EPTA Europe History

EPTA was founded in 1978 by Carola Grindea with the intention of uniting Pianists and teachers throughout the world.

It started in the UK and within one year, EPTA Iceland was formed in 1979, thus creating the beginnings of the EPTA Family.

Since then EPTA-Europe has grown and grown and now has 39 European Accociation as well as Associate and Affiliate members from around the world.

Below is a chronology of the formation of the 39 EPTA-Europe Associations which now exist.

 

1978

March 16: EPTA UK was founded by Carola Grindea at Guildhall School of Music (Sir Allen Percival, Principal).
Louis Kentner, EPTA President, gave the launching Recital.

July: First EPTA Workshop/Conference in Chichester

1979

27th January: 2nd EPTA Workshop at Gipsy Hill, Kingston Polytechnic (Dr Ho) 
This was where the first AGM took place and a Committee was elected: Sidney Harrison, Chairman, James Gibb & Dr Malcolm Troup Vice Chair, Alan Paul Treasurer, Carola Grindea Organising Secretary. Nelly Ben-Or, John Bigg, Wallis Hunt, Dr Edward Ho, Peter Norris, Philip Reder, Reymour Rice and Danielle Salamon as committee members.

February: EPTA Iceland was founded by Halldor Haraldsson

4th April: First Anniversary at GSMD (by kind permission of John Hosier) was a double celebration, as the European Council of the Association had been established to coordinate the activities of EPTA UK with parallel activities abroad.
The European President was Vlado Perlemuter, Vice Presidents Clifford Curzon, Nikita Magaloff and Allen Percival. The Chairman was Dr Malcolm Troup with Peter Feuchtwanger, Antony Hopkins and Fanny Waterman on the Council. Alan Paul was the Treasurer and Carola Grindea the Organising Secretary. “The double event was celebrated with a fine Recital given by Malcolm Troup, which was followed by a Musical Entertainment with Sidney Harrison, Marina Horak, Nadia Lasserson and Danielle Salamon playing Eight Hands on one piano.

July: EPTA Second Summer Workshop in Brighton

September: EPTA West Germany with Edith Picht-Axenfeld, Karl-Heinz Kammerling, Ludwig Hoffman, Ulrich Meckies. A Praesidium of 5 members was formed.

1980

February 21st: Launch of the first Piano Journal (Editor Sidney Harrison), Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Malcolm Troup gave welcome address, James Gibb played Schubert &Schumann.
Anthony Hopkins talked: “How to be a Successful Failure”

28th – 30th July: Third EPTA Summer Piano Teachers Workshop at Royal Holloway College, Egham was the FIRST EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS.

1981

EPTA Belgium Flanders/Brussels was formed. Louise Hesbain, President

EPTA Archives housed at Trent Park

February: One Day Workshop at ILEA

June: EPTA Holland – Alwyn Bar

25th – 27th July: 2nd EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS at Egham, UK

1982

EPTA Finland – Finnish Piano Teachers Association. 
Kauko Kuosma, President. Eeva Sarmanto Nuovonen, Co-ordinator.

29th July – 1st August: 3rd EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS at Trent Park, UK

September 15th: EPTA Eire, Frank Heneghan

1983

EPTA France – Jacques Chapuis

EPTA Iceland – Gudrun Gudmundsdottirs new President

27th – 30th July: 5th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS at Kingston Polytechnic, UK; 
also 2nd ISSTIP Conference

5th October: Gala Evening at Steinways 1

1984

Japan Piano Teachers Association became affiliated with EPTA

EPTA Iceland reverted back to its original President

February: One Day Seminar – Trent Park

25th – 28th July: 6th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS at Kingston, UK

October: EPTA Switzerland – Klaus Wolters

1985

7th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS at Hannover Hochschule, Germany

Herman Uhlhorn new President of Holland

1st Flemish Piano Duet Competition

9th – 12th August: John Bigg acting Chairman of EPTA UK, EPTA UK Conference at Egham

December: EPTA Austria – Sebastian Benda, 1st conference

1986

26th – 29th July: EPTA UK International Conference at Guildhall School of music and Drama, London

7th August: 8th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Helsinki, Finland

1987

EPTA Finland – Pekka Vapaavuori new President

EPTA East Germany – Prof Dr Diethelm Muller-Nilsson

EPTA Yugoslavia – Vladimir Krpan assembled all academics from Belgrade, Ljubljana, Skopje, Novi Sad and Zagreb together.

