Auditions at the Reina Sofia

[ahmedito]

So last year at the auditions I met several people from pianoforum. And most were really shaky and wierd, but that was probably nervousness from the auditions...

Today were this years auditions. Didn't meet anyone. Any of you came?

[pianistimo]

who did you meet last year?  just curious.  (not looking for wierd people , just wondering who was good enough to audition). 

[etudes]

i think alhimia went there
not sure

[alhimia]

Yes, last year I went to audition (for Galina Eguiazarova). She coudn't take me because for some reason she only accepts Spanish or Latin students in the school. Therefore, she accepted me as a private student.
So, getting in this school (at least to study with Galina) has almost nothing to do with your level of playing. Galina has very different students, some are quite professional, others are still learning.
With Bashkirov it's different. He only takes the students that are already pianists and that are 100% professional.
All you need is contact. Contact with the teacher or other students who could introduce you. Otherwise, it's a lottery.

On the other hand, I can say that the most lucky thing to me was being not accepted at the school!
If I was accepted, I probably would have lived in the school, which is horrible. The school is very strict and it's almost like a kind of regime. You have very little privacy in fact. Also some conditions are very bad and people  in general are, let's say, particular and in some cases even quite strange.
The atmosphere is quite competitive also.
For the rest, the teachers are wonderfull, you almost cannot go wrong with them.

Anyway, anyone who passed the auditions? 

[ahmedito]

I take a lot of offense in what you write, more because I know you in real life. Some of my friends studying here at the school also think you don't know what you are talking about.

1. You say that Galina couldn't take you because she only accepts latin or spanish, implying that she she took the students she took last year not because they're excellent musicians, but because of their nationality. This is not true at all. Galina has taken students of other nationalities before. The fact is, the school has a number of spaces allocated for Iberoamerican students, but these are not just Galina's, but for all instruments.

2. Saying that to get in the school to study with Galina has almost nothing to do with you playing ability is completely wrong. The fact is, the ones who got in played very well in the auditions, its not only Galina who decides, last time I checked, there were 7 people at the auditions (including assistants, chamber music and the heads of different departments) in charge of deciding who gets in and who does not. There is an element of luck involved, but its the same as in any other audition/competition situation, if you play well, you will be accepted (although the competition is very hard).

3. You say that with Bashkirov its different, only taking pianists who are 100% profesional, while Galina does not. That is completely wrong and is based on ignorance. The fact is, you have only heard us play in the conext of the school trimestral concerts/public exams. In my experience the people in Bashkirov's class play music that they have been playing for a longer time or is simply more polished and worked on. They also play from 10-15 minutes because there are many more people in his class (Galina only takes 5 students). Galina is not interested in preparing and polishing a program exclusively for a class concert (which to her is a bit of a distraction from learning) so we usually play pieces at these concerts for the very first time in public after 1 and half or 2 months of preparation. Being only 5 we usually play about half an hour each, out of a 1 hour completely new programme that we prepare every 2-3 months (without counting chamber music programme in which we have to do the same). Some of us can handle it, some of us need more time to learn music like this, so maybe we don't sound so profesional and sound as if we are "still learning". The fact is, you can't make those kinds of judgements and generalisations about us if youve never heard us in any other context. Profesor Bashkirov also has students who are not 100% profesional, as you put it, but in their presentations they are usually playing a much more polished programme.

4. You say all you need is contact, but that is not true. Many of the students were private students of Galina and Bashkirov, but if they entered the school its because, being students with such great teachers, their level is obviously better than most. If contact with the teachers is so important, then why was I accepted? I had never talked with any of the teachers or students before my audition, Galina had 2 private students auditioning, but Im the one that was accepted. Or the year you auditioned, one of the 2 pianists who was admitted in the school did not have any contact whatsoever with Galina before, while Galina had 2 ex-private students (spanish and latinamerican) who were not accepted into the school, or many people who before auditioning sent her videos and letters were also not accepted. Among all the pianists in the school about half had never had contact with the teachers before auditioning.

5. You say that were very lucky at not being accepted at the school, you proceed to bash the living conditions even though you have no first hand experience. Let's see, I get 2 or 3 classes with Galina a week, almost everyone in the school has a full scholarship, so theyre free. I get 3 meals and a free room... Im actually being payed to practice my ass off. I get to play in concerts and play with other good musicians all the time. The school IS strict, and it's a kind of regime, but I hope I'm very glad Im not as "lucky" as you.


