2026 Bay PianoFest

Celebrating 6th Anniversary

08/03 - 08/13, 2026

The Bay PianoFest is a 11-days piano festival held at the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music, CA 

Program Highlights:

  • Over 14 World Artists 
  • Private Lessons
  • Daily Masterclasses
  • Artists Faculty Concert
  • Professional Media Package
  • Special Topic Lectures
  • Faculty Workshops
  • Piano Performance Forum
  • Young Artist Series
  • Exclusive Access by attending the 2026 San Francisco International Piano Competition
Apply by March 15th
2025 Program Booklet

  • Early Bird Deadline: March 1st, 2026 ($100)

    Final Deadline: March 15th, 2025 ($130)

    Applications will be received for admission results by March 25th, approximately two weeks after the application deadline. All admission results are sent to your email address as listed on the application form.

    Application Fee is Non-refundable 

  • Yoshikazu Nagai – San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Artistic Director) 

    Boris Berman – Yale University School of Music 

    Kathryn Brown – Cleveland Institute of Music

    HieYon Choi  – Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University 

    Alan Chow – The Eastman School of Music 

    Alvin Chow – Oberlin College and Conservatory 

    Enrico Elisi — Texas Christian University

    Douglas Humpherys – Eastman School of Music 

    Alexander Korsantia – New England Conservatory of Music/Yale University

    Jerome Lowenthal – The Juilliard School 

    Sharon Mann – San Francisco Conservatory of Music 

    Rebecca Penneys – Eastman School of Music (Emerita)

    Boris Slutsky – Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University /Yale University

    Artists Faculty Bio Detail, click here.

  • Two contrasting repertoire

    • One movement from a classical sonata (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert)

    • One Free Choice of the repertoire (Baroque, Romantic, or Contemporary)

    You may submit selection(s) from multi-movement works

    Total time: 10-20 minutes

    Audition Recording should be submitted via YouTube Link.

    Piano Concerto movements are not acceptable.

  • Young Artists Program: Age 18-35

    Junior Artists Program: Age under 18

    Participants aged 12 and older are eligible and encouraged to apply. Exceptionally talented applicants under the age of 12 may apply.

    All participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents attending the festival with a child must purchase an auditor card.

  • Every selected participant will

    • 4 private lessons/masterclasses with the distinguished artists

    • Performance/Participate forum class

    • Faculty Workshops

    • Access to all masterclasses, lectures, concerts, piano forums, and events.

    • Young artist concerts

    • Professional Performance Media Package

    • Exclusive Access by attending the 2026 San Francisco International Piano Competition 

  • Tuition: $2800 USD

    Housing at San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Optional)

  • Housing at San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Optional): 

    Participants may choose to stay at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which is same building as masterclasses, concert events, and practice rooms; or make their own housing arrangements.

    Festival rooms included shared rooms, single rooms, and suites for participants who come with their parents. You can request a specific roommate or the festival can randomly place you with another participant. 


    Shared room: $980 USD

    Single Room: $1380 USD 

    Shared Suite for family: $1680 USD  (One Junior+One Parent)

    Tour the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Dorm, click here. 

  • Fellowship awards provide a full tuition scholarship. Fellows are responsible for their housing and meals (on or off campus), as well as health service, facility, and refundable security deposit fees, and their own travel expenses.

    Young Artists Fellowships (Age 18-35)
    All applicants are welcome to apply for fellowship consideration in addition to the standard application process.

    Application materials must include:

    • 50–60 minutes of video recordings featuring at least three contrasting stylistic periods, recorded within the last two years

    • One etude of virtuosity

    • One slow, lyrical work demonstrating musical artistry

    • Curriculum Vitae (CV)

    • At least one letter of recommendation from a current or former teacher familiar with the applicant’s musical accomplishments

    Junior Artists Fellowships (Age 12-18)
    All applicants are welcome to apply for fellowship consideration in addition to the standard application process.

    Application materials must include:

    • 30–40 minutes of video recordings featuring at least three contrasting stylistic periods, recorded within the last two years

    • One etude of virtuosity

    • One slow, lyrical work demonstrating musical artistry

    • One movement from a classical sonata (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert)

    • At least one letter of recommendation from a current or former teacher familiar with the applicant’s musical accomplishments

  • Student Work Study Assistantship
    All applicants are welcome to apply for student work-study consideration alongside the standard application process.  Please include a brief letter of application and resume showing relevant work experience.  Responsibilities may include administrative support, translation, or other festival-related duties.