Malcolm Troup became Guest Editor of Piano Journal

30th July – 3rd Aug: EPTA UK International Conference at Southlands. Kendall Taylor new President of EPTA UK

9th August: 9th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Roque d’Antheron, France

October: EPTA Norway – Einar Steen-Nokleberg, 500 Norwegian Society of Piano Teachers all joined EPTA en masse.

1988

Malcolm Troup took over the Editorship of the Piano Journal.

EPTA Croatia/Yugoslavia – Vladimir Krpan

EPTA Sweden – Marianne Facht-Ribbing. 50th Anniversary of Swedish Piano Teachers Association

February 12th: Concerts Exhibition in Kensington Library

Feb 20th: 10th Anniversary of EPTA. Piano Marathon at Guildhall School of Music and Drama

5th – 9th August: 10th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS at Southlands

1989

EPTA Czechoslovakia – Radoslav Kvapil

EPTA Croatia – same President

EPTA USSR – Lev Vlassenko

Hong Kong Piano Teachers Association affiliated to EPTA – Dr Sigling Bruhn

EPTA Belgium Flanders/Brussels – Roland de Munck new President

14th – 16th July: 11th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Alkmaar, Netherlands 

27th – 31st July: EPTA UK International Conference in Hereford

1990

EPTA Italy – Marcella Crudeli; founded during Finals of Roma competition

EPTA Hungary – Elzebet Tusa

EPTA Romania – Dragos Tanasescu

EPTA Denmark – Elsebeth Brodersen

EPTA Estonia – Bruno Lukk

EPTA East Germany held its First conference and many Western Germans attended as the Berlin Wall had come down in 1989. A great historic moment.

30th July – 2nd August: EPTA UK International Conference at Kingston

8th – 10th November: 12th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Graz, Austria

December: EPTA Belgium Wallonie/Bruxelles – Diane Andersen

1991

EPTA Malta – Charles Camilleri

EPTA West and East Germany became briefly known as Germany One and Two but at the November East German Conference they amalgamated into EPTA Germany

EPTA Poland – Teresa Manasterska

EPTA Serbia – Dušan Trbojević

EPTA Czechoslovakia was divided into EPTA Czech Republic and EPTA Slovakia – Eva Fischerova

EPTA The Netherlands – Willem Brons new President

Estonian President died so Vice President Lauri Vainmaa took over

29th July – 2nd August: EPTA UK International Conference at Froebel College, Roehampton

Sept. 6 – 9th: 13th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Moscow, Russia – where 
EPTA Latvia – Prof Arnis Zandmaris and 
EPTA Lithuania – Kestukis Gribauskas were formed.

November: EPTA Spain – Rosa Maria Kucharski 

1992

EPTA Ukraine – Nina Kazimirova

EPTA Malta – Josefina Grima new President

EPTA Latvia – Teofil Bikis new President

January: EPTA UK Pedagogy Course started  for 12 fortnightly Sundays

28th – 31st July: EPTA UK International Conference at Froebel

October: 14th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Lucerne, Switzerland

1993

EPTA Bulgaria – Milena Mollova

EPTA Albania – Nadjezhda Porodini (lived in Italy)

EPTA Estonia new President – Peep Lassmann

EPTA Serbia new President – Arbo Valma

EPTA Malta new President – Fransina Abela

15th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Prague, Czech Republic

March: 15th Anniversary Celebrations, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London

27th – 30th July: EPTA UK International Conference at Froebel College, Roehampton

1994

EPTA Russia-Saratov – Irina Skvortsova

EPTA Greece – Gerassimos Kakalis

EPTA Cyprus – Katerina Antoniou

EPTA Macedonia – Todor Svetiev

EPTA Belarus – Vadim Yaconyuk

January 29th: Celebration of Carola Grindea

23rd – 26th June: 16th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Kils 
Nadia Lasserson took over as Organising Secretary of EPTA the Parent

28th July – 1st August: EPTA UK International Conference in Manchester, Hartley Hall

1995

EPTA Russia-Piatigorsk

EPTA Russia-Kaliningrad

EPTA Russia-Tambov

Einar Steen-Nokleberg became President of the European Council

Sebastian Benda resigned and became Honorary President of EPTA Austria and Walter Groppenberger was nominated the new President.

25th – 29th July: EPTA UK International Conference at Froebel College, Roehampton

24th – 26th November: 17th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Namur, Wallonia – Belgium, where it was decided that the President of the Council of EPTA should be of the country hosting the following Conference in order to facilitate gaining sponsorship.
Marcella Crudelli was then announced the new President of EPTA.

1996

ALAPP Chile – instigated by Malcolm Troup

EPTA Eire – Mary Lennon new President

EPTA Hungary –Mariann Abraham new President

EPTA Iceland – Sigrun Gudmunsdottir new President

EPTA Russia – Irina Ossipova new President

30th July – 3rd August: EPTA UK International Conference at Hartley Hall, Manchester

23rd – 25th October: 18th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Rome, Italy

1997

EPTA Russia-St Petersburg

EPTA Russia-Sochi

EPTA Russia- Rostov-on-Don

EPTA Greece – reorganised with Maria Kanatsouli

EPTA Switzerland – Francis Schneider new President

EPTA Serbia – Nikola Rackov new President

23rd – 25th August: 19th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Dubrovnik, Croatia

26th – 30th August: EPTA UK International Conference at Froebel College, Roehampton
1st EPTA UK Piano Competition – three categories: Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced

1998

EPTA Bosnia & Herzegovina was established with Zlatan Mujkić as President

EPTA Slovenia was established with Tatjana Ognjanović as President.

EPTA Sweden – Eva Luthander new President

EPTA Iceland – Unnur Vilhelmsdottir new President

EPTA UK International Conference in York. (Dorothea Law)

EPTA UK 2nd Piano Competition with Advanced 2 category added

EPTA UK Archives moved to LCM

March 29th: 20th Anniversary Celebrations at GSMD

2nd – 6th October: 20th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Nicosia, Cyprus

1999

EPTA Russia-North/West – Vladimir Kurgan

EPTA Greece re-organised

EPTA Roumania – Constantin Ionescu – Vovu new President after tragic death of Aurora Ienei

EPTA France – Hervé N’Kaoua new President after resignation of Jacques Chapuis

EPTA UK Pedagogy Course changed hands.

April: EPTA Portugal – Nancy Lee Harper

May 23rd: EPTA UK One-day Conference in Birmingham

2nd – 5t h July: 21st EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Tromsø, Norway

August: EPTA UK International Conference Guildford

2000

EPTA Greece – Alikki Vatikioti new President

EPTA Finland – Jussi Siirala new President

EPTA Slovenia – Igor Dekleva new President

1st July: EPTA UK One day Conference at RNCM “Past, Present and Future”

2nd July: EPTA UK International Conference at Chethams School, Manchester

23rd – 28th August: 22nd EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Budapest, Hungary

2001

EPTA Belgium Flanders/Brussels – Levento Kende new President

EPTA Latvia Juris Kalnciems new President after tragic death of Bikis

May 13th: EPTA UK one day Pedagogy day in Cambridge

1st – 4th August: EPTA UK International Conference in Oxford

25th – 28th October: 23rd EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Berlin, Germany

2002

Vlado Perlemuter and Anne Steyn died

EPTA Georgia – Nino Khutsishvilli

EPTA Iceland – Annis Bjork Asgirsdottir new President

EPTA Eire – Catherine O’Sullivan Gallagher new President

EPTA Serbia – Dejan Sinadinovic new President

EPTA UK Archives moved to Chethams

26th – 28th July: EPTA UK International Conference at Trinity College of Music, Greenwich

30th August – 1st September: 24th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Namur, Wallonia – Belgium

6th October: EPTA UK Young Artists – at The Lowry, Salford Quays

2003

Sebastian Benda, Rosalyn Tureck and Joan Last died

EPTA Croatia – Stjepan Radić new President

EPTA Ukraine – Olga Kuznetzova new President

1st Piano Professional published, editor Pamela Lidiard

24th – 26th April: 25th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Graz, Austria

June: Launch party for PP at Steinways

May: EPTA UK 25th Year Celebration Day at Warehouse, London

18th – 20th July: EPTA UK 25th Anniversary Celebration Conference – Winchester

2nd November: EPTA UK One day Conference at RNCM – Connections.

