Welcome to the website of the Arizona Piano Institute!
Tuning in for the first time? To read who we are and what we do, click here.
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PAST event
API Summer Festival 2026
May 31 – June 6, 2026
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
The Arizona Piano Institute once more organized its annual Summer Festival in the first week of June (to read what the Summer Festival is all about, click here). We enjoyed a fantastic week of masterclasses, lectures, workshops, lots of fun, and incredible music, but alas, all good things come to an end.
A huge THANK YOU to all participants, parents, volunteers, auditors, teachers, visitors, and of course our amazing faculty for making the 11th edition of our Summer Festival an unforgettable experience. We hope to see you all again next year!
Photos of this year’s festival as well as a survey are now available on the Summer Festival 2026 homepage.
Did you know…
👂Even if you are not a student, you can still experience the Summer Festival by auditing. As an auditor, you can join any masterclass and workshop as an audience member, and you can pick any day(s) of the week you like. Fees apply.
👬 Another great way to immerse yourself in the magic of our Summer Festival is volunteering! Our volunteers play an essential role in ensuring our festival runs smoothly and our students can enjoy the festival in a safe environment. One benefit of being a volunteer is that you get to sit in on the classes your student group is attending. For more information, see our volunteering page.
PAST event
AN AFTERNOON OF OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES BY INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISTS
Thank you for joining us as we kicked off our Summer Festival 2026 with the traditional Faculty Artist Recital.
This year’s master teachers and world-renowned artists Aviram Reichert, Steven Spooner, Dian Baker, Daga Suchon, and Russell Ryan dazzled us with their performances to help us get in the mood for the Summer Festival. What better way to start a fantastic week of music and learning!
To read more about this year’s Faculty Artist Recital, go to this page.
FACULTY ARTIST RECITAL
Sunday, May 31st, 2–4 pm
Valley Presbyterian Church
6947 E McDonald Dr
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
2025-2026 Season
We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful summer and are re-energized for another season of outstanding musical performance.
We proudly announce our 2025-2026 season and invite you all to join us as we continue to explore music in all its facets. Please take note of the dates and events below, and keep an eye on this website, as we may be adding additional events throughout the year. Thank you for supporting the Arizona Piano Institute!
EVENTS
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Masterclass with Dr. Kirill Gliadkovsky at the Episcopal Church of The Nativity, Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Private student concert at Sagewood Community in Phoenix, Arizona.
We are proud to announce that this recital will now be an annual event.
May 31 – June 6, 2026
API Summer Festival 2026, including:
- Faculty Artist Recital
- Student Artist Showcase Recital
For all information about the 2026 edition of our Summer Festival, see the Summer Festival 2026 homepage.
In Other News
Excitement in the ranks!
We will be welcoming several new board members this season to help us expand our activities and ensure we tune our operations harmoniously.
Alumni News
We have been catching up with a few (former) API students to see what they have been up to. Read all about it in our latest edition of Alumni News. We love to hear from our API community. If you have a story to share, let us know!
Your support
As a non-profit organization, API relies on your continued support to enable us to fulfill our mission to foster enriching experiences and learning for young pianists. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who are able and willing to volunteer, donate, or sponsor our organization. Thank you! 🩷
Volunteering and Donations
If you would like to volunteer for our Summer Festival and other events, or would like to make a donation to the Arizona Piano Institute and join the Sponsorship Circles, you can do so by Becoming a Friend of API.
API Alumni News
Stay in touch. Inspire us with your stories. We love to hear from you!
API Alumni News lets former and current participants in the API Summer Festivals, masterclasses, and other events stay in touch and celebrate API as a community. To stay connected with the API Community, click here.
Pianistery
Guess the pianist, solve the mystery!
A little game if you need a break from practicing your scales, sonatas, and suites. See if you can guess who the pixelated pianists are before the image clears and the name is revealed!
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NOTES FROM THE PAST
We wish everyone a sparkling, healthy, and musical 2026!
Here’s to a fresh start, new goals, and a year filled with music that shines bright. As we step into 2026, we’re grateful for our API community and excited for what’s ahead. Join us at our events this year!
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Composer of the Month
~ November 2025 ~
November drifts in softly — and with it, the memory of Aaron Copland, whose music painted the wide American sky. 🌾✨
From the rolling rhythms of Rodeo to the tender calm of Appalachian Spring, his sound carries the spirit of open fields, quiet mornings, and human hope.
