Piano tuning
(c) Valentin Malanetski
A new talent programme is launched by DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen to ensure that concert grand pianos in Denmark and around the world can sound perfect far into the future.
According to the press release, Denmark is experiencing a shortage of concert technicians who can preserve the sound and quality of the country’s professional concert grand pianos, as well as extend the instruments’ lifespan.
At the same time, specialized knowledge about how to optimize concert grands to international top level is said to be disappearing.
Therefore, with support of 5.9 million kroner from the A.P. Møller Foundation, DR Koncerthuset is now launching the Academy for Young Concert Technicians.
The academy is a new talent initiative for young, particularly skilled piano tuners from all over Europe. Its aim is to create a new generation of top-level concert technicians and at the same time alleviate the shortage of specialists – in Denmark and internationally.
The new academy spans 17 intense months and combines in-depth technical training with hands-on experience in one of Europe’s most advanced concert environments. The teaching takes place at the DR Koncerthuset and is closely linked to the work with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and international soloists.
Roland Zinniker
(c) Dominik Falenski
The primary teacher is Roland Zinniker, one of the world’s most recognized concert technicians, nicknamed « the piano whisperer », who has collaborated for decades with names such as Mitsuko Uchida, Grigory Sokolov and Leif Ove Andsnes.
Participants will, among other things, follow the preparations of concert grand pianos for specific performances and learn to translate artistic intentions into sound, response and balance in the instrument.
Piano tuning
(c) Valentin Malanetski
DR Koncerthuset’s new academy is generously supported by the AP Møller Foundation, which means that the course is free for participants. Each of the two teams consists of four students, and one place in each team is reserved for an applicant residing in Denmark to strengthen national expertise. The first class will start in September 2026, and the entrance exams will take place in June at DR Koncerthuset.
“The concert technician ensures that the pianist has the optimal conditions to implement his or her sonic visions, and is thus an invisible but crucial player in any great pianistic concert experience. We are very much looking forward to opening the house to a group of young people who will learn an extremely demanding craft from Europe’s last masters”, says DR Koncerthuset’s project manager Dominik Falenski.
Facts:
Academy for Young Concert Technicians
Location: DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
Start: September 2026
Target group: Piano tuners aged 18–35 with special talent and experience
Primary teacher: Roland Zinniker (international concert technician)
Content: Regulation, intonation, tuning, damping, concert preparation, etc.
Application: From now – entrance exam in Copenhagen in June 2026
Read more about the Academy for Young Concert Technicians: https://ayct.dk/
