FAQs

  • We prefer that all attendees participate in the entire festival.

    However, if you’re only able to attend a portion of the festival – under certain circumstances – exceptions can be made.

    Important: we do not provide housing when you aren’t in attendance at the festival. This means you must either 1. check out of your housing for any days you’re not attending or 2. pay your housing for the days/nights you’re not in attendance. If you’re not sure what this means or how this works, email us.

  • No. Anything else?

    Okay, to be serious: all of the lessons in this festival are open format, so that everyone can benefit. Private lessons aren’t offered.

  • The assignments are at Prof. Pratt’s discretion, based on the repertoire you bring to the festival and the best match for each Faculty Artist. We will send out a form sometime after you're accepted for you to tell us what you're playing for masterclasses and recitals.

  • Nearest Airport

    The two airports in San Francisco are:

    San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA 94128 

    Oakland Airport, 1 Airport Dr, Oakland, CA 94621 

    Getting from the Airport to Campus

    We do not provide airport/ground transportation to students.

    However, San Francisco has Lyft and Uber, as well as several taxi companies. 

    The Conservatory is in the Hayes Valley neighborhood.

    The address for student housing is:

    San Francisco Conservatory of Music

    BOWES CENTER

    200 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102

    Please click here for the best, up-to-date info on getting to San Francisco Conservatory of Music. 

  • We will have a floor specifically for unaccompanied minors, with a responsible adult present, free of charge. If you are a parent and wish to accompany your child, we may be able to work something out. The approximate cost is $85/person/night for an adult accompanying their child.

  • The preferred hotel for SFCM is Hotel Enso in Japan Town. If you are a guest of the festival, please reach out to us for details.

  • This festival is open to pianists 15 and older. There is no upper age limit.

  • You will need money for:

    -food

    -getting off campus

    -getting to campus/back to the airport

    -parking

    -airfare/getting yourself to San Francisco, however that may be

    Important: we only pay for your housing when you are actively participating/on campus. If you leave campus overnight during the festival (to play a gig, for example), you’ll either need to check out of your housing, or pay for those nights out of your own pocket.

    Check back soon for more updates on additional budgeting needs.

  • Yes, you will be housed with Art of the Piano Festival participants at SFCM’s residence hall (Bowes), along with other students participating in SFCM summer programs. We will also try to accommodate roommate requests.

    For more information about festival housing, click here.

  • We’re not sure yet if this is possible. We’ll try our best to accommodate, since our Young Artists come from all over the world. That said, any early or late check-ins/check-outs will need to be paid on your own and aren’t covered by the festival.

    Check back soon for updates on housing.

  • Art of the Piano is providing free housing on a shared room basis at SFCM’s residence hall (Bowes) If you would like to have a private room, you will need to pay the additional cost on your own, which is $130/person/night. For more information on what the residence hall is like, click here.

  • AoP Young Artists are housed in the new Bowes Center on the campus of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for easy access to recital halls, masterclasses, and practice facilities (also located in Bowes). Bowes is located in the Hayes Valley area of San Francisco, across from the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera, and near City Hall. Additional practice facilities are a few blocks away in the Oak Street building of SFCM.

  • More on this coming soon. We generally provide a festival handbook with info on how to best get around. As for info on the San Francisco area, there are tons of websites and travel books—more than we could possibly list here :)

  • More info on this coming soon.

  • No, all auditions and applications are online.