This will be the first institute held in its new home. The American 1942 Steinway B originally owned by Wanda Landowska, acquired by Fraser in 2008, had been moved to a new studio in Gardosh, one of the most picturesque communities in Serbia, nestled underneath the escarpment that marks the southeasternmost border of the former Austro-Hungarian empire. The newly opened Belgrade Center for Piano Somatics, Fine Arts & Feldenkrais lies in the shadow of the Millenium Tower, erected in the 19th century to mark 1,000 years of Hungarian presence in the region. The page header above is the view from the tower.
The studio, to the extreme lower left in the page header photo, has excellent acoustics, is large enough to conduct Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement classes in situ, and is within walking distance of the Kosta Manoilovich Music School where practice facilities are available.
Amazingly enough, Gardosh's location in Zemun, just across the river from the Serbian capital city, Belgrade, is only 20 minutes from Tesla Airport which is fast becoming a major regional hub, with low-cost connections to most major European cities. This institute is a wonderful opportuntity to experience a little-known corner of Eastern Europe, with many inexpensive short term apartment rentals nearby and a multitude of restaurants with national and international cuisine.
We hope to run the Belgrade Institutes several times a year, and will begin scheduling them as soon as national Covid-19 restrictions have definitively been eased. Register for our newsletter to receive scheduling updates as they arise.
Some say the sound and feel of the Landowska Steinway alone is worth the trip. Its extraordinary colour palette recalls the Horowitz Steinway D, and once you have learned how to open up your sound on this unique instrument, you'll discover new sound vistas on other instruments as well.
But of course, what ultimately makes the trip worthwhile is not the location, not the food, not the instrument, but the teacher. Alan Fraser will introduce you to a new sound world at the piano, and will show you how to organize your physical movements to create that sound. The work is truly transformative, leading not only to improved agility and freedom from pain and stiffness, but to a deeper form of expression where there is more of you in your playing as well as more of the composer.
The piano lessons, lectures, Awareness Through Movement™ classes and Functional Integration™ lessons are fine-tuned to reflect the makeup of each group, taking into account participants' individual needs.
If you are interested in studying with Alan in Serbia but cannot attend these dates, you can visit for several days' intensive individual sessions both at the piano and on the Feldenkrais table. Please contact us for more details.
Are you hesitant to attend? Feel you are not advanced enough? Not well-enough prepared? Don't worry; Alan welcomes all, no matter what your ability, no matter what the state of your program. The Institute really is open to all interested pianists:
There is no limit to improvement!
This schedule may be modified according to the needs of the group.
We ask that all participants be vaccinated against Covid-19, or that you have proof of a negative Covid-19 test done less than 72 hours before your arrival in Serbia. You will need your "health pass," the so-called "vaccine passport" to travel to Serbia in any case. Please let us know your vaccination status when you register.
Alan Fraser contracted the Corona virus in November 2020. He had only mild symptoms and quickly recovered, and received the Astra-Zeneca vaccine in March and June 2021, and a booster shot in November 2021. Nevertheless, if national Covid-19 restrictions are still in force during the institute, the following measures will be followed for the protection and comfort of all participants:
At Nikola Tesla Airport, when you exit the baggage claim area, before going outside turn left to take the escalator upstairs and find a cab outside on the upper level. Only use a reputable firm such as Belgrade Taxi, BeoTaxi, Pink Taxi, Naxis Taxi or Lux Taxi. The taxis upstairs are about half the price of those at the taxi stand on the lower level (arrivals). Do NOT under ANY circumstances accept the offer of a cab ride from a driver in the arrivals area; they are all crooks.
Here is the route to the studio:
There is a positive glut of apartment rentals in the area. These attractive premises, all within a few hundred metres of the studio, are on offer at Airbnb.com: Gardosh Upper Town Gardosh Lower Town Gardosh Lower Town Gardosh Upper Town Gardosh Upper Town...
If several participants join together to rent a larger place such as the one pictured here (the first one on the list above), you can live in positively luxurious surroundings for next to nothing. Please contact us if you are open to sharing with other participants, and we will do our best to make arrangements.
There are many other apartment rental sites as well offering a wide variety of locations in the area: Airbnb Belgrade Art Apartments Stan na Dan (Apartments Day by Day) Apartments in Belgrade Belgrade Click Apartments Belgrade New Apartments
There are innumerable restaurants and cafés in the neighbourhood. Just to the left of the studio is the Three Fat Godfathers restuarant with fantastic national dishes and folk musicians Friday and Saturday evenings. To the right is the Taurunum Pogled (Unique Tower View) Pizzeria Terrace Café with a spectacular view over the Danube. And just down the street there is, among many others, the Šaran (Carp) Restaurant, renowned throughout Serbia for their fish dishes. The Carp Restaurant, just down the street from the Studio
Click on your preferred option below to pay by credit card at our retail partner, Stripe.com.
COMBINING ACTIVE AND PASSIVE DAYS
To combine active and passive registrations, hit the back button on your browser to add another purchase item to the same payment procedure. For instance, if you want to attend for five days but only have three individual lessons, purchase three Active Participant days and two Passive Participant days for a total of five. At completion of your registration, please indicate which institute you will be attending (Belgrade), and what days.
EXTRA LESSONS
If you would like to book extra lessons, i.e. to have more than one lesson on the same day (either piano or Feldenkrais Functional Integration), send us an email and we will arrange it. These lessons will be paid for at the time.
After registering, please return here to fill out the REGISTRATION QUESTIONNAIRE.
After you have completed your institute, please come back to fill out this FOLLOWUP QUESTIONNAIRE. This helps us evaluate your experience, tailor your ongoing regime to facilitate further progress, and fine-tune the structure of future institutes to better meet participants' needs.
ALAN FRASER
Canadian pianist Alan Fraser gives master classes and recitals worldwide and conducts ongoing research and refinement on the ideas put forth in his books
Cancellation Policy
If you must cancel your registration, reimbursement will be as follows: Cancellations more than two months before Institute opening date: 100% reimbursement. Cancellations more than one month before Institute opening date: 75% reimbursement. Cancellations more than two weeks before Institute opening date: 50% reimbursement. Cancellations more than one week before Institute opening date: 25% reimbursement. Cancellations less than one week before Institute opening date: no reimbursement except in cases of doctor-certified illness or acts of God. We reserve the right to cancel the institute due to insufficient enrolment; in this event, all registration fees are fully refundable.
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