World Pianist Weekender 2026
Leeds City Museum, 7th and 8th November 2026
Join us for free Piano based events in Leeds City Centre!
Free Piano Lessons | Live Music | Craft Workshops | Family Singing Workshops | Open Mic
Saturday 7 November 2026
10am-3pm
Leeds Hospitals Charity Piano Trail Takeover
Piano playing volunteers from the Leeds Hospitals Charity are taking over the Leeds Piano Trail with performances in Trinity, the St. John’s Centre, Kirkgate Market and the Victoria Quarter.
10am-4pm
Free Piano Lessons in The Light
A day of free 20 minutes piano lessons with teacher Sian Hughes. Equally suited to both experienced pianists and total beginners. Tickets available soon.
Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum:
11:00am-4:30pm
Piano Themed Craft Workshops
Piano craft workshops with community artist Dora Goldsborough. Come make a thumb piano or help design a piano shed! All ages welcome.
11:00am-4:30pm
Pop up Photography Studio
Come and have your photo taken by community artist Charlie Swinbourne ahead of our 2027 photography project ‘Pianists of Leeds’. Please book a slot or just show up on the day.
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11:15am-12:00pm
Family Sing Session ran by Made with Music
Family Sing Session for children of all ages and their parents, guardians and carers ran by the award-winning charity Made With Music.
11:55am-12:05pm
Khanh Nhi Luong Popup Performance
A short performance at the end of the Family Sing by LIPC’s 2024 bronze medallist Khanh Nhi Luong.
1:00-2:00pm
Open Mic
Come and perform at our piano open mic! Any piano related performances welcome, if you would like an accompanist, please email [email protected]
2:00-4:30pm
Micro-performances by LS18 Rocks, Duncan and Fran Goodwin and Miroslava Makarenko
Popup performances by young bands from LS18 Rocks and local pianists Duncan and Fran Goodwin (Channel 4’s The Piano) and Miroslava Makarenko.
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Sunday 8th November 2026
The Light:
10am-4pm Free Piano Lessons in The Light
A day of free 20 minutes piano lessons with teacher Sian Hughes. Equally suited to both experienced pianists and total beginners. Tickets available soon.
The Broderick Hall, Leeds City Museum:
11:00am-4:30pm
Piano Themed Craft Workshops
Piano craft workshops with community artist Dora Goldsborough. Come make a thumb piano or help design a piano shed! All ages welcome.
11:15am-12:15pm
World Premiere of Commissions for The Leeds Piano Trail
Hear the premiere of seven new pieces written by undergraduate composition students at Leeds Conservatoire supervised by Ben Gaunt and performed by 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition ambassador and RNCM student Scott Manson.
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1:00-2:00pm
Open Mic
Come and perform at our piano open mic! Any piano related performances welcome, if you would like an accompanist, please email [email protected].
2:00-4:30pm
Community Choir Workshop
Join singers from local choirs including Harmony Choir, Sally’s Army and Leeds City Museum’s Community Choir for an afternoon of group singing. No experience or prior rehearsal needed, just turn up on the day. The songs that we are focusing on will are Count On Me by Bruno Mars, One Day Like This by Elbow with Hey Jude by The Beatles and Keep on the Sunny Side by The Whites. The workshop will be accompanied by our house band; Bruce Hygate (piano), Freddie Meadon (bass) and Callum Van Schalkwyk (percussion).
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