THE OXFORD PIANO GROUP
A vibrant, safe space for exploring the piano with others
THE PLAYERS' GROUP
The Oxford Piano Group, or TOPG as it is affectionately known, is for amateur adult pianists.
It provides a vibrant and innovative approach to developing and improving piano skills.
With an emphasis on music as a shared, enjoyable experience - rather than as preparation for competition or examination - it helps participants deepen their musical awareness and knowledge whilst broadening their understanding in holistic and inspiring ways.
2026 -2027 Season
THE FOUR ELEMENTS
An adventurous year lies ahead as members of The Oxford Piano Group explore pieces connected to the theme of Earth, Fire, Wind and Water. Alongside the musical explorations, everyone will be encouraged to explore art, prose and poetry that might accompany their performances. The final concert in June 2027 will be a celebration of their discoveries.
ABOUT TOPG
In 2009, Sally established The Oxford Piano Group (TOPG) as a direct result of her 2005 Churchill Fellowship, which highlighted how isolated pianists are compared to other musicians. It began with a small group of amateur pianists but quickly grew into a more established gathering of regular players with a maximum number of 18. Today, having a common sense of practice is very much at the heart of TOPG and it provides a safe space for members to meet, play and collaborate with the emphasis ‘on music as a shared, enjoyable experience’
Each season has an overall theme around which repertoire is chosen. This allows players to expand their knowledge of repertoire, learn new pieces, be inspired by the repertoire choices of other members, and deepen their musical skills and knowledge around the topic. Over the years, the following subjects have provided a rich learning environment.
Kaleidoscope, 2025-2026
Tracing the shifts in harmonic thinking from the Renaissance to contemporary music.
Building our Community of Practice, 2024-2025
Players worked in small groups to create collaborative performances of larger works, for example, Partita in B-flat major.
All that Jazz! 2023-2024
Exploring the various styles of jazz music, tracing its emergence from ragtime, finding out how to improvise and learning some jazz standards.
Most years, a guest presenter is invited to join the group for a session and share their particular expertise. For example, jazz pianist Richard Michael got us all grooving back in 2024 whilst Dr Vanessa Cornett helped members to understand and deal with performance anxiety in March 2025.
Whilst the overall emphasis in the group is on music as a shared and enjoyable experience in an informal setting, in recent years the culmination of the season has been a concert at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building at St Hilda's, Oxford, to a specially invited audience of family and friends. All ticket money has been donated to charity, for example, Young Sounds.
The Oxford Piano Group is very special to me, as are its members. I love learning with them, and I have discovered so many new pieces of repertoire as a result!
What's special? The warmth, the learning, the Steinway Model D piano at the JdP, the coffee and croissants, the laughter, the friendship, the social events, the lack of ego, the sharing of knowledge, the acceptance of each other and where we all are on our individual journeys at the piano.
The Oxford Piano Group exists as a safe circle, which means feedback is always positive and helpful rather than negative and critical - this is what we work towards as we all strive to be better musicians and pianists.
Sally
