Boulez visited the Academy several times, leading masterclasses and workshops, and was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in 2010. Below, our staff members reflect on meeting and working with Boulez, and our students speak about their experience of preparing to perform his music in our upcoming concerts.

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Academy Principal:

'During my time at the Academy, Boulez ‘dropped in’ on various occasions – usually at fairly short notice. Our students were given remarkable access to his inimitable insights, matched by a tireless scrutiny which raised the bar instantly. I recall a rehearsal in the Duke’s Hall of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé where Boulez harnessed the score (pretty much from memory) and detected deep in the texture a wrongly transposed 2nd clarinet note. I remember asking a player about the workshop the day after, and she said she felt Boulez was about as close to this music as anyone could be without being Ravel himself!

'The final visit was in 2010 when the maestro came and heard some students, received his Honorary Doctorate and gave an inspiring speech after an interview with Pierre-Laurent Aimard. That was a golden few months of Boulez for the Academy as the Manson Ensemble, under our brilliant alum Susanna Mälkki, opened the Southbank’s ‘Exquisite Labyrinth’ Boulez weekend with brilliant accounts of Domaines and Rituel. To have two great Boulezians here in March, Susanna and Tamara Stefanovich, is an embarras de richesse for which we are deeply grateful.'

'He was a total inspiration and threw such a beacon of light onto that famous work'

Skaila Kanga, Professor Emerita of Harp, Head of Harp 1999-2010:

'In 1969 I was honoured to be invited to play under maestro Pierre Boulez with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. We performed Pli selon Pli at the Proms and later toured that work and others to Paris and across Europe. I vividly remember nine hour sectional rehearsals in Maida Vale studios with just three harps - Sidonie Goossen, Maria Korchinska and myself on third harp. It was absolutely terrifying, but the exacting discipline required to play for him was such a huge learning curve.

'In 2002 I heard through my colleague Bryn Lewis, the Principal Harpist of the London Symphony Orchestra, that Boulez was wanting to do a lecture on the Debussy Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. At the time I was Head of Harp and immediately seized the opportunity to invite Mr Boulez to the Academy for a masterclass. We had to move the event into the Duke's Hall as virtually every flautist, violist and harpist in London turned up to hear the great man. Of course, he was a total inspiration and threw such a beacon of light onto that famous work, which has affected all our performing and teaching ever since. What an incredible memory of the great man that was.'

'He was simply the most extraordinary musician I’ve ever had the pleasure making music with'

Neil Percy, Head of Timpani and Percussion:

'I was lucky enough to have worked closely with Pierre and got to play many of his pieces with him and the London Symphony Orchestra. He was simply the most extraordinary musician I’ve ever had the pleasure making music with. A musical colossus of our time.'

Efrem Workman, Academy flautist:

'Discovering Boulez's explosante-fixe has been fascinating. It is unlike anything I’ve performed before; it’s intricate, unpredictable and constantly shifting. His music challenges both the performer and the listener, demanding absolute precision while creating a unique sense of movement and color. I'm excited to explore it further alongside Susanna Mälkki and the Manson Ensemble.'

'Learning it feels like navigating a living, breathing architecture'

Junyan Chen, Aud Jebsen Piano Fellow:

'Boulez's Sur Incises is an absolute explosion of colour and movement, where pianos, harps and percussion refract and transform each other's gestures. It is, of course, always extremely challenging to learn and perform Boulez’s music. His approach to sound is structural; timbre and texture shape the form as much as pitch and rhythm. Learning it feels like navigating a living, breathing architecture, where every detail is so meticulously placed, yet the experience remains unpredictable. I am so happy that I will be able to perform this piece on his centenary; it isn't just about honoring his legacy, but recognizing how his ideas continue to shape our musical world today.'

Boulez 100 concert series at the Royal Academy of Music

Boulez in context: challenging the status quo
Pianist Tamara Stefanovich curates two performances of Boulez's key solo and chamber works, which include his Sonatine for flute and piano and Douze notations. Thursday 13 and Friday 14 March - book tickets here.

Unfolding Boulez
Julian Anderson, Gillian Moore and performer-scholars Neil Heyde and Robert Sholl discuss the work of this complex artist in a conversation chaired by Roderick Chadwick. Wednesday 26 March, 4.45pm - book tickets here.

The sound of Sur Incises
An in-depth look at Sur Incises, exploring how this work’s unique soundworld can be likened to an expanded piano, and how the music unfolds for listeners over time. Wednesday 26 March, 6pm - book tickets here.

Susanna Mälkki conducts the Manson Ensemble
Susanna Mälkki, Academy alum and former Music Director of the Ensemble intercontemporain, leads a programme of the Boulez's fiercely ambitious and wondrously precise music, including the seldom heard Sur Incises. Wednesday 26 March, 7.30pm - book tickets here.