How and where to find a good, live piano accompanist?
Online resources for finding live accompanists are yet to be as abundant as they should. That said, here is a list of suggestions for finding an accompanist.
1. Find a music school near you.
Depending on the material you need accompanied, you may choose to contact a music school and ask them to connect you with an accompanist.
If the repertoire you need accompanied is fairly short, and not particularly complex – any music school will do, as their pianists would not have to spend a ton of time preparing to play your concert pieces.
However, if you are about to perform Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto, you may want to contact a conservatory as they are more likely to have a pianist who is familiar with the part, and can get ready quickly.
That said, any advanced pianist can theoretically prepare to play any piece. But pianists who are not experienced as accompanists specifically, are less likely to be willing to spend a lot of time learning the part, as this would require great time investment.
In conclusion, for most pieces, contacting any music school will do. For complex music, contact a conservatory, as they are more likely to have pianists available who are familiar with the repertoire.
2. Join two of the largest Facebook groups of pianists and accompanists from all over the world:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/accompanists/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1634441943485538/
Once you join, create a post annotating the pieces you will be performing, your country and city, and the performance venue. Ideally, you should also post your budget, taking into account the number of rehearsals you’d like to have. For private accompaniment sessions and performances, you should expect to invest between $30 - $80 per hour. You may ask to see websites or sample recordings as well.
3. https://www.pianoaccompanists.com/
This is currently the most abundant resource for finding a live pianist. You can enter a zip code and see the accompanists available near you. The website allows you to filter by the type of music you are playing, the instrument, the kind of accompaniment ex: Organ, as well by city/town and price. Our brief look into the site reveals many extremely experienced pianists with extensive familiarity with accompanied repertoire.
4. https://www.musicteachers.co.uk/search?type=2
This website proves to be an excellent pianist and accompanist resource for musicians in the United Kingdom only. You may select a zip code in the UK, your instrument, and a distance radius.
