Piano competition in Leeds, England every 3 years
Award
The
Leeds International Piano Competition
, informally known as
The Leeds
and formerly the
Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
,
[1]
takes place every three years in
Leeds
,
West Yorkshire
, England. It was founded in 1961 by
Marion, Countess of Harewood
,
Dame Fanny Waterman
, and Roslyn Lyons, with the first competition being held in 1963. Waterman was the chair and artistic director up to the 2015 competition when
Paul Lewis
and
Adam Gatehouse
became Co-Artistic Directors. The first round of the competition takes place internationally and in 2021 went 'virtual' when 63 pianists were recorded in 17 international locations and the Jury deliberated online, in order to circumvent the various impacts of Covid. The 2nd round, semi-finals and finals take place in the
Great Hall
of the
University of Leeds
and in
Leeds Town Hall
and in 2018 & 2021 were streamed to a large global audience through medici.tv, achieving over 4.7 million views and listens through multiple channels and platforms, including the BBC, Amadeus.tv (China), Classic FM and Mezzo.tv.
The 21st competition is to take place 11?21 September 2024.
[2]
It was announced in May 2023 that the finals of the 2024 competition will take place in
St George's Hall
,
Bradford
, while Leeds Town Hall undergoes major refurbishment.
[3]
History
[
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]
2009 competition finals
The competition was first held in September 1963 when the young British pianist,
Michael Roll
, became the First Prizewinner. It joined the
World Federation of International Music Competitions
(WFIMC) in 1965.
[1]
After the 1996 competition, there was a four-year break before the 2000 competition, to align with the turn of the millennium. Competitors were formerly housed at
Tetley Hall
, a residence hall at the University of Leeds, which closed in 2006 and are still housed in University residences throughout the competition. The
University of Leeds
is the Principal Partner of the competition and has supported it since its inception.
The list of eminent past Competition winners includes
Radu Lupu
and
Murray Perahia
. The roll call of other Competition finalists is equally illustrious as that of the winners and includes
Mitsuko Uchida
and Sir
Andras Schiff
(1975),
Peter Donohoe
(1981),
Louis Lortie
(1984),
Lars Vogt
(1990),
Denis Kozhukhin
(2006) and
Louis Schwizgebel
(2012).
Sofya Gulyak
was the first female first prize winner, awarded in 2009.
[4]
2021 winner,
Alim Beisembayev
receiving his Dame Fanny Waterman Gold Medal
Dame Fanny Waterman was the competition's Chair and Artistic Director until her retirement after the 2015 event and she remained Honorary Life President until her death in 2020. She was replaced as artistic director by
Paul Lewis
(Jury Chair for 2018) and
Adam Gatehouse
. Gatehouse is now the competition's sole Artistic Director and was joined by
Imogen Cooper
as Chair of the Jury in 2021.
2018 Competition
[
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]
The 2018 competition marked a major refresh to the competition structure:
- The preliminary round of the competition took place internationally for the first time in
Berlin
,
New York
and
Singapore
.
- The semi-finalists offered two different recitals (one was chosen by the jury) and included the introduction of
chamber music
in a new collaborative musicianship feature, working with Bjørg Lewis (cello),
Jack Liebeck
(violin) and the
Elias String Quartet
.
- The
concerto
finale included five finalists in concert with the
Halle
orchestra conducted by
Edward Gardner
. Finalists offered two concertos, one "classically oriented"
[5]
and one from the
Romantic period
or later, and one was selected for performance by the jury.
- Three main prizes were awarded, as well as the Terence Judd Halle Orchestra Prize and a new
medici.tv
audience prize, which was voted for online.
- A festival programme in Leeds was introduced to bring The Leeds out of the concert hall and into the community.
- Medici.tv
livestreamed all rounds which remain free to view on the competition
microsite
.
A public piano on Cookridge Street, Leeds designed by artist
Rosie Vohra
The prize benefits were redesigned to support the career development of the prizewinners and include mentoring by
Paul Lewis
and other notable pianists, as well as artist management with
Askonas Holt
, a recording deal with
Warner Classics
and a series of international engagements.
A festival programme of masterclasses, talks, educational events and other activities also took place during the competition, including an appearance by
Alfred Brendel
, free piano lessons in the world's Smallest Concert Hall (a converted shipping container) and the creation of
The Leeds Piano Trail
across Leeds city centre (pianos for the public to use), supported by The Leeds BID.
[6]
[5]
Orchestra
[
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]
Alim Beisembayev with the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
and
Andrew Manze
at
Leeds Town Hall
The concerto finals have been supported by a number of major UK orchestras over the years including the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
, the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
and the
Halle
.
Sir Mark Elder
has conducted the Halle Orchestra at all the finals since 2003, with the exception of 2018 when the conductor was
Edward Gardner
. Other conductors with long associations with the Competition have included
Sir Charles Groves
and
Sir Simon Rattle
. The
BBC
has broadcast all Competitions since 1966 on television and radio. In 2018 the Competition was streamed live online for the first time with
medici.tv
. The Terrence Judd Halle Orchestra Prize, selected and awarded by the orchestra to one of the six finalists, was introduced in 2012. A new partnership with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was announced in 2019 for the 20th Edition in 2021.
Halle Orchestra
with
Sir Mark Elder
(2003?2018)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
with
Sir Simon Rattle
(1987?2000)
BBC Philharmonic
with
Sir Vernon Handley
(1984)
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
with
Sir John Pritchard
and
Sir Charles Groves
(1963?1975) &
Andrew Manze
(2021)
Prize winners
[
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]
*
Winner of the Terence Judd?Halle Orchestra Prize.
[8]
[9]
[10]
** Winner of the
Yaltah Menuhin Award
.
[10]
*** Winner of the medici.tv Audience Award.
[10]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Leeds International Piano Competition"
.
World Federation of International Music Competitions
. 20 February 2018
. Retrieved
6 January
2021
.
- ^
"The Leeds International Piano Competition"
.
app.getacceptd.com
. Acceptd
. Retrieved
16 July
2023
.
- ^
"Bradford to host next Leeds International Piano Competition Finals"
. Leeds International Piano Competition. 25 May 2023
. Retrieved
16 July
2023
.
- ^
Andrew Clements (14 September 2016),
"Leeds International Piano competition final ? first prize for Anna Tcybuleva, not the obvious choice"
,
The Guardian
, retrieved
3 January
2017
- ^
a
b
Paul Lewis
(18 October 2016),
"Paul Lewis: how we're transforming 'the Leeds' to nurture tomorrow's pianists"
,
The Guardian
, retrieved
2 January
2017
- ^
'New Vision' announced for 2018 Competition
, Leeds International Piano Competition, 18 October 2016, archived from
the original
on 3 January 2017
, retrieved
2 January
2017
- ^
a
b
c
"Previous Winners"
.
Leeds International Pianoforte Competition 2006
. Archived from
the original
on 1 July 2007
. Retrieved
30 March
2022
.
- ^
James McCarthy (18 September 2012),
"Leeds International Piano Competition 2012 Winner Announced"
,
Gramophone
, retrieved
3 January
2017
- ^
Heejae Kim piano
, Leeds International Piano Competition, 5 April 2016, archived from
the original
on 3 January 2017
, retrieved
3 January
2017
- ^
a
b
c
"And the Winner Is… | Leeds International Piano Comp"
.
www.leedspiano.com
. Retrieved
22 September
2018
.
External links
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]
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