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A biography of Ignace Jan Paderewski, a Polish pianist and composer, is presented. He was born in Kurylówka, Poland on November 6, 1860 and studied at the Warsaw Conservatory in 1872. When he graduated at age 18, he started living with composing and offering lessons at the Conservatory. He went to Berlin, Germany for seven months in 1882 to improve his knowledge and skills in composition under the mentorship of world renowned musician Friedrich Kiel.

The article provides information on the life and works of Russian pianist Rosa Tamarkina. In 1932, Tamarkina was selected as one of about 15 musically prodigious boys and girls to be admitted to the inaugural class of the Moscow Conservatory's Central Music School in Moscow, Russia. At age 16, she was chosen as the youngest member of the Soviet team to compete in the third International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition held in 1937.

This article profiles Vladislav Kovalsky, a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory between 1966 and 1971. He was born in the Far East of Russian parents and had spent his early years in the city of Omsk studying with gifted teacher, Ludmilla Winckler. After undergoing an audition, he was recommended for a place at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The course of study at the conservatory was a five-year programme. Nathan Perelman had been an influential teacher for Kovalsky.

The article offers advice to aspiring pianists on ways of improving their skills. According to the author, one of the major considerations for pianists is whether to enroll in a university or a conservatoire. Royal College of Music in London, England head of keyboard Vanessa Latarche states that conservatories are largely based on performance and that she considers it as having a higher standard than universities. Ignat Solzhenitsyn states that finding the right teacher is also very important.

An interview with pianist James Rhodes is presented. Rhodes talks about how playing the piano saved his life, from his ten-year bout with psychiatric illness and four attempts of suicide. Having studied piano at Harrow School in England and private lessons at Genoa, Italy under Eduardo Strabbioli, Rhodes narrates that he tried not playing piano while ill but failed to resist and since then, never stopped playing, much aware that music saved him and is the only thing that is consistent with his life.

The article looks at how China, famous from producing technicians, is beginning to create musicians. It recalls that Chinese piano was born in Shanghai in the 1920s courtesy of German and Russian expatriates who trained the country's first teachers. It notes that professor Zhou Guangren from the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing is recognized as the First Lady of Piano for her work in popularising the piano. It cites that conservatories in the country are introducing chamber music.

An interview with pianist Philippe Entremont is presented. In January 2007, he gave a masterclass at the École Normale De Musique De Paris in preparation for the 2006-2007 International Certificate for Piano Artists. He described his working relationship with conductor Eugene Ormandy and how they had a fight when they recorded "Gershwin." He revealed that his parents were also musicians. He considered Stravinsky a horrible conductor.

The article offers world news briefs related to people in the piano music sector in 2015. Markus Pawlik was appointed as artistic director of the New World Music Academy in California. French pianist Jean-Michel Pilc has joined as an associate professor of jazz at McGill University in Quebec. Pianist Michael Braunfels has died in Cologne, Germany on May 15.

The article features the Dartington International Summer School of Music in England. The estate where the school is housed was purchased and renovated by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst in 1929 and was established to provide alternative education, with special focus on the arts, social justice and sustainable organic agriculture. The summer school of music started in the establishment in 1947. John Woorich was appointed artistic director of the summer school starting in 2011.

The article profiles Georgian pianists Khatia Buniatishvili and Nino Gvetadze. According to the author, both pianists trained at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. He reports that the women benefited from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust and both have released Sonata in B minor CDs. Gvetadze, the author reveals, was born in 1981 and composed her first piece at the age of four. Buniatishvili, he adds, has won prizes in the Tbilisi International Piano Competition and was sponsored by Martha Argerich.

The article features the Piccola Accademia di Montisi (PAdM), a foundation situated in the hills of Southern Tuscany, Italy, dedicated to the study of the harpsichord and its music. The academy was founded by harpsichord maker Bruce Kennedy to provide the harpsichord community with a research center. To fulfill its goal of representing the important models and schools of harpsichord, the PAdM is developing an initial collection of ten instruments.

The article profiles Serbian-American pianist Ivan Ilic. Topics discussed include Ilic's career history and educational background, the pianists who influenced him and his assessment of the Paris Conservatoire's approach to teaching piano students. Also discussed are the albums he has released, the composers he favors and his views on how pianists should develop their skills.

This section offers news briefs related to piano schools and departments as of July 2015. Topics discussed include Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute appointed as assistant professor of piano at Shenandoah University Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia, the city council of Tiaret, Algeria receiving criticisms for its decision to close the local piano conservatoire and Dmitri Novgorodsky appointed as assistant professor of piano at the Ithaca College School of Music in New York.

The article reports that the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium has started construction on a building that will expand the size of its facilities to allow it to provide 2,500 extra coaching hours per year to bridge the gap between student and professional life.

The article reports that the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England has received delivery of 14 pianos for its proposed Milton Court building including 11 Yamaha uprights, two Steinway D grands and one Steinway B grand.