Friends of the Team of Pianists

An Invitation from the President of the Friends of the Team of Pianists...

The aim of the Friends is to support the Team of Pianists by directly assisting the Team, helping to promote its activities and building membership of the Friends. Members receive discounts for some Team events such as masterclasses and lectures and will be invited to join in social and educational activities organised specifically for the Friends. The Friends also coordinate 'Friends Play for Friends', a group of members who are pianists who get together informally in members' homes to perform for each other. There are opportunities to meet the Team and other performers plus regular newsletters. New members also receive a free CD featuring recitals from the biennial Australian National Piano Award in Shepparton.

To join the Friends of the Team of Pianists, please download the Fotops Membership Brochure 2023. This contains an invitation from the President, details the objectives and benefits of FOTOPS membership, has Committee contact details for further information and includes your application form and methods of payment for your membership.

Alternatively, please send an email to: friendsoftop333@gmail.com or talk to one of the committee members at a Team of Pianists event.

FOTOPS Hammer Memorabilia Project

Individually mounted and framed hammers from the late Max Cooke's final Bösendorfer grand piano, as used by so many of his talented protégés, are available for purchase as part of a 2022 fund-raising project, to help perpetuate Max Cooke's generosity towards young pianists, with events such as the Spring Piano School. These will be on display and for sale at various recitals in the Rigg Bequest Classic Music in Historic Venues 2022 - 24 concert series.

The text in the frame reads: "This hammer, from Max Cooke's Bösendorfer grand piano, has experienced countless hours of use under the hands of a new generation of pianists, who captivate us with their performances both today and into the future".

Regular Newsletter for Members

Feel free to download some newsletters from past years:

Upcoming Events

Rigg Bequest Classic Music 2024 - 2025: Concert 4

And Then There Were Four! Kevin Suherman joins the Team.

A unique double celebration recital in the National Trust’s lavish 19th century mansion Labassa. Experience the opulent architectural features and impressive interiors of this historic house, as you enjoy a feast of piano music to celebrate Kevin Suherman, brilliant younger pianist and protégé of the late Max Cooke OAM, joining the Team of Pianists!

Darryl Coote, Robert Chamberlain, Rohan Murray and Kevin Suherman, all four partners of the Team of Pianists, will perform solo piano music in two magnificently restored spaces; the Reception Room and the Music Room, featuring composers such as Brahms to Beethoven, Ravel to Ronald Stevenson and much more.

Each recital will be performed twice; after interval the audience will swap rooms to hear their second recital. Both rooms are at opposite corners of the ground floor, separated by doors and the entrance hall, so each audience will not be disturbed by sound from the other recital!

With strictly limited seating, our previous Rigg Bequest double-recitals at Labassa sold out early, so book soon! There are also specially discounted ticket price for current National Trust members.

Read more, including full programme details, here.