Dear Colleagues,
We are delighted to invite you to attend the conference Piano Music of the 20th Century: Interrogating Performance and Research, taking place on Monday, 15 December 2025 at the Royal College of Music in London, UK.
This one-day conference explores practice-led research into 20th-century piano repertoire and performance. Its forward-looking rationale stems from a growing need to re-examine current approaches to this repertoire in light of what it means to be a contemporary pianist in the 21st century. The conference aims to make practice-led research in 20th-century piano music accessible, discoverable and relevant for performers at all stages of their careers.
The programme will include presentations from doctoral candidates, early-career and postdoctoral researchers, as well as performances by students from the RCM Keyboard Faculty. We are also thrilled to welcome renowned pianist Ralph van Raat as our keynote artist, alongside a distinguished roundtable panel featuring Professor Roy Howat, Dr Inja Stanović and Andrew Zolinsky. The conference will begin with welcome notes by Professor Robert Adlington. Sessions will be chaired by RCM doctoral students and 20th-century music specialists Dr Christina Guillaumier and Professor Robert Sholl.
Please visit our website for further information, where you can find the conference programme and schedule, and where you can also book your tickets: https://rcm.ac.uk/research/20cpiano/
We very much look forward to welcoming you to the Royal College of Music.
With best wishes,
Tal Walker, Nuno Lucas & Emilia De Geer
PhD candidates at RCM and Co-Organisers