This month, we invite you to journey through his world — to revisit the classics and uncover the intimate beauty of his piano works. Let his music remind you that even silence can sing. 🎹🍁
Here are some links to start exploring:
Aaron Copland website
Wikipedia
Sheet Music Direct
Masterclass with
Dr. Kirill Gliadkovsky
Saturday, October 11, 2025
A heartfelt thanks to all students, parents, and auditors who joined us for our API Masterclass with Dr. Kirill Gliadkovsky. Your passion and commitment made it a truly inspiring day, and we hope each of you left with new sparks for your own musical journey. Like a well-traveled melody that finds new colors in every place it touches, the piano continues to connect us across time and borders. Each note you play adds to that story, carrying both tradition and fresh imagination.
Of course we offer our deepest gratitude to Dr. Gliadkovsky, who proved to be a masterful and patient teacher, with a keen ear for detail and thoughtful advice for the students. This made the event not only valuable for students, but also for the audience.
For information, the program, and a few photos, click here.
API Summer Festival 2025
June 1 – 7, 2025
Phoenix, Arizona
Thank you, students, parents, faculty, volunteers, board members, sponsors, donors, and Phoenix College for a most wonderful and memorable Summer Festival 2025!
In 2025, the Arizona Piano Institute celebrated its 10th Summer Festival! 🥳 What a wonderful milestone to reach. We could not have done it without the enthusiastic support of all who dedicated their time, energy and funds to our organization: artists, teachers, volunteers, supporters, donors, board members, and, in particular, our incredibly talented students and their families. You mean more to us than we can ever express adequately. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to you all!
We are very excited and honored that our faculty this year included such incomparable artists and teachers as Aviram Reichert, Elisabeth Pridonoff, Eugene Pridonoff, Dian Baker and Eckart Sellheim, as well as the wonderful Rachel Dean and Ian LeRoy, who inspired students to improvise! As always, it proved to be an educational and fun week of masterclasses, workshops, and lectures tailored to young piano students.
The 2025 API Summer Festival took place from June 1 to 7 at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona.
See the API Summer Festival 2025 web page for more information about this year’s edition.
New to the Summer Festival? Read what it’s all about on this page.
API Teacher Forum 2025
June 2, 4, 6, 2025
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
In conjunction with our annual Summer Festival, API is proud to present the API Teacher Forum: a unique gathering of music teachers and performers to explore creativity in our teaching. Through interpersonal communication and sharing our love of music, we create a spontaneous environment of mutual learning. The participants and observers will experience the widening of our awareness and understanding of this process. New insights are limitless and have the potential to enhance your love of music, your teaching, and your quality of life.
For more information and to register, see the Teacher Forum 2025 web page.
Ravenscroft Presents
The Arizona Piano Institute
Sunday, June 1, 2025 | 2:00-4:00 PM
Ravenscroft Hall
Scottsdale, Arizona
As is tradition, our 2025 Summer Festival opened with an inspiring matinee recital by our internationally acclaimed faculty artists. It was a wonderful afternoon of music with truly stunning performances of solo and duo repertoire at the wonderful Ravenscroft Hall➶ in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, see our Faculty Artist Recital web page.
API appeared at Ravenscroft at the invitation of MSW Education.
Aviram Reichert
Elisabeth and Eugene Pridonoff
Dian Baker and Eckart Sellheim
❄️ Winter Wonders Recital ❄️
January 26, 2025
Scottsdale, Arizona
On January 26, we brightened up the winter with our Winter Wonders Recital! What better way to start the new year than by indulging in wonderful piano music, played by incredible pianists and violinists. This fundraiser (and fun-raiser!) event featured great young talents from the Valley, as well as some of our very own board members! It was definitely a treat worth interrupting our hibernation for.
API is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in the state of Arizona.
The Arizona Piano Institute fosters enriching solo and collaborative experiences for young musicians and educators in Arizona through various piano-focused musical experiences with renowned performing artists and pedagogues.
Towards that end API produces events that offer opportunities and encouragement for young musicians to perform, learn new approaches to improve their craft, to inspire their love of music, and to network with other like-minded young musicians. API partners with other key organizations in Arizona with similar missions to collaborate in building a richer musical experience for Arizona’s youth. In addition, we offer scholarships for young musicians with talent but without the financial means to participate in events that will further their musical capabilities.
If you would like to learn more about the Arizona Piano Institute or would like to become more involved, drop us a line at info@azpianoinstitute.org.
Become a Friend of API
There are many ways in which you can support the Arizona Piano Institute to continue providing quality experiences. See how you can help API by volunteering your services, sponsoring a critical part of our Summer Festival, or making a donation.
“Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the Universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good and just and beautiful.”