Excelsior Piano Academy
a Christ-centered workshop for students and teachers
Sondershausen, Germany - June 22-27, 2025
Karl-Heinz Herrmann - Eigene Fotografie - CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Join us as we continue our pianistic pilgrimage in the land where Bach and Liszt thrived!
When and where?
The Academy will take place from Sunday evening, June 22, through Friday night, June 27, in the picturesque town of Sondershausen, approximately an hour and a half west of Leipzig. We will stay at the Thüringer Landesmusikakademie Sondershausen, which provides dorm-style accommodations as well as fully equipped practice and performance facilities.
Who will I be learning from?
Five distinguished Christian piano faculty from around the United States will be your instructors:
Dr. Clara Christian, College of the Ozarks
www.clarachristian.com
Dr. Mark Franklin, Oklahoma Baptist University
Mark Franklin | Oklahoma Baptist University
Dr. Kennith Freeman, Wayland Baptist University
www.kennithfreeman.com
Dr. Richard Fountain, Wayland Baptist University
www.richardfountainpianist.com
Dr. Éva Polgár, East Tennessee State University
Éva Polgár – Pianist
What will we be doing?
Your days will be filled with workshops, lessons, practice time, some local tourism, and devotionals led by our faculty. Workshops and lessons are designed to equally benefit two groups:
1) Current piano teachers who want to sharpen their teaching and playing skills and wish to benefit from professional mentorship
2) High-school or college-age students wishing to enjoy a high-level piano workshop from within a Christian worldview.
What is the program fee?
The program fee is $600, including room and board and all meals at the Academy. This fee is payable by December 1. Late registration is still possible until February 1, at a fee of $750.
If you wish to join Academy faculty and other students for a day in Leipzig before the Academy begins, please plan to arrive in Leipzig before noon on Saturday, June 21. An additional payment of $200 is required for this excursion. Pending availability, activities may include attending a local concert, enjoying a walking tour of the city, and attending Sunday morning services at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig.
How do I get there?
Sondershausen is approximately 90 minutes west of the regional Leipzig-Halle Airport (LEJ), or three hours from the larger Berlin Brandenburg (BER) or Frankfurt am Main (FRA) airports. We recommend that you book flights 4-5 months in advance for best pricing, using a general search engine such as Kayak or Google Flights to explore options, then booking directly with the airline for best results. We highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance along with your airline tickets to cover cases of illness, lost luggage, etc.
Train and bus services (https://int.bahn.de/en/) run regularly from these airports to the Academy’s location in Sondershausen. Participants are responsible for their own travel to and from the Academy. This allows you to arrive earlier or stay later, should you wish to visit friends or see other sights in Europe.
Where do I sign up?
Fill out the form below, including a short description of yourself (for students, age/grade in school/university and a list of recent repertoire; for teachers, a summary of your background and experience), how you would benefit from this workshop. We will be in touch with more details!
Ready to sign up? Head here to make your deposit: