The Sociable Fortepiano; March 5–9, 2026; New York City

CALL FOR PROPOSALS — FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR

The Sociable Fortepiano: A New Space for Redefining Fortepiano Musicking and Practice

March 5–9, 2026 – New York City

Open to scholars, keyboard technicians, and performers, including singers and instrumentalists (strings and winds) collaborating with early keyboardists.

Organized and curated by:

Yi-heng Yang, Faculty, The Juilliard School — pianist, fortepianist, and interdisciplinary artist known for her work connecting historical performance, improvisation, and contemporary music practices (www.yihengyang.com)

Patricia García Gil, Postdoctoral Associate and Artist in Residence, Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards — pianist, fortepianist, and researcher whose work bridges performance, historical inquiry, and social imagination, exploring underrepresented voices in the keyboard tradition (www.patriciagarciagil.com)

About the Initiative

We are delighted to announce The Sociable Fortepiano, a new concept workshop / artist residency / mini-festival that creates a welcoming and rigorous space dedicated to rediscovering and reimagining fortepiano musicking. The initiative explores lost repertoire and performance practices from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as innovative contemporary initiatives inspired by them.

Historically, the sociability of the fortepiano played a central role in cultural life—bridging domestic and public spaces, fostering intellectual discourse, and creating opportunities for exchange across gender, class, and artistic boundaries. Today, The Sociable Fortepiano seeks to reinterpret this legacy as a living platform for connection, inviting participants to uncover diverse perspectives and reexamine historical narratives through artistic and scholarly experimentation.

This residency will include concerts, open studios, and discussions, fostering an atmosphere of openness, collaboration, and curiosity. Frameworks will be established to ensure that all participants can actively contribute, share work, and learn from one another in a supportive, non-hierarchical environment.

Purpose, Vision, and Funding

The Sociable Fortepiano responds to an urgent need to expand inclusivity in musical education and historical performance practice. It aims to bring together performers, scholars, and technicians who wish to engage in creative dialogue about the role of the fortepiano—past, present, and future.

Through the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies, selected fellows will receive modest financial support in the form of small grants to help offset travel, accommodation, and meal costs. The residency is tuition-free and selective, designed to encourage participants to develop artistic and research-based projects that contribute to a more diverse and equitable field.

Eligibility is open to all applicants, with no restrictions based on age, nationality, gender, race, background, or institutional affiliation. Both independent and affiliated practitioners—scholars, keyboardists, historical keyboard technicians, instrumentalists, and singers—are encouraged to apply. What matters most is a genuine interest in collaboration and in reimagining performance practices that connect history with contemporary thought.

Participants must hold an active Westfield Center membership (student reduced rate available) by the time of acceptance of the residency. https://westfield.org/membership/

Locations and Context

Residency events will take place March 5–9, 2026, across several cultural sites in New York City, with key events taking place at the RIVAA Gallery (Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association) and St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University.

RIVAA Gallery (Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association) Located in a converted historic storefront, RIVAA is the principal art hub of Roosevelt Island, hosting exhibitions, workshops, and community events that foster dialogue between artists and the local community. Pianist Yiheng Yang has developed a long-standing collaboration with the gallery, which houses two of her fortepianos—an original Aloys Biber Viennese fortepiano (ca. 1830, 6.5 octaves) and a Walter replica by Christopher Clarke—alongside a Franco-Flemish harpsichord by Colin Booth, a five-octave clavichord, and other instruments. The gallery’s intimate setting, enriched by these instruments, provides an ideal environment for experimentation, exchange, and the presentation of projects in progress.

St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University is a beautiful example of early 20th-century architecture, blending Italian Renaissance and Byzantine styles. Beyond its architectural splendor, the chapel serves as a spiritual and cultural hub on campus, hosting concerts, lectures, and interfaith gatherings that reflect Columbia’s diverse community.

Additional venues will include museums, cultural institutions and schools (TBD). By taking place in multiple venues, The Sociable Fortepiano redefines the concept of a residency: transforming New York City itself into a creative laboratory. Rather than confining artistic exchange to a single location, the project draws inspiration from the city’s diversity and dynamism—linking museums, galleries, and educational institutions to foster varied encounters between artists, audiences, and spaces. In doing so, it seeks to expand the traditional notion of “residency” into a mobile, urban network of ideas, instruments, and interactions, where music-making becomes a form of social and spatial exploration.

Application Guidelines

Applicants should submit one PDF document including the following:

Personal Information: