Marika Slater

Marika began playing the piano at the age of four and graduated from the E. Darzinsh Specialist Music School at Latvia State Conservatoire in Riga.

Continuing her studies at the conservatoire, she gained a triple Diploma of Distinction in piano, accompaniment and teaching as the top student in her cohort and the winner of many piano competitions in the country; and then a postgraduate diploma in concert performance.

For eight years of study, through her professors, she was only a generation away from their own legendary mentors - Heinrich Neuhaus, Konstantin Igumnov, Alfred Cortot, Egon Petri and Nikolai Orlov, absorbing their heritage and teaching traditions. They are at the core of Marika's approach to the art of playing and teaching the piano.

As a pianist, harpsichordist and chamber musician Marika was a recipient of several international scholarships, attending masterclasses, and performing in Latvia, Spain, Poland, Sweden and other European countries. She has appeared on radio and television, was Clara's "piano double" in a TV production about Robert and Clara Schumann, and has initiated and directed many international projects.

Having moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, Marika established Pianokids, the first specialist piano studio in the region. She was a founder, the artistic director and chair of the Young Pianist of the North International competition (2008-2020). Europe's leading piano professors, including Bernd Goetzke, Françoise Thinat and Christopher Elton, served on the juries; Leonardo Colafelice, Julian Trevelyan, Elizaveta Kliuchereva were among the winners of the title.

For over 20 years Marika taught young talented pianists at the E.Darzinsh Specialist Music School and Latvia State Conservatoire, and later at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Marika adjudicates competitions in the UK and abroad, delivers masterclasses and workshops and mentors piano teachers. Some of her pupils travel to lessons from distant parts of the country.

They have won awards in piano competitions in Italy, France, China and the UK, including London, Scotland, the North East, the Midlands, and also online. All students' applications for scholarships and to the specialist music schools and conservatoires have been successful, and they regularly achieve high marks in graded and diploma examinations.