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 3

Forty Fingers at Rippon Lea! - The Team's End-of-year Celebration

Celebrate the end of 2024 in the Rippon Lea Ballroom, with this gala multi-piano event, featuring the Team of Pianists with special guest pianist Elyane Laussade!

Darryl Coote, Rohan Murray, Robert Chamberlain and Elyane Laussade will present a dramatic program of piano music for four, six and eight hands at one and two grand pianos. Enjoy canapé refreshments (included in the ticket price) and bar drink sales on the pool terrace, meet committee members of the Friends of the Team of Pianists (FOTOPS) and enjoy music and festivities in this special heritage venue.

This recital celebrates not only the end of 2024 but also the first concerts in TOP’s new multi-year C & C Rigg Bequest Classic Music in Historic Venues series. It also features a specially discounted ticket price for current financial members of the Friends of the Team of Pianists (FOTOPS). Read more here...