Vivace 2027 Piano Program

Marina Lomazov & Joseph Rackers, Artistic Directors
July 22 – August 1, 2027 in Wilmington, NC

Welcome to Vivace 2027!

PROGRAM KEY DATES:

Applications Open: November 2nd, 2026
Application Deadline: March 1st, 2027
Arrival: Thursday, July 22, 2027 (Check-in from 4:00pm to 6:00pm)
Departure: Sunday, August 1, 2027 (No festival activities held that day)

Questions? Please contact us at info@vivacemusicfoundation.org

  • The festival provides serious young musicians with unrivaled learning opportunities, including solo appearances in beautiful halls and intense instruction with world-class faculty artists.
  • Participants can choose to attend Vivace 2027 in-person only.
  • All participants receive a minimum of 5 45-minute master classes, and are able to study with multiple faculty. Additional lessons may be arranged.
  • Participants have access to all festival concerts, courses, discussions, interviews & more.

VIVACE 2027 Piano FACULTY

Eastman School of Music

Marina Lomazov
Eastman School of Music

Joseph Rackers
The Juilliard School

Tema Blackstone
Curtis Institute of Music & Manhattan School of Music

Michelle Cann
The Juilliard School

Hung-Kuan Chen
Oberlin College & Conservatory

Angela Cheng
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Yakov Kasman
Eastman School of Music

Alexander Kobrin
Texas State University School of Music

Jason Kwak
The Juilliard School

Jerome Lowenthal
CUNY Graduate Center & Mannes College of Music

Ursula Oppens
Private Studio

Gregg Pauley
Peabody Conservatory

Boris Slutsky
UNC School of the Arts

Dmitri Vorobiev

Eastman School of Music

Marina Lomazov

Vivace Co-Artistic Director

Eastman School of Music

Joseph Rackers

Vivace Co-Artistic Director

The Juilliard School

Tema Blackstone

Curtis Institute of Music & Manhattan School of Music

Michelle Cann

The Juilliard School

Hung-Kuan Chen

Oberlin College & Conservatory

Angela Cheng

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Yakov Kasman

Eastman School of Music

Alexander Kobrin

Texas State University School of Music

Jason Kwak

The Juilliard School

Jerome Lowenthal

CUNY Graduate Center & Mannes College of Music

Ursula Oppens

Private Studio

Gregg Pauley

Peabody Conservatory

Boris Slutsky

UNC School of the Arts

Dmitri Vorobiev

Program Details (2026 Details, 2027 Updated By November 2)

Application fee: $80 USD
Late Application fee: $130 USD
Tuition: $1700 USD
Housing (optional): TBA

All applicants must submit unedited, single camera video recordings of two or more works or movements of larger works in contrasting styles, periods and characters.  At least two eras must be represented (eras defined as Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, and Modern).

Participants aged 13 and older are eligible and encouraged to apply. Exceptionally talented applicants under the age of 13 may apply, but additional screening requirements will be requested.

Those over the age of 35 may apply to participate in our adult initiative.

Participants 16 or younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian regardless of where they stay.  Participants 17 years old can travel alone, but need to have a designated guardian appointed by their parent or their legal guardian while at the festival.

All students should sign an insurance waiver.  

It’s up to their guardian to determine whether students travel to classes with others or alone. Parents attending the festival with a child must purchase an auditor card.

In-person participants may choose to stay at a Vivace hotel, or may find housing on their own.

The official hotel of Vivace Wilmington is the Hotel Ballast. The festival reserves the right to place participants in a neighboring hotel in downtown Wilmington.

All festival hotel rooms are double rooms. You can request a specific roommate or the festival can randomly place you with another participant.

Want a single room? Contact the festival for more information!

Scholarships are awarded to those in need only.
To be considered for financial assistance, please indicate so in the application form and complete the additional questionnaire. For any specific information, please send an email to office@vivacemusicfoundation.org with the subject “Financial Aid Request”. 

The application form will ask you to submit: 

  • A letter stating information on how much scholarship you would need in order to be able to attend the festival; 
  • A copy of your most recent FAFSA if you have completed one. If you have not completed a FAFSA, please submit your/your family’s 2025 federal income tax return. 
  • Submit any additional records of money earned. 

Financial aid decisions will be made as soon as possible following this interview process. All scholarship decisions are made at the time of admission and to be considered, applicants must have applied to the festival.

  • Participants should arrive in Wilmington no later than 5:00PM on July 22, 2026 and will check-out on August 1, 2026.
  • Participants may arrive in Wilmington in advance of the festival but must be responsible for their own lodging and other expenses. Practice facilities are not available until the first day of the festival.
  • Health protocols and requirements for participants will be made available as we get closer to the festival.

All piano participants will have access to practice facilities from 8:00am to 6:00pm (Mon-Sat). Sundays have usually a modified practice schedule. 

All participants are responsible for their own meals. Vivace will provide you with a VIP pass and has collaborated with the best restaurants and coffee shops in Wilmington to bring you discounts on your meal!

Airports: ILM (Wilmington) or RDU (Raleigh)

If you are flying into Wilmington (ILM), you can call Hotel Ballast upon arrival and they will send a shuttle for you. The airport is 8 minutes(!!) from downtown Wilmington.

Hotel Ballast – (910) 763-5900

If you prefer to take an Uber/Lyft – the address of the Vivacehotel is 301 N. Water Street, Wilmington.

Vivace activites take place in the most charming venues of downtown Wilmington (NC), all at walking distance one from another. Our events are surrounded by a charming and historic downtown, a lovely river walk and amazing local food. 

Vivace venues include:

Hotel Ballast, 301 N Water St, Wilmington NC (masterclasses)

Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut Street, Wilmington NC (masterclasses and courses)

First Baptist Church, 15 N 5th Ave, Wilmington NC (masterclasses and practice rooms)

St James Episcopal Church, 362 Market St, Wilmington NC (masterclasses and practice rooms)

Wilson Center, 703 N 3rd St, Wilmington NC (masterclasses, practice rooms, concerts)

WHQR, 254 N Front St Unit 300, Wilmington NC (masterclasses)

Vivace gives you a total immersion in music for 10-straight days. Here’s what a standard day at Vivace can look like: 

8:00AM Practice Rooms open

9:00-12:00PM Masterclass sessions (45 min long, they can be observed by all participants)

12:00pm-1:00PM Lunch Break

1:00-2:00PM Special course, or masterclass or activity

2:30-5:30PM Masterclass sessions

5:30PM-7:30PM Dinner Break
6:00PM Practice Rooms close

7:30-9:00PM Concert (Faculty or participants)

9:00PM and on: 3-4 times during the festival we organize opportunities for the participants to be together, get to know each other and have fun, not mandatories but aimed to create community.

Schedule on August 10: No festival activities will be held that day. Check-out is available until 10:00am

Additional Lessons are possible and scheduled based on the faculty availability. We usually request them right at the beginning of the festival and have an additional fee of $250. 

Questions? Please contact us at info@vivacemusicfoundation.org