Leeds - Leeds International Piano Competition
The Leeds International Piano Competition
"This Competition is not a test of whether you can play this or that; rather, it is a platform for you to show us who you are and what music you love." — Sir Stephen Hough, Artistic Director and Chair of Jury
Under the artistic direction of Sir Stephen Hough, The Leeds has reshaped itself around a single idea: that a competition should reveal an artist, not examine a pianist. There is no prescribed repertoire at any stage. From the first round to the concerto final, you choose the music you believe in and the programme that best tells us who you are. The upper age limit has risen to 35, recognising that artists arrive at the critical moments of their careers at different times.
The jury is made up primarily of the leading pianists of our time — musicians who know what it is to stand on the platform, and who listen for depth, imagination and individuality rather than conformity. The Leeds has long been known for discovering the "poets of the piano", and that remains the quality we most want to hear.
Deadlines
Agenda
What follows the Competition matters as much as the Competition itself. Recent medallists have secured worldwide management with Askonas Holt, debut recordings with Warner Classics, recital debuts at Wigmore Hall and the top concert halls in Europe, with international tours in partnership with Steinway & Sons. Competitors benefit from BBC broadcast opportunities, engagements with leading promoters and orchestras — including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra — and world-class filmed performances distributed globally. Through Competition+, our artist development programme, you also receive tailored coaching in PR, digital presence, industry practice and artistic strategy, so that the career you build after Leeds is one you have shaped yourself.
Recent winners such as Eric Lu — who subsequently won the 2025 International Chopin Competition — Alim Beisembayev, Jaeden Izik-Dzurko and Junyan Chen join a lineage that includes Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu, and finalists including Mitsuko Uchida, Sir András Schiff, Peter Donohoe, Louis Lortie, Lars Vogt, Denis Kozhukhin and Louis Schwizgebel. Founded in 1963 by Fanny Waterman with Dr Geoffrey de Keyser and Marion Thorpe, The Leeds has been broadcast by the BBC at every edition since 1966. Its concerto finals have been shaped by conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Edward Gardner and Domingo Hindoyan, with orchestras including the Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The Leeds brings together six decades of integrity and musicianship with a welcoming, modern environment in which emerging pianists are supported at every stage. If you are ready to show the world who you are as an artist, there is no platform quite like it.
Contact
Fiona Sinclair
University of Leeds
Woodhouse Lane
Leeds
LS2 9JT
United Kingdom
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