2004

EPTA Serbia Vojvodina was established by Dorian Leljak, President

EPTA Turkey – Yapincak Gurek (never materialised)

EPTA India Associates – Prabhudas Ivanson

ALAPP Brazil – Henriquetta Duarte

EPTA Croatia – Ida Gamulin new President

EPTA Greece – Dora Bacopoulou new President after death of Alikki Vatikiotti

EPTA The Netherlands – Dirk Van Schilt new President

EPTA Slovenia – Vladimir Mlinarić new President

EPTA UK Mark Ray – new Chairman

23rd May: EPTA UK Piano Live Day at Purcell School, Bushey

19th – 21st July: EPTA UK Annual Conference – Bath

15th – 18th October: 26th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Rome, Italy

2005

EPTA Eire – Elizabeth Fuller new President

EPTA Spain – Diego Fernandez Magdaleno new President

EPTA Switzerland – Birgitte Bernhard new President

1st – 4th September: 27th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS at RNCM, Manchester, UK

2006

Mark Ray and Frank Martin died

EPTA Montenegro – Ratimir Martinović

ALAPP Argentina – Valentin Surif

EPTA Austria – Anton Voigt new President

EPTA Sweden – Marianne Jacobs new President

EPTA Poland – Pawel Skrzypek new President

EPTA UK – Murray McLachlan new Chairman

21st May: EPTA UK Spring Conference at the Amadeus Centre, London

26th – 30th July: 28th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Madeira, Portugal

13th October: EPTA UK One day Pedagogy Conference at Trinity College of Music

2007

27th – 29th July: EPTA UK 28th International Conference at Warwick Arts Centre

2nd – 5th November: 29th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Novi Sad, Serbia, where Gary Ingle of the MTNA awarded Carola Grindea the MTNA “Citation for Leadersip” as a token of gratitude and admiration for her life’s accomplishment and “singular work as a unifier of music teachers throughout the world”.

25th November: EPTA UK One day Conference in Croydon (Whitgift School)
1st December: EPTA UK Gala Concert at Steinways, Memorial to Mark Ray

2008 

Yonty Solomon died

As a tribute to EPTA’s 30th Anniversary, the Journal published brief Histories of the various EPTA Associations and also a long interview with Carola Grindea, the Founder.

EPTA Slovenia celebrated its tenth Anniversary.

EPTA UK’s Piano Pedagogy Course joined forces with the Purcell School

28th – 31st July: EPTA UK 29th International Conference at Hope University, Liverpool

8th – 11th August: 30th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Tallinn, Estonia

2009

CAROLA GRINDEA, Charles Camilleri and Christine Brown died

EPTA Czech Republic – Milan Franek new President

EPTA Ireland – Grainne Deery new President

EPTA Sweden – Stefan Bojsten new President

11th – 13th August: EPTA UK 30th International Conference at Chethams, Manchester

29th June – 1st July: 31st EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Prague, Czech Republic

2010 

Alicia de Larrocha, Earl Wild , Michael Davidson and Ilana Davis died

Two Memorial Celebratory Concerts were held for Carola Grindea. One was at the Guildhall School of Music and one was in the Romanian Cultural Institute, London. Several distinguished Romanian artists came to play in her rmemory including Lory Wallfisch, who had been Carola’s first student in Bucharest.

EPTA Finland – Seppo Salovius new President

EPTA Iceland – Anna Run Atladottir new President

EPTA Slovenia – Ana Avbersek new President

EPTA Austria celebrated its 25th Anniversary

22nd – 24th July: EPTA UK 31st International Conference at Trinity College of Music

27th – 30th October: 32nd EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Ljubljana, Slovenia

November 20th: EPTA UK One day Conference at Warwick University

2011

Seppo Salovius died

EPTA Israel Associates – Eitan Globerson

EPTA Netherlands – Rian de Waal new President

EPTA The Netherlands – David Kuyken new President after death of Rian de Waal

EPTA Russia started a new Festival “Opus 11” with Denmark

EPTA Sweden launched its first “Svenska Pianobulletinen” journal

1st – 3rd September: EPTA UK 32nd International Conference at Royal Welsh College of Music

