Ahun, France

August 16-22; 22-30 2027

Ahun, Creuse, France: the Wienerissimo Music Rooms

The 2027 France Summer Institutes will take place in two sessions:

• August 17-21: FIVE full teaching days.
• August 23-29: SEVEN full teaching days,.

The two sessions will be separated by a day of rest on Sunday, August 22. The opening introductory session happens the evening before the first Institute teaching day. The closing wrapup debriefing session happens the morning following the last full day of teaching.

Full Or Partial Attendance

Both full or partial attendance are possible for either session. You may also attend both sessions in their entirety, or combine partial attendance between the two.

The Venue

The institute takes place at Wienerissimo, a wonderful 17th century mansion in Ahun, a medieval town in central France easily accessible by rail or car.

Events

Participants will gather for

• Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons
• Fraser Awareness Through Piano Movement (ATPM) lessons
• Individual technique & repertoire lessons, and
• Individual private Feldenkrais Functional Integration (FI) lessons by special request, and
• Simple relaxation playing 4-, 6-, and even 8-hands music selected from our hostess Elisa Weiner's extensive library in the evenings.

There will be lively discussion of all aspects of the institute, and indeed of piano playing in general at Elisa's table, famed for her haute cuisine. All meals are taken en groupe.

You will love life at Wienerissimo , an elegant musician's retreat situated in a medieval town filled with ancient churches, Including a 10th century Benedictine monastery with a 17th-century wood-carved rood screen that is renowned throughout France. Numerous practice pianos are to be found throughout the house.

Open to All Interested Pianists

Do you feel are not advanced enough to attend? Not well-enough prepared? Don't worry; Alan welcomes you no matter what your ability, no matter what the state of your program. The Institute really is open to all interested pianists:

• students who wish to improve their sound and agility
• adult amateurs who wish to feel more in command of the instrument
• teachers who want new ways of teaching technique to their students
• professionals who wish to hone their skills to the highest possible level.

There is no limit to improvement!

Alan Fraser teaches in French or English as you prefer.

Daily Schedule

Structure of the Day

The institute is a mixture of

• Individual piano lessons
• Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons done on the floor
• Fraser Awareness Through Piano Movement lessons zerooing in on participants' hands and bodies.

Alan composes the ATPMs each day according to the technical issues raised in that day's individual lessons.

Opening & Closing Sessions

Before the first full teaching day, we meet in the evening to introduce ourselves and discuss our goals for the week. The morning after the last full teaching day we hold a closing "debriefing" session.

Partial Attendance

Partial attendance is acceptable, as is combining passive and active days. Even if you attend the institute, you are not obliged to take a lesson every day. You can tailor-make your participation to your own needs at registration.

The following proposed schedule may be modified according to the needs of the group:

Lessons are 45 minutes with a few minutes at the end for Q & A, and a short break. You are free to observe the lessons for the entire day, or take a break to do a little bit of practicing or just rest. Video recordings of all sessions are made available to participants for an ongoing enriched learning experience.

In addition to Institute participants, the concert is generally attended by a small group of the local villagers, music lovers who are more wont to enjoy than criticize. It's not so much a concert performance as a chance to try out the new techniques you've been investigating all week, a chance to spread your wings for the first time among friends.

Travel

Getting There

BY CAR

BY TRAIN

• La Souterraine
• Bus, La Souterraiane-Ahun

From the Ahun bus stop it is just a few minutes' walk to:

Accommodation

Lodging

All participants live in residence at Wienerissimo, with full board. Elisa has generously offered us all the student rate, making the cost very reasonable. For overflow participants, there is a cottage at our disposal, as well as several bed & breakfasts nearby.

Wienerissimo offers three levels of lodging quality:

• Shared room with twin beds at €80 per person per night, meals and refreshements included
• Private rooms at €90 per person per night, meals and refreshements included
• Private room at Gîte de Bertau at €90 a night, meals and refreshements chez Elisa included

Please contact Christophe Rind to reserve your room and discuss your lodging needs.

Lodging and meal fees are paid directly to Wienerissimo on site; they are separate from and in addition to the Institute registration fee.

MEALS

Elisa's establishment offers us all meals:

• continental breakfast
• full lunch
• full supper
• coffee, tea, biscuits and fruit throughout the day.

Registration

Fees & Registration

The active participation fee covers the following activities:

• daily individual lesson
• daily group ATM lesson
• daily group ATPM lesson
• daily seminar lecture
• observation of all other lessons

The passive participation fee covers full participation in all activities but with no individual lesson.

To combine active & passive days, head directly to our new signup procedure.

Register for the Ahun institute by clicking on the link immediately below the table. The payment table is no longer responsive; this price list is purely informative.

Register for the Ahun 2027 Alan Fraser Piano Somatics Institute Week I

Register for the Ahun 2027 Alan Fraser Piano Somatics Institute Week II

INSTITUTE LESSON RECORDINGS

All lessons are video recorded (unless the participant requests otherwise), and are stored at our pianist's version of Netflix:

PianoTechniqe.org.

To watch your lessons, you must first subscribe to PianoTechniqe.org if you are not already an active member. We run our piano somatics video library more or less on the Netflix model. Your initial subscription fee gives you automatic access to

• our main library with 1300+ lesson videos
• over 85 tutorial series curated especially for pianotechnique.org
• your own personal library where all your lesson videos can be gathered in one place - making the study process even more convenient and rewarding.

Every one of Alan's lessons is so packed full of information and experience, the review process offers you a valuable and undeniable chance for further progress, more breakthroughs - a deeper integration of your learning.

Separate from the Institute registration fee

Access to the Ahun 2027 institute recordings and to all further subscription benefits is included in the initial pt.org subscription fee, which is separate from your institute registration fee.

Contact

About Us - Contact

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:

• The Craft of Piano Playing (also in DVD),
• Honing the Pianistic Self-Image
• All Thumbs: Well-Coordinated Piano Technique
• Pianimals: 28 Feldenkrais Lessons for the Beginning Pianist's Hand
• Skeletal Wisdom: Mind & Body Reunited in the Feldenkrais Method
• Play the Piano with Your Whole Self

He is at work on several new volumes. Visit here for more on Alan Fraser. If you have questions about your participation in the institute and would like to address them directly to Alan Fraser, please feel free to send him an email.

ELISA WIENER

Elisa Wiener is an excellent classical pianist who had a long and influential career in France as a teacher and Conservatoire director. She has known many of France's most eminent pianists, singers, instrumental musicians, actors, poets and painters, and is a treasure trove of stories about, and insights into, France's unique culture of a certain epoch. We often spend evenings playing piano four hands, six hands or even eight hands with Elisa, digging into her vast collection of pianistic memorabilia.

WIENERISSIMO

Visit the medieval lanes and byways of AHUN, a 13th century village with its special charm and churches dating from the 13th-16th centuries. This village feels as if it has been untouched by time, and Elisa with her insights into 20th century pianism combined with a wonderful elan in the kitchen, offers unbeatable hospitality.

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.
We reserve the right to cancel the institute due to insufficient enrolment; in this event, all registration fees are fully refundable.