PROGRAMME for RETHINKING PIANO PERFORMANCE: EMBODYING THE  PERFORMER 

A One-Day Conference at the Royal College of Music
Sunday, March 15th, 2026.
9.0 am to 5.30 pm

PROGRAMME

RETHINKING PIANO PERFORMANCE: EMBODYING THE  PERFORMER 

9.30 Rethinking Piano Schools ― Natalie Tsaldarakis
10.00 Translating Movement into Music ― Dr Da Hee Kim
10.30 Bringing Attention to Detail: The Feldenkrais Method – Dr Kate Ledger

11.00 BREAK

11.30 Training Pianist’s Musical Attention: Insights from Twenty Countries ― Dr Laszlo Stacho
12.00 Encoding the Pianist’s Physical Relationship with the instrument ― Yihan Jin
12.30 An Evidence-Based Perspective: The Touch-Tone Relationship ― Dr Cameron Robert

1.00 BREAK

2.0 INSIDE PIANO PERFORMANCE: THE SCIENCE, THE PERFORMER AND THE MUSIC 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Alison McGreggor*, Prof. of Musculoskeletal Biodynamics, Imperial College,
in dialogue with
Dr Mattew Banger*, Biomedical Engineer, Imperial College,
Introduction and Musical Material by Cristine MacKie.*

3.0 THE PIANIST’S BOOK CLUB
Prof. John Rink* Music in Profile
Prof. Laura Ritchie* Yes, I can
Dr Cameron Roberts* Optimising Pianism
Prof. Penelope Roskell* The Complete Pianist

4.00 BREAK

4.30 PIANO RECITAL by Da Hee Kim

CLOSE

For further information go to: www.londoninternationalpianosymposium.co.uk

ABOUT THE  PARTICIPANTS: INSIDE PIANO PERFORMANCE

*Alison McGregor is a Professor of Musculoskeletal Biodynamics at Imperial College, London, where she also
manages the Human Performance Group.

*Dr Mattew Banger. Operating from the Biodynamics Lab at Imperial College’s MSk Lab, his work emphasizes a
deeper understanding of human movement, with the goal of providing customized solutions that aid in rehabilitation, optimize performance, and improve movement patterns.

Cristine MacKie’s objective is to generate a more lively and rigorous approach to piano performance by drawing
upon recent research in performance science, thereby not only deepening our understanding of the distinct roles of the mind and the body in piano performance but encouraging also a convergence between the two.

THE PIANIST’S BOOK CLUB:ABOUT THE AUTHORS
We are delighted to welcome four leading authors to come and introduce their books on piano performance.
Issues will be addressed such as: ‘the identity and artistic voice of the performer, ’embodying a ‘yes’ attitude’;
‘evidence-based perspectives on the touch-tone relationship’; and, exploring a ‘healthy technique to natural
artistry’. The audience may like to prepare for the discussion which follows, by going to Amazon UK books, where
there are ample samples to be found concerning each book.

*Prof. John Rink is Emeritus Professor of Music in the Cambridge Faculty of Music, and Fellow in Music at St John’s
College. He specialises in the fields of performance studies, nineteenth-century music (especially Chopin), theory
and analysis, digital musicology and genetic criticism. ‘His book explores issues surrounding the identity and artistic
voice of the performer by elucidating the sense-making and decision-making process underlying musical
performance of all kinds’.

*Prof. Laura Richie is a Professor of Learning and Teaching at the University of Chichester Conservatoire, UK, and a
Visiting Professor at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani (Unjani), Indonesia. Laura will introduce us to her most
recent book: ‘Yes, I can: Learn to Use the Power of Self Efficacy (2021), which explains ways in which performers’
can see and enact positive agency throughout their lives. She is not only vibrant in her teaching, research, and
music-making, but her approach inspires also people to realise their goals through positive achievement and reach
beyond their dreams. She is a musician, a BPS Chartered Psychologist, and a National Teaching Fellow.

*Dr Cameron Roberts draws upon on his expertise as a medical professional and active pianist, providing us with
an understanding of how piano playing works and, most importantly from an evidence-based, scientific
perspective. Using accessible language, this wealth of information will help readers steer away from uncertainty,
suboptimal performance, and injury.

*Penelope Roskell is an acclaimed international pianist and Professor of Piano and Pedagogy at Trinity Laban
Conservatoire, London. She is the author of the award-winning book The Complete Pianist: from healthy technique
to natural artistry, and a world leader in the field of injury prevention and piano adviser to the British Association
for Performing Arts Medicine.