Jakob Fichert

ELEANOR HODGKINSON

&

Piano Duo

The pianists and pedagogues Eleanor Hodgkinson and Jakob Fichert have been working together as piano teachers at the Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton, for a number of years. Through their work they have developed a special interest in promoting the possibilities of the piano and its repertoire to the broadest possible audience. In order to engender a wider interest, Eleanor and Jakob offer a workshop, in which they explain and discuss the history of the keyboard from the viewpoint of two piano or piano duet repertoire. They will give an overview of the technical possibilities and the development of the piano using the extensive repertoire for piano duo. This could be presented on either two pianos or on one. The workshop consists of an interactive lecture performance featuring music from the 17th century to present day. The duo will perform pieces by composers such as Couperin, Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Lutoslawski and Morton Gould. Alongside these performances the students will be invited to play some pieces and work on them together with the lecturers. These should be prepared in advance and we can advise on suitable repertoire. We can provide pieces for students of all abilities. The event will last between 75 and 90 minutes and is mainly suitable for GCSE and A-level students. It can be tailored to the needs of a particular class or age group and can be used to highlight specific curricular topics such as theme and variations, arrangements and orchestrations, rhythmic textures and other stylistic issues.

Eleanor Hodgkinson and Jakob Fichert gave a wonderfully informative and entertaining presentation about the two-piano repertoire for GCSE music students. It included an interesting look at the historical background of the genre, interspersed with playing of mesmerising virtuosity, including Lutoslawski’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini and Morton Gould’s Boogie Woogie Etude. With the help of two other pianists they also played Saint- Saëns’ Danse Macabre for two pianos, eight hands. Two GCSE students also participated by playing the slow movement of Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos. This was a most successful afternoon which all the students very much enjoyed.
Yat-Soon Yeo
Director of Music
St. Paul’s School for Girls

Eleanor Hodgkinson studied piano at the Royal Northern College of Music with Renna Kellaway and graduated in 1996. Supported by a scholarship from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, she then specialised in piano accompaniment with Carole Presland on the RNCM’s postgraduate course. Subsequently, Eleanor was awarded a scholarship to study accompaniment with Malcolm Martineau at the Royal Academy of Music, completing her studies in 1998. During this time she was a finalist in the Birmingham Accompanist of the Year Competition and also gained scholarships to attend the International Musicians Seminar, Prussia Cove and the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
Eleanor plays with several groups including the Nimbus Ensemble and the Artaria Piano Trio and is in much demand as an accompanist and chamber musician. She has partnered a wide range of soloists and has performed at major venues throughout the UK including the Purcell Room, Symphony Hall, the Barbican and St. John’s Smith Square. Festival appearances include the London International Brass Festival, the Guildford, Lichfield and Bromsgrove Festivals and the 2nd International Victor Hugo Festival in Guernsey. She has also performed in North America, Holland and Germany. She has worked with many leading British composers and since 2005 has been involved with the Vigani’s Cabinet project at Queens College, Cambridge where she has premiered and recorded several new chamber works.
Eleanor is a Visiting Tutor in Piano at Royal Holloway, University of London and teaches piano and chamber music at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music and the Lady Eleanor Holles School. In 2005 she became an examiner for the Associated Board.