Apply by March 15th

2026 Faculty

A man with glasses and light brown hair, dressed in a gray suit and a patterned yellow-orange tie, is seated indoors against a dark wooden wall.

Jerome Lowenthal

The Juilliard School

Woman with dark wavy hair standing in a hallway, arms crossed, wearing a black top, with a neutral expression.

HieYon Choi

Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University

Close-up of a smiling man with gray hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, in a professional setting.

Alan Chow

The Eastman School of Music

An elderly man with white hair wearing a navy blue shirt, sitting in a room with wooden walls, holding glasses in his right hand and looking at the camera.

Larry J. Livingston

University of Southern California

A smiling man in a tuxedo standing next to a grand piano.
A woman with light brown, curly hair resting her chin on her hand, holding a pen in her mouth, sitting at a table in a classroom or meeting room.

Sharon Mann

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Alvin Chow

Oberlin College and Conservatory

A man in a tuxedo sitting at a grand piano.
A portrait of a man wearing glasses, a patterned shirt, and a dark blazer in front of a wooden wall with a bicycle-shaped metal decor.

Yoshikazu Nagai

San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Artistic Advisor)

A close-up portrait of a middle-aged man with brown hair, a beard, and a friendly expression, standing against a gray stone wall.

Alexander Korsantia

New England Conservatory of Music

Boris Berman

Yale University — School of Music

A smiling middle-aged man in a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, standing indoors with a blurred window and blue curtain in the background.
An older woman with short gray hair smiling, standing next to a grand piano, wearing a black shirt with a gold leaf pattern, in an auditorium with red seats.

Rebecca Penneys

Eastman School of Music

A man in a dark suit smiling, resting his arm on a black grand piano.

Enrico Elisi

Texas Christian University

Douglas Humpherys

Eastman School of Music

Distinguished Artists Bio
Apply by March 15th

Gallery

  • Panel discussion with five people seated on stage with a grand piano behind them, audience in front, in a concert hall with beige walls.
  • A young woman playing a grand piano while an older man stands nearby, gesturing with his hand, in a glass-walled room during the Bay PianoFest event on August 4, 2024.
  • Two people in a music classroom, one young and one elderly, sitting at pianos with sheet music, engaged in a discussion or lesson.
  • Group of people seated and smiling during a presentation or event in a modern room with large glass windows.
  • A musician and a teacher at a piano recital, with an audience watching, at Bay PianoFest in a modern building with large windows.
  • A group of fourteen people, including children and adults, standing in a line on a wooden floor in front of large glass windows with a city night view and lit dome building in the background. They are dressed semi-formally.
  • Group of six young adults, four women and two men, dressed in formal attire, posing together in front of a grand piano inside a building with large windows at night.
  • An older man with glasses and white hair, dressed in a tan suit, is speaking to a group of people seated indoors. The room has large windows, a modern design with wooden slats on the wall, and an illuminated green "EXIT" sign above a door.
  • Three women on stage, one playing a grand piano, two listening and engaging in conversation, with an audience seated in front, in a concert hall with a beige brick wall background.
  • A young man with glasses and dark hair playing the piano with an older man with gray hair and a blue shirt sitting next to him and gesturing as he plays, in a music room with various posters on the bulletin board behind them.
  • A woman is speaking and gesturing while sitting at a grand piano, with a man playing the piano in a music performance at Bay PianoFest. There is a banner for Bay PianoFest on the left side of the image.
  • A woman playing a grand piano in a performance space with large floor-to-ceiling windows showing a cityscape at dusk.
  • Four young women in formal dresses standing together near a grand piano in a concert hall at night, making heart shapes with their hands and smiling.

Q&A

Where is location of the Bay PianoFest?

Bay PianoFest take place at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco, California. USA. All participants will have the opportunity to learn from our distinguished faculty in this prestigious conservatory.

Can I observe the festival? 

Of course! We welcome auditors from around the world.

You can purchase a weekly pass for all events, or join us with a daily events pass. 

Program Auditor Pass:

Early Bird: $580 (Purchase before July 15th) 

Regular: $680 (Purchase after July 15th)

What are the requirements to participate in the Festival?

  • Submit an Application – Complete the online application form by the deadline.

  • Provide an Audition Recording – Submit a video recording that meets the festival's repertoire requirements.

  • Pay the Application Fee – Ensure the required application fee is submitted.

  • Receive Acceptance Notification – Wait for the admission decision and confirmation.

  • Complete Enrollment – If accepted, finalize registration, payment, and any necessary paperwork.

When will I receive the acceptance results? 

Applications will be received for admission results by March 25th, approximately two weeks after the application deadline.

Apply by March 15th