General Terms and conditions
In order to make the piano lessons as comfortable as possible, we ask you to respect the following rules:
Tryout Lesson
A trial lesson is only possible if there are free places and serves to get to know each other. The trial lesson is non-binding, an acceptance of futher piano lessons is only possible after mutual agreement.
Semester ticket
The semester ticket includes 18 lessons during the school semester (Jan-Feb and Feb-June). There are no lessons on days when school is not in session. The semester card guarantees a regular weekly lesson at a fixed time, therefore lessons not attended cannot be refunded. If you give us at least 48 hours notice, we can try to find an alternative date, depending on availability, but there is no fixed entitlement to this.
If a lesson cannot be attended by the teacher, an alternative date will be offered. If no alternative date is possible, the lesson will be refunded or credited. The teacher reserves the right to cancel 1-2 lessons per semester due to illness without any right to a refund. Any hours in excess of this will be refunded or credited.
If it is prohibited by law to hold face-to-face classes, classes will be switched to online. Online hours will be treated the same as face-to-face classes; no refunds will be given due to online classes or online classes not taken.
Exams
Semester ticket holders who are under the age of 18 are required to take an exam every three years as part of a semester concert. The exam pieces are selected in consultation with the teacher and must meet the requirements of the Austrian music school curriculum (www.komu.at). At the request of the teacher, the respective learning phase can be extended by a maximum of one year. Adults and ten-block holders can take the exam on a voluntary basis. If the exam is not passed, it can be repeated once. Repeated failure entitles the Vienna Piano School to terminate the semester contract. The duration of the exam is:
Elementary: 5-10 minutes
Bronze: 10-15 minutes
Silver: 15-20 minutes
Gold: 25-30 minutes
One piece must be played from memory and one piece must be presented as chamber music piece.
Starting with the bronze exam, a theory exam must also be taken, with the points from the theory exam accounting for 1/3 of the overall grade.
Block of Ten
The block of ten is valid for half a year from the date of issue. During this period we agree on 10 hours at a reduced price. The block of ten is non-refundable and we ask you to cancel arranged lessons at least 48 hours in advance, otherwise there is no right to a refund. Online lessons are treated the same as face-to-face lessons.
Piano Accompaniment/Coaching
Please let us know at least one week in advance which pieces you would like to work on in which key and send us the sheet music. If we do not receive the sheet music in time, we reserve the right to cancel or postpone the lesson. In this case the payment will be refunded. Please note the 48h cancellation rule.
Semester Concert
Once a semester you have the opportunity to perform at one of our popular semester concerts. Participation is voluntary.
By participating, you also agree to the publication of concert photos/short videos on our website or social media.
Competition
The International Vienna Piano Competition takes place once a year in the Ehrbarsaal and is organized by the Vienna Piano School.
The competition is open to all nationalities. The prize categories for the 2025 competition are as follows (the cut-off date is the respective day of the competition, July 12, 2025, for categories 1-4, July 13 for categories 5-6)
Category 1: 7-9 years old (born between July 13, 2015, and July 12, 2018)
Category 2: 10-12 years old (born between July 13, 2012, and July 12, 2015)
Category 3: 13-15 years (born between July 13, 2009 and July 12, 2012)
Category 4: 16-19 years (born between July 13, 2005 and July 12, 2009)
Category 5: 20-27 years old (born between July 14, 1997 and July 13, 2005)
Category 6: 28-35 years old (born between July 14, 1989 and July 13, 1997)
The winners of 1st place and 1st prize in our previous competition are excluded from participating.
The competition will take place in three rounds:
- The first round will be conducted online with video submissions. The deadline for submissions is January 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CET. The participation fee is €75 and is non-refundable unless there are too few submissions. The results of the first round will be announced by March 31, 2025. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation in the first round and personal feedback from a jury member. Registration for the competition may be rejected for two reasons: a) The registration fee has not been paid. b) Neither the participant's face nor hands are visible in the video. The video length should not exceed the following limits in the first round: 5 minutes for categories 1, 7 minutes for category 2, 10 minutes for categories 3+4, 15 minutes for categories 5+6. The pieces can be chosen freely. If the video length exceeds the specified time, only the specified time will be considered (e.g., the first five minutes).
- The second round will take place live in the Ehrbarsaal on July 12/13, 2025. The winners of the first round will participate. All participants will receive a certificate of participation and personal feedback from the jury members. The playing time in the second round is the same as in the first round. Each candidate must perform a piece or movement by a composer of the Viennese Classical period (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, but other composers from this period are also welcome).
- The third round will take place at the Musikverein (Gläserner Saal) and will be the winners' concert. The winners of each category will be invited (one per category). The three winners with the highest scores in each category will receive cash prizes. The cash prizes in categories 5 and 6 are: €1,000 for first place, €500 for second place, and €250 for third place. The following prizes apply to categories 1-4: €500 for first place, €250 for second place, and €100 for third place.
Additional prizes will be awarded:
Mozart Prize: A solo concert at the Mozarthaus Vienna
Beethoven Prize: A solo concert at the Ehrbarsaal Vienna
Haydn Prize: A professional CD recording at C-Arts Studio
Participants and visitors to the second and third rounds must have a festival pass in order to take part in the competition and gain access to all events of the summer festival. The price of the festival pass is €150 for active participants and €120 for passive participants (€60 for minors under the age of 18). The festival pass gives you access to the four core days of our summer festival, including the master class concert on July 11, the entire competition on July 12 and 13, and the award ceremony and winners' concert at the Musikverein. The festival pass for competition participants and visitors is non-refundable.
The jury's decisions are final. By participating in the second round, participants agree that video and audio recordings of their performances in the second and possibly third rounds may be streamed and published. The Vienna Piano School is the owner of the recordings and reserves the right to distribute them.
The instructions of the organizing team during the competition must be followed. Repeated failure to follow the instructions of the organizing team or repeated disruption of the competition may result in exclusion from participation.
The Vienna Piano School provides a room for warming up for twice the length of the playing time. Additional rooms can be booked by the hour via the Musikquartier website (www.musikquartier.at). The Vienna Piano School reserves the right to adjust the prize money according to the number of registrations. The jury reserves the right not to award prizes if no suitable candidate is found.
Summer School
The registration for the Summer School is binding after receipt of the registration confirmation. In case of cancellation up to 4 weeks before, no fees will be charged, up to 2 weeks before 50% of the course price, after that 100% of the course price. A credit for the next year's Summer School or for piano lessons during the year is possible. Participation in the final concert is by arrangement with the teachers only. With your participation you agree to the publication of concert photos/short videos on our website or social media.
Corona
The current rules of the city of Vienna apply. See more at: https://coronavirus.wien.gv.at/.
Vouchers
Our vouchers and gift cards are valid for up to one year—the exact duration is stated on the respective voucher/gift card. If the voucher is not redeemed by the expiration date, you have the option for a period of three years to either
a) receive a new voucher with a validity period of one year
b) receive a refund.
After that, the voucher expires and neither a cash refund nor the issuance of a new voucher is possible. A cash refund is also not possible during the validity period of the voucher.
The gift cards can be redeemed for individual lessons and trial lessons, but not for semester cards and ten-lesson blocks.
Masterclass
Registration for the master class is binding upon receipt of the registration confirmation. In case of cancellation up to 8 weeks in advance, 50% of the course fee will be charged; after that, 100% of the course fee will be charged. Participation in the final concert is only possible after consultation with the teachers. By participating, you consent to the publication of concert photos/short videos on our website and social media. The Vienna Piano School does not provide practice rooms for the masterclass, but practice rooms can be booked by the hour via the Musikquartier website (www.musikquartier.at).