How to apply

Participation is open to 3 chamber music ensembles – duos, trios, quartets or quintets – who will work with maestro Kit Armstrong at the piano during the masterclass.

Ensembles without a pianist may also apply. In this case, maestro Kit Armstrong will work with the musicians, particularly string ensembles, even without the piano, providing musical and interpretative guidance.

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Each selected ensemble will have 2 hours of tuition with maestro Kit Armstrong.

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To apply, candidates must complete the online application form and submit:

• An artistic CV, including their main musical, concert and educational experiences;

• A video of a musical performance, with a maximum total duration of 15 minutes.

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Video specifications

The video must:

• be recent and allow for as complete an assessment as possible of the candidates technical, musical and interpretative qualities;

• be recorded in a single take, without cuts, editing or overdubbing;

• show the candidates clearly throughout the performance;

• contain original, unedited audio.

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The video may contain one or more pieces, chosen by the candidates, for a total duration of no more than 15 minutes.

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Final concert

The masterclass will conclude with a final concert, during which the participating ensembles will have the opportunity to perform alongside Kit Armstrong.

Further information about the concert, programme and timings will be announced soon.

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Deadline

Applications must be submitted no later than 25 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (CEST).​​

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Sites and times​

The masterclass will take place at the premises of Fondazione Casa Stradivari, at Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi 55-57, in Cremona.

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Costs

Fondazione Casa Stradivari covers the full cost of tuition for the participating ensembles.

Participants are responsible for their own travel, meals, accommodation and any other personal expenses related to their participation in the masterclass.

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Communications

Candidates will be informed directly by the Foundation of the outcome of the selection process.

For further information and/or clarification, please contact the Foundation at info@casastradivari.org.

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Kit Armstrong

Ever since Kit Armstrong entered the global music stage twenty years ago, his activities have exerted an enduring fascination upon music lovers. He performs recitals in major series, appears with the world’s finest orchestras, and has developed close artistic partnerships with leading instrumentalists and vocalists. He has held artist-in-residence appointments incorporating a wide spectrum of musical formats, combining his roles as composer, pianist, conductor, and organist. His project Expedition Mozart, traversing Mozart’s music in various genres with an international group of distinguished chamber musicians and soloists, is a main feature at prestigious festivals and venues.

Armstrong came to classical music through composition at the age of five. He has since created a broad oeuvre of vocal, instrumental, chamber, and symphonic works, many of which have been commissioned by notable European cultural institutions. His compositions are published by Edition Peters. 

Armstrong’s piano recordings include the albums Bach, Ligeti, Armstrong (2013) and Liszt: Symphonic Scenes (2016) on Sony Classical, various live recitals on DVD, such as Bach’s Goldberg Variations and its Predecessors at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (Unitel, 2017), Wagner - Liszt - Mozart at the Bayreuth Margravial Opera House (C-Major, 2019), and 1520-2020: A Musical Odyssey (Damis Films, 2023), a double CD dedicated to a panorama of works by William Byrd and John Bull: The Visionaries of Piano Music (2021) on Deutsche Grammophon, and Mozart’s violin sonatas with Renaud Capuçon (2023).

Born in 1992 in California, USA, Armstrong pursued undergraduate studies in physics at California State University, chemistry and mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania and mathematics at Imperial College London. Alfred Brendel has guided Armstrong as a musical mentor since 2005. In 2008, he earned a bachelor’s degree in music at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and in 2012 a master’s degree in pure mathematics at the University of Paris VI.

In 2012, Kit Armstrong purchased the Church of Sainte-Thérèse in Hirson, France, and transformed it into a hall for concerts and exhibitions, and outreach. This cultural centre has become home to interdisciplinary projects, including the yearly Semaine de la Voix, reaching a regional as well as cosmopolitan public.