In August, we brought this unique piano festival to Montpelier, Vermont, for a second year. We were delighted to gather teaching artists and our 2026 Pianist-in-Residence from across the U.S. and Canada, alongside local community members.
Highlights this year included our new Community Piano Recital, where participants and local residents shared their music-making on the final day, as well as virtual access for West Coast students. Over four immersive days, teachers, students, and enthusiasts engaged in workshops, concerts, and group coaching centered on creativity, collaboration, performance, and artistic growth.
Take a look at our 2026 program book to see the full range of learning and engagement opportunities we packed into those four days!
Day 1 (Wednesday, August 5) opened with an outdoor brown-bag lunch concert for the community featuring Alexa Stier, our 2026 Pianist-in-Residence. The afternoon featured virtual group coaching by expert veteran teaching artists Wynn-Anne Rossi and Martha Hill Duncan, and the day concluded with a special dinner hosted by our sponsor, Capitol Grounds Cafe.
Brown Bag Lunch Concert with Alexa Stier
Special Dinner at Capitol Grounds Cafe
We started Day 2 (Thursday, August 6) with optional private coaching, allowing West Coast students to build on Wednesday’s momentum with Wynn-Anne Rossi and Martha Hill Duncan. The evening’s Luke Rackers and Friends Community Concert highlighted the festival's collaborative spirit. Executive Director Luke Rackers took the stage alongside local artists Siena Rose, Alana Phinney, and Michael Close to present works by Abundant Silence composers Ayumi Okada, Ivan Božičević, and Nathan Hall.
Optional Private Coaching by Wynn-Anne Rossi and Martha Hill Duncan
Luke Rackers and Friends Community Concert at Montpelier Performing Arts HUB
Day 3 (Friday, August 7) began with "Developing Creative Habits of Mind." Led by Luke Rackers, the session revisited and expanded upon our group creativity formula from last summer. In-person group coaching followed, highlighting the impressive growth of returning participants over the past year.
During the afternoon Adult Learner Session, participants were introduced to Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process, gaining valuable insights on how to give and receive meaningful creative feedback.
The centerpiece of the entire festival took place that evening at the Alexa Stier Headline Concert. Alexa shared her exceptional artistry through a rich program combining masterworks by Debussy and Scriabin with pieces by Abundant Silence composers Ethan Jankowski, Chia-Yu Hsu, Wynn-Anne Rossi, and Brady Wolff.
Adult Learner Session
Festival Concert: Alexa Stier Headline Concert
The final day (Sunday, August 8) was filled with both celebration and bittersweet goodbyes.
We started the morning with three inspiring workshops: Wynn-Anne Rossi and Martha Hill Duncan shared ideas on studio creativity, Alexa Stier presented "The Lion Method: Visualizing Music Through Hindemith’s Ludus Tonalis," and Siena Rose led "From Sketch to Song: A Songwriting Toolkit."
In the afternoon, students and local community members joined together to perform in the 2026 FCP Community Piano Recital. Finally, Alexa Stier reprised her remarkable program at The Phoenix Gallery & Music Hall in Waterbury, bringing an incredible four days of music and learning to a close.
Workshop by Alexa Stier
FCP Community Piano Recital 2026
We hope you enjoyed this recap of four incredible days! Check out our Instagram for photos and highlights, and stay tuned for our upcoming video archive post.
We look forward to returning to Montpelier, VT, in August 2027. Exact dates will be announced by the end of the year. The festival offers a supportive, creative environment to help pianists build skills, discover their artistic voice, and kickstart new projects. Pianists of all ages and levels are welcome (2–3 years of study recommended).