Collaborative pianists and vocal coaches work with other musicians, but rarely have the opportunity to gather with other collaborative pianists. The mission of this event, now in its third year, is to provide a gathering place and a forum for discussion and exploration for collaborative pianists, as well as opportunities for networking and socialization. We aim to create a forum for continuing education for professionals, training for students and young professionals, and an opportunity for pianists at all stages in their musical lives to interact and learn from each other.

Our 2016 event was the first-ever anywhere (as far as we know) public festival devoted exclusively to collaborative piano, themed and tuned to honoring our mentors. In 2017, we adopted the theme “TeamWork makes Dream Work,” paraphrasing John C. Maxwell, and celebrating the joy of joining forces with another soul towards a common goal. CollabFest is committed to providing an enriching and stimulating symposium on a variety of topics central to collaborative piano.

At the heart of the matter, the collaborative arts are about teamwork, community building, generous sharing of self, and the sheer joy of making music intimately with another human being. CollabFest celebrates this!