4. Finding An Accompanist

Students and faculty must use Juilliard’s Preparatory Division Accompanist List (PDAL), which is the resource for requesting piano accompanists for lessons, studio classes, recitals, and competitions taking place at Juilliard.

All pianists on the PDAL have expressed a particular interest in working with Pre-College students and have confirmed their Saturday availability.
In accordance with Juilliard’s policies, all pianists on the PDAL have been vetted and approved to work with minors.
Pre-College students may use ONLY pianists from the Prep Division List. Pianists who are not affiliated with Juilliard may not be used. Juilliard pianists who are not on the PDAL also may not be used.
The pianists on the PDAL will fill all accompanying needs within the school at no cost to the family. Juilliard pays the accompanist to play for lessons, studio classes, performances, competitions, and other approved school activities.
You should NOT be asked to compensate Juilliard Prep Division accompanists out-of-pocket for any reason except for additional rehearsals outside of the lesson, which must be arranged and paid for by the family directly.
The maximum permitted range for payment for rehearsals outside a lesson is $60 per hour. Fees for non-Juilliard-related outside activities are also the family’s financial responsibility.

To access Juilliard’s Preparatory Division Accompanist database, follow these steps:

Go to https://juilliard.knack.com/accompanists. Be sure to be logged into your Juilliard Okta account when accessing.
Type “prep div” in the search bar to see the Prep Division List. Click on a pianist’s name from the list to see their contact info and reach out to them directly.
You can also send a request to ALL accompanists under the "My Requests" tab and by clicking on “Open a New Request” and filling out the form. Include the repertoire and weekly lesson time in your description. If you use this option, note that this request will be seen by all accompanists at the school regardless of whether they are eligible to work with Pre-College students. It is your responsibility to make sure that whoever responds is on the PDAL before you agree to work with them.
After you contact a pianist, please wait 24 to 48 hours for a response. If you do not hear from anyone, you may contact Molly Skardon, the Faculty Assistant, for help. She can be reached by phone at 212-799-5000, ext. 352, or by email at mskardon@juilliard.edu or facultyassistant@juilliard.edu.

Note that accompanists are very busy and their schedules fill up quickly. You must begin your search at least one month in advance of your activity. If your request is unusual (obscure repertoire, etc.), allow even more time. Do not wait until the last minute!

If you have any issues or questions, please reach out to Dee Wongkittiroch at dwongkittiroch@juilliard.edu.