Growing Stronger Together

The Leeds International Piano Competition is one of the world’s most thrilling classical music events. Every three years, a starry array of international young talent competes in Leeds for the gold medal, which has transformed countless pianists into world stars. 

This year is like no other in our history – we have gone to the ends of the earth to make sure our pianists can take part, running our International First Round across 17 countries and bringing our Competitors safely to Leeds to perform live. 

Our pianists are ready to stun us with their music and take the stage after so many months separated from their audience. They are also helping us to take this passion out into the streets of our city to share music with the widest possible audience through our famous Leeds Piano Trail. 

We invite you to experience The Leeds for yourself - with the best seat in the house, you can listen up close in amazing HD sound, or go behind the scenes and out into the streets of our vibrant city in our Blogs. By watching, you are not only supporting our pianists journey in Leeds, but also supporting the future of the music we all love. 

Thank you!

Adam Gatehouse

Artistic Director, The Leeds International Piano Competition

About The Leeds

The Leeds International Piano Competition is one of the world’s foremost music competitions. 

Since the first edition in 1963, 'The Leeds' has attracted the world’s finest young pianists and prize-winners include the Competition’s Patron Murray Perahia KBE, Radu Lupu, Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff, Lars Vogt, Anna Tsybuleva, Federico Colli and Eric Lu. 

The founders were three friends - Dame Fanny Waterman, Marion Thorpe Countess of Harewood and Rosalyn Lyons - who attracted young musicians to Leeds by the opportunities offered by an outstanding prize package, the challenge of demanding repertoire, a stellar jury, and the very warmest welcome from the people of Yorkshire. 

In bold defiance of the pandemic, this year’s International First Round reached 17 venues around the globe and The Leeds will be the first major European competition to bring its live audiences back. Online, viewers around the world can experience The Competition in HD sound through medici.tv, which attracted over 1 million views across more than 190 countries during our 2018 Edition.

Helping our artists to develop is at the heart of what the Competition stands for. We seek not only to discover the finest young pianists, but to nurture and equip them for the swiftly changing world we are living in. Competitor + is a unique programme that provides career-enhancing opportunities and support packages for all our Competitors, and our Tabor Young Ambassadors programme supports the next generation of young competitors prepare for their competition journey.

We offer a prize package that is truly transformative, including worldwide management with Askonas Holt, a debut recording with Warner Classics, recitals at Wigmore Hall and the Southbank in London, tours of Europe and East Asia in association with Steinway & Sons, broadcast opportunities with the BBC and an extensive package of national and international engagements with a range of promoters and orchestras, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Perhaps most importantly, we are passionate about the role of the piano to inspire diverse communities and bring people together, both locally and around the world. We offer unique opportunities for Competitors and Prize-winners to connect with audiences beyond the concert hall and develop year-round programmes with our community and educational partners, including our famed Leeds Piano Trail. 

Find out more on www.leedspiano.com