Finalists Announced at the Leeds International Piano Competition
Five pianists will perform a concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic as they compete for the £30,000 prize
The Finals of the Leeds International Piano Competition are set to take place on September 20 and 21. Five competitors have been selected from an initial pool of 60, and they will each perform a concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Domingo Hindoyan.
The selected finalists are as follows:
- Kai-Min Chang
- Junyan Chen
- Jaeden Izik-Dzurko
- Khanh Nhi Luong
- Julian Trevelyan
The winner of the competition will receive a cash prize of £30,000, as well as worldwide management with Askonas Holt, a debut recording with Warner Classics, recitals at prestigious UK venues like Wigmore Hall and Snape Maltings, and European and East Asian tours in association with the Steinway Prize-winner Concert Network. There will also be broadcast opportunities with the BBC.
Julian Trevelyan, who is the only British finalist, did not advance through the pre-selection round when he first applied to the competition — but was called up at the last minute when another contestant dropped out, the BBC reported.
Established in 1961 by the prominent British piano teacher Dame Fanny Waterman, the competition is open to pianists of any nationality who are under the age of 30.
Previous prizewinners at the competition include Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff, Lars Vogt, and Sunwook Kim.
"I remember listening to the coverage [of the competition] and I said to my piano teacher, 'I would love to play in the finals one day'," Trevelyan said.
"That was 15 years ago and it feels like a dream come true to be here now."
You can watch the finals live below.
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