11th – 13th November: 33rd EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Lucerne, Switzerland 

2012

Lori Walfisch, Benjamin Kaplan, Marguerite Wolff and Noel do Carmo Flores died

EPTA Spain – Ana Guijarro new President

EPTA Switzerland – Jean-Jacques Dunki new President

EPTA Finland – Katarina Nummi-Kuisma new President

19th – 21st July: EPTA UK 35th International European Conference in York

27th – 30th September: 34th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Stockholm, Sweden

2013

Bernard Roberts and Katarina Wolpe died

EPTA Armenia – Anna Hambaryan

EPTA Germany – Peter Haseley and Heribert Koch new Presidents for the year

EPTA Portugal – Luis Pipa new President

EPTA Greece – Natalia Michailidou new President

EPTA Ireland – Owen Lorigan new President

29th – 31st August: EPTA UK 36th International European Conference in Canterbury

9th – 12th May: 35th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Düsseldorf, Germany

2014

EPTA Albania celebrated its 20th Anniversary

EPTA Malta re-started. Evelina Batey new President

EPTA Slovenia – Primož Mavrič new President

EPTA‘s archives housed in the Royal College of Music Library

April 5th, August 29th – 30th, October 4th: EPTA UK held three One-day Conferences in Oxford, Belfast and Bolton in lieu of a residential 37th Conference

26th – 29th June: 36th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Oslo, Norway

EPTA Norway – Elin Persson new President

EPTA Denmark- Ulla Erml new President 

EPTA Poland – Karol Radziwonowicz new President 

EPTA Israel Associates – Michal Tal new President

30th July-1st August  EPTA UK 38th International European Conference in Warwick

22nd-25th October: 37th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Amsterdam, Netherlands 

2016

May 15th, August 11th, September 18th  EPTA UK held three one-day Conferences in Edinburgh, Manchester and Cambridge in lieu of a residential 39th Conference 

22nd -25th September: 38th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Reykjavik, Iceland

EPTA Austria – Till Alexander Koerber new President 

EPTA Estonia – Lembit Orgse new President 

EPTA Albania – Klodi Zjeli new President 

EPTA Serbia/Voyvodina - Tatjana Vukmanović new President 

EPTA Netherlands – Bart van de Roer new President 

2017

EPTA Iceland - Dr. Nína Margrét Grímsdóttir  new President 

10th-13th August: 39th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Helsinki, Finland

31st August-1st September  EPTA UK 40th  International European Conference in Nottingham

2018

Epta Spain – Alberto Urroz new President

40th EURPOEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Valletta, 27th-30th September

EPTA UK Held two one-day conferences in Edinburgh and Manchester

EPTA Iceland – Olof Jonsdottir new President

2019

EPTA Denmark - Dr Balder Neergaard new President

EPTA Norway         Otto Graf new President 

EPTA Switzerland  Tomas Dratva  new President 

EPTA UK  first ever Summer School in collaboration with ESTA in Chichester. 

41st EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Vienna 24th -27th October 

2020

42nd EUROPEAN CONFERENCE of EPTA ASSOCIATIONS in Bonn May 22nd-24th

"Beethoven 2020: a Theme with Variations” celebrating the 250th annicversary of his birth.

All scheduled EPTA events were cancelled or deferred as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic

EPTA Germany with its rich and comperehensive Beethoven programme rescheduled to  October 30th-1st November and ended up with an unprecedented and hugely successful online event. 

EPTA Sweden Eva Lutander new President 

EPTA Slovenia Suzana Zorko 

2021   

EPTA UK  Mark Tanner acting Chairman . 

EPTA UK Peter Lipman acting Chairman 

Malcolm Troup died 

EPTA UK Aaron Shorr voted Chairman 

43rd European Conference of EPTA Associations in Madrid, Spain September 9th -13th

A Live and streamed Conference with self-distancing while Covid continued. 

2022  

44th European Conference of EPTA Associations Guimaraes, Portugal September 1st -4th

EPTA Slovenia  Miha Haas  new President 

EPTA Lithuania  Aidas Puodziukas    new President 

2023

EPTA Norway  Marie Strandli Pedersen  new President 

EPTA Sweden   Martin Tell  new President