In any case, all I was asking was if people from from around here auditioned, and what did they think of the school? Your post pisses me off "alhimia", and all the smily faces in the world don't make what you're saying right.

[alhimia]

I disagree with many of your comments. Of course, there are always exceptions (in taking students into the school), but I get very tired of discussing about a single exception, what I am talking about is in general.
Anyway, I am not saying that there is anything wrong with that. It's just the way it is and in my case, I am even happy with that.

You say that many people didn't have had contact before, this is very naive. I can easily tell you some names that study with Galina in the school that were already private students before. Others knew already students at the school or anything like that. Some didn't know anybody or anything, they are very lucky.
With Bashkirov, I didn't ask all his students, but I know for sure that some of them knew him already before (masterclass, private student etc.) since I read it or they simply told me.

But this is nothing new (and doesn't surprise me at all), it's always and everywhere the same. One thing is playing well, secondly, you need contact.

About the level of students, there is quite a big difference in general between the students of Bashkirov and Galina (at least at this moment). I can say that easily since I have heard them all in concert, two times. Please, don't come up with a single student that makes the exception.


So, the one who is wrong here, are you. I give some more examples. You are talking about 'three great meals a day' (in some post) for example, well I can tell you that everyone complains a lot about the food, so it cannot be that great. And now you are saying that living in the school is pretty rough (which is true). So you are at least controversial.
You are talking about scholarships which are the best in the world, at least in your opinion. Well if so, why are some circumstances and conditions so bad? not only for the students but also for the teachers.
Other example, in some post you are talking about the price of what Galina charges for some private class (which was two times as what it is in reality), and then you are saying that it is quite hard to become her regular  student. Well, that's also not true. For me, it was not so hard as for many others. Of course she cannot take everyone but being her student definately does not mean that you are special or anything like that. You're probably a good boy or girl that loves music very much (although in my opinion, this is already quite special  )

Do you remember that I asked you about the school one year ago? You sent me a mail and if you read it (your own words), you would think it's a kind of a paradise to study at the school. Except for some statements that were completely wrong, the way you write about it, is really misleading. You point out only good elements, and you are absolutely not realistic.
Be as proud as you want to be in the school, but don't tell me I am wrong since you are wrong yourself.

[alhimia]

It was in no way my intension to offend anyone.

My purpuse was to show a more 'realistic image' of the school than how you speak about it. I remember very good the mail you wrote me one year ago. If you read this, you get the idea of a kind of a paradise, this is misleading.

About the auditions, it's a lottery. Why? there are like 50 and all playing only 5-10 min. So what can you show? you cannot get a complete image of a student such a short time.
The fact that there are private students that are not accepted could have many other reasons.

But imagine, you are a stranger, you want to study at the school, with Galina. You read the papers (so that you know that the school is formally open for strangers), prepare whole the repertoire (3 full pieces) and send the package. Then you arrive, you play 6 minutes in stead of 30 minutes, and then you hear that she tends to accept only Spanish or Latin people (with maybe here and there a few exceptions, but not so much).
Then you hear a private student who didn't play any better who is accepted. Wouldn't you be dissapointed? Think of the energy you put in it (study, time and money)

About the students playing. I also know students of Galina that play repertoire in the concerts/exams that they already play for a longer time. She regularly looks at your repertoire list to see what you have played and could repeat, if needed.
and the second thing, I didn't claim that students of Bashkirov are 'better' in any kind of way. I just see a difference. Some person can be very interesting musically, but has to develop some habits to become more professional. Nothing wrong with that. What important is (at least for me), is the ability  to grow.
I think in general Galina takes the students that have the potential to be expressive, but don't have yet the way to realise it completely, then she is there to help you. Bashkirov is a different kind of teacher (form what I've heard). Therefore the students are also different.

[ahmedito]

You say that many people didn't have had contact before, this is very naive. I can easily tell you some names that study with Galina in the school that were already private students before. Others knew already students at the school or anything like that. Some didn't know anybody or anything, they are very lucky.
With Bashkirov, I didn't ask all his students, but I know for sure that some of them knew him already before (masterclass, private student etc.) since I read it or they simply told me.

I never said this. I said at least half of the students didnt know them at all. The fact is, out of the 14 students at the school, 5 are ex-private students, 4 met the teachers at masterclases and 5 had never had any contact with the teachers before. So contact is not that important, if you realize that a large number of ex-students or people that had contact with the teachers were never accepted.

About the level of students, there is quite a big difference in general between the students of Bashkirov and Galina (at least at this moment). I can say that easily since I have heard them all in concert, two times. Please, don't come up with a single student that makes the exception.

Having heard a couple of class concerts, where the repertoire is played for the first time in an exam setting hardly makes you an expert. And to tell the truth, I don't think your teacher would like very much the fact that you consider us all so inferior. And on the internet to boot.

So, the one who is wrong here, are you. I give some more examples. You are talking about 'three great meals a day' (in some post) for example, well I can tell you that everyone complains a lot about the food, so it cannot be that great. And now you are saying that living in the school is pretty rough (which is true). So you are at least controversial.
You are talking about scholarships which are the best in the world, at least in your opinion. Well if so, why are some circumstances and conditions so bad? not only for the students but also for the teachers.
Other example, in some post you are talking about the price of what Galina charges for some private class (which was two times as what it is in reality), and then you are saying that it is quite hard to become her regular  student. Well, that's also not true. For me, it was not so hard as for many others. Of course she cannot take everyone but being her student definately does not mean that you are special or anything like that. You're probably a good boy or girl that loves music very much (although in my opinion, this is already quite special  )

Did I say three great meals a day? No. I said three meals a day. Free. And lodging. The scholarships are the best in the world, for us that actually need them. When the minimum wage in most of western europe is more than what a doctor or a lawyer earns in our countries of origin. We get our flight, lodging and meals. Medical insurance and the full tuition. Everyone whines about not liking the food (I don't like it so much myself), or having to deal with your roomates. But its much better for us that do not have the money to pay for it than leaving alone and having to deal with all the hastles of the "real world" instead of just concentrating on the music. It is quite hard to become a private student with her, and the fact that it was easy for you doesn't make it easy for the rest. The same with the auditions, its really hard to get into the school... except for the ones who actually got in. Being her student doesn't make you special, or better than the rest; but belittling the people who actually got in, just because you didn't make it is no better.

... and the fact that I got wrong the price for her private lessons? ... I said I think she charges xxxxx.... I don't presume to know how Galina deals with her private students, you shouldn't presume to know how she deals with us at the school.

It was in no way my intension to offend anyone.

My purpuse was to show a more 'realistic image' of the school than how you speak about it. I remember very good the mail you wrote me one year ago. If you read this, you get the idea of a kind of a paradise, this is misleading.

About the auditions, it's a lottery. Why? there are like 50 and all playing only 5-10 min. So what can you show? you cannot get a complete image of a student such a short time.
The fact that there are private students that are not accepted could have many other reasons.

But imagine, you are a stranger, you want to study at the school, with Galina. You read the papers (so that you know that the school is formally open for strangers), prepare whole the repertoire (3 full pieces) and send the package. Then you arrive, you play 6 minutes in stead of 30 minutes, and then you hear that she tends to accept only Spanish or Latin people (with maybe here and there a few exceptions, but not so much).
Then you hear a private student who didn't play any better who is accepted. Wouldn't you be dissapointed? Think of the energy you put in it (study, time and money)

Well, your intention was not to offend, but with your two new posts you offend even more. I sent you a mail about the school a year ago saying its a kind of paradise, and at least for me it still is. It's not being proud of the school, its the fact that after 8 years of being married and dealing with the real world, having them pay everything absolutely for me while I concentrate on practicing and getting free classes with an amazing teacher, it IS a paradise. I have said before that living here is rough, but that is because it is a LOT of work, not because there's anyone treating us badly. I don't see how your resentful, outsider second-hand image of the school is any more "realistic" than mine. The case you describe of coming here to audition is the same for all the rest of us who came to audition. Four people were accepted. One was a private student of Galina. He is an excellent pianist, and if you consider yourself to be just as good as he is, then I'm suprised you weren't taken as well, because he is incredible; perharps your ego is a tad excessive? Two of them had never had any contact with any of the teachers and one of them had met Bashkirov at master-classes. The fact is, luck plays a big part and you were obviously good enough to become a private student of Galina, but saying the they were accepted and you weren´t is simply due to luck, only tells me that you have a bit of an ego problem.
And the reason some of those private students in previous years were not taken, was simply because someone showed up at the auditions who the liked much more.

About the students playing. I also know students of Galina that play repertoire in the concerts/exams that they already play for a longer time. She regularly looks at your repertoire list to see what you have played and could repeat, if needed.
I think in general Galina takes the students that have the potential to be expressive, but don't have yet the way to realise it completely, then she is there to help you. Bashkirov is a different kind of teacher (form what I've heard). Therefore the students are also different.

For regular concerts, Galina looks through your repertoire list and chooses what she thinks you can polish best or repeat. At the class concerts which you've heard its always new. Its very rare that a student repeats a piece in these concerts, and its even more rare when that student has been working on that piece for more than a couple of months (and in the case of very advantaged pianists, even weeks.). You don't want to be offensive, but you are. Your statement boils down to the fact that you think the students of your own teacher do not play at a profesional level, and that the students of the other teacher do not have the potential to be expressive. Even so, you do not have any first hand experience except for listening to a couple of our exams, which are approached in a completely different way. In truth, some of the students had the chance to be with both teachers and chose one or the other (some prefered Galina, some prefered Bashkirov; these are things which I think are unwise to go into detail on a public forum, though) in the audition all the pianists are listened to by the same panel, and the decision on who to accept come from them all. A Spanish or latinamerican student didn't "take your place". Of the pianists who auditioned, the ones who showed the most potential were from these nationalities, and Galina tends to take the spanish and latin-american students from among them; although if none of these nationalities are accepted (like 3 or 5 years ago), then those slots are filled up in other instruments. If you are lucky and you prepared well, at the audition the ones the judging panel thinks are best, are the ones that are taken (whether you were lucky enough to impress them or not), its not as if they have a set number of iberoamerican students to take.

The main factor that determines why so many people of these nationalities are taken, though, is the scholarships. Out of the 50 or so people who audition, a HUGE percentage is from latin america or spain. Because there are great scholarships for people of these countries offered by the Spanish government.

A few of my friends at the school have had a look at this thread by new, we were talking about it at lunch, Im sure they'll post their opinions soon. I repeat, you don't mean to offend, but you do. I never claim to be better or more special than people who did not get accepted. I know I was quite lucky to enter. Even so, it is offensive for us, to say that the reason we were accepted was entirely luck and had nothing to do with how we play. 

  You are talking from the position of an outsider, you have no idea how the living conditions at the school are, or the way the classes with both teachers are taken or the focus on our class concerts. And ask any of the ex-private students. The way the teachers work with them in the school is radically diferent to the way they worked during private lessons.

Now look, all I asked was if anyone out there auditioned this year, and what you thought of the school. Instead I get "alhimia" ranting about how he was lucky not to be accepted and that the way to get into the school is through sheer dumb luck or being friends with the teachers.... back to the main topic please?

[pianistimo]

sorry!  didn't mean to start something.   

[alhimia]

Ahmedito, it's really sad for you that you get so upset by this. My purpose, as I indicated, was to be critical. I never said that any person was/is inferior to another.
I also don't say that it completely does not matter how you play at the auditions (I speak about the level of playing, that's different). But luck and contact in this world are big factors, everyone will agree with that.
I know some pianists who auditioned that were extremely talented/gifted, who I heard in concerts, playing so well, and were not accepted.


But........ what is this all about? I mean, do you think it's worth all this? try to put your energy in something else.
I can comment a lot on your previous post but I am simply too tired, I even didn't read it completely.
So I will stop now, tell all your friends what a kind of stupid, bad person I am and make me ridiculous in front of all these people. If that is what you want, good luck 

It's really sad to see that this is so important for you, just a stupid opinion of a stupid boy on the net. Try to laugh at it, if you were really happy in the school, you would not react like this and take it so deeply seriously.

Try to laugh and to be happy will help you also in playing

[ahmedito]

It's not the stupid opinion of some anonimous idiot on the internet that bothers me; its the fact that it is the opinion of a person who I have met and who studies with my own teacher.

It's very easy to say stupid offensive things and then dismiss others as trivial when they get angry.

[pianistimo]

what i sometimes wonder is if people that are into piano get so completely bored that they are one and the same person fighting each other.  just something to do to ease the boredom and avoid cafeteria food.  whew!  i remember that!  it's enough to cause brain deterioration right there.

find a grocery store.  get some salad makings.  buy a cooler.  put ice in it.  make salads and boiled eggs a lot.  it will help your brain much better than all the calories and bread at the cafeteria.  oh.  and don't forget dark greens (not iceburg lettuce only).  that is all i have to say.  commence fighting again.

ps  i don't get it.  same teacher??