Harrow School loses piano academy

One of England’s most prestigious public schools has shrunk its music profile. This just in from Lewis Owens:

After 6 years Babssco (the commercial summer arm of Harrow School) have decided (without informing me) that our Piano Academy isn’t making enough profit for them (I assume) so would prefer to focus on other priorities (such as hosting quiz and pizza nights for the overseas students). My sincere thanks to the brilliant Colin Stone for all his efforts and to the wonderful Mayumi Stone Iida for hers. Huge thanks also to Tanya Ursova who coordinated everything as well as teaching on the course. Thanks also to those wonderful and distinguished pianists who have either taught or been our Guests of Honour over the years, including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Benjamin Grosvenor and Elena Vorotko.

Most importantly, thanks to the many students from all over the world who have attended, enjoyed and benefitted hugely from the course. Sincere thanks to Steinway & Sons for warmly hosting the students every year for a recital and the Royal Academy of Music who welcomed us every year with a tour of the museum. Sometimes though I do wonder why I bother.

BABSSCo is ‘a specialist provider of top quality EFL junior summer English courses for young students from all over the world’.