London Symphony Orchestra Keston Max Exchange
Music Academy and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) launched a transatlantic partnership in 2018, in which 10-12 fellows are selected annually to participate in intensive training with the Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle. As part of the partnership, the winners of the 2018 Solo Piano and Marilyn Horne Song competitions made a London recital appearance at LSO St Luke’s as part of the Keston Music Academy Exchange (Keston MAX). Throughout the partnership, Michael Tilson Thomas, Marin Alsop, Daniel Harding, Elim Chan, Sir Simon Rattle, and other key LSO conductors and musicians have performed and taught at the Academy. LSO principals have led virtual lessons and coaching sessions and the Keston MAX auditions.
This June and November, 48 Keston MAX fellows have been invited to train, rehearse, and perform with the LSO in London, led by Sir Simon Rattle and Gianandrea Noseda. These experiences give Music Academy alums a taste of the professional life of an orchestral musician and an extraordinary performance opportunity.
10 of this year’s fellows were selected during the 2022 Summer Festival to attend the November exchanges. Read about them below!
The lead sponsors of the London Symphony Orchestra partnership are Linda and Michael Keston and Mary Lynn and Warren Staley. Additional support has been provided in remembrance of Léni Fé Bland.
2022 Exchanges:
June 15-24, 2022 Highlights
- June 17: Fellows performed a lunchtime chamber concert at LSO St. Lukes
- June 23: Fellows joined the LSO for a Gala Concert at St. Paul’s Cathedral conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, featuring Berlioz’s Grande Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale and Messiaen’s Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum
- Fellows observed rehearsals and attended concerts
- Each Fellow was paired with a mentor who also provided a coaching session
- Other activities included discovery training, meeting with Kathryn McDowell (LSO Managing Director) and Sir Simon Rattle, and a Peak Performance workshop
Nov 11-21 & Nov 15-25, 2022 Highlights
- Nov 17: Fellows will perform in a Symphonic Jazz with Jess Gillam at Barbican Hall, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
- Nov 20: Fellows will join the LSO for a performance of Beethoven and Berlioz at LSO St Luke’s led by Gianandrea Noseda
- Nov 24: Fellows will perform Shostakovich: The Year 1905 in Barbican Hall, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
- Other activities include lessons, coachings, rehearsals, and additional performance opportunities with LSO musicians































































New York Philharmonic Global Academy
From 2014-2018, as part of a four-year partnership with the New York Philharmonic, 40 Music Academy fellows participated in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy’s Zarin Mehta fellowship program. Ten fellows were selected each summer to travel to New York for a ten-day intensive program, which included training and playing alongside Philharmonic musicians.
During each Summer Festival, the partnership also offered Academy fellows training by Philharmonic musicians, biennial performances by the Philharmonic at the Music Academy Summer Festival, and Academy Festival Orchestra performances at Music Academy Summer Festivals.
The Music Academy’s partnership with the New York Philharmonic was made possible through the generosity of lead sponsors Linda and Michael Keston.






































