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?
Topic: Auditions at the Reina Sofia