I wanted to express my gratitude to you for the whole festival experience.  It was indeed a memorable time, and it was splendid to meet so many other pianists and to have such an intense concentration of lessons, masterclasses, and classes of various kinds.  I could hardly have imagined a more immersive and musically nourishing environment, and I highly appreciate all your efforts in making this possible.  I felt so honored to be a part of this. The whole event, with its myriad of events, was incredibly well-organized and artfully arranged, and I will continue to glowingly relate it to my friends, colleagues, and teachers! I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to study with you and take part in this one-of-a-kind festival. RPPF was quite a fruitful, formative, and fulfilling experience.  Again, thank you so much!

– Bethany Brinson (USA), Indiana University Bloomington

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to participate in RPPF. There’s no doubt that the musical experience I had at RPPF will continue to inspire me throughout my artistic life. Even though it’s my second time attending this festival, everything still feels incredibly fresh and invigorating. The exceptional performances by the guest artists and the overall artistic atmosphere created by the festival were simply extraordinary. 

On a personal level, I am truly grateful to you, Prof. Penneys, for your wise words, sensitive musical understanding, unique vision, and unwavering dedication to the festival, and more importantly, the art of music. I want you to know how much I cherish the opportunity to be here, and I am certain that I will be back again and again in the future (to continue listening to the story of Gyorgy Sebok, your mentor).”

– Jiusi Jameson Zhang (China), Oberlin Conservatory