BETHEL — Music without Borders International Piano Festival returns to the Gould Academy campus in Bethel for its 18th season, July 7 – August 3. Concert artist and master teacher Tamara Poddubnaya assembles aspiring young pianists from two continents for up to four weeks of intensive study on the Gould campus, where they live and enjoy the exceptional practice and performance facilities offered at this All-Steinway School, in a friendly community nestled in the mountains of western Maine.

The first of the four weekly public recitals is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9. Thereafter, regular public recitals are held every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday through August 3. All recitals are free and begin at 7 p.m. Programs are held in the air-conditioned Trustees Auditorium of the McLaughlin Science Center on the Gould campus. No reservations are necessary, but seating is limited.

Director Tamara Poddubnaya and Festival Participants
Festival artistic director Tamara Poddubnaya is a distinguished graduate of the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg. Much sought after as a master teacher, she also frequently serves as a juror at international piano competitions and keeps a busy schedule, teaching and performing in Europe and the United States.

Festival participants represent a truly international group. They may range in age from 10 to 30 and in recent seasons have come from Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, and the United States. Many of them are destined for careers as concert artists and teachers.

Several participants are Prof. Poddubnaya’s students, while others have met her at master classes and competitions in the U.S. and in Europe, or have been referred to her by their own teachers. They enjoy performing for an audience – growing every season – of admiring area residents and summer visitors. Indeed, regular summer visitors often arrange for their vacation time to coincide with the piano festival. Over the years, Festival veterans have developed strong friendships with each other and with Bethel area residents.

A unique feature of Music without Borders is that all students have a daily lesson – sometimes two! – with Prof. Poddubnaya and a personal practice piano at which they spend many hours each day. They perform several times each week during the public concerts, and advanced students present a solo recital during their final week. At the end of their time in Bethel, students will perform from memory repertoire which they will have begun to study only after arriving on campus.

For a list of Festival alumni, facts about the program and the venue, occasional changes in recital location and times, and the latest news, including the announcement of Prof. Poddubnaya’s famous “piano marathons” during the final week of the festival, go to the website: www.musicwoborders.com.