, 2022
- Location: 125 Pasteur, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, HCMC.
How to register: Fill out the application form in this page’s “Application Form” section.
Please refer to “Program”, “Application Requirements”, and “Application Form” for more details.
In 2021, SMPAA launched an advanced piano program called Professional Piano Pathways Program (PPPP) with the mission of opening pathways for piano students who are focused and passionate about their studies and are hoping to pursue a career as a concert pianist. Besides, PPPP also accompanies students so that after completing the entire program, each student can firmly become a quality piano teacher, meeting the need for different levels of training.
The program consists of four levels:
- SMPAA Young Talents for students ages 8 to 11
- SMPAA Young Artists for students ages 12-15
- SMPAA Young Concert Artists for students ages 16 and above)
- SMPAA Piano Pedagogues for students ages 18 years and above.
The total time for a student from the SMPAA Young Talents group to complete the entire program is 20 semesters (6 months per semester). With the open orientation of this program, students can take the entrance exam at different levels depending on their ages and always need to pass the exam at the end of each semester to continue their studies.
The curriculum for the program is based on the requirements of international conservatories and music universities in order that students be prepared to audition for entry into such schools at the end of the program. In addition to piano lessons, the students will take music theory and be part of a regular studio class taught by the PPPP Faculty. A particularly important part of the program is the integration of general knowledge about standard piano repertoire and history as an ongoing part of the curriculum. Students will gain an understanding of how history, culture, and the other arts influenced the music they are learning, which will allow them to fully express the meaning of each piece as well as find ways to bring their own personality into their playing. This is a crucial part of the program as it will make each student a distinctive artist able to perform with the kind of artistic depth that will set them apart from other young pianists.
Another important part of this program will be both the opportunities and the requirement to perform in public on a regular basis. Students at each level will be required to give a public recital in order to develop their performance skills. This program provides an outstanding opportunity for young aspiring pianists who are truly dedicated to developing their skills to prepare for auditions to major conservatories and music universities around the world. This is their pathway to a concert career if they so desire.
SMPAA is proud to offer the PPPP as the first such program in Vietnam and to forge this pathway which will allow talented and dedicated young pianists from Vietnam to make their mark on the international concert stage.
BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM
For PPPP Students who want to pursue the Performing Pathway
- Studio classes that focus on improving performance skills based on the Masterclass model.
- Piano Repertoire and Historical Context class that focuses on the historical context, the piano, and other topics related to the world of Classical music.
- Perform in periodical PPPP concerts and other events.
For PPPP Students who want to pursue the Pedagogy Pathway
- Gain teaching experience during the course of the program.
- Attend intensive piano teacher training courses.
- Observe piano lessons led by piano faculty members.
- Perform in periodical PPPP concerts and other events.
OUTCOMES FOR EACH GROUP LEVELS
SMPAA Young Talents (8 to 11 years old) Term 1 – Term 8 (4 years) outcomes:
- Increased ability to perform professionally in concert.
- Understand varieties of piano works: 2 Part polyphonic works, sonatines, and technical studies.
- Get acquainted with the general knowledge of the auditions.
SMPAA Young Artists (12 to 15 years old) Term 9 – Term 16 (4 years) Outcomes:
- Prepared to perform on the professional concert stage.
- Understand the important forms of piano works: 3 Part polyphonic works, classical sonatas, virtuoso etudes,….
- Be familiar with the professional pathways which lead to becoming a concert pianist.
- Refined audition skills.
SMPAA Future Concert Artists (16 years old and above) Term 17 – Term 20 (2 years) Outcomes:
- Prepared to perform on the professional concert stage.
- Prepared to audition for international music universities/conservatories.
- Prepared to take part in international piano competitions.
- Gained sufficient knowledge about major piano works throughout classical music history, to be able to study a piece of music on their own.
SMPAA Piano Pedagogues (18 years old and above) Term 17 – Term 20 (2 years) Outcomes:
- Demonstrate the ability to create instructional plans for students of various levels and ages.
- Fully equipped to be ready to teach piano lessons in music schools of different scales.
- Gain insights into the history of classical music for piano repertory.
- Improve and perfect piano performance skills.
Mr. Duc-Anh NguyenHead of the Piano Department at SMPAA – Head of the Professional Piano Pathways Program |
Biography
Duc-Anh Nguyen was born into a musical family in Hanoi, Vietnam. He started learning piano at the age of seven at the Vietnam National Academy of music. Since 2013, he has continued his study at Freiburg Music University Germany. Between 2015 – 2017 he completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree with distinction for piano performance under the instruction of Professor Tibor Szász and Professor Éric Le Sage. In recent years, Duc Anh won a prize from the “Hanoi Chopin Association” at the 2nd International Piano Competition in Hanoi in 2012. From then to 2014 he won the second prize (1st prize not awarded) in the “Alkan-Zimmerman International Piano Competition” in Athens, Greece. A year later, Duc Anh received a certificate of merit from the minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam for the above impressive achievements. During this time, he worked in Masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Robert Hill, Denis Pascal, and Bernhard Wulff. Duc Anh was also a guest artist at the Autumn International Festival in Ho Chi Minh City in 2015; the Gina Bachauer Music Festival in Corfu, Greece; and the Long Lake Festival in Lugano, Switzerland. He was invited to perform with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Hanoi Chamber Orchestra, and Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra. At the end of 2017, he was one of the four founders of the first Vietnamese Classical Music Startup named “Maestoso”. Duc-Anh Nguyen is known as one of the leading pianists in his country. As an enthusiastic and passionate musician, Duc-Anh has always desired to perform uncommon but high-quality works by forgotten composers. He was the first person who introduced Charles-Valentin Alkan’s piano works to Vietnamese audiences. He is also honored to be the first Vietnamese Blüthner Artist. Since 2020, he has been working in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as the Head of the Piano Department at Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy. |
Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Tra MyPPPP Teacher |
Biography
Pianist Hazel Nguyen (Nguyen Ngoc Tra My) began her music education at the age of three. After studying at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, she received a full scholarship awarded by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, where she graduated with a First-Class Bachelor Degree in Piano Performance. Following that, she also completed a Master’s degree in piano performance at the Royal Northern College of Music. During these years, Hazel was awarded Worthing Pianist of The Year. At Brighton Springboard Music Festival, she won the Senior Championship and the Senior Concerto Class. As a result, she was invited to perform with Brighton orchestra for two seasons. Her virtuosic recording of Beethoven’s Bagatelle op.33 no.5 was played on BBC Radio 3 and made a signature tune for their program In Tune. In Glasgow, producing the best performance of a Mozart Concerto, she was awarded Jock Holden Memorial Trophy. Hazel won the Rosanne Archibald prize for the most promising musician at Blackburn Music Festival and was also a winner at Glasgow Rising Star competition. Apart from performing worldwide and judging international competitions, she is also one of the youngest examiners in the UK. As a rounded musician, Hazel is a recording artist, a transcriber, an arranger, and a business partner for Musescore UK. In the last four years, Hazel taught at Rossall All-Steinway School in Lancashire as Head of Piano, and at Ripley St Thomas in Lancaster as Subject Leader. Hazel returned to her homeland Vietnam after 12 years of residing in the UK with the desire to collaborate with other artists to contribute to the country’s classical music community and to inspire the pianists of the next generations. |
SMPAA Young Talents
Recommended Age: 8 – 11 years old
GROUP 1A (8 – 9 years old)
Approximately 5-minute performance including at least 2 pieces (one must be a fast piece).
GROUP 1B (10 – 11 years old)
Approximately 6- to 8-minute performance including:
- One 2-part polyphonic work (Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, Bach Little Preludes, 2 Part Inventions BWV 772-786,…
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a sonatine.
- One technical piece (etudes, studies,…).
- Remaining time: free choice (Classical piece).
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 1).
SMPAA Young Artists
Recommended Age: 12 – 15 years old
GROUP 2A (12 – 13 years old)
Approximately 8- to 10-minute performance including:
- One 2- or 3-part polyphonic work (from Bach 2-part Inventions BWV 772-786, Sinfonia BWV 787-801, a piece from Bach French/English Suites BWV 806-817, Scarlatti Sonatas, …)
- 1 etude by Czerny Op. 299 or etude at the same level of difficulty or higher.
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a sonatine or sonata.
- Remaining time: free choice (Classical or Romantic piece).
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 3).
GROUP 2B (14 – 15 years old)
Approximately 12- to 15-minute performance including:
- One 3-part polyphonic work (from Bach Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846-893 in 3-parts, Sinfonia BWV 787-801, a piece from Bach French/English Suites BWV 806-817, Scarlatti Sonatas, …).
- One etude by Czerny Op. 740, Moskowski Op. 72, Burgmüller Op. 109 or etude at the same level of difficulty or higher.
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a classical sonata.
- Remaining time: free choice (Classical or Romantic piece).
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 4).
SMPAA Future Concert Artists
GROUP 3 (16 years old and above)
Approximately 15- to 20-minute performance including:
- One 3- or 4-part polyphonic work (from Bach Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846-893 in 3- or 4-parts, Toccatas BWV 910-916, a piece from a Bach Partita BWV 825-830, Scarlatti Sonatas, …).
- One virtuoso work (etudes by Chopin, Liszt, Alkan, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, etc …; Toccatas by Schumann, Prokofiev, …).
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a Classical piano sonata.
- Remaining time: free choice.
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 5).
SMPAA Piano Pedagogues
GROUP 4 (18 years old and above)
Approximately 15 to 18-minute performance including:
- One 3-part polyphonic work (from Bach Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846-893 in 3-parts, Sinfonia BWV 787-801, a piece from Bach French/English Suites BWV 806-817, Scarlatti Sonatas, …)
- One etude by Czerny Op. 740, Moskowski Op. 72, Burgmüller Op. 109 or etude at the same level of difficulty or higher.
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a classical sonata.
- Remaining time: free choice (Classical or Romantic piece).
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 5).
NGUYEN BAO NGHI ANH (2021 – present)
- Second Prize Category B Professional Class & Audience Prize in “6th Steinway Youth Piano Competition Vietnam 2022” – July 2022
- Second Prize Category B in “Young Verona International Piano Competition” – October 2021
- Bronze Prize – Category Rising Star III in “Joyeux Music International Piano Festivals and Competitions 2021” – September 2021
LE HOANG DANG DUY (2021 – present)
- Excellence Award Category C Professional Class in “6th Steinway Youth Piano Competition Vietnam 2022” – July 2022
- Full scholarship for Curtis Mentor Network Summer Session II by Curtis Institute of Music – August 2021
- Special Mention Category C in “Young Euregio Piano Award International Piano Competition” – August 2021
- Second Prize Group A – Bach/Scarlatti in “Champion’s Keyboard International Piano Competition” – July 2021
- Honorary Mention Category II in “Concurs International de Piano – Chopin Session Felanitx 2021” – July 2021
DANG BA MINH QUAN (2021 – present)
- Second Prize Category A in “Young Verona International Piano Competition” – October 2021
- 1st Prize Category A in “Great Masters Piano Competition – Vladimir Horowitz Edition” – July 2021
Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy (SMPAA)
Address: 125 Pasteur, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, HCMC
Tel: (028) 7 101 7778
Email: admissions@smpaa.edu